Ch. 131..135: The Alpha Contract Chapter 131-135

Chapter 0131

"And you need to because you are not going to like what I have to tell you." He mutters, not quite looking me in the eye "Neah bolted?"

"Eric and a few others are looking for her. They are trying to find her before Roan does"

Sitting up coughing, I listen to the sirens drawing nearer.

"We have to go." I mutter as he helps me get to my feet

"You want to go home? What about Jess?"

I shake my head, "We just need to go. I can't be dealing with humans right now. I need to find somewhere where I can think."

We move as quickly as we can. When I look down, the wound has completely disappeared like it was never there in the first place. I feel a sense of relief. Death was not something I feared. But now it wasn't just about me, I had a mate and twins on the way. We find an abandoned house and drop down on the dusty floor.

"I hate humans." I mutter.

"Are you talking about the prick that hit us?" Jenson asks quietly

"Who else?"

"It wasn't a human." Jenson murmurs. "You were knocked out. The guy stopped, got out of his car and looked in at us. Before laughing and driving away."

"You are saying it's a Wolf?"

He nods his head at me. "Who's territory are we in?"

"It's not, it's neutral ground." I mutter as I close my eyes and try linking Neah again.

""Are you sure?"

"I know every pack from here to Greg's packland. This is neutral land."

"I think you might be wrong."

When I look at him, he is looking past me.

Turning around, I see a large black shadow, crouching at the top of the stairs. Its beady eyes on us. It slowly rises to its full height, moving into the light where we could see it. A Lycan.

It growls at us, drool dripping from its bared teeth.

"Another fucking one!" Jenson snaps and I glare at him.

'I thought we had killed them all.' Aero mutters. 'How did one get away?'

I turn my attention back to the Lycan who hasn't moved. "We are looking for someone. A girl with red hair. She is like you, but was taken from her home, from her family."

It growls at us.

"My mate is a female Lycan Alpha." I try, hoping it would show some form of interest.

It moves away from the top of the stairs, disappearing around the corner and out of sight. A few minutes later, a blonde female takes the Lycan's place.

"A young girl?" The blonde asks?

""She's fifteen."

"Why are you looking for her? You are Wolves."

"As I said, my mate is a Lycan Alpha. The girl is like her little sister."

"I had one of those once." Her brown eyes stay on me.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She snorts and folds her arms across her chest.

"Did you kill her?" Jenson asks

Her face hardens. She pulls at the collar of her shirt to show a bite, just like Jess's on her collarbone. "What do you think?!"

"How long ago were you bitten?" I question

"Why does it matter to you, Wolf?!"

Aero laughs at the response and normally I would have too, but maybe we could use her assistance.

"We were attacked, back in my pack. The ones leading the attack had bitten a load of humans, changing them forever."

She jumps the entire length of the stairs, landing inches from me. "Was her name Cassandra?"

"Yes."

She smiles, "I can't wait to kill her."

"You are too late. His mate killed her." Jenson mutters.

The blonde frowns as she smiles, making her look quite dangerous. As she smiles, I see an old scar, just above her lip,

"Good." she mutters

"You got away?" I ask, I wanted to know how she had survived all this time without a pack.

She rolls her eyes at me as though the answer is obvious. Turning away from us, she heads back towards the stairs. "I haven't seen the girl you describe." "Please," Jenson mutters

The blonde looks back at him. "You care for her?"

He doesn't answer her, but I could see it in his eyes.

"The man who had her kidnapped, he is not a nice man."

"Who is?!" she snarls

"They want her to produce pups."

Her eyes narrow to slits. "Didn't you say she is fifteen?"

"Yes."

She sucks in her cheeks as she stares at us. "I will help you, Wolf. But I want something in return."

"What might that be?"

"Money."

"Seriously?" Jenson interrupts. "She is one of you."

"I named my reward. Take it or leave it!"

"Deal." I mutter, holding my blood covered hand out to her.

She shakes it. "You can call me Mallory."

Chapter 0132

*Trigger Warning- Talks of miscarriage*

Neah

My feet carry me forward as I run. I could hear the pack calling out to me. Telling me they could help me. Telling me that Dane would be fine. He wasn't fine. I could feel it. The pain grew stronger by the second, tearing at my heart as I moved. 'What's the plan?' Nyx asks.

'I have to find him!' I fight back the tears

'Neah, he left hours ago. We won't find him on foot.'

'I have to try.' I break through the trees, coming to a stop at the boundary. I hadn't crossed it alone before. And all that panic I had felt months ago about stepping out into the snow was back.

"NEAH, PLEASE STOP!" Eric calls out from somewhere behind me. "Dane is alive."

I turn to see him creeping through the trees, his eyes on the ground as he frowns. The pain moves from my heart down into my abdomen.

"You are lying." A tear leaks from my eye and trickles down over my cheek. "I feel it." I pat my chest. "He is dead, isn't he!?"

'Somethings wrong.' Nyx murmurs

"Dane is alive." Eric calls out. You were right, he wasn't. He was in a car accident. Impaled by glass, but it missed his heart. Jenson saved him" He slowly steps towards me. "I promise you, Neah. Our Alpha is alive, but right now, we need to get you to the hospital." "For Dane?" I whisper

"No. We need to get you checked out."

"I need to see Dane."

"I know, but right now, he is miles away and you are important.

The pain spreads further down into my hips and my thighs. It's only then that I pick up the rusty iron smell. My eyes find the spots of blood on the grass and fallen leaves. It leads straight towards me.

"Let me help." Eric whispers, holding a hand out to me.

He catches me just before I hit the floor. Swooping me up and carrying me in his arms with ease as he runs through the forest.

Pain radiates through me. "Am I losing them?"

Eric doesn't answer me as he powers on and I could feel Nyx pacing in my mind. Her own worry echoing with mine.

"I killed my pups didn't I?" I mutter to Eric

He still doesn't answer me, but I feel him squeeze me closer to his chest, like Dane would do as my tears fall more freely.

Eric barrels us through the hospital.

"In here?" Raven shouts out.

The moment he places me on the bed, Raven is pulling up my top and scanning me.

"Well?" Eric demands

"Two heartbeats." Raven mutters, "Two strong heartbeats."

"Then why is she bleeding?" Eric demands

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be running tests, would I!"

"Are you sure they are okay?" I whisper, afraid to look at the screen she was showing me.

She smiles, "They seem perfect."

She runs some other tests, but can't find a reason as to what caused the bleeding. In the end she tells me to go on bedrest for a few days and then she will recheck me.

"I can't do that. Jess is missing. Dane was injured. I've still got Roan to deal with. And what about this stupid party tomorrow?"

"Not a fan of parties?" Raven tries to break the tension.

I glare at her, she knew I had never been to a party.

"Just take it easy between then and now. If the pain gets worse, you need to tell me. But I will stick by your side at the party. If something is wrong. I will be able to help you." "What's wrong with Eric?" I mutter. He was outside the room, pacing. His arms folded up across his chest as he moved back and forth. His eyes were glazed as he links someone. "He's checking in with Dane." Raven gives me a weak smile.

"He said he was okay?"

"Oh he is.... Maybe it's best coming from Eric. he is my brother's Beta. He might be able to give you more information."

"Tell me."

"It's not my place." she mutters turning away from me.

When Eric comes back in, he gives me a weak smile. A smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes.

"Is Dane okay?"

"He's fine, they have found a place to lay low and recover." His eyes shift to Raven who conveniently looks away. "And?"

"They have found another Lycan."

"Another?"

"She has told them that she was changed a few years ago. Apparently one of the first to be bitten."

"Did they kill her?" I ask, already expecting the answer.

"No, she is going to help them."

"Help?"

"It seems that this Mallory was also bitten by Cassandra."

"Mallory?"

"That's what she called herself."

"No." I could feel my body trembling. It couldn't be the same one. "No, no, no. You must have heard the name wrong."

"Neah, what's wrong?" Raven asks

"I know her."

"How? How is that even possible, they are miles away." Eric frowns

"She was at Moonshine. Not for long. Maybe a couple of months."

"As a slave?" Raven queries.

I shake my head, "She was their pet."

"Mallory?" Eric sits in the chair by my bed.

"She appeared one day. Cassandra brought her into the house. She was full of smiles, laughter and a few days later, something changed. She became something else, like a darkness gradually took over her." I pause because it reminded me of me. The girl who was now happy to rip out hearts like they were nothing.

"What do you mean?" Raven asks quietly.

"She joined in with them."

"You mean, she hurt you?" Eric presses.

I nod, remembering the last brutal incident before I was bound for the final time. "She had taken hold of my shoulders and repeatedly smashed my head into the concrete wall of the basement. Blood splattered all over the walls and floor until I lost consciousness. I never saw her again after that."

Eric and Raven were both staring at each other

"Surely it can't be the same one?" Eric mutters to Raven.

"How long ago was this?" Raven asks

"When I was seventeen, almost eighteen."

"So five years ago. It can't be the same one."

Eric sighs, "What does she look like? I can get Dane to confirm."

"Blonde, uh brown eyes. She had a scar, right here." I touch my face, "just above her lip."

"I will be right back." Eric strides out the door.

"Dane can handle himself." Raven weakly smiles at me. "And if it is her, she might have changed. Five years is a long time."

"Or she might have so much rage bottled up inside her that she takes him out the moment she gets a chance."

Chapter 0133

Dane

'And you are absolutely sure she is okay?' I ask Eric through mind link.

'Raven has checked her over. The pups are fine. Your sister thinks it's stress related and has put her on rest. Neah thought you were dying, she wasn't even aware she was bleeding until I tracked her down. I'm still not entirely sure what she was thinking when she ran.' 'She wasn't. All she knew is that she needed to find me.' I mutter back. 'Keep her safe and we will keep an eye on this Mallory.'

'You are letting her live?'

'Right now, she might be the only one who can help us find Jess.'

'Will you be back tonight?'

'I will try but I can't make any promises. If I'm not, you know what to do.'

'Of course. Dane, just watch yourself around the woman. She sounds bat shit crazy and everyone is a little on edge.'

Of all the people in the world, I couldn't believe we had ran into another one of my mates abusers. We were hours away from home. Hundreds of miles away.

I look over at my brother who is half asleep. We had agreed to take it in turns resting. Keeping an eye on the Lycan we are sharing a house with. "Finished linking your pack?" Mallory asks from the stairs.

"I was just checking in with my mate." I had told Mallory that my mate was a female Alpha, did she know I was talking about Neah. She must do?

'I think she does.' Aero groans

"Is she okay?" She sounds sincere, but she also may have had a lot of practice sounding like she cared.

"Resting." I smile back. I was only going to give her the bare minimum for now.

"A long conversation for someone who is resting." Her brown eyes remain on me.

'She's suspicious.' Aero mutters

'I would be too if the role was reversed!' I tell him

I give Mallory a reassuring smile, "I checked in with my Beta too. Running a pack doesn't just disappear because I'm not there."

She nods her head at me

"Do you live on your own?" I ask curiously, looking around at the rund down house.

Mallory raises an eyebrow at me. Puffing out her cheeks like she was trying to decide how to answer me.

"Mostly."

"My brother." I mutter, "He said when we crashed, there was another. Are there more of you?"

'We are playing with fire.' Aero mutters

"There are a few," Mallory tells me

"All bitten?"

She nods her head at me and rises to her feet. "It was probably Damien that crashed into you. He doesn't like Wolves. Hell, he doesn't like anyone." "This is a neutral zone."

Her eyes remain on me as she slowly walks down the last few steps. "You all think that. You all say that when you try to pass through. Just because there is no Alpha here, it does not mean it is a neutral zone."

Her temper was growing as she slowly steps towards me. "Wolves think they know everything."

"You are right. My mistake. Have you claimed it?"

"We did! We made it a safe place for any of our kind."

"It's only this year that I have learned about your kind." I mutter, trying to distract her.

"Because of your mate?"

I nod.

"And she is a female Alpha?"

""Yes." I couldn't lie when I had already told her

She looks me directly in the eye. "The girl in the basement." Her hard face softens, "She's alive?"

I keep my mouth closed as she watches me

"I thought I killed her. Is she ... Is she really alive? You have to tell me!"

"Yes."

Mallory walks away from me. Leaning against the wall, she half smiles. "She's really alive?"

"Yes." I repeat

She sighs, "You know what I did, don't you?"

"I have been told."

"By the girl in the basement? The one who is your mate?"

"Yes."

"Then you don't know everything." she slides down the wall, landing on her ass as she scowls and picks at the hole in her worn out jeans. "I was told that she was a thief. That they were holding her prisoner until they decided what to do with her." She snorts "And of course I was stupid enough to believe them. I had met her a few times before then. She was always in the house, working. I thought she was just some kind of hired help, I didn't even know her name. And then I was bitten." She runs her hands through her dirty blonde hair and sighs. "They put her in the basement, the day before I was bitten. Telling me this story about how she had stolen family heirlooms. I was stupid enough to believe it. Stupid enough to trust Cassandra." She shakes her head, leaning it back against the wall. "When that btich bit me, something took over. I was so angry. I couldn't control it. I couldn't bury it deep down inside like I was used to."

"She sent me down into that basement and told me to have fun. They told me the female needed punishing."

I see a tear creep out and roll down her cheek. She wipes it away, acting like it never happened. "Her screams still haunt me."

Chapter 0134

"What did you do to her?" Jenson asks. I hadn't even noticed he had woken and wondered how much he had heard.

"She begged me. Tried to tell me that the people upstairs were lying to me. Told me it was her home. That her parents had owned the house. It's only when I look back, that I realise I didn't see how ill she looked or how thin she was. I didn't see the dark shadows under her eyes. All I saw was a 'liar' that Cassandra had described. And I believed her" Mallory drops her head forward. "She didn't even try to fight back. She was too weak."

It is horrible, listening to what she is telling me. It also showed how much Neah hadn't told me about her past. Or maybe it was one of those things that she had learned to block out.

"Even now, I hear the cracks of her skull from when I beat her against the wall."

"You shifted?" Jenson asks,

"No." She shakes her head, "I was just an angry person and suddenly had the strength of a Lycan." Her eyes settle on me again. "Is she really alive? You are not just lying to get me to talk to you?" "She's alive."

"But how? She should't have survived that."

"Because the Moon Goddess wants her to live." I mumble.

"How did you know she was an Alpha?" Jenson asks

"I overheard them talking. I never knew what the term Alpha was. Not until I broke free. Not until I met others."

"Cassandra kicked you out after?" Jenson presses.

"No. I was so disgusted with myself, I ran. I ran and didn't stop until I could no longer hear Cassandra and her demands rattling around inside my head."

"What about the others?" Jenson asks. I knew he didn't believe her story. "If you were the first one, how are there others here, in this area?"

"We found each other. Or rather, they found me."

'I call bullshit!' Aero snaps

"Were they all bitten by Cassandra?" I ask

She nods. "For someone that rarely shifted. She liked to create us." She looks over to the broken window. "The sun is rising, we should get ready to move."

Mallory disappears up the stairs. She didn't seem as concerned about being out of our sight. Maybe there was some truth to her story?

'I don't buy it.' Jenson's voice fills my head. 'She's playing the 'I didn't know what I was doing' card. I don't trust her.'

'You don't have too. She said she would help us find Jess. And all she wants is money in return. I can give her that.'

Jenson frowns at me. 'I thought you might want to kill her after what she told us.'

'I do, but that won't help us to find your mate, will it?'

"Don't call her that!" He snaps at me and Mallory sticks her head around the corner.

Eyeballing us she snaps, "What are you talking about?"

"Jess." I mutter back

She slowly nods her head, Yet I see the slight narrowing of her eyes. "Right." She didn't believe us, it was evident in her tone. Dragging a bag, she moves back down the staircase towards us. The bag heavily thumps against each step.

"What's in the bag?" Jenson questions

"Weapons." Her brown eyes move to me. "Where do you think this girl is being taken?"

"To a place called Dark Ridge."

She laughs, "Dark Ridge? You guys really need to come up with better pack names. But I know where that is."

"What do you call the pack here?" I ask, "For the ones who have escaped?"

"Rogues. And we are not a pack!"

"Rogues?" Jenson muses.

"Those of us who don't belong. Nor do we want to be a part of some pack!" She spits the words out.

"But you are willing to help us?"

"As long as you don't try anything stupid." She smirks at me.

She leads us almost a mile from the house to an old beat up car. She throws her bag in the back seat. "Get in!"

Mallory settles herself in the driver's seat. Her hands gripping the wheel as she waits for us.

"We haven't got all day!" She snaps. "The sun is already up. Don't you want to get back to your mate?"

"Get in." I mutter at Jenson.

He takes the back seat while I sit in the front, next to her. Her foot hits the pedal and she drives like there is no one else on the road.

"Will you chill?! We don't need the human police to chase us down!" I tell her

She grins and keeps her eyes on the road, "There are no police out here."

"Stop the car!" Jenson yells out after thirty minutes of driving.

"But we need..." Mallory mumbles

"I can smell her."

Mallory pulls the car over and Jenson practically throws himself out the door. His eyes are darting about.

"Tyre tracks," He mutters crouching down to the ground.

""What? That could be anyone."

He sniffs the air, "She got out. She ran!"

Jenson stares out to the cornfield in front of us. He moves forward, reaching over the fence, grabbing a stem. ""What is it?"

"Dried blood." He growls.

Chapter 0135

Dane

Jenson starts climbing the wooden fence.

I grab his shoulder "You have to wait. We don't know what we are walking into."

"Does it matter? I need to help her, she is running. I can track her."

"Dane is right." Mallory mutters. "You don't know what else is in there."

'What is she talking about?' Aero asks

"Rogue Lycans?" Jenson chuckles. "I've killed enough Lycans already, a couple more won't hurt."

Mallory looks at me. "I didn't tell you everything. When you asked me if there were more. I said a few."

"Is this something to do with the Damien guy you keep mentioning?"

"No." Her eyes scan the corn.

"They hide here, is that what you are trying to say?"

"It's more than that! Look around you Dane, there are not many hiding places out here. But you should know that there are some who stay in Lycan form, almost like they have lost their human side." She looks around her. "How many humans have you seen since you arrived in this town? And no police."

"They killed the humans?"

"They feast on them."

'Fucking gross!' Aero gags

"That's why Damien tried to get rid of us?"

She nods, her dirty blonde hair falling around her face. "Damien keeps the Rogues from moving elsewhere. He brings them bad people. You know, criminals, people that hurt children. Those kind."

"How many are there?" Jenson asks as he continues to stare into the cornfield

"A dozen."

"Damien's the only one like you?" I ask. "One that still shifts between both forms?" She nods.

"Screw it!" Jenson charges into the corn

"Don't!" Mallory grabs my arm again. "You have a mate to go back to. I can't be the reason she gets hurt again."

"Jenson is my brother!" I mutter, pulling my wrist free of her grip. "And Jess is her family."

Quickly hurrying into the corn, I realise I am practically blind. The tall stems block my view of everything. Whichever way Jenson had headed, the corn stems had jumped right back up in position. I would be relying entirely on my nose. And that was the problem. Lycans didn't have a scent when they shifted.

Mallory appears next to me. "I will try to help."

We creep forward, inch by inch, following Jenson's scent.

After a few minutes Mallory stops me. A new scent hits me, one that I had not smelled before.

"Damien, I know you are there, watching me! Come out." Mallory demands

I see the corn move close to us. Dark eyes pop out, though the corn still hides the majority of his face. He was taller than me.

"You shouldn't be here, Mallory." His deep voice muttes

Mallory's arms fold up over her chest as she rolls her eyes. "Have you seen a girl with red hair, she's being chased by a Wolf?" "You know I see everything."

"She is one of us, Damien. Cassandra bit her."

He steps through the corn towards us. I could see why he had been chosen to be turned. He is massive.

'Massive is an understatement.' Aero muses.

"Then why are there Wolves after her?" Damien demands

"It's complicated." I mutter.

His dark eyes find mine, his upper lip twitches "Funny coloured eyes you have for a Wolf."

I ignore his comment, "One Wolf kidnapped her as a favour for someone else." I mutter "The other is her mate, and is trying to save her."

"Right, A Wolf mated to a bitten Lycan. Now I have heard it all" He shakes his head dismissively

"It's true." Mallory mutters. She frowns, "Remember what I told you about why I ended up here?"

Damien's head moves up and down but he doesn't break eye contact with me. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"She's alive and she sees the redheaded girl like a sister."

"You told me you killed her, Mallory."

"I thought I did, but she....she somehow survived. And the least I can do to repay her is to help her by making sure that the girl is safe."

I glance over to Mallory, and see more emotion than ever. I see the guilt she feels, the sadness for what she had done. I see that she has been living with her actions for years. "Why isn't she here herself?" Damien asks

"She's on bed rest." I bite my tongue from saying anything more.

Damien narrows his eyes at me, but he doesn't push for more answers. "You are in luck. The Rogues are a few fields over, sleeping."

He leads us through the corn, to both Greg and Jenson who are bound, gagged and out cold.

"Where is Jess?" I ask

"Jess, you can come out." Damien calls, standing over the unconcious men

A few seconds pass and she charges through the corn at me, locking her arms around my waist. "I didn't think I would see you again!" "Which one is the kidnapper?" Damien asks me.