Ch. 231..235: The Alpha Contract Chapter 231-235

Chapter 0231

He pries the keys out of my hand. "I will drive."

I give in and let him take them. While I slip my feet into some wedges, he asks me where I want to go.

"Just drive." I mutter and follow him out the front door.

He doesn't speak as he winds the car through some back roads. He lets my thoughts run wild. Waiting for me to take the lead.

I'm not even sure how far we have travelled when he pulls the car in under some trees, but I could see the sun appearing in the distance. "Drive!"

"I've been driving for hours. We will need fuel if I keep it up." He mutters.

It was now or never.

"I have spent my life searching for my half sister. To right the wrong that happened to me and my mother. She was impossible to find until recently. All I had to go on was a name and when our kind are hidden from the world, do you know how hard that is?" He keeps his mouth closed but watches me carefully.

"I developed the desire to kill when I was a teenager and I was damn fucking good at it. It comes naturally. People paid me to get rid of problems. A handy way of earning money while doing the thing I loved at the same time. Do you know how rare that is? Of course you don't, I'm sure big brother had enough money to get you anything you wanted."

It was a bad dig, and I knew it was because I was so angry.

"Did Damien ever mention being evil?"

He shakes his head "Honestly, I didn't spend that much time with him."

"Shifting and killing does something to Lycans." I shake my head. "It turns us into even worse monsters than what we already are and sometimes, there is no stopping it." I sigh. I had never told anyone that before and it was so mentally draining to even think about it. "You came back from being a monster." His dark eyes linger on mine

"And one day, I could lose that battle all over again." He might as well hear the truth now he was learning my secrets.

"How long has it been?"

"Four years."

"And you still think it's a possibility?"

I nod, watching the sun rise over the hills.

"Why?"

My eyes flash to his. "What do you mean 'why'?"

"Why is there still a chance that you will go back to that life? Surely if you don't want it, then you just don't go back to it."

"If only it was that simple. The only way I can think of explaining it is that it has a hold on you. Lycans were not designed to live like humans or even Wolves. We were designed to keep the population under control." "Numbers of humans keep growing and are slowly destroying the world so we knock them back down. Though some Rogues go too far." I add

"You are talking about that town that I told you where Salem was from."

I nod. "They should have moved on. Their mistake."

"You've never spoken about it have you? You've kept that all to yourself for years."

"If you haven't noticed, it's not like I have friends, is it?"

He pulls the lever and slides the drivers seat back as far as it can go. He reaches over and unclips my belt. Grabbing hold of me, he pulls me onto his lap and grabs my face, pulling it close to his. "You have me." His lips hit mine with a new force. Rough and messy as his tongue forces my lips apart.

I had given him the worst news about me and yet he hadn't flinched or backed away. He let me get everything out without pushing too much for more information.

Twisting my body around until I'm straddling his thighs. I lock my arms around his neck, and kiss him back as ferociously as he kisses me.

He understood me far more than anyone else had. I had let him in deeper than anyone else.

I pull back from him. My chest rises and falls as I stare at him. Maybe he is my salvation.

"Okay." I whisper. I tip my head back, letting him have access to my neck. "Do it."

 

Chapter 0232

Neah

"It's good right, that he's dead?" Raven asks as she crawls into my bed next to me. The twins were asleep and I had been making the most of the quietness until Raven came charging in my room. "I don't know."

She eyes me suspiciously, "Because Blair allegedly killed him?"

"Don't you think it was all a little too easy for her? Damien tracked him for a month and still couldn't kill him. When Salem was here, none of us could get a hand on him. Instead, he destroyed countless lives."

"Okay, so you have a point." She mutters. I still didn't understand it or what Blair wanted and everyone had a different opinion.

Raven opens a bar of chocolate and starts nibbling on it while trying to think of something to say. "I get that maybe she was helping Jenson get revenge, but you are right, it does seem too easy."

"I mean, he is definitely dead, Neah. I watched the colour drain from Damien's face. He may have tried acting all macho but you could see it, he was in pain."

"Could they have faked it? Maybe Salem is working with them too."

She shakes her head. "Salem killed Jess. there is no way in hell that Jenson would work with him. And you can't fake the pain of losing a sibling."

"But no one expected him to work with a Lycan either, not after he blamed Dane for bringing Damien and Mallory here."

"Hmm." She frowns and offers me a piece of her chocolate, though I shake my head. "Damien has a theory." She mutters, shoving the piece into her mouth. How she wasn't the size of a house was beyond me. She is always eating. "Spill."

"He thinks it's an attempt to get closer to you."

I snort. "Me?"

"Like some weird fucked up plan. He doesn't know what, but he definitely thinks it's something."

"I think we can all agree on that. I may have not been able to see through things when I was younger, but I have learned a lot. Everyone has a game plan."

"And she is still with Jenson. Knowing my brother, he has probably told her everything about our pack and how it works I expect he has even told her everything he knows about us. He isn't supposed to, but that was before he detached himself from us." Her shoulders drop. She won't admit it. But she missed him. Even if he seemed to be a problem.

"I wish he could see that he has lost his way." She adds as she stares at her hands. "Dane will forgive him. He is family."

I didn't want to tell her what Dane had said about him. Forgiving him was the last thing on my mates mind. In fact he had mentioned several times how he would let the others tear him apart for putting his family and the pack at risk.

"I don't think he cares about that, Raven. It's been months."

"She could have a hold over him." It sounded more like she was trying to reason with herself. Or maybe Midnight.

I shrug my shoulders, keeping my thoughts to myself.

'You should tell her.' Nyx mutters

'No, because deep down she already knows.' I snap back

I watch Raven's shoulders drop even lower. "We've lost him for good, haven't we?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that it has been a long time since there has been any news from him. And the first bit we get is not even from him, but from the Alpha of Ashburn city. He didn't even acknowledge the death of his kids." She drops back on my pillows, staring up at the ceiling and even letting the remainder of the chocolate bar fall to the floor. A tear creeps out of the corner of her eye, leaving tracks as it makes its way down to the pillow.

 

Chapter 0233

Seconds later, a brisk knock raps the door and Damien doesn't even wait for me to tell him to come in.

His dark eyes settled on her as more tears seeped from the corner of her eyes.

Damien crosses the room, sliding his arms under her even when she protests about being touched. He pulls her against him until she gives in and lets him carry her from the room.

As they leave, Dane makes his way in, planting a kiss on my cheek. "What was that about?"

"She misses him."

He nods his head knowing exactly who I am talking about.

"Do you think there is a chan.....

"No." He cuts me off before I even finish the sentence. "Jenson made it more than clear that he doesn't want this. I'm not pandering to him!"

Every so often he would throw in a word or phrase that I didn't know. I think sometimes he forgot that I was a slave and the only words and phrases I knew were ones that were used around the house. Some I had learned in my time here, but still, there was always something.

He sees my face and corrects himself. "I'm not going to do what he wants just because he throws a fit. I need to do what's best for our family and the pack."

"I want to help her. But I don't know how to."

"You can't." He looks over to our napping twins. "It's more than just a sibling missing a sibling. They are connected in more ways than most. Twins that carry Alpha blood. They are twins that have also been gifted twin Wolves. That bond they have shared since the day they were conceived can't just be broken because he left the pack.""

"Can she still link him?"

"No."

"You just said the bond is stronger. What about her Wolf, Midnight, could she connect with his?"

"Aspen? I guess I haven't really thought about it. If you haven't noticed, she doesn't really talk about Jenson to me. Or Damien." He adds with a sigh. "She did this after our parents died. She partially shuts down. Though it's really hard to see because she carries on with life in general, she just won't talk about the things that are weighing her down."

"She talks to me. Not much, but she does."

"And I am more than grateful for that." He kisses my cheek again, inching down to my lips.

The electricity of his touch ignites my body as his kiss deepens. His tongue is quick to explore my mouth as his hand locks into my hair, holding me close.

"The boys." I murmur, pulling away.

He growls when I don't let him go any further. "They will be sleeping in their own room tonight."

"But..." I start to protest. I have had them close to me every night since they were born. They were my responsibility. It was up to me to keep them safe from the chaos of the world.

"They are nearly seven months old. Their nursery has been ready for months. And they will be in the room right next door with a guard if that makes you feel better. I need my mate to myself, even if it's only for a few hours."

He nuzzles the mark on my neck, knowing that it is my weak spot. His hot breath brings my skin to life.

"Two guards." I murmur back

"If it means I don't have to share you, you can have as many as you want."

He kisses me again just as Evrin starts to cry and mutters something about that's why he wanted me alone as he climbs off the bed.

Seconds later Logan wakes too. It was definitely a twin thing.

Chapter 0234

Neah

When the cribs were being moved, Dane received a link, telling him someone looking like me was at the gates to the pack.

Immediately, my body tenses, why the hell was she here? I also find myslef questioning it because she hadn't tried to sneak in this time

"Stay here with Raven and the boys." Dane kisses me. "Damien, you're with me."

"No." I snap

Both men freeze.

"She's obviously here to see me. That was why she came the first time, to tell me about my father."

"Neah...."

"I can handle it." I mutter. I knew the real meaning behind him keeping me away. He wanted me to stay calm. To keep the ever growing darkness from enveloping my heart. But Damien had been right about one thing. My sons helped keep the darkness at bay. "I don't...."

"I will go with her." Damien interrupts him. "The boys should be with one of their parents. I swear, I won't let anything happen to her."

Dane had a love-hate relationship with Damien. While he appreciated that Damien would do anything for me. He hated how Damien didn't always respect that he was the leader even now after he had accepted the Beta postion. "If anything...." Dane starts

"Nothing will happen to her. I will let her kill me if it means keeping Neah alive."

My eyes widened. "Don't let Raven hear you say that!" She would be mortified that he was putting another woman first over his own life.

The men stare at each other. They couldn't link each other but it was clear they were having some sort of silent argument.

One of the things I had come to learn from being in this pack; men are worse than women when it comes to arguing. Forever trying to assert their dominance. No one really did it to Dane apart from Damien.

"Damien!" I snap, "Are you coming?"

I quickly turn away before Dane's crimson eyes lock with mine. I didn't need to be reminded of the risk. My body had its own reminder every single second of the day.

'What's the plan?' Nyx whispers as I make my way down the stairs. Damien's huge frame is close behind me.

'I don't know.' I mutter back to my Lycan. 'But I need you to be quiet. I can't have you interrupting me or letting me miss half the conversation because I'm distracted and talking to you!'

She falls into silence. We were finally turning a corner.

'And no shifting.' I add. I didn't need or want to add more fuel to the fire. Not just yet.

'It wasn't me last time.' She scowls. 'I told you it was all your doing.'

Damien stays quiet as he walks behind me. I don't know why, but he felt more reassuring than Dane. Whether it was because he didn't question me, or because he wants me to be the Alpha that I'm supposed to be, I don't know. What I do know is I don't feel as tense. Blair is standing at the open gates. The guards watching her every move. She looks completely different to the last time I saw her. Instead of baggy clothes, she is in skin tight leather. A cropped leather jacket shows off her torso, while on her feet are the tallest heels I have ever seen. Painted red nails peeping out at the end.

"Like to take your time, don't you?" She eyes the plain black leggings and sweatshirt that I'm wearing but doesn't make a comment. Her brown eyes shift over to Damien. "You must be the other Lycan."

"You know exactly who I am." Damien keeps his voice level, not a hint of anger present and waves to the guards to move away. "I'm sure Jenson told you. How is he by the way?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with him."

A snort escapes Damien and it made me wonder what he really thought of Jenson. did he not say anything because he knows it will hurt Raven?

"Why are you here?" I ask, bringing her focus back to me

She unzips her jacket and pulls out a large tan envelope and flings it on the ground in front of me.

Damien steps around me to pick it up. "What's this?"

"That is for my half sister."

He sniffs it first, making Blair cackle. "It's not poison. I just thought it would clarify a few things."

Damien hands it to me. Inside is a picture of my father with a woman that isn't my mother. Briefly, images of my parents and their blood coated bodies flicker before my eyes. Their screams of pain fills my ears. Like a burst of energy, I feel the darkness flood through me.

 

Chapter 0235

I force images of Logan and Evrin to take their place.

"That is our father, with my mother. If you look closer, you will see she is pregnant. Pregnant with me." Blair continues. "I don't blame you for not believing me. But how else do you explain how similar we look?"

"Is that why Jenson went to you?" Damien pushes. "Because you were the next best thing?"

She snarls at him. "Jenson has claimed me as his." She pulls her jacket to one side and shows me the mark just above her collarbone.

Damien erupts into laughter. "So he marked you because he couldn't have Neah?!"

Blair glares at him as his laughter quietens. I didn't need to look to know he was still smirking.

Her brown eyes refocus on me. "When I came here last, I didn't handle it very well. I made you feel like I was a threat."

'Lies.' Nyx mutters

"I just wanted you to know the truth about our father. I figured you deserved that."

"Well, you've told me and now you can leave."

"I thought maybe we could have a conversation. Sister to sister." She presses. "Just us, alone."

"Do you really think she is that stupid?" I hear Mallory's high pitched voice as she drops out of a nearby tree. I had been so busy trying to keep the darkness from taking over that I hadn't even noticed she was here. Had Damien? He didn't let anything get past him. "Mallory?" Blair forces Mallory's name off of her tongue like it's poison.

"You must be the bitch that's riddled with lies."

What the fuck was going on? They almost sounded like they knew each other, but at the same time, they didn't.

"Jenson has told me all about you. How you almost killed my half sister?" Blair's brown eyes return to me. "Why did you let her live?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you." I snap

She takes a step toward me and so does Damien. "I'm telling you now, little sister. It's not good to be surrounded by those that were once Rogue."

"It takes one to know one." Mallory growls from the other side of me

This time Blair steps back. She seemed to be surprised by Mallory's words. Like someone had revealed a deep dark secret that she had never wanted shared with the world, or more particularly, me.

She rocks on her heels, sucking her cheeks in as she thinks of something to say. Instead, she turns, ready to walk away, only to flick her head over her shoulder. "Protection doesn't work if the wrong people are protecting you. Neah."

She struts away down the lane and gets into a fancy car. As the car makes a U turn, I catch sight of Jenson and he looks angrier than ever.

"Mallory, what the fuck were you doing in a tree?" I snap

"I saw her, okay. I was up there watching, like I have been doing since the last time she came. I didn't believe Damien when he said she looked like you and I wanted to see for myself."

"What did you mean, 'takes one to know one."?"

Her eyes shift to Damien. "Damien had his suspicions."

I spin to look at him. "Why?"

"That day I saw them drive off together. She was the only Lycan around."

"Okay? And?"

"The only Lycans that prefer to be on their own are ones that have gone Rogue."

"I wasn't going to accuse her directly." Mallory adds, "But the way that she reacted confirmed it and it's not something she wants people to know."

"So she has felt this?." I mutter, pressing a hand over my heart. "She felt this darkness."

They both sigh.

"I'm not saying I feel bad for her." I snap. She clearly wants something from me."

'She's lying to you.' Nyx murmurs. 'Last time and this time, she has acted like a different person each time. Don't fall for it.'

I glance down at the photo that was half scrunched in my hand. My father had loved another, but had given it all up for his true mate and Blair hated me for it.