Chapter 132 Need Each Other
ADRIANA
I’d taken over as Alpha of my father’s pack. No one could stop me, not even those damn elders.
I’d had them arrested, each and every one of them. They’d known of my father’s involvement with the cult and yet they did nothing about it.
“The time is drawing close, Adriana. It’s time for the Cult to find you so we can put an end to them once and for all.”
At the mention of the cult, I didn’t seem so upset or afraid anymore. I was ready for them. They had tormented me for long enough and it was time to face them head on.
“What do I need to do to prepare myself?” I asked Yara.
“First off, keep your home in check. Your guards need to start training as much as Elijah’s guards were training back then. And then, you need to get everyone in this pack to safety. Don’t get them involved in this, Adriana. As much as you hate them for what they did, they’re innocent people.”
Innocent? They stood back and watched while that man made me a pack slave. His daughter!
“Adriana, listen to me. Don’t let anger rule you. You will regret it. Just let them go and get them to safety for now.”
“But where am I supposed to take them to? I can’t just drive them out of the pack.”
She agreed with me.
“No, you can’t. That’s why you have to talk to Elijah.”
I should have known that was where she was going with this.
“No way in hell. Please don’t even say that again. Speak to Elijah?! Yara, he keeps hiding things from me over and over like I’m an egg that needs to be shielded or else I’ll break. What’s the whole point of being together if he’s just going to keep being so secretive?”
He kept acting like I was a child that should be protected from everything. Lisa and Hannah escaped! How could he not tell me such a huge thing? What if they had attacked me?
I would not have been ready for it at all. I may have known eventually because Yara would have told me but then Elijah didn’t tell me himself.
“Adriana, let me tell you something you don’t know. Elijah loves you. He loves you so much that he takes you as himself. What I mean is, when he saw how much your father’s abuse did to you, he vowed that he would never let anything hurt you ever again. No matter what it was, he would keep it to himself and make sure that you’re free from the pain. That’s why he did what he did, not because he sees you as a child but because he wanted to protect you from more pain. I can feel the way he aches for you day and night hoping that you would forgive him. He needs you now more than ever, Adriana.”
With the way she was talking, I could tell that there was something wrong.
“Jane is dead, isn’t she?”
“She died this afternoon. You should reach out to him, Adriana. He and Leo need you. Imagine that little boy, watching his mother die in his arms. He needs you and so does Elijah. Besides, who do you think would train your army for what’s to come?”
Hazel. I needed her help with this.
I guess I really needed to speak to Elijah. It’s been a while and I needed to check in on Leo as well. The poor boy was going through a lot right now and I should be there with him.
“Where are Hannah and Lisa? Do you know where they are?”
She scoffed.
“There is nothing hidden from you, Adriana. Just close your eyes.”
I did so and I saw them clearly.
They were walking through the thick forest. Hannah, Lisa and who was that in front?
It was a man. He looked familiar to me.
“Yara, who’s that up front?”
“Take a closer look, Adriana. Be patient.”
I was sure that I could see who this person was if I focused. Hannah was complaining about how she had been walking for a while and she was already very tired and how all these things weren’t worth it for an old man who didn’t know what he was doing.
The man in front turned around immediately and out of shock, I opened my eyes after seeing his face.
“What on earth is Luke doing with them? I thought Elijah had given him a job in the pack? What’s he doing with them?”
I already knew what he was doing with them and I didn’t want to admit the answer.
Wow, to think that I fought with Elijah over him at some point and he turned around to do this to me. I should have listened to Hazel when she tried to tell me about him.
But that was fine, never again would I be stupid about people. It was time to buckle up for the battle ahead.
I needed to get my pack ready and I needed to make amends with Elijah. He was right to be suspicious of Luke and I had been too naive to see it.
I had let my desire to prove my independence cloud my judgment and now Luke was out there with my enemies, probably planning something terrible.
I thought about everything that had happened over the past few months. My father’s death, taking over the pack, the elders’ betrayal, and now this. It was too much but I couldn’t afford to break down now.
My pack needed me to be strong and Leo needed me too. I picked up my phone and stared at Elijah’s number, my finger hovering over the call button. I needed to swallow my pride and reach out to him.
We need each other now more than ever.