Chapter 10

ChapterTen

The actual meeting room, the one for more private and serious affairs before the hunt, was a circular room beside the Alpha’s bedroom. It was painted gray and fashioned in extremely modern furniture. Axel Chester sat down in the biggest chair, which was the one kept opposite a few more couches and chairs, all facing each other.

In the room, there were six people in total. Five Wolves and a witch.

I was sitting in the middle with Asher and Samantha to my left and Aunt Audra to my right. Axel sat opposite us with a grim expression on his face while Justin was locked up in a large cage, now in his human form. What were we doing here?

Interrogating Justin, of course.

"Once again, dear Elaine, I’m terribly sorry for what happened tonight. You were supposed to be safe with the pack but somehow you are also the one keeping us all safe. Thank you and I hope you can forgive me," Axel’s saddened voice and Asher’s disappointed face told me stories more than anybody else could guess. There was something in the atmosphere that told me such events had taken place before, too, in the pack.

"Everything is alright Alpha, I’m very grateful that you were willing to take me in and that your son risked his life to protect me; not once but twice. I would’ve done the same," I said, reached out to slightly squeeze over Asher’s hand, but he held onto it in desperation. I couldn’t understand. Not yet, at least.

"Right now, what’s more important is that we need to figure out what we are supposed to do next." I sighed and Aunt Audra nodded before joining in.

"We have to question this asshole," she announced drumming her knuckles against the metal bars of the cage in which Justin stayed still and lost consciousness. I wondered if this was a permanent thing while my eyes only grew angrier.

He had hurt me; he had hurt Asher.

He had hurt Asher.

I took in a deep breath and tried to compose myself but it didn’t help my anger in the least. "I’m going to ask you a few questions Justin," I growled angrily, letting go of Asher’s fingers to grip the bars in a strong grip. "And you’re going to answer me right away."

Justin agreed. He hadn’t even made a single sound since my blood mixed with his.

"What do you want from me?" I asked out loud, clear and bold after being sick of the mind games. "Why are you after me?"

"Raven," he croaks and his throat sounds suffocated and parched. My eyebrows furrowed together at the new name and I tilted my head in confusion. "Raven Nicholas."

"Nicholas?" Alpha Axel questioned with surprise written all over his face and eyes wide in shock that remained undisguised; just like Asher. "Raven Nicholas is a vampire."

At Axel’s words, Asher and Samantha stiffened in their positions. I remembered Asher telling me that Vampires were unfaithful creatures created by witches for protection but they were never given that protection. "Do you work for him?" I crouched outside the cage with anger filling me even more.

"Y-yes," Justin stuttered. "Been working for him since the past ten years," Asher cursed under his breath like the words physical hurt him.

"Son of a bitch. A werewolf working for a god damn Vampire?" Samantha spat out in disgust.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Asher growled, his first words in a while.

The tension was through the wolf and I got it. I understood it because as a wolf myself, I could relate. Why would a wolf leave his pack and go on to work for unfaithful cruel creatures?

"Why? Why do you work for him?" I question, taking hold of Justin’s hair to tug his head up.

He winced and gulped before answering. "Asher," he gasped hesitantly. "I hate him."

This shocked all of us and when Asher tried to get up and jump upon Justin, I held up a hand and gestured for him to sit back down. This was my fight more than his.

"Why do you hate him? What does this have to do with you working for Raven?" I asked.

"He’s the Alpha’s son Elaine," Justin chuckled sardonically. "I was jealous of him ever since we were both children. Who do you think killed his mother?"

At this, Axel rises up from his seat with a primal growl that shook the floor beneath us all.

"Please calm down everybody," I assured, looking first at Axel then at Asher whose eyes were starting to gleam in a brighter red hue. "Let me get it out of him first.” I turned my attention back to Justin. You killed Asher’s Mother? The Luna of the pack?" Justin nodded. "Out of sheer jealousy?"

"I had gone rogue ten years ago, the jealousy in me took over, and I went into hiding after killing her. Raven was the one who took me in." A sad chuckle made him pause. "I was homeless, pack-less and most importantly, heartless. Vampires look for wolves like me always."

"That’s why we never found his body," Asher told his father sadly. "Of course, Raven was involved. I’m going to destroy you Justin, just you wait."

"Ash!" Me and Aunt Audra yelled at the same time as he began to pounce upon Justin’s cage, trapping me between them so I turned around and held Asher’s head tightly to my shoulder while my arms wrapped around his shoulders to stop his movements.

"Calm down son," Axel whispered, all hope lost since he was just as angry.

"You need to calm down for a little while more," I assured him in a soft tone.

"Elaine, he—"

"I know," I interrupted. "I know what he did and what he’s going to do, too. Sit down, let me get everything out of his system. I’m going to take care of everything, yeah?"

Finally, Asher calmed down and settled back into his seat, but his eyes remained angry.

"It was my task," Justin says suddenly. "To take you to Raven Nicholas tonight and to snatch that necklace away that day was another one of my tasks."

Realization settles over all of us. Of course, he wants me but why?

"Where’s the den? Where’s Raven’s den?"  I asked, curling my fist around Justin’s shirt.

"On the opposite side of town, no one is suspicious. It looks like a normal house." I nod. "How many vampires are in there?"

Justin paused for a moment and I could see the wheels in his head turning before he responded with five, including Raven himself.

"Alright." Aunt Audra clapped her hands together. "We need him right now but after that, Asher? Axel? It’s up to you two. Whatever you want to do with him. Give him the death he deserves."

"We’re going to use him as cover first," Samantha announces.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Axel clicks his fingers together. "Brilliant Sam!"

"So, what’s the whole plan? Who are going?" Asher asks with an exasperated sigh.

"We should all go," Audra suggests, but my mind immediately screamed bloody murder the moment the sentence fell from her lips. Had she gone crazy?

"No way in hell is that happening," I objected loudly. "Even a single one of us going is risky enough. I can’t put everybody else at risk, too!"

"So what? Are you really planning on going alone?" Asher argued, gently holding my wrist to pull me back closer to himself. "No way in hell is that happening."

"No! I will be fine on my own Asher," I told him, frowning as Justin once again dissociated.

"No," he bit back in spite. "You said we would get through this together. Don’t take it all upon yourself now. This is my fight, too. The two most important women in my life were hurt by this bastard and his dear boss. I am going to take revenge, whether or not you like it."

"Calm down." Audra rolled her eyes. "Don’t act like a stupid bull. Let’s formulate a plan first."

"Exactly. My opinion is that the two of us need to go, to back each other up. Since it is essential for Elaine to go to make things believable, I’ll join her for back up," Axel explained, intertwined fingers resting on top of his crisscrossed feet and knees.

“Are you sure?”, I question, looking into Asher’s sincere eyes and he nodded with enthusiasm.

"Then with all due respect, Alpha, me and Asher make a great pair. I think we should go, there’s both motive and support here." I licked my lips, throwing a thumb back in my mate’s direction.

"Yeah, we do," Asher agreed, cupping one side of my waist delicately as if I hadn’t just manhandled a werewolf.

I smiled back at him and then Aunt Audra went on to explain why and how exactly we had to do what we had to.

"Let’s summarize." I clapped my hands, catching everybody’s attention at once.

"So, we’re going to use him for cover and pretend that we got caught. Next, he’s going to bring us to the vampire’s den where Raven is supposed to be. Once the vampire drops his guard, we attack. No more wolves will be involved or else they are going to be alert about the whole deal. Cover, pretend, attack. Got it?"

Asher nodded, quietly agreeing with everything. He would wait and hear everybody’s opinion before chipping in and tell what could go wrong with that. What a gentle and patient man.

"Audra? Do me a favor and forge another Lycanthropy necklace, please?" he requested. "Don’t actually create one, just forge the crescent shape of the original piece and we’ll just try to keep Elaine’s wolf in control for the plan to work."

"Right." I nodded, remembering just how important the presence of the necklace was.

We did make a great team.

"Got it Ash." Aunt Audra winked at him and straightened her spine before extending her arms in the air. She waved them around for a couple of seconds before a baby blue light started emitting in between both her palms. Nobody seemed to be new to the phenomenon but I watched with awe. A side of my own family that I had never seen before.

The light turned brighter and purplish as the scent of burning incense filled the room before an identical crescent necklace dropped in her palms. I gasped when she turned it around and tossed it into my hands. Like I guessed, it was exactly the same as my own necklace that my mother gave me.

"You’re so cool," I blurted out and the other three wolves in the room burst into laughter.

"Thank you, kiddo, now go be the cool one yourself." She grinned at me and Asher took it as the opportunity to lock the pendant at the back of my neck. "You both are going to be great."

"We’re going to be great," I repeated to Asher as Samantha began to tie us up with her lips pressed together into a thin line. He smiled back at me and eventually when we looked in a condition bad enough to be considered abducted; Justin was released. There were purplish makeup stains that were made to look like wounds and little specks of fake blood were spluttered over our clothes.

"Take us to the den, no funny business," I instructed.

Justin nodded dumbly before shifting into a wolf like we had planned beforehand. He grabbed us in his wolf mouth. It did pinch a little and I knew we were safe as long as his will was bent by my blood.

"You know," Asher panted once we were in the middle of the woods. "This is really not how I thought our first night at the hideout mansion would go ,but I’m still glad you’re by my side."

I laughed softly while Justin kept running to the other end of the town. We were both tied with our backs to each other and hearts beating fast from both fear and what I assumed must feel like to fall for somebody. "I ,too, didn’t think our first kiss would be witnessed by Justin here."

"We can re-do things if you want," He smirked mischievously.

"Oh, God, can you please concentrate for once?" I groaned, just to hide my blushing cheeks. Of course, I wasn’t going to let him flirt with me in front of a big black wolf who was taking us to a possible big fight which could prove to be lethal, but at the same time, it was refreshing.

It didn’t feel like we were preparing to face another supernatural creature; it felt like we were going home after a good day out and thinking of dinner. Was this how everything with Asher felt like? Was this what it was like to have a mate bound to you for life?