32. Potential Allies

We managed to do everything in time, and at 11:00 p.m., Aryanna is waiting to be picked up by Atticus. We decided to test Aloysius's so-called goodwill and equipped her with a notebook for Ella, with her phone, some clothes, a small camera, and a tracking device.

Dave will watch their movement, and shockingly, Liam decided to ask Richie to help him. He probably wants to test his loyalty now that we know he is Livia's mate. I feel for her. She is a tough young warrior, but she was severely hurt as a kid and never quite got over what happened.

Maybe that's why the goddess paired her to Richard. She is going to be able to help him, giving him hope and a purpose again, while she will find her own purpose too. But Richie was hurt badly too. He was groomed, and he is only eighteen. He already carries such a huge package. I would have wished for Livia to find someone who could protect her.

Maybe she doesn't want or need protection? Sylvan intervenes. Perhaps she wants to protect.

You are right. I'm being pretty judgmental.

Nah, he mutters. We worry about our pack members, and the human kid is still an unknown constant.

Let's hope he won't hurt her, I say. But if she wants to give him a chance, and he doesn't give us any reason to deny them this opportunity, then l will support her.

I should stop thinking that he is broken or not worth being a mate because, quite frankly, I was broken too when I met Ella, and yet she accepted me.

This reminds me that I still haven't dealt with the issue concerning my mom.

How do you feel about her? I ask my wolf.

He grumbles. I don't know. I'm still mad at her. Life was just getting good, and then she had to pop up again.

Don't you want to know what she has to say?

Do you?

I shrug. I don't know. I want closure. I guess.

Sylvan stays quiet at my words. I get that, he admits.

Seems like we are on the same page, albeit both pretty indecisive. But we don't have time to deal with this at the moment; Ella and Charlie are our top priorities right now. Which is why I meet Liam in front of the dungeons. He has two of our pack warriors accompany us, along with Stella.

Charlie is staying the night at Gisela's house. I briefly visited her and told her Ella still has work outside of the pack. She didn't quite buy it; I assume my expression gave it away, but I begged her to stay patient for one more night and that I would tell her everything during breakfast tomorrow morning.

Our dungeons are equipped with top-notch security and are quite modern. Instead of cells, there are separate small rooms with a cot and a toilet each. Liam is a firm believer in giving someone basic human rights, even as a prisoner. He claims we never know if we would have someone innocent captured. Although, there are a few high-security cells for… special guests and in case we have to tie someone down.

"It was pretty easy to find you," Liam says when a guard brings Imogen to the questioning room. Her hands are cuffed with silver cuffs, which the guard now attaches to the desk where he makes her sit down.

Liam nonchalantly takes a chair and sits down, taking a relaxed stance. "Don't you think so, Beta?" he asks me.

"A piece of cake," I say. "With the picture we had, there was no hiding anymore."

"And the testimony."

"Took us just a day to find you," I say.

"Did you think it was smart to creep around in a forest and follow my luna?" Liam asks.

"I didn't follow your luna," Imogen exclaims.

"I don't take it lightly that someone threatened her," Liam says.

"Are you deaf," she huffs. "I'm not interested in the luna."

Liam slams his hands down on the table, his aura changing to something darker and more threatening. Imogen whimpers. "Why did you attack my luna?" he hisses. "And better have a good explanation now instead of your smartass comebacks, or I will rip your tongue out."

Beads of sweat form on her forehead. "Your luna was never our goal. She was just coincidentally there. We would have never attacked her."

"So, you are saying that instead of my luna, you are interested in the teenager," Liam says. "Going by your track record, I'm not surprised."

"Yeah," I say, turning to Liam. "She seems to like them young, like that human boyfriend of hers."

"Richard was legally an adult," she defends herself.

I grimace, shaking my head.

"What do you think?" Liam asks Stella, who has remained quiet so far.

"I'd say Richard is eighteen. Still a teen. It's literally part of the word."

"So, first Richard," Liam says. "And then your next prey, Charlotte."

"Who?" Imogen asks.

"You might know her as Charlie, a teenage girl."

Imogen looks sincerely confused, making me blink in surprise. Ella had an inkling they might not be interested in Charlie, and it seems she was right. Alpha, I link Liam. She doesn't seem to know what we are talking about.

I got that too, Liam says. Do you have a picture of Charlie?

Of course. I rummage in my pocket and pull out my wallet. In it there is a picture of Ella and Charlie. I hand it to Liam who shoves it towards Imogen.

"Rings a bell?" he asks.

Imogen stares at the picture before she sticks her finger onto it. "She is a teen!? She looks older!"

It's silent around us, my breath hitching slightly. It can't be true. It just can't be… it… no way… They followed us on our way to the UK when we picked up Charlie.

They followed us.

Not Charlie.

And like Ella said, Charlie wasn't with them in Sunset Hills. Richard also didn't spy on our fake Charlie; he went right after Ella and me. Ella had a gut feeling that something was off, but…

But why?

"Are you telling me you are after the woman in the picture, not the child?" Liam asks sharply.

"I won't tell you anything," she says stubbornly. "I have a job to do. We have a code of honor and would rather die than to—"

"Stop fucking around," Liam growls, his aura expanding once more. This time even stronger than before. It makes the guard and me wince but Imogen shivers in fear. "You are a mercenary. A code of honor? Don't be ridiculous. If you give me what I want, I will ship you from here to the werewolf prison, where you can await your trial. If you don't give me anything, I will strip you from your wolf, blast your name to all the surrounding packs, and have the hunting season started. How do you think they will react when they know that you potentially killed a pack member? They've been searching for you and your group for years." He furrows his brows, his eyes turning black in anger. "You have one chance to answer, or I will tell my witch to give you a potion that will make you spill the truth, and then—"

"I am just working on a contract," Imogen blurts out.

"Who is your client?"

"I don't know," she says.

Liam reaches out his hand to Stella, who hands him a little bottle.

"I really don't," she yells. "I never saw them. They're a group of friends or something. Pack wolves. They want the beta female of Red Claw!"

Pack wolves?

"And precisely for her necklace?" Liam inquires. "Is this why you carried a drawing with it around?"

"They said to bring the necklace to them as proof that it's really the beta," she says.

"What about the vampire?" Liam asks.

"He just wanted information about this pack. He didn't hire us for more."

So, what Aloysius told Ella is true; at least that part of his story is. He isn't responsible for these idiots following us around. He also isn't responsible for the attack on Sunset Hills.

"Did you ever meet your client?" Liam demands to know.

"Just a third party," she says. "Someone my client trusts. He is doing all the communication with me."

"How does he contact you?"

"I have a burner phone," she admits. "It's sewed into the pocket of my bag."

Liam turns towards me, and I nod. I go over to the table with Imogen's bag and rummage through her things. She didn't lie… her phone is indeed hidden between two pockets. I grab it and take it to Liam.

"PIN?"

She hesitates for a second, but when Liam glares at her, she gives him the code to unlock the phone. Liam asks her more about how they get in contact and what type of codes they use to communicate. It's all very simple. The only issue is that the other guy is using a burner phone, too, which will make it hard to track him.

"Did he ever see Richard with you?" Liam asks finally, much to my surprise.

Imogen looks surprised too. "Yes," she mutters. "He knew he was working for me."

"Working for you," Liam snorts. "That's one way to put it." He stands up, gesturing towards the guards. "Take her away." He shakes his head while he watches her being dragged away by the guards. "I will call the Council and have them all brought to their prison. Her group has a lot to answer for. They can further question them, but I doubt they will have anything useful for us."

"What was that thing about Richie?" I ask.

"Didn't you say he might want to prove his loyalty?" he asks.

"I'm not sure if those were my exact words," I mutter.

"Well, it doesn't matter. If he wants to be with Livia—and we both know he will want her due to the mate bond—he will also want to stay here. He needs to prove to me that I can trust him," he says.

"You want him to play the bait?" I ask. "That's… a fantastic idea. They connect him with Imogen, so it won't be too suspicious."

"Exactly."

I frown. "What do they want from Ella?" I ask. "Why the necklace? Ella has been here for a while now. Everyone knows her; she is a beta."

"How did she get the necklace?" Liam asks.

"It was her mother's," I explain. "She found it in her inheritance. We also found Candy's photo there…" I pause. "And then went to look for Charlie."

"This is when they started to follow you around," Liam concludes. "It has nothing to do with Charlie."

"Fuck," I curse. "I should have known!"

"It was really an unlucky coincidence," Liam says. "It wasn't your fault, Dante. Anyone would have connected it to Charlie first. I did too."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "All I want is to protect my family."

"But that's what you are doing," he reassures me. "Imogen and her gang are here. We have Richard as our bait, and you are trying everything to find out the truth. Meanwhile Ella is doing the same, just with the vampires."

"Maybe you are right," I say. "I still feel helpless, and on top of that I have this talk with Charlie ahead of me. The luna said it's best to be honest."

"I think the same," Liam says. "What does your gut feeling tell you?"

"That she was lied to a lot in the past, and she will cope better with the truth," I admit.

"And bring us some drinks," Aryanna calls towards Atticus who accompanied her to me. They only checked her bags for explosives or weapons, something we would do too if strangers came to visit the pack grounds.

They didn't even comment on her phone and notebook and let Aryanna join me in my room with all the stuff she brought along. They offered her a guest room, but we both preferred for her to stay with me.

"Drinks will be brought to your room," Julianus says. "Anything you want to eat?"

"Are you serious?" Aryanna asks.

"I am always serious," he says.

"You are right. I haven't seen you smile at all until now," I point out. "You are of high rank, aren't you? That's probably quite the achievement here."

He just shrugs. "It… just happened," he says, but something in his eyes flashes. He has the same look he had when he brought me to Aloysius, when he allowed himself a moment of vulnerability.

"Do you have a mate?" Aryanna asks. "Pardon me, I mean… a beloved?"

"No," he says quietly. "But I had someone who I wanted to be mine. I was about to ask…"

"And then what happened?" I ask curiously. When a young vampire arrives with our food and drink, I wait for him to leave us again before gesturing at Julianus to come in and eat with us.

"I hope your beloved didn't pass away," Aryanna mutters. "I know we aren't friends, not even allies, but I would hate for anyone to lose their soulmate."

"The person I wanted to have as my beloved didn't die," he says quietly, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "But they left me. So, in a way, they are lost to me forever."

"But if they aren't dead, you can still—"

"No," he says bitterly. "There is no way back anymore."

"Why didn't you leave too?" I ask.

"What?" he looks at me shocked.

"I just thought it could have been an option, couldn't it?"

"But my home is here; I was born into this coven. Lord Aloysius has been my master ever since I can remember. He is… strong and… good."

"To me he looks abusive," I say shortly. "At least to his subordinates."

"You don't say," Aryanna mutters. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Do you know his siblings?" I ask.

"Not all of them," he admits.

"But didn't one of his brothers live here with him and lead the coven together?" I continue to ask, pretending to be oblivious and like I have no idea who his brother is.

Julianus looks down at his hands. "That's true."

"Was he such a bad leader?" Aryanna inquires, too, playing along with my questioning.

"No," Julianus says with force, almost sounding pissed that we are questioning Silas's ability as a ruler. "He was what we needed here."

"So, who is filling his spot now?" I ask.

"No one. Lord Aloysius is ruling on his own."

"Does he have a beloved?" Aryanna inquires.

"No, but he has been looking for a suitable lady for many years," he admits.

"Wow, he must have high standards," I say dryly, very well aware that the sociopath is looking for a full-blooded vampire woman.

Julianus stays quiet.

"Come have a drink with us," Aryanna offers. "Let's talk about something else."

While Julianus is busy pouring us some drinks, she links me. What are you trying to achieve? she asks me. I mean with this vampire dude here?

I have no idea, I say. It's just a feeling. Let's try to get him talking.