MAXIMUS
At 7 PM, I entered the control room to monitor the screen displaying the activities in the woods. It was the time Starlette and Lucius had agreed to meet.
“Good evening, Alpha,” the men monitoring the computers greeted me with a bow.
I gave a nod of acknowledgement, standing in front of the screens with my arms folded over my chest.
Lucius, Starlette, and her maid, Bella, appeared on one of the screens, and I ordered the men to zoom in. I watched closely, not wanting to miss a thing. Starlette seemed to be following a compass, and I wondered what she was doing with it, where they were going to, and what the hell they were planning. The farther they ventured into the woods, the more my curiosity grew.
The idea of Lucius having an affair with my mate briefly crossed my mind, causing irritation to flare up inside me. I quickly shook my head to dispel the thought. If that were true, I would kill Lucius without hesitation.
“Leave,” I suddenly ordered the men in the room.
If my suspicions turned out to be correct, I wouldn’t want anyone else to witness my mate betraying me with my brother. They’d find out when Lucius’s head rolled, but I didn’t want them to see it happen firsthand.
Without questioning my command, the men left, and I continued to watch.
Suddenly, the trio came to a halt in a clearing. From out of nowhere, someone appeared-a witch.
My pulse quickened as the thought of my mate being in danger overwhelmed me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I bolted out of the room, rushing to my office to grab something. On my way, I mind-linked Kade and Tom, ordering them to mobilise a group of men to follow us.
I met up with my men outside, and together we charged into the woods, heading for the clearing. We knew exactly where to go; the clearing was a spot we often used for intense training sessions, far from the rest of the pack members.
A wave of relief washed over me when we arrived, and I saw that Starlette was unharmed. Instead, she appeared to be in a heated conversation with Lucius, which sparked a twinge of jealousy in me.
Shoving that emotion aside, I swiftly threw the object Kade had given me the other day at her, cuffing the witch’s hands. She tried to cast a spell to free herself, but it failed. The realisation set in that she was trapped, and fear filled her eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked with a growl.
Starlette stepped in front of me, her eyes pleading. “I invited her here. Please let her go. She’s not dangerous.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. Take her,” I ordered my men. “You all can leave.”
I had other plans for her.
“Kade, Tom,” I mind-linked my Beta and Gamma. “Take her to my office and keep her there until I return. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.”
Turning back to Starlette, I spoke slowly. “Is this how you want me to trust you?”
“I’ll tell you the truth,” she said, her voice panicked. “I’ll tell you everything. Just please, don’t hurt her. She’s my friend.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I replied, “I’m listening.”
Now, only Starlette, Bella, Lucius, and I remained in the clearing.
“Remember when you saw Lucius’s eyes flash red, and I told you what that meant?” she asked.
I nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“I did some research, and I found out that only a witch could free him. Amelia is my friend, so I asked her to help free his wolf.”
The anger that had been simmering in me boiled over. “Is that where you went the day before yesterday? The land of the witches?” I asked, my voice tense.
She nodded slowly.
I turned to Lucius, fury surging through me. My fist tightened, and I was ready to strike. “You made her risk her life to save you,” I growled, swinging a punch.
“Whoa!” Lucius jumped back, raising his hands defensively. I missed. “Believe me, I had no idea she went to see a witch. I would’ve stopped her if I knew.”
I made another attempt to hit him, but Starlette quickly stepped in between us, stopping me.
“He’s telling the truth,” she said. “He even rejected the offer to have his wolf released because he loves you. He doesn’t want to compete with you for the throne.”
I chuckled darkly. Lucius would seize any opportunity to see me fail. “You joke too much.”
“I swear, Maximus,” she pressed on, “he doesn’t want his wolf back because of you.”
I shot my gaze at my brother, my eyes narrowing. “Is that so?”
He shrugged. “Whatever.”
He didn’t directly admit it, but I could see the truth in his eyes. But… why?
“You can ask the witch if you don’t believe me,” Starlette urged. “She wouldn’t lie to you.”
I didn’t need to ask. I believed her.
I turned to Bella. “Take her back to the bedroom. Now. And if you let her out of your sight before I return, you’ll lose your head,” I warned.
Fear sparked in Bella’s eyes, and she nodded quickly, scurrying to obey.
As I turned to leave, Starlette called out to me. “Please don’t hurt her. She’s innocent. If you do, you’ll spark a war.”
“How so?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s the daughter of the clan leader.” She informed me.
That made her even more suitable for the task I had in mind.
“She won’t get hurt,” I assured her before heading out of the woods and back to my office, where Kade and Tom were waiting with the witch.
The witch, whom Starlette called Amelia, sat calmly on the couch with her legs crossed and her cuffed hands resting in her lap.
“I believe my friend, Starlette, already told you that I was invited here and that I pose no threat,” she said, her eyes meeting mine. “So why am I still here?”
“Because there’s something you need to do before you leave.” I walked to my desk and pulled out a piece of ripped clothing-belonging to one of the invisible-from a drawer.
Strolling back to where she sat, I held up the fabric. “I need you to perform a locator spell. This is all we have of the person. Is it enough?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
I tossed the clothing to her. “Then get to it.”
She raised her cuffed hands, gesturing to them. “I can’t perform magic with these on.”
I wasn’t about to risk her escaping, so I walked to my desk and pulled out one of the sachets of salt I had stacked in my drawers in case the invisibles ever showed up in my office. Returning to her, I asked her to stand up, then circled her with the salt.
“Release her,” I instructed Kade, and he removed the cuffs.
Amelia looked down at the salt, a smile tugging at her lips. “What’s this supposed to do?” she asked.
“It prevents you from disappearing,” I said with a groan.
Her lips formed a small “O.”
“I’ll need a world map,” she said.
I retrieved a map and handed it to her.
Placing the map on the floor, she held the ripped clothing over it, slowly rotating the fabric as she chanted. Suddenly, her body convulsed, her pupils dilated, and in an instant, flames consumed the map, reducing it to ashes.
When her eyes cleared, she shook her head disappointedly. “You can’t find him. He’s cloaked.”
Frustration tore through me, and I slammed my foot on the floor.
“Are you sure?” My eyes turned dark as I stared directly into her eyes. “If you are lying, I would kill you.”
She shook her head and sighed. “You saw what happened. I’m not lying.”
“Do you know anything about the invisibles?” I asked, desperate for any lead.
“The wolves who appear and disappear in battle, powered by witch magic?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Why do you ask? Have they been terrorising your pack?” she enquired curiously.
“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth, my patience wearing thin. “What do you know?”
“Hmm,” she mused. “I’d help, but only because Starlette’s safety is involved. I don’t want her harmed by any of them.”
“Then help us. Tell me what you know,” I urged.
She shook her head. “I’m not talking to you. I’ll only communicate with Starlette.”
“Newsflash. I make the rules here, and you’re not leaving here until you tell me everything,” I threatened.
She looked around, a smirk on her face. “Did you say this salt was supposed to trap me? Sorry to break it to you, but this only works on invisibles. Ordinary salt can’t hold witches unless it’s spelled.” She stepped out of the circle effortlessly, proving herself right. “I only helped with the locator spell because I wanted to, not because you thought you had me trapped. I’ll only talk to Starlette. Tell her that. She knows how to contact me.”
I quickly reached for the cuffs, but before I could restrain her, she cast a spell and disappeared.
Damn.