Captured
QUINTON
Words can't describe just how remorseful I am that Opal is gone and has been for a long time.
It feels like an eternity since I last saw her.
By the goddess, I recognize my mistakes. I’ve always been the impulsive one, and I guess it makes perfect sense that Dad didn’t nominate me as the next Alpha King. I guess he knew me better than I knew myself.
It took me a long time to get over it, especially with my mother always telling me how I have to prove myself and not always let Bruce take the lead. She’s been telling me that since I was a little kid.
I’ve always ignored her, not only because I love Bruce and he’s my big brother, who I’ve always looked up to, but also because I never could compete with him.
Though he considers himself useless right now because he can’t find her, he’s doing more than anyone ever could, and the more time passes, the more ashamed I feel.
I also understand that he doesn’t want to look at me anymore. I led Opal down a dangerous path, and I didn’t even offer her enough guidance.
Now, her fate lies in the hands of the rogues who have been attacking our packs nonstop. It’s starting to get out of control. We don’t know how long this will last without a bloody war that will take many lives.
Megan, Gwen, and I have to go to Janice Sanders’ place to discuss our next plan. We have to safely extract Opal from the midst of the rogues, and she’s of the opinion that if we’re honest about who she is, we can at least guarantee that she won’t get hurt.
The problem?
The rogues are hard to find. There’s virtually no one to deliver the message to them. They’re like ghosts. And of course, there’s a very low chance that they’ll even believe us.
She has an artifact that can prove who Opal’s father was. A necklace he gave her. One that had been in his family for years.
If his son sees it, he’ll know she’s telling the truth.
“I feel so bad for Bruce,” Megan says beside me in the car. I put the key into the ignition and the engine roars to life. “He’s always holed up in that office when he’s not out looking for her. I wish we could do something.”
“That’s what we’re doing here. We’re all working hard to bring Opal back home.”
She turns to look at me for a long time. “Would you mind if I stayed behind? I don’t want Bruce to be alone. Plus, if something comes up, I can always call you and let you know.”
“Of course.”
I pick up Gwen, who has moved to the city because it’s closer. The first thing she asks me is, “Where’s your sister?”
“Decided to stay behind with Bruce.”
“Who’s not joining the meeting?”
I sigh. We’re headed toward Janice’s now, and we’re only fifteen minutes away. “He doesn’t have much hope in this plan. Or maybe he’s staying away because I’m at the forefront of it all. It’s hard to tell.”
Gwen says nothing.
When we get to Janice’s, we find her gate wide open. Usually, she keeps it this way so we can just head inside. We’ve been spending a lot of time here, plotting.
But when we head inside her house, we don’t find her anywhere even though I spoke to her minutes before I left the pack house.
“Janice?” Gwen says loudly. The living room is empty, and so is the kitchen. Though her house is pretty darn big, she usually comes running when we call her name.
“Maybe she’s in the bathroom?”
“I’ll check,” Gwen says before disappearing upstairs.
I walk around the living room for a bit with my hands deep in the pockets of my pants. I near the kitchen, look around, and that’s when I hear something.
Voices. Shouting.
It alarms me right away, and I realize that it’s coming from the door that leads to the backyard. It’s partially open. I pull it open a bit more and the voices become clearer.
I could call Gwen, but I don’t want to make my presence known just yet.
“…you’re a bastard!” I hear Janice say to someone. I recognize her voice. “You told me you’d take care of her, but you lied to me! This whole thing is about you! You’re the worst person I’ve ever met!”
“And you aren’t?” the man answers. Sure enough, I recognize his voice too. He was giving orders around our home for too long for me not to be able to identify his voice positively. “Have you forgotten what you did? You consorted with that filthy rogue and it killed our father! You’re calling me selfish? No, not Janice. You’re the selfish one!”
“If you lay a finger on her—”
“Opal was condemned from the day she was born and you’re the only one who can be blamed for it!” he exclaims. “If you think I’m going to let you ruin my plans, you’re mistaken! I promised you your daughter wouldn’t get hurt, but you want to interfere, so now I have to get rid of you.”
Before Janice can say anything else, I hear the sound of gunshots. I freeze. I can’t move or breathe.
Did he just…
I back away from the door as soon as the realization hits me. It’s accompanied by guilt. If I had intervened, Janice wouldn’t have gotten shot.
Gwen. I have to find her.
We have to get out of here.
I head straight toward the living room, paranoid now. Gwen is nowhere to be found, and when I call her name, she doesn’t answer me.
I hurry up the stairs. If Walter realizes that we were here, there’ll be trouble and I don’t have a weapon with me. I reach the landing, then call Gwen’s name more loudly.
“Gwen? For the love of the goddess, we need to go!”
She doesn’t answer me. Frustrated, I start opening doors. What do I have to lose?
I open the third door to my right and there she is, but something’s wrong.
She’s been tied up.
I head toward her just as a group of men floods toward me. I fight against them, jaw clenched, and Gwen cries but the sounds are muffled by the gag. They manage to pin me to the ground before binding my wrists.
“Well, well, well,” Walter says behind us. “Look what we have here.”
He enters the room with his hands clasped behind my back. I swear at him. “You son of a bitch! Do you really think you’re going to get away with this!? You killed your own sister!”
“I’ve already gotten away with it,” he replies calmly, smiling. “And you two? You’ll never see the light of another day. Ever. Again.”