Logan
I have been informed that Eric has requested to meet me. I immediately head to the room where he is and find him fitted. He looks way better than he was when I brought him. The small bruises have covered up quickly and I am assured the big wounds are no longer as deep as they were.
I pull out a chair and sit beside the bed looking at him.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, trying to start by being casual. I just don’t want to jump to the major issue at hand, in case he is not ready for it.
“I am feeling better. I can talk now and lift my hands and sit up. Your doctors have been very helpful, thank you,” he responds.
“I am glad you are feeling better,” I really, sincerely.
“I was sure I was going to die. When you found me, I had given up on life. You saved me,” he says. I rub my hands uncomfortably on my legs, feeling a seizure of emotion I don’t want to show. I just nod.
“It was just the grace of the moon goddess. It was pure luck, Eric,” I respond. He nods.
“Do you have any idea where Donovan has taken Arya?” I finally ask, finding it hard to keep up with the wayward conversation. His gaze lowers to his legs.
“I am not sure, Logan. When they separated her, Penelope, and Ella from us, they put them in a separate car and drove them away. We were in an insensate state we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t move, talk or even shift. We were poisoned before we left home. Someone managed to poison all of us, I have no idea who or how he or she managed to do that. I have had spies around me all these years and I didn’t even suspect it,” he looks into my eyes, and the only thing reflecting in his is pure sadness.
“They dragged us deep into the woods and just slaughtered us because we couldn’t do anything to fight them or even defend ourselves. We were helpless,” he responds, tears clouding his eyes. He blinks them back. “I don’t even know if they are alive or dead. The vampires were ruthless and didn’t look like they were up to any negation. It was clear that they just wanted all of us dead,” he adds. I debate on whether I should tell him or not about what Donovan asked for. I end up choosing to tell him because he will have to know eventually.
“I met with Donovan, in the Oracle caves. When I went there, I thought that’s where he had hidden them, but they weren’t there. We had checked the vampire’s residence on the White Mountain but there wasn’t any of them,” I tell him. I run my fingers through my messy unruly hair and tug at the roots.
“He told me that he has them and that they are alive. I don’t trust him though. He wants something in return to let them go,” I add.
“What is it that he wants?”
“He wants the gold. In fact, he wants all the minerals under the Blue Blood territory,” I respond. Eric’s expression remains numb like he expected me to say that. He sighs heavily.
“How is that supposed to work if I am dead?” he inquires.
“If you are dead, Arya will be next in line, at least that is what they believe,” I respond.
“They burnt down everything in the pack house. I have been informed of how much damage they have caused back home and I can only imagine there is no pack left, a lot of my warriors have died, and my beta has also succumbed to this war. They did all this for the gold? What do they want to do with it? They are vampires for fuck’s sake. It’s not like they are going to use the money to feed themselves or dress luxuriantly or travel because they can’t even go under sunlight. It beats my understanding, Logan. I don’t see why they would stoop so low to such a level of causing a bloody war,” he closes his eyes in frustration.
“They want the power, Eric. They just want the power that comes with wealth. In this civilized society, the only way you can have power and authority is if you have wealth, and that is exactly what they are up to,” I try to explain to him.
“What do you think I should do, Logan? Minerals are the major income source for our pack. We will need a lot of money to reconstruct and restructure the pack’s territory. A lot of damage has been caused. Giving them to them will be like betraying my pack and as the alpha, I have to put my Pack first. I know you understand what I am talking about. You are the Alpha of the Blacktooth Guardians. What would you do if you were in my position?” his eyes search mine for answers but I am baffled. I want to save my mate but Eric is right. We can’t trust the vampires.
“I know they won’t stop there. They already have spies in my government and probably in all my businesses. They will use this as a chance to interfere with the matters of the pack and before we know it, they will tear it apart and it will be no more,” he adds.
“I don’t trust vampires, Eric. I don’t trust anyone for that matter. That is why I don’t want you to be sure that everyone he took is safe or that he will readily let them go when you promise him what he asked for. I know how you treasure your sister, it is the same for me. Your mate was captured too and I know exactly how are feeling. These vampires are very smart, they will trick you into giving up your entire pack in their hands. We need to take time to plan this. Any hasty action will lead us into making a mistake which will make us regret it in the end. So what I am trying to say is let us be smarter than them.”
Eric raises an eyebrow at me.
“The vampires believe that you are dead, so they are obviously up to tearing your pack territory down and begin excavation as soon as they get the rights. That is why I am saying we shouldn’t trust them in this deal,” I tell him.
“Tell me exactly what you mean,” she asks.
“If we can trick them, we can get Arya and the others and make them believe we are going to give them the mining rights. Then we both get our mates and the vampires will be on the losing side,” I tell him.
“How sure are you that they will fall for the trip?”
“That’s why I said we will have to be much smarter than them.” I give him a side smirk.
“Well, I will have to trust you on this,” he shrugs.
“Oh, please don’t. Don’t trust me. Don’t trust anyone. You should know this now Eric. You should only trust yourself. Don’t even trust your wolf, it can be corrupted by its instincts,” I warn him.
“I think my wolf is dead,” he mumbles.
“What?” my brows knot in confusion.
“I haven’t felt him move or sense at all. I don’t know how vast the effects of the poisoning are,” he responds.
“You can’t be sure. Maybe he is still in shock after what has happened. You can try to call upon him when you are much better,” I suggest.
In my office, I reach for my laptop. I have hundreds of emails, messages and missed calls, mostly from work. It would have been more convenient to use my phone but I put it out of existence last night when all these dreadful events began to unfold.
I manage to recover my call logs. I dial the last number on the office phone. It surprisingly goes through. It rings for quite a long time until the call ends. Not letting that discourage me, I dail it again.
It rings again for a long and then they pick up. There is a silence that follows, as I wait for an answer. Reminding myself of the vampire’s lack of manners, decided to go ahead and do it myself.
“Hello? This is Alpha Logan,” I say.
“Hold on,” a female voice responds, and so I do. Is she his assistant?
“Logan,” Donovan’s voice cuts through the phone followed by a low chuckle.
“So you are finally ready to talk now,” he says.
“Have you thought carefully about my offer?” he inquires. “I am going to warn you that if you are feeling reluctant about this deal, the consequences will be yours to face. I will kill all of them and still go ahead to do what I want whether with the mining rights or without them.”
“I have thought about it,” I respond, struggling to remain composed.
“Good,” he says. “And what have you decided on? I am not very patient you know.”
“You will get what you want, Donovan, only if I am sure that Arya and the others are alive and well,” I tell him.
“You don’t trust me at all, do you? I told you I wouldn’t kill your pretty mate from the very beginning. I know how precious she is to both the Blue Blood pack and the Blacktooth Guardians. I wouldn’t mess with her life,” he says. “You know, if this is becoming too much for you, you can just reject her. Let her go. You will be free. I wouldn’t mind a mate myself. I know I can charm her with my charms, don’t you think?”
“Shut the fuck up!” I growl, finding it impossible to contain my anger. “There is no way that will happen, Donovan. If you want a mate, you surely won’t have mine. That will only happen in your wildest dreams.” He laughs sardonically.
“Okay, I see you are ready to die for her. I will try not to caress her when I get close to her,” he says. Holding the phone right, it might have been the fate my phone had on its last call. I know he is saying all this just to get on my nerves, and he is doing so well but I won’t let it get into my head
“Where are you?” I ask.
“I am somewhere you don’t know. You will need directions if you have to come over. By the way, it was some rewarding handiwork you did with my houses,” he says.
“I want to be sure that you have Arya and she is safe, before I do this,” I tell him.
“Sure, I will send you some photos if that is what you want. This game won’t be fun if you do not trust me at all,” he responds.
“I will send you the procedures of how this will work. You have to follow all the instructions carefully or else you will be lowering the lifespan of my captives. Now, wait for my instructions!”
Fuck you! I curse silently before he hung up.
I have a strong urge pushing me to throw something, punch holes through the wall, but I have to keep myself under control. I have to be patient, though patience had always been one of my weakest virtues.
There is a notification on my laptop, indicating a message from an unknown number, different from the one
There are a couple of images and text. I click on one, revealing my Arya.
My breath catches in my throat, and I am seized by a strong wave of emotion.
Her brown eyes are directed at me, dark circles under them. She looks so miserable and tired. Her eyes are swollen and reddish like she has been crying.
My baby…
My heart melts seeing this.
I take a seat because my legs are betraying me.
I go ahead to click on another photo. She is lying down on a bed, still, in the dress, I have sent her, but it is covered with blood stains and dirt. She looks comatose with her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. Her skin is pinkish and there is a bruise on her arm. Tentatively, my hand is on the screen trying to touch her, but this is hopeless. I need her physically. I have to do all it takes to have her in my arms again. In the other photos, she is with her best friend and Eric’s mate and all of them look as terrified as hell.