Ch. 136..140: The Alpha Contract Chapter 136-140
Chapter 0136
I point to Greg.
Damien strides over to him, ripping him up off the ground. He sinks his teeth into Greg's throat and tears it out. Tossing Greg away like he was nothing as he spits out the throat. "The Rogues will find him later."
Damien's eyes scan Jess as she hugs me. "Cassandra really turned someone so young."
I nod, "But old enough to be able to shift."
"She needs shooting."
"She's already dead." I reply
"You killed her?"
"No, my mate. She ripped her heart out."
He chuckles, "Your mate is smart."
"She's the Alpha." Jess whispers from my chest.
Damien suddenly looks up and out into the corn. "You need to move. They have picked up the scent of fresh blood." His dark eyes move to Mallory. "Take them to the house. I will meet you there." Damien presses his lips to her forehead before taking off into the corn. "Jess, go with Mallory. I will get Jenson."
I haul my brother up onto my shoulder. Damien must have hit him with a decent force to knock him out.
By the time we make it back to the car, he is stirring. "Jess." He mumbles.
"Jess is safe. You will see her in a minute." I mutter just as he crashes out again
"Come on!" Mallory shouts. "If they catch your scent, I won't be able to stop them."
The car speeds away, the moment I close the door. Mallory doesn't take us back in the direction we came, but she carries on north.
"He said take us to the house!" I snap
"I heard. He isn't talking about the shit pit you hid out in!"
Jess spins in her seat to look at me. Her soft blue eyes are wide. "He kidnapped me! Alpha Greg took me!"
"I know. I'm sorry. I was so busy protecting Neah, we all were. I didn't think you would be harmed."
"Why? I did nothing to him."
""He kidnapped you for his brother."
"Alpha Roan?"
I nod
Her eyes move to my brother. "He really came to find me?"
"Yes."
"I'm still not accepting his rejection."
"Then don't. Maybe it's time he learned he can't always get what he wants. But if the last two days have taught me anything, he does care for you too. And he will wait." She smiles and slowly turns back around, relaxing into the seat.
Mallory pulls into the drive of a much tidier house than the last place. Freshly planted flowers sit in boxes on the windowsills. A small white picket fence framed the garden. "This is your actual home?"
"The other place is my base. This is my personal home. Just because I'm a beast, it doesn't mean I can't have anything nice. Make yourself comfortable. I need a shower." Jess immediately raids the fridge, muttering about how she was starving as I dump Jenson on to the sofa. His bruises had healed, yet still, he wasn't awake.
The front door swings open and Damien strides in. He laughs when he sees Jenson. "He needs to learn to take a proper punch! Where's Mallory?" "Shower." Jess mumbles with her mouth full
"Right." He takes off his jacket, revealing the tattoos that creep up his neck. "The Rogues know that you are here." He sits on the sofa opposite me "As soon as Jenson wakes, we will be leaving."
He looks towards the stairs, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Take Mallory with you."
"She doesn't want that. She doesn't want to be part of a pack."
"He's right!" Mallory moves down the stairs towards us in a fresh set of clothes. She had tied up her blonde hair too. "This is my home. And I am not leaving without you, Damien"
"I need to stay to make sure the other Rogues stay put. You don't belong here anymore."
"This is my home!" There is so much rage in her eyes. But she softens the longer he stares back at her. "They are getting restless, aren't they?"
He frowns as he nods, "Food is becoming sparse for them, That one wolf won't be enough for all of them. They are turning on each other. Three have died in the last week." Damien tells her. "Really?" Mallory whispers, slowly sitting down. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you. Mallory, they are on the verge of turning on us." Damien tells her.
"You are going to kill them?" I ask
Damien nods. "It needs to be done."
"It was supposed to be a safe place for them. After what she did to us." Mallory groans
"It was, once." He moves over to her. "Go with the Wolf. Go see the female Lycan. Apologise to her. If I survive, I will come find you. If I don't, then you will need help to take the Rogues down."
Chapter 0137
Neah
"Are you sure I can't do anything to help?" I ask Raven. "It's really hard to just sit and do nothing."
"No. You need to stay right there. Eric has it handled." She passes me a glass of orange juice and climbs on to the bed with me. "Have you heard anything from Dane?"
I shake my head. It was the longest I had gone without speaking to him. It felt strange. I knew he was fine now. I could feel it, but it didn't stop me thinking about him.
"I'm sure everything is good. You never know. He might be back for the party." Raven mutters hopefully
"Eric already said it was unlikely and we still haven't figured out what we are doing about Roan."
"You don't need to worry about that. Eric and Klaus will have it covered."
I groan, sipping the orange juice when there is a knock at the door.
""Come in!" Raven calls out
Eric steps into the room. His eyes are low. "Dane is on the way home."
"He found Jess?" I mutter, shoving my juice at Raven
"Yes. She is fine, she is safe."
"Why does it feel like you are not telling us everything, Eric?" Raven is staring at him with her dark eyes. "I've known you my entire life. I know when there is something else you want to say. Jenson is fine, Dane is fine and you have just said Jess is safe. So what is it?" His eyes settle on me. "You need to stay calm."
Raven clambers off the bed and punches Eric in the arm. "Are you serious? You should know by now that telling a woman to remain calm, doesn't make them remain calm!"
He sighs "Dane is bringing Mallory here."
It felt like my heart stopped. "Why....Why would he do that? You told him. You told him what she did to me. You said he confirmed it was the same woman. That she had the same scar."
"Neah, breathe!" Raven mutters as I get out of bed and start pacing
"He's bringing her here?!" I almost cry
'Let me think!' Nyx snaps, she was just as riled up as I was. 'Maybe...maybe he is bringing her here so we can kill her.'
"Neah, talk to me." Raven mutters
'Maybe he wants you to get closure.' Nyx suggests
I felt sick. Since I had heard the name, the memory of what she had done to me had unlocked. And now, just like my parents bloody faces, I replay it over and over in my head. The pain, the cracking of my skull, my pleading until my words were nothing and darkness took over. "Neah!" Raven calls my name again.
"She can't come here." I mutter
"Okay. But please get back into bed." She turns back to Eric, "Why the hell would he bring her here?"
"He said he would explain when he arrived."
"I don't understand." I mutter, moving out of Raven's way. "He always said he wanted to kill everyone that had hurt me. And now...he is bringing her here. To my home. I'm pregnant!"
"And that is why you need to rest. We can handle this." She clenches her teeth as she glares at Eric. "Can't we!"
"Of course, you and the heirs are our priority." Eric mutters
I feel my stomach churn. I already knew what was coming and launch myself in the direction of the toilet
"Just go and keep an eye on Roan." Raven mutters at Eric as she rubs my back.
"It's a joke right?" I mutter when she helps me back into bed.
"Dane always has his reasons. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything that would purposely put you in harm's way. Focus on the positives. Jess is safe. Dane and Jenson are bringing her home. No matter what is thrown at you, you have found a way to rise above. If you have to kill her, then kill her." "You're right. I need to keep my pups safe."
She nods and flicks on the television. "Now, can we watch this film I've been telling you about?"
****
"Why are we still going ahead with this?" I mutter as Raven slowly walks with me towards the training grounds.
Music had been playing for most of the afternoon. Everyone already seemed to be in the party mood, though it wasn't supposed to be starting until sunset.
"As I have said, the pack needs it. It was Dane's idea. It kept Roan here a little longer and it gave my brothers the chance to find Jess."
'And bring the bitch here.' Nyx growls
"Ladies!" Roan comes up behind us. Did he hear Raven? "How are you feeling Neah?"
"Tired." I mutter. He was playing the nice guy act.
"It must be hard carrying twin Lycans."
"We don't know if they are Lycans yet!" Raven tells him briskly
"Right, yes, Neah did say that. Out of curiosity, when will you find out?"
"Not for a few months." Raven declares
His dark grey eyes hover on me. "A few months is a long time."
"There's not a lot I can do about that!" I snap at him. Knowing what he had planned for Jess made me so angry. But he was also overly interested in the twins. More specifically, my unborn twins. "Hey, there you are!" Klaus comes jogging towards us. "Happy Birthday."
"I thought this was a celebration for winning the war." Roan states
"It is, but we also celebrate our pack leader's birthdays. It's a joint celebration" Klause tells him
"No one told me it was your birthday." Roan grins at me. "Happy birthday Neah."
"It's not something I usually celebrate." I mutter
He watches me as Raven and Klaus talk. He doesn't speak a single word and a shiver goes down my spine. Jess was a distraction. It was the twins he wanted. I could feel it in my bones. It was why he was still here. "Come on, Roan." Klaus shouts. "Come tell me about Ashburn city. I've always wondered what it was like for you lot. Do you still do pack runs?"
I let out my breath as Roan follows Klaus, answering his questions
"His brother is dead, right?" I quietly ask Raven
"That's what Dane told Eric."
"He hasn't said anything. Not a single word. He would feel it right. He would know that his brother was killed."
"Possibly. It's a little different when they are in different packs. There is a good chance he felt something. But there is also just as strong a chance that he felt nothing. Why?"
"I think it was a setup." My eyes flicker around to make sure we are alone. "He hasn't mentioned his brother once. And the questions. He is desperate to know if the twins are Lycans."
Chapter 0138
Raven convinces me to stay at the party. She somehow convinces me to sit and do nothing. To let Eric and Klaus keep an eye on Roan while I relaxed.
I couldn't relax. In fact relaxing was the furthest thing from my mind.
"I should just kill him!" I whisper for the hundredth time. "Get it over and done with."
'I agree!' Nyx murmurs
"Shifting is not going to help your situation. You said it yourself, you feel pain moments before your shift. And if you were a Wolf, you wouldn't be able to shift anyway! Think of the pups." "I am thinking of them!" I grumble back
"I know you want him gone. And to be honest, I agree with you, but just do this for me, okay. Let the guys handle it."
"If something happens....."
"Nothing is going to happen! There are too many people. It would be a death sentence."
"I don't think Roan cares about that."
My gut feeling told me everything I needed to know, and so did Nyx. She hated sitting here while doing nothing. She hated the waiting when she knew we could kill him in seconds and get it over with. "Besides, what do you think his pack will do when they find out you killed him?" Raven whisper shouts at me
"I...I don't know."
"Precisely. We don't need another war. At least not yet anyway."
I look over to where they had set up the bar. Roan is sitting at the bar. Klaus and Eric are either side of him as he throws back drink after drink.
"The guy is going to be too drunk to do anything, anyway!" Raven smiles.
After a few more drinks, Roan leaves his seat. The other two stay at the bar, preventing any suspicion as Roan makes his way onto the dance floor. He stays there for all of three seconds. The moment he see's me, he makes a very wobbly path in my direction. A huge grin plastered to his face.
"Neah." He slurs as he stops in front of me. "Can I have this dance?"
"Resting!" I mumble back
"Ah," He smiles and places his hands on my stomach. I wanted to vomit, who thinks its okay to do that? "The pups. I'm sure one whirl won't hurt them!"
"She is on rest. Doctor's orders." Raven mutters as she stands.
"Pfft!" He grabs me and pulls me up in the air, holding me against him and just high enough that my feet can't touch the ground.
"Let her go!" Raven snaps at him
He glares at her and spins me away. "We need to talk."
With each twirl, I feel sick. Without my feet being planted on the floor, I couldn't force myself away from his tight grip.
He had my stomach pressed against his. His arms coiled around me. His face dangerously close to mine.
"I think you are lying to me about your precious Alpha." The previous slurring disappears, it was like I hadn't watched him down drink after drink. He spins us again, moving me towards a darkened corner. I see Klaus and Eric moving in my direction. If Roan tries anything, they would be too far away to save me. They needed to move faster.
"Please put me down." I mutter, digging my nails into his arms
"Not until you tell me where your mate is." His dark grey eyes narrow as he waits for an answer.
He leans in close, his horrible breath fans my face, "You see, I know Neah. I know my brother didn't make it home. I know Jess didn't make it there. So I will ask you one more time, where is your mate?"
"I have already told you, he's doing some work in the city." I whisper and he spins impossibly faster. His hands slide to my lower back and dig into my skin.
"Don't lie to me Neah. I know he killed my brother. I know it's your birthday, he wouldn't miss that unless there was something serious happening." "I'm not lying."
"Spoken like a true liar." He murmurs and smiles. "It takes one to know one."
"Let her go, Roan." Eric appears to one side of us, stopping Roan from spinning me any further.
Chapter 0139
"Tell me where he is!" Roan snapped just as my nose is filled with Danes' woody scent.
"I'm right here! And I suggest you let go of my mate." Danes' voice echoes through me. The relief I feel hearing that he is home is unlike anything I have ever felt.
I'm dropped as Roan turns to face my mate. Jenson stands tall next to Dane along with Jess. And then there was Mallory, the girl who had almost beaten me to death. "You killed my brother!" Roan screeches
"No, I didn't." Dane shrugs his shoulders
"I felt his death. Don't lie to me"
"And yet it wasn't me. It was a Lycan." Dane speaks calmly, though I feel his annoyance
"Don't bullshit me!" Roan screeches, grabbing me and pulling me back against him. His hand coils around my throat and he squeezes as I stare at Dane.
The music stops and I feel all eyes on me.
"It wasn't Dane." Mallory mutters as she steps forward with her hands raised. "There are Lycans that have the taste for flesh, it was them."
"Bullshit!" Roan yells as he squeezes my throat a little more. "They are all dead."
"Do you really believe that? I believe that Dark Ridge is your brother's pack, right? There is a place before Dark Ridge that has been claimed. The town is owned by Rogue Lycans. Your brother passed through with one of our kind as his prisoner." she gestures to Jess. "He was never going to make it out of our town alive."
Her brown eyes find mine as he continues to squeeze my throat. My vision is darkening. Her face was not the last I wanted to see.
"So you killed him?" Roan growls.
"No."
'Nyx.' I whisper as I find it impossible to breathe
'What about the pups?' She whispers back.
'There will be no pups if I'm dead anyway. Just the claws.'
Pain rips through my entire body. I could feel the claws pierce my fingertips as Mallory kept talking to him.
Reaching behind, I plunge the claws into his stomach. His hands instantly let go of my throat as he yells in pain.
My feet hit the ground and as I'm about to run, I lose my balance, landing face first in the dirt.
'GET UP!' Nyx screams at me
I couldn't move.
"NEAH, GET THE FUCK UP!' She screams again.
There is shouting around me when warm hands slip under my shoulders, helping me to my feet.
Mallory's face comes back into view.
"I know," she mutters. "I'm the last person you expected to see."
I was speechless. I had run the conversation through my head multiple times since it was announced that she would be coming here. I had so much I wanted to say. So much anger that I needed to get off of my chest. Yet, as I stared back at her, not a single word leaves my lips.
Every ounce of confidence I had is washed away.
"You need to move!" Mallory mutters.
"I can take it from here." Raven appears at my side, looping her arm with mine and glaring at Mallory.
"I was just trying to help!" Mallory frowns at Raven
"Let's go." Raven tells me, while steering me away from the crowd and away from the woman who had almost killed me once.
"Roan." I mutter when we are away from the party.
"Dane is dealing with it." Raven snaps, she seemed annoyed, but not about me being attacked. Something else seemed to be bugging her. She begins inspecting my neck, which we both knew was already healed. "Are you okay?" I ask quietly
"YES!" She snaps again, avoiding eye contact. "You shouldn't have shifted."
"It was just my claws!" I grumble, but as I study her face, I knew something was off. "What's wrong?"
She sighs, turning her back to me. "This is going to sound mad."
"Madder than a man in the pack who is after my twins?"
"The woman with Dane..."
"Mallory?" I spit her name
She nods. "She carries someone else's scent."
"Okay."
"My mates."
"Salem?" I ask confused
She shakes her head and frowns. "My new mate."
Chapter 0140
Neah
"What are you talking about Raven?" I mutter as she tugs me into the house
"It's not her scent." Raven mutters. She shakes her head avoiding my gaze. "It's on her. It's someone she has been near."
"Another Lycan?"
"I don't know, there's no way to tell the difference. You....when you first came here you smelled like a wolf. Though you had an odd scent too, from being bound. She said there were Rogues? What if it's one of them?"
I shrug my shoulders, I didn't know how to answer her. I didn't have a clue what a Rogue was.
"I never thought....not after Salem." There is a hint of sadness in her eyes
""You loved Salem."
"A part of me still does." She sighs. "He was everything and.... And he threw it away because of my brother. Because of my pack."
"Do you think this new mate won't meet your expectations?" I was grateful for the distraction, even if it is only temporary.
"I don't know. I just know he is going to have to be pretty amazing for me to even consider accepting him."
"I will trade problems." I half smile at her
"Your problems are my problems." she bumps her shoulder into mine. "And one of them is heading our way."
Through the open front door, we see Mallory making her way towards us. Her hands are shoved into her jeans pockets. A frown etched on her face. What right did she have to be angry? She was lucky we hadn't killed her already. She stops just outside the front door. Her eyes on me. "Can we talk?"
'The Audacity!' Nyx snaps
"I have nothing to say to you." I make it clear with my tone that I was not interested in anything she had to say.
She nods her head, a small smile plays on her lips. "You don't stutter anymore."
My eyes narrow, "Why are you here? Why did my brother bring you here?"
"He was asked too."
"By who?" Raven demands
"My best friend. Look, I didn't want to come. I wanted to stay in my town, but the Rogues are difficult. Damien said they are becoming feral, impossible to control."
Raven's dark eyes flicker to me before returning to Mallory. "And where is this Damien?"
"He stayed behind, he is trying to kill the Rogues. He said if he does, he will meet me here."
"This mate of yours, is he a Lycan too?"
"He is not my mate, but yes, he was bitten just like the rest of us." She shows us the bite mark. "Well, almost like all of us." Her brown eyes settle on me and she takes a step closer. "I believe you are the only pure bred left." "That's far enough." Raven holds a hand up to her. Placing herself between me and Mallory.
"I still can't believe you are alive." Mallory shakes out her blonde hair. "You should be dead. I thought I had killed you."
"Is that why you are here? To finish the job?" Raven asks
"No. Of course not."
"Then why weren't the first words out of your mouth an apology?" Raven snaps
"Can someone even apologise for something like that?" Mallory tuts with a frown. "It's unforgivable. The words won't mean anything. I know that if it were the other way around, Neah wouldn't be apologising to me." 'No,' Nyx murmurs, 'We would have made sure we finished the job!'
""You should leave!" Raven snaps at Mallory
"I've not killed anyone, not since that day." Mallory mumbles, ignoring Raven. "I couldn't. I shift purely to scare people. To make them back off. I make threats, but it's rare I follow through. That day changed me." "And that's supposed to make me feel sorry for you!" I snap.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. I... they used me too. Cassandra did. She told me lies about you. Lies that I believed at the time because I thought she was the most amazing person and I wanted to make her happy. I wanted her to believe I was worthy." "By hurting a defenceless girl? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Raven growls
She shrugs her shoulders, "Everything."
Mallory's eyes shift between me and Raven. "I helped him find Jess."
"I can't listen to this." I whisper to Raven.
Raven nods her head at me and tells me to go lie down.
I leave the both of them talking as I head upstairs to rest. Trey and Cassandra are dead, I didn't think I would need to deal with anymore people from my past.
I was in and out of sleep when Dane appeared, bringing with him the stench of blood.
"Is Roan dead?" I mutter sleepily
"Not yet." He leans over me and presses his lips against mine. "We are having some fun first."
He pulls away from me and seconds later the shower is turned on. I wait for him to get in before I sit up and ask the burning question. "Why did you bring her here?"
He pauses to look through the glass door at me. "I was asked to bring her."