51. Maya

51

Maya

Even with the vehicles, it still took four days to travel to Snake River Pack. We didn't run into any trouble, but camping out in the open was tense. I shared a vehicle with Rhyson, and he was rarely not touching me. I think he expected me to have a breakdown at any moment.

Meanwhile, I was worried that he'd lose control of his wolf, and I wasn't the only one. The others kept shooting him furtive looks as well.

Jax, Anna, and the witches all stayed behind. Jenson was our only emissary, and he was clearly not happy about it. I didn't know for sure, but it felt like he still hadn't healed from Gideon's torture. At least, not mentally, and he was clearly reluctant to leave his witch.

They clearly had a bond. Was it a mating bond? If so, how did it feel to not have the bond reciprocated? It wasn't like Irene could grow a mate bond. She wasn't a wolf.

I needed to do my research. Now that I knew what was wrong with me, I needed to know how to best handle my situation. If others could find their mates and not form a full bond, then maybe I could as well.

Here I was, being an optimist again. Maybe it was because Rhyson kept looking at me like that . Like he wasn't ever going to let me go. Maybe I needed to lean into it rather than keep pulling away from it.

When we arrived, there were twelve wolves and twelve humans at the border to greet us. Immediately, I stiffened, as did the others. It was overkill.

A man stepped forward. He had a handsome face, but it was drawn in hard lines. I knew immediately that he must be London.

Jenson stepped out first and jogged over to London. Rhyson stepped out as well and crossed his arms. I could feel his power pulsing, like he was ready to grab the will of every wolf in the vicinity.

"Easy. He has every right to be on guard," I told him in a low tone. "Don't make him defensive. There's a reason that we're here."

I heard Lunessa's name thrown around a few times, and London's features only darkened. Finally, he stormed our way. "Rhyson," he said stiffly. "I'm London, alpha of Snake River Valley."

"And not pleased that we are here," Rhyson said, reeling in his power just a little. "Did you really think that it would take two dozen wolves to take me down?"

"I like to be prepared," he said shortly. "And no. I'm not pleased that you're here. I know who you are, and you have no right to be on this mountain. I don't care what the fuck Jax thinks. I'm also pissed that Elonso thinks he can use my land to make his little fucking deals."

"Is he here?"

London nodded. "And I'll tell you what I told him. You have fucking twenty-four hours to chat, and then I want you all off my territory."

I tensed, feeling Rhyson's frustration growing. "Did he tell you what I did for him? What I've done for all of you here?"

"If you're talking about the little drug kingpin wannabe, I could have taken care of him myself. I didn't even know there was a problem," London growled.

"Perhaps, instead of turning your anger to me, you should work on your communication skills with the other alphas. I am here to find answers, and if it takes longer than twenty-four hours, then nothing will make me leave. Not even you."

Oh, great. I quickly darted forward and put on my most winning smile. "Hi. My name is Maya, and I am apparently going to be the voice of reason here."

"Maya," Rhyson growled, his hand circling my arm.

I didn't push him off, but I didn't move either. I wasn't in any danger. "From what I gather, I get the feeling that you were hoping to see Lunessa. We've spent quite a bit of time with her. She's an amazing witch, and we owe our lives to her."

London's face softened. "How is she?"

I thought of how I felt when I connected with her. "She's in so much pain, I'm surprised she's still standing," I told him in a low voice. "If there's anything that you've done to contribute to that pain, and I'm not saying that there is, I'm just saying if, then she most definitely needs more time. Don't be angry with her."

With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair. "Thank you for telling me."

"Did you tell Alpha Elonso that you wanted him off your land in twenty-four hours?"

"I did."

"What was his response?"

His eyes narrowed. "He said that unless I was truly heartless, I would walk that back and give you some more time."

Rhyson growled behind me. "What the fuck did he mean by that?"

"No idea. I guess you'll have to follow me and find out."

Snake River Valley was a little colder and dryer than the other parts of the mountain. It included the peak of the mountain, and while it should have felt like a harsher environment, it was built up. The buildings, jutting out from the side of the mountain, reminded me of medieval architecture. It was quaint and lovely. Several creeks branched out along the property and met at the very edge in a wide river. Jenson had explained over here that Snake River had an excellent distribution center and made their own beer, which they imported all through the mountain and even to the human settlement. The river helped them do that.

We were shown to the guest rooms and even though Rhyson was practically vibrating with anticipation, he gave us a chance to shower, our first in four days, and change our clothes. Then, we were escorted from the guest suites deeper into the large house and down the steps to a large conference room.

London and one other man sat at the table. I recognized him from the video chats.

Elonso.

Both men stood, and we filed into the room. "King Rhyson," Elonso said with a crooked smile. "So nice to finally meet you."

Rhyson growled, and the room stilled. Elonso, however, didn't seem upset. "Sorry. I know you're incognito here. I just thought we would go ahead and point out the white elephant in the room. How would you like to be addressed?"

"Rhyson. If I don't like what you have to say, you won't live long enough to address me at all."

"You aren't going to like what I have to say, but I've been told you're not likely to shoot the messenger. Jax says you're a good man, and I hope he's right. What I have to say is private. Your wolves can stay outside. Jenson can remain, as Jax's representative. I hear congratulations are in order."

"My wolves will stay," Rhyson said darkly.

"Then I'll leave." Elonso met his gaze head-on. "In other circumstances, I'd be telling you this in complete privacy, Rhyson. I'm not just protecting myself."

What the hell did that mean?

Turning, Rhyson nodded at the others, who hesitantly filed out of the room. They wouldn't be going far. I turned to follow them, but Rhyson snagged my arm. "She stays."

"I don't sense a mate bond," Elonso argued.

Sure. Twist the knife why don't you, asshole?

It wasn't his fault. He didn't know.

"What she is to me is none of your concern. She stays or I walk."

"Interesting." Elonso shrugged and sat. "Fine."

Rhyson pulled a chair out for me, and I quietly sat, wishing I could curl up in the corner. Everywhere I went on this mountain, everyone's attention was on me. I was so not used to it.

Rhyson sat on one side of me and Jenson on the other. We faced London and Elonso. The alpha of Snake River Valley looked just as aggravated as when we first met him. I assumed that was because Elonso hadn't divulged any additional information.

"You dispatched a problem for me. A deal is a deal. It is not possible that my predecessor killed your brother. He was with me that day, and believe me, I have no love for Emerson. I would not cover for him, especially now that he's dead."

We already knew this.

"You did not bring us here to regurgitate information," Jenson muttered, echoing all of our thoughts.

"No. I did not." Reaching into a bag next to him, Elonso pulled out a notebook and placed it in front of him. "I had my own private reasons for joining Emerson's pack, none that I plan on divulging. Just know that I spent several hellish years gaining Emerson's trust, and that means I did some things that haunt me every time I close my eyes. I still want to make it absolutely clear that what I am about to tell you happened before Emerson was even an alpha. It happened long before I even heard Emerson's name. When I became alpha, it took time for me to realize everything he'd done. I have been trying to quietly undo the damage, but it's an impossible task, and in most cases, a fruitless one."

"What the hell are you talking about?" London growled.

"I know why Rhyson's brother was investigating Emerson." The cockiness fell from Elonso's face, and for once I saw real sorrow there.

And fear.

"And you still think I'm going to retaliate against you," Rhyson guessed.

"Not just me. The whole mountain," he said hollowly. "I need you to understand that what happened was not our fault. Most of Emerson's contacts on the mountain are dead. They died with Maeve's bloody and insane thirst for power. As far as his contacts off the mountain, I'm at a loss. There are no names."

Rhyson growled next to me. "Quit belaying the point. Why the fuck are we here?"

Taking a deep breath, Elonso pushed the notebook across the table. "In that book, you'll find a list of names and dates. Female names are in one column. Some of them have numbers instead of names. In another column are the names of men. Mostly rogues. It took me several months before I could track one down and interrogate them to figure out what these names were."

He took a deep breath. Whatever he was about to say was rehearsed, and still, he didn't want to say it. "Emerson was trafficking young female wolves to the mountain. Mostly for rogues," he said hoarsely.

Rhyson didn't touch the notebook, so I opened it with some trepidation. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. "What the fuck, Elonso," London whispered. "Are you serious? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Oh, since we're being so forthcoming about everything since Maeve's death?" Elonso snapped. "Jax's boy wonder took her place and immediately put walls up at the border. No fucking clue what's happening there. You're mated to the most powerful witch to ever be born on this mountain. Didn't think that was important to share, huh? Let's not forget all the secrets Jax and Anna have been hiding, like the fucking fae still being alive."

"Enough," Rhyson snapped. "I don't give a fuck about your petty problems. Emerson was stealing our females? And my brother knew? When was the last wolf taken?"

"Like I said, years ago. I think the operation fell apart at some point. Maybe it was because he became alpha. I don't know."

My eyes ran through the names and dates, and I felt sick inside. There had to be a hundred names here. No telling where these poor girls came from. "And they're dead now?" I whispered as I kept scanning the page.

"Bred and murdered, most likely," Jenson said darkly. "This is not what we do here."

"I've only gone through about thirty names," Elonso admitted. "Twenty-two of them were dead. Six have managed to find some peace, in their own way. Two of them were still being held captive. From them, I've learned names were changed, and it's unlikely I'll learn the truth of all of them. All remembered where they came from, but they said it's too late for them to return."

My eyes stopped on an entry, and my heart skipped a beat. Gasping, my eyes flew up to Elonso's. He knew exactly what I'd found.

"Maya?" Rhyson asked with a frown.

I couldn't tell him. I couldn't. Not unless I was absolutely certain. "There's no way," I told Elonso. "You had no idea who Rhyson was."

"Emerson had contacts outside the mountain. I've kept a few of them. It wasn't hard to find out who he was," Elonso said steadily.

"His background. His history." I shook my head. "There is no way."

"Again, outside contacts. Plus, he'd already given me the name of his brother," Elonso continued. "They were shipped here in packs. Some of the women I'd made contact with remembered her. It took me two days to track her down."

"Maya, what is going on? What are you talking about?" Rhyson demanded.

Wordlessly, I slid the journal to him and pointed to an entry. Elonso sighed. "The women said she was younger when they were taken. They did their best to protect her, and when an opportunity presented itself, they helped her escape. A few years ago, she managed to get word to them. To thank them. To let them know that she was safe. She wanted to play hero, but they told her to live her life and be happy."

Rhyson's hands shook. "No," he whispered. "No, that's not possible."

"What is it?" London asked.

"It's his sister. Emily." Elonso turned to him. "She's been living in your pack for ten years, along with the friend she was abducted with. Gemma? She was your best friend, right? Or your mate?"