Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Former Packs
***Sebastian (Zane’s father) ***
Blood trickles down my knuckles as I glare at the man dangling from a chain on the ceiling, his eyes swollen shut and his face disfigured.
Despite being tortured for the past two days, the traitor refuses to speak and my patience is running thin..
I grab the mutt by his throat, using all my strength to keep from choking him before he can give me the information I need.
“what did you tell them?” I snarl, my fingers applying pressure to the base of his jaw.
The wolf pants with exhaustion, his eyes brimming with loyalty to Alpha Toran.
He would not be giving in anytime soon, determined to take his secrets to Moon Goddess herself.I both admire and hate his faithfulness.
Kill him…Arden, my wolf, growls hungrily.
He’s of no use to us…The wolf spits in my face, Arden eager to punish him.
“Wrong answer,” I smirk, my arms dissolving into green gas.
Upon contact with the wolf’s skin, his flesh breaks out in large painful blisters and he lets out a pained scream.
The gas pours into the wolf’s broken nose and throat, his eyes bulging out as he struggles to breathe.
Foam builds up in his mouth until it spills down his chin nothing comes out.
The veins in his throat bulge and just as suddenly as he looks at me, his body goes limp in his chains.
Wyatt grimaces as the guards remove the body off the chains; he’s never liked to see me use my powers, not that I could blame him.
“You kill with such ease,”
Sara scoffs, inspecting her manicure as if I hadn’t just killed an undercover Ravenstone scout right in front of her.
“And yet you couldn’t even kill some worthless mute mutt who tried to rape your WIFE!”
I chuckle to myself at the audacity that she has to still claim rape.I knew Zane was incapable of hurting a woman.
His mother had made him soft and weak growing up by coddling him.
He didn’t have the balls to take what he wanted.
The boy couldn’t even speak properly to even look at a woman with confidence.
There is no doubt in my mind Sara came on to him and like the fool that he is, Zane most likely just stood there until he became overwhelmed and ran.
Pathetic…
I mutter to myself.
It would have been preferable for him to have just taken Sara, to dominate her like a real Alpha and put her in her place.But of course, the boy was just as weak as his mother.
“Are you listening to me, you worthless…”
Arden takes control, wrapping my fingers around Sara’s throat and slamming her against the wall so that she bursts into tears.
“Would you like to join our little friend over there?”
Arden whimpers and shakes her head at me.
“Then I suggest you shut the f**k up,” he snaps.
He lifts her face close to mine and whispers in her ears.
“Oh, and the next time you decide to w***e around, make sure to pick a wolf who might actually enjoy your company.”
“Oh like you don’t,” she sneers.
“We made Caine fairly quickly, didn’t we?”
Caine, who has been standing by Wyatt this entire time, gags in disgust.
“And it was the worst two minutes of my life,”
Arden smirks, her face contorting in anger.
“f*k yous” Arden slams her into the wall again, this time Sara’s eyes fluttering in dazed confusion.
“You may be this Pack’s Luna, ” he growls via mind-link.
“But don’t you forget you are nothing more than an agreement in a deal.”
“A deal that falls apart without me,” Sara strains through my chokehold.
“Remember, Sebastian.Without me, my father takes back his money and soldiers…and you and this little Silver Wolf clan perish in Toran Ravenstone’s claws.”
I clench my jaw and glare at the b***h I’ve been forced to call my wife for the past 20 years.
Sara wraps her fingers over mine and squeezes my grip on her throat, the scent of her arousal mixing with the scent of death lingering in the dungeons.
She yelps when I tighten my squeeze, Caine storming over to pull me off of his mother.
“Trying to be a real Alpha now?” I snarl as I feel Caine approach behind me.
“Where was this Alpha when you were on the floor crying like weakling over a little burn on your chest?” I sneer.
“Even that mute omega was strong enough to hold his tongue in pain!” He halts in his tracks with his fists at his sides.
“You made me look weak,” he argues.
“You punished me instead of that worthless mutt! What kind of Alpha defends a lowly omega over his own son and Luna of his pack? You humiliated us!”
I release his mother and stalk over to my son who attempts to hold his ground but I see the quiver in his brow.
Hesitation..
Arden grumbles.
Weakness…
Without flinching, I spin around on one foot and roundhouse kick him in the face, Caine crashing onto the blood stained pavement with a groan.
Sara rushes to his side but Caine only pushes her away angrily.I crouch down beside him, watching him closely as he wipes the blood from his mouth.
“You humiliated yourself by being weak,” I hiss.
“Because a true Alpha shows no weakness…and you did.”
Thoroughly annoyed with my son and Luna, I storm out of the dungeon, Wyatt following close at my heels.
Back in the comfort of my office, I plop down at my desk and rub my temples as I feel a headache coming on his mind.
Ever since Elenore’s death, he’s been my most faithful companion, watching over Zane when I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him.
The boy reminded me too much of the woman I lost and I could not afford to show weakness in a time of war.
“What is it?” I sigh when Wyatt shifts on his feet.
“Nothing, Alpha,” Wyatt says.
“The boy is safe in case you were interested,” he adds quietly.
“My men let me know he arrived safely in Poulsbo so he should be out of Ravenstone’s radar.I gave him the money you asked me to give him and the photo of his mother.” Relief fills my lungs and I let out a tiny sigh.
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“You must think I’m a hypocrite for showing weakness with that boy.”
“It is not my place to judge you, Alpha.I just carry out orders,” he shrugs.
“Besides, he is your son after all.It’s only natural for you to worry about him.” l open my eyes to glare at him.
“Let me make one thing clear: He may carry my blood but he is no son of mine.That mute imbecile is of no relation to me.” Wyatt’s face hardens.
“Mute, he may be, but imbecile he is not.You heard from the guards and Caine himself, the boy did not utter a single word while he was being tortured nor did he beg for mercy when you had him removed from his own pack, A pack he was once meant to lead.He didn’t even flinch when you took what was his!”
He exasperates, throwing his hands in the air.
“He has the makings of a with some encouragement and proper training, he could rival even you.”
“Please,” I scoff, knowing damn well Zane couldn’t lead to save his life.
“An Alpha needs to be fearless and that boy can’t even look me in the eye! Ravenstone would destroy us with him as Alpha.They already took two Alphas from us, what will stop them from taking him? His silence?”
Wyatt lowers his head knowing this topic was not one I spoke of with ease.
“Alpha…Zane is not Cyrus nor Jonathan.”
“Enough! Weakness has already taken too much from this clan.Zane will not take the title because he doesn’t have what it takes to look his opponent in the eye and lead his soldiers in war.”
“And Caine does?”
“Caine is young and stupid.He still has time to learn.Zane, on the other hand, is a grown man.You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.He will always be weak.At least with Caine, I still have time to teach him how to use his gift to his advantage.We don’t even know what Zane’s gift is.He’s useless.I showed mercy to him as a favor to Elenore.He was her son, but he was never mine.”
“Understood, Alpha,” Wyatt sighs.
“Forgive me for questioning your judgment.”
He excuses himself and leaves me to ponder whether or not I was making the right decision to rest my pack’s fate in Caine’s hands by my older brother, Cyrus.
Toran Ravenstone was a former Ally of ours and together, Ravenstone and Scarlet Haven were the strongest silver wolf clans in the West….
That is, until my brother betrayed Toran.
In order to strengthen our packs, Toran took a wife from the Crescent Mane kingdom, Bre Hilton.
She was the daughter of the King …
And Cyrus’s fated mate.
Like the weak wolf he was, Cyrus gave in to his bond and he took Bre in secret.
For months, the two met behind Toran’s back until one day, they were caught.
Toran was furious and in a fit of rage, he killed Princess Bre.
Cyrus and King Arthur launched a war, Cyrus losing his life in battle.
I took the title shortly thereafter.
But Toran’s thirst for blood was unsatisfied.
He wanted to watch Scarlet Haven burn to the ground for my brother’s betrayal.He took my son Jonathan before he could even walk and then he took Elenore from me.He would have taken Zane had he ever found out who he was.
That’s why I could not afford to have a weak heir.
Toran would stop at nothing to see us defeated and Zane was too much of a weakling to ever face him.I have been careful with Caine, training him from a young age to be a ruthless wolf… but he is still young.
He has much to learn if he ever wants to take Toran head on and end this miserable war once and for all.
***Christian’s POV***
“P-please Alpha,” Susan, the maid whimpers as I hold her throat in my hands.
“Please don’t kill me,” she sobs frantically.
“I am only 18! I-l haven’t even met my mate.Please! Please! Please!”
She begs as I tighten my grip on her delicate neck.But her cries fall on deaf ears as Jack snaps her neck, silencing her pathetic cries forever.
How many more? I growl as he tosses the limp body off his to the side.
How many more until you’re satisfied? At this rate, we will have no pack left when Natalia comes home! Vil stop when you bring home my Tiny and our pup, Jack snarls.It’s been close to four years and still you fail to bring me my mate.
He calls in Derek who rushes in and halts when he sees another body for him to dump.He stares blankly at the girl before collecting her in his arms.
“Where would you like me to put her?” he says quietly, his voice laced with bitterness.
“Up your ass for all I care,” Jack mutters.
“Yes, Alpha,” Derek replies.
As he turns away, he mumbles under his breath, “Will there be anymore this week?”
Jack pounces on his beta, pinning him up against the wall with “What did you say?”
Jack growls.
“N-nothing, Alpha,” Derek replies.
Having had enough of Jack’s disregard for my pack, I claw my way to the surface and take control once again, putting my walls up to ensure Jack remains locked up in the recesses of my mind.I release Derek who takes a huge gulp of air and coughs.
“How is the search going?” I ask, hoping to hear something good today.
Derek bends over to pick up the body and slings her over his shoulder before answering.
“She changed her name.We’ve searched all vital records in virtually every state but Natalia as we know her no longer exists.”
“So you’ve found nothing,” I huff, slamming my fist on my desk.
“Over three years and nothing?”
“We know she took a flight to Wyoming but all of our leads have come up empty, Sir,” Derek says.
“She could have very well left the country.”I wipe everything clear off my desk at his words.
“Natalia couldn’t have just disappeared!”
“Well she’s certainly hid her tracks,” he sighs.
“But we’ll find her, Alpha. We’ll bring her and the pup back.”
Vanessa storms into the office, glancing over at Derek and the body in his arms you at least f**k her before you killed her?
She jokes, although I could sense the jealousy in her voice.
“What do you want?” I sigh, sitting back at my desk to start a computer search in Wyoming for Natalia.
Derek takes this as his cue to leave and nearly trips over himself to leave Vanessa and I to chat in private.
My wife sits down, a little smirk stretched across her pretty lips.
I scan her body. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
She looks nothing like Natalia; one would even wonder how they are related.
Where Natalia is tan and olive toned like their Mexican father, Vanessa is pale with creamy white skin like their Salvadorian Mother.
Natalia’s eyes are like milk chocolate while Vanessa’s shone like two bright emeralds.
Both are incredibly beautiful and both are my weakness.
“I want to turn,” Vanessa says, her tone serious and determined.
“I think I’m ready.” I groan with annoyance.
Vanessa has been asking me to turn her ever since I found out Natalia was having my pup.
“Nessa,” I sigh, resisting the urge to laugh in her face.
She wants to turn? Jack wheezes with laughter.
Is she stupid? “You do realize there’s a high probability your body will reject the wolf and you could die a very slow and painful death, right?”
I ask, studying her face for any sign of hesitation.I find none.
“No,”I snarl through gritted teeth me? I’m your Luna-”
“Correction,” I interrupt, getting up from my seat and circling around the desk so that I stand directly in front of her..
“You are my Luna’s useless, infertile older sister,” I smirk as I whisper in her ear.
“Just filling in until I can bring her home again.”
“But -”
“Natalia is Silver Crest’s rightful Luna,” I murmur as I unbutton her shirt to expose her bare breasts.
“And you are nothing more than my w***e,”
I add, cupping one of her breasts and pinching her n*****s, Asoft moan escapes Vanessa’s lips.She snaps out of her daze when I lean down to kiss her neck.
“Silver Crest already has a Luna,” she hisses, pushing away my hand and rebuttoning her shirt.
“And you’ll soon see exactly what I’m capable of.”
She storms out of my office arrogantly and I know this bimbo is going to get herself killed.
The only question is, do I care enough to stop her?
*** Jordan (Natalia’s Gamma)***
I pace back and forth so much, my own wolf, Adam, growls at me. I stare at the summons in my hand requesting my presence at the Elder’s Court this afternoon, my heart rate skyrocketing as I think about all the possible reasons I could be receiving this summons for.
You are only ever summoned if you are under revaluation for your rank and status in the pack.
My mind ponders over every possible reason for why I could be summoned by the Elders and all of them point back to Natalia.
I had been in charge of the search and for almost four years now, I have failed miserably in tracking her and the future alpha down.
Could the Elders possibly be thinking of demoting me or even worse, having me removed from the pack for my failure? I wonder to myself.
I think back to the night Natalia left.
She knew.She knew Christian and Vanessa were betraying her.She knew her pain was caused by them, that it was not all in her head as we had led her to believe.
But worst of all, she knew I had betrayed her trust, that I had chosen my Alpha over her, my ward and Luna.
My sole purpose of existence was to protect her…
and I had failed to protect her from her own mate.
Natalia looked so hurt as she walked away from me that night and I would never forget the look of utter disdain in her eyes for me.
She hated me…and I could not blame her.
Adam whines.
Lunas and Gammas share a special bond and for months after she left, I could feel the pain in her heart.I could feel the turning her once caring heart into stone and ice.
She would never let anyone else in again.
We had destroyed every shred of confidence she had in her heart, so she’s locked it away for no one else to use and abuse.
Despite the consequences, however, I hope to never find Natalia or her pup.
I hope with every ounce in my body that she moves on and lives a long and happy life away from us.I hope she never returns to Silver Crest.
We do not deserve her anymore.
With the time quickly ticking away, I walk steadily to the Elders court and stand before Elder Robin, Elder Moira, and Elder Elijah.
To my surprise, Former Luna Kay and Former Alpha Christopher, as well as my mother and father are here as well.Even Beta Derek is here.
“What the hell is going on?” mind-link him.
“You’ll see in a minute,” he replies.
“Relax.”
“Relax? That’s easy for you to say,” I snap back.
“You’re not the one -”
“Gamma Jordan, please have a seat,”
Elder Robin commands, gesturing to the single chair in the center of the room.I gulp and slowly approach the chair, my legs shaking slightly as I sit.
“Jordan Hart, do you know why you have been summoned before the court today?”
Luna Kay asks, her calculating eyes zeroing in on me.in my voice.
The Elders and my family exchange glances and I mentally kick myself for sounding so pathetic, Yup, you’re definitely getting kicked out, Adam snickers.
Zip it, flea bag, I mumble back.
“Well as you very well know, Christian’s competence as Alpha of this pack has been called into question ever since Natalia Vazquez left the pack,” she sighs in disappointment.
Luna Kay adored Natalia, having taken her under her wing to mold her into the Luna we all loved dearly.
The one we all betrayed.
“Yes, I’m aware of the …Umm…shortcomings of the Alpha,” I nod.
“Then you must also understand why we cannot let this go on any further,” She continues.
“Y-yes,” I nod again.
“We’ve recently received startling evidence that Christian’s wolf, Jack, has gone almost .. feral,” Luna Kay adds.
I turn to Derek for this and he just shakes his head at me.
“We cannot have a rogue Alpha,” Luna Kay sighs.
“No matter how much I love him.” I press my lips together in worry. Where is she going with this?
“Since I have no other heir”
Alpha Christopher speaks, his voice to the next in line.I nod, turning to Derek.Was he going to challenge Christian for the Alpha title?
“No,” Alpha Christopher chuckles.
“Not him.”
My eyes scan the room and my mother gives me an encouraging smile.My father, sitting beside his elder brother, looks at me with pride.
“You,” Alpha Christopher says.
“You will challenge Alpha Christian for the title.”
The blood drains from my face and I can’t stop myself from standing up from my seat.
“What?!”
“As my nephew,”
Alpha Christopher says without flinching, “You carry Alpha blood in your veins and you are the only other worthy challenger for the title.”
“Sir with all due respect,” I stammer.
“I’ve trained my whole life to be third in command, not to be the one leading everyone.I can’t do this!”
“It is not a question, Jordan,” my father snaps.
“It is an order.Your pack needs you to take charge and it is your duty as the next in line to protect this pack and it’s interests.We cannot have a rogue Alpha murdering his own pack members!” I stare at him in shock.
“Murder?” I ask.
“Christian’s been the one killing off our pack members,” Derek interjects.
“His wolf is out of control.”
“You’ll start training immediately,” Luna Kay sighs.
“The longer we wait, the more at risk we become of Christian finding out who his rival is.”
She rises from her seat and walks gracefully towards me.
“And you better pray you win, Jordan.Losing will bring devastation to us all.”