Chapter 36
Pushing open the door to my family home I enter the living room and see my siblings sitting on the sofa looking anxious. Next to Luca is his mate Logan, clutching his hand as if Luca will fly away without his hold. “Adam, You're back! Did you or Ro get hurt? I have been trying to get to you guys but as soon as we heard the blast someone got over protective and dragged Alli and I back here”
Even Logan could protect my family better than me. I was so sure that Logan could never keep my brother safe, too self centred to care about anyone else but when it really mattered he stepped up. He kept his mate safe. I didn't.
“Adam?” Althea steps towards me cautiously, clearly trying to get a read on me, but I can't find the words, how can I tell Luca and Althea that he is gone. At my silence my little sister wraps her small arms around me in a squeezing hug, sensing that I need the comfort without needing to say anything. I return the hug resting my head on top of hers, her soft black hair presses against my cheek as tears start to slip from my eyes.
“No, no, no, Adam, where is Ro? Why isn't he with you? He is okay right?” I can hear the panic in Luca’s voice. Breaking out of Logan's hold he stands up and punches my back trying to get the truth out of me, his mate tries to pull off his assault but it's to avail. “Lu, calm down I’m sure your friend is fine, probably helping Alpha Romeo cleanup the mess out there right Adam?”
“No, I don't know where he is, they took him” the words are bitter on my tongue, Althea lets out a sharp gasp and Luca hits me harder yelling at me. I make no attempt to stop him though, everything he is saying to me is right, I should have protected my mate better.
“Logan, thank you for protecting my family, please keep a close watch on them tonight I have a strategy meeting and I don't know when I’ll be getting back” I say after Luca has moved on from the anger stage of grief, skipped bargaining and gone straight to depression, crying in Logan's arms. I place a soft kiss on my little sister's forehead before leaving and heading straight to the pack house.
Alpha Romeo is holding onto a glass of amber liquid with white knuckles while he, Beta Jiang and Ezra gather around a map trying to plan our next step. The muffled voice of Alpha Colin can be heard from a video call of the Alpha’s laptop informing of all the recent rogue activity he has been tracking around our pack for the past several months so we can pinpoint where exactly they might be hiding.
“Beta, since the attack two nights ago how many wolves have we lost?” I interrupt and he hands me the three lists that I asked for less than an hour ago. “Six wolves dead, from when the prisoner escaped earlier today and just three wolves missing, Greta, James and today Roman”
My eyes go over the list of all the wolves that entered the prison and the list is not extensive, it's the six men on my list of the dead, my mate, the Beta and myself. Someone must have snuck in that we don't know about to smuggle the prisoner out or one of the warriors that died today were the ones who betrayed us but were too stupid to not get betrayed themselves.
What could possibly drive one of Silver Eclipse to side with Dark Claw, our pack has always been run with love and honour, Dark Claw is nothing but a pack of feral wolves that destroy all in their path.
“Adam, before you got here, Ezra was coming up with a plan to infiltrate the Dark Claw pack house and see if our boy is there” Alpha Romeo informs me his voice has a cold edge to it that is unfamiliar to me. He has always spoken to me and the rest of our pack with a warmth that makes you feel safe but this tone causes a trickle of fear to run down my spine even though everything he said seemed like a pointed threat at me.
“Respectfully Alpha, I don't think that's a good idea. It’s in the centre of their pack lands, it’s too dangerous to go that deep in if we don't even have proof that that is where they are keeping him” Jiang contributes but no matter how dangerous it is even a smallest bit of hope is enough to to blind me to the flaws in our plan.
“I say we leave at night fall” I announce, the Alpha and head warrior nod in agreement and Jiang storms out of the office in frustration muttering about how this plan will surely lead to someone's death and he is right. I will skin the Alpha of Dark claw and use his pelt as a rug for thinking he can take Roman from me.
**Luna Samira POV**
“Luna, we need to get you and the Silver Eclipse heir to the hideout, we have received word that they are storming our pack tonight” the useless runt named Todd grovels at my feet. Although he did succeed in bringing me Romeo’s kid so he is still worth keeping around for now.
It’s been three years since my idiot of a mate went and got himself killed at the hands of Alpha Romeo. My dear Simon was too ambitious for his own good and attacked when the pack was too strong. I know however that patience is a virtue.
I grieved the loss of my fated mate, grieved so much that I then lost the pup I was still carrying inside me. While he may not have been very bright, he was mine. We could have ruled the largest pack in the country side by side with our child taking over after us. Instead Simon attacked when our enemies were too strong and I lost them both.
Now that thing that Romeo has announced as his successor lies unconscious before me, their life is in my hands and I will enjoy extinguishing it but I need to have a little fun first. “Well if we are to have guests we may as well leave them a welcome gift, although it will be a pity that we won't be here to see them open their surprise”