Ch. 426..430: The Alpha Contract Chapter 426-430
Chapter 0426
"He wants me back."
"Your brother is a prick." I mutter.
She shakes her head. "No, you are wrong. He protects me. He has always protected me."
"Is that what he tells you?" Dane questions. "He took away your Lycan abilities so that he could protect you? Do you know the name we give people that do that?" Her grey eyes peek up at us and she shakes her head.
"Abusers. Cowards. Pussies. I could go on." Dane tells her, "But you wouldn't believe me."
"He's my brother. He protects me."
"Yet it is you who is in my dungeons and not him. We know you can link him, Samara and judging by the claw marks on the wall, you have shifted too."
I had been too busy focussing on her soul to notice the deep claw marks in the wall
"It hurt." She whispers and lowers her head.
"It's going to hurt if it's your first time." I shrug my shoulders. She would have known that if Cooper had taught her anything.
"When is Cooper coming?" Dane demands as her grey eyes drift to the food. Her stomach was making some awful sounds from hunger.
"He just said he is on his way."
"She's lying."
Her face snaps up to mine. "I'm not!"
"You are. I see it and your whole demeanour has changed."
"So he's not on his way?" Dane asks for confirmation.
She presses her lips together and frowns. "He said he would and then...."
"And then?"
"What he has is more important. He wants you to go to him."
"Did he ask you to tell me that?" Dane demands
She bobs her head and Dane looks at me. I nod, confirming she was telling the truth.
"And you can't see that he was using you?" He asks
""He isn't!"
"He isn't? He had you set up in a house, right where he expected Blair to run. He had you make friends with her. Convince her to come back here even when she knew there was a strong chance she would be slaughtered. What else? Did he expect you to scope out my pack? Draw him the pack's layout? Mingle with the other assholes he has working for him?"
"I don't know."
"What did he want you to do Samara?"
"....
"What is his plan?" Dane is growing louder and louder
"I... I don't know."
"He is using you and you don't even know what for?"
"No." Tears fall thick and fast "I just had to get her here."
Dane glances at me. I nod "She's telling the truth."
He slams his hands against the bars and storms out. My patience was almost non existent most days, but Dane seemed to be slowly losing his rag with the lack of answers.
"Eat. Stop that stomach making all those stupid noises." I snap at Samara and follow Dane.
"You believe she is telling the truth?" He demands as I make my way out into broad daylight.
"There's several things I know. She believes Cooper is helping her, not punishing her by taking away her abilities. She believes she is a friend to Blair, even though it was built under false pretences. She also has no idea what Cooper wants." "So he is using her?"
"We both know that, but he is being careful how he uses her. If no one knows his plan but himself, it's going to be harder to stop him. In some ways, the guy is a genius."
He scowls at me. "He's a prick."
"I never said he wasn't. But even you have to admit it's a good idea to not share any of his plan!"
His scowl deepens. "Go and see Ryken. He is gathering names of Wolves who are causing the Lycans issues. They could possibly be working for Cooper."
"I've checked them all."
"Brax, just do it."
"What are you going to do?" I ask cautiously. I could see he was angry. And my backhanded comments were starting to do his head in.
"I need to speak with my Betas."
"Well, it must be your lucky day." I nod towards Eric who was talking to a Wolf a few hundred yards from us.
I watch Dane stride away, making a mental note to speak to Neah. An extremely pissed off Alpha was not someone anyone needed and if he feels he is losing control over his pack, we are all in for a world of shit.
[ 771 words ]
Chapter 0427
Neah
"And she was nice?" I ask Maddie, not quite believing what she was telling me about Blair
'Blair has to be playing us, right?' Nyx mutters
"She was. Brax made her nervous and she did keep checking to see where he was. But ultimately, she didn't have anything bad to say about anyone but Cooper. I don't really know her and that's why I suggested that I be there. I thought if she is pretending, she would at least let it slip to someone she doesn't know, or someone that has gone through something similar. I even showed her the bruises I still have and do you know what, she said I should be resting. But I told her I wanted to help." "You didn't have to do that.
"I know, I just wanted to contribute. You and the Alpha are both letting me stay in the house and I don't even have my Lycan abilities so I figured this was something I can do."
"Has Brax spoken to you about your Lycan?" I ask
"He suggested you bite me and turn me back."
'He what?' Nyx replies, shocked by the idea
"I told him I wasn't even sure thats what I wanted anymore."
"That's....that wasn't what I was talking about. There may be a chance that this lack of abilities is temporary. It might come back."
She frowns and shakes her head. "No."
"What do you mean "No.?"
"Cooper told me. It's a bit hazy, you know." She taps her temple. "But he definitely told me. He said it was my punishment for being with Brax, that I would never get to experience being a Lycan again. Only those who are worthy deserve it." 'It wore off of Samara?' Nyx murmurs
"He said never?" I query
Maddie nods. "Something about how he doesn't make mistakes"
"He doesn't make mistakes?"
"Sorry," She raises her shoulders, "Like I said, it's still a bit fuzzy and sometimes it doesn't sound right in my head. Now and again I will get a clear memory and know it's not from a dream. I remember him standing over me and saying those words." 'He doesn't make mistakes? It feels like there is a hidden message?' Nyx murmurs
'I agree.'
"Do you remember anything else Maddie?"
She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Neah. I try and Brax keeps asking me. When I try to remember it, it feels like I'm being pulled into a dream and I can't always tell what is real or not. Is it alright if I go and lie down, it's been a long day?"
"Go ahead." I smile at her as Nyx continuously repeats the words Maddie had just said.
'He doesn't make mistakes.'
'It's a weird thing to say, right?' I mutter to Nyx
'Yep!' She pops the p. 'Everyone makes mistakes. Do you think she knows something?'
I shake my head. 'I don't think there would even be a chance she could keep it quiet from Brax. Either verbally or because he sees it in her soul.'
Dropping on the sofa, I pull my legs up under me. "Do you think he fucked up by saying that to her?" I speak out loud as I yawn
'Like I said, everyone makes mistakes so there is a good chance. Maybe Cooper thought she was out of it? Maybe he thought she couldn't hear him?'
"Maybe." It was so frustrating. Nothing with Cooper added up. What was his purpose of getting some of Dane's Wolves on his side? Why target Blair and then Maddie? Why did he have this hold over Samara? There weren't any links between any of them. 'Power?' Nyx mutters
"Then why hasn't he come after me or Dane? He isn't achieving anything by going after the people he has. Maddie wasn't even able to shift and he knew that!"
I hear the front door open and seconds later I'm hit with Brax's scent. He drops on the sofa opposite. His hazel eyes studying me. "Dane isn't happy."
"I know." I mutter.
"He feels he is losing the pack."
"I know."
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "That could mean trouble, Neah. For everyone. I am aware Dane has his ways, but I've seen what happens to angry Alphas. I've seen their packs become non-existent." "What do you suggest?" I mutter, "Because some of this pack seem to be forgetting who is in charge."
"We go after Cooper. Deal with him once and for all. Bring Klaus home. Just you and me. Simply in and out and we leave Cooper with a bullet lodged in his brain."
"I'm not doing that. That's exactly what Cooper wants us to do. As much as Klaus is my family, he is safe while we are not intervening. Cooper thinks Klaus is his mate."
Chapter 0428
He stares at me, trying to mask his annoyance.
"You are missing the point, Brax. This is not a situation we can just blast through and win. Do you not see that? He has been working on this for a long time. Whatever this is. Blair isn't his first victim and Maddie won't be his last. Blair said there were others in the prison with her. We still don't know what he wants."
"At one point, we thought it was me and yet he went after your mate and then there is Samara. The asshole has abused her and she can't see that. Cooper is using her and she is just going along with it because he has somehow convinced her that he is keeping her safe." "So you want to help her?"
I frown, "I am saying I need time to think. There's not just one thing happening in the pack is there?" I snap, as I think about the little Lycan that is fast asleep in his cot upstairs. Shifting while asleep was not something I thought was possible, but Evrin had done it. "Where is Dane?" I ask
"Last I saw him, he was speaking to Eric. He said something about wanting to speak to his Betas. I'm sure he will be back soon."
I nod
"I know I'm an asshole, but if you need to talk about something, I am all ears." Brax relaxes into the sofa. "Maybe I can shed some light."
"It's nothing."
He cocks a brow at me. "You are a rubbish liar. Did you know that?"
"And you can be really irritating! And you are worse when you haven't killed anyone."
"Think of it as keeping me sane. It's getting harder and harder for me to be who I am. I'm a Hunter, you know that. I used to go out and kill nightly. Being here, around Madison, you and even Mallory is making it almost impossible to be the man I was raised to be." "See, not all Lycans are assholes."
He smiles at my comment
"That's why you want to go after Cooper? You need to kill?"
He nods. "I need blood shed. Hunter's thrive on it."
"Klaus doesn't."
"Are you sure about that?"
"He's not really a killer."
"He likes to help in the hospital a lot, doesn't he? Maybe he just thrives in a different way. Though I don't think he would make a great Hunter, he is too.... relaxed. But there are elements of it in him. Excellent diversion tactic by the way."
"I wasn't trying to divert you."
"And yet you succeeded. You may not be a good liar, but you are good at digging out information. So come on, what's plaguing your mind?"
I shake my head at him.
"Come on, I told you something about me, it's only fair that you return the favour."
"Samara?" I puff my cheeks out. "She linked me in her sleep. No one has done that before. It was strange. I could feel everything she was feeling as she slept. The moment she woke up, it was gone. It was like she didn't know she was doing it and yet it feels like she knew she was." "Like her mind connected to you of its own doing?"
I nod.
"Almost like it wasn't her, it was someone else?"
I nod.
"You have Nyx because you are an Alpha. The same as Dane having Aero. Evrin has his and no doubt Logan will too when the time comes.
"Wait, what? Evrin has who?"
"His Lycan spirit." He smirks at me. "I thought that was obvious after he shifted."
Nyx doesn't say anything and I feel her retreating, though it wasn't like she had anywhere to hide.
'You already knew, didn't you?' I snap at her
'I didn't want to worry you.'
"She doesn't carry Alpha genes." Brax continues "Because you are the last female Alpha." He takes off his ring and fiddles with it. "You are an only child, correct. Well minus Blair."
"Yes. Only child from my mother."
"If she were a sibling, you would have already known." He turns the ring faster and faster. He had resorted to it after I had told him to keep his guns out of sight.
"Did your mother have any siblings?"
"I don't know. I don't remember. I just remember Trey. He was raised to be my brother but was really my uncle... my father's brother. I don't remember meeting anyone on my mother's side. I'm pretty certain there was no one. Ironically, the best person to ask would be Klaus. He has been researching my family for years. Is that what you think it is? That somehow Samara is family, like a cousin or something?"
Chapter 0429
Dane
Her blue eyes flicker up to me as I walk in. "Have you heard this?" She scoffs
I dip my head. I had only heard the end of Brax's speech, "Though I didn't need to. I had wondered if it was a possibility. But it's not that. This proves it." I pass Neah the book that was tucked under my arm.
Damien, Eric and I had been back to Klaus's house because I knew he had been digging into Neah's past and I had wondered if there was a connection between Neah, Samara and Cooper especially after Samara was able to link Neah in her sleep. But there wasn't. She flicks open the book and folds out the pages. Klaus had been busy and while her father's side of the family was limited. Her mother's side wasn't. There was name after name that eventually went all the way back to Aldous Kitson and then some.
Where Klaus had managed to gather so much information from was beyond me, but it was what he was good at.
"Wow." She whispers as her fingers trail over the family tree. "This is....It goes all the way...."
"It goes back centuries. You know Klaus likes to research." I smile at her.
I let her study the names and after a few minutes she frowns. "There's no mention of Samara or Cooper, that's a good thing right."
"Yes and no. It means you are not tied to them, thankfully. But it also means we are not making any moves in finding out who they are or what they want. Samara is detached and seems to have a screw loose from the return of her abilities and seems to know nothing other than Cooper sendi9ng her here and even that information is limited."
"At least I don't have another half sibling popping up out of nowhere!" Neah tuts and I see the way Brax looks at me. I glare back and he makes his excuses to leave as I sit next to my mate.
She rests her head on my shoulder and her hand snakes onto my thigh. "Is Klaus okay?"
"Yes. He hasn't managed to get anything else useful out of Cooper yet, but he is working on it."
""We can't leave him there."
"It won't be forever. Klaus will come back home." I drape an arm around her shoulders and pull her in closer. "I will make sure of that."
"What if....."
"It's not an option, Neah. He has said it himself. He will never accept Cooper."
She falls silent. "Don't lose control." She whispers
"You listen to Brax too much."
Her eyes peer up at me. "What does that mean?"
"It means you don't need to worry. We will figure it out." I kiss the top of her head and she buries herself into me.
"Evrin shifted again. And Brax says he has his Lycan spirit."
'Crap.' Aero mutters and I ignore him. It wasn't necessarily a problem.
"Was Evrin okay?"
Neah bobs her head, "He did it in his sleep. I left him sleeping as a little Lycan. I didn't want to wake him."
'In his sleep?' Aero mutters. 'How is that possible, is that even a thing?'
'I don't know bu it is now.' I mutter back.
"Evrin will be fine." I tell Neah and she sighs.
"We don't know what this means. Does it mean he is more powerful than Logan? Does it mean he is the next true Alpha? Logan is first born, I thought that is how it works."
"You are worrying too much. Right now, he is a baby who has only just started walking." I pull her on to my lap so that she is facing me, her legs straddle my thighs. "But it's not just him you are worried about, is it? Me, Klaus, Maddie, Damien and probably so many more." I tuck a strand of her dark behind her ear and her blue eyes lock on mine. "It's probably one of the hardest things about being an Alpha. You feel responsible for everyone else. Just as one issue settles, something else comes up. It's a never ending cycle. I grew up expecting that, you didn't. Though you hyave adapted to it fairly well."
Chapter 0430
She looks away so I turn her face back toward me. "You can't keep everything to yourself. Some things, yes, but not everything and having me read your mind is not the same as you sharing what's frustrating you." "I'm not weak anymore." she scowls
"I never said you were."
"The lack of knowing what Cooper wants, makes me feel like I am. He's part Lycan which means I should be able to order him or at least link him. But it's like he doesn't even exist."
"That will be his Witch half."
"But still, it's present, right? His Lycan?" She frowns
"I would guess that it has something to do with how prominent his Witch genetics are. If he has lived his life as a Witch then I'm guessing it would be stronger than his Lycan half. He might not have even shifted."
Her brow knits together. "Every possible scenario that I come up with just doesn't seem or feel right. It's not like Salem when he was one step ahead and it's not like Blair when she would taunt us from afar. This guy had only hurt Maddie and taken Klaus and convinced a few Wolves to rebel against the pack. But that's all. If it had been you, you wouldn't have wasted time like this. He would already be dead and if he had a pack, they would be too."
"You're right. I wouldn't have waited, but we are not just dealing with Wolves or even Lycans. He is part Witch? They are a whole different ball game. Not all of them are like Madame Curie and she wasn't exactly squeaky clean."
"I guess." She shakes her head at me. "I'm just over it."
I cock a brow at her, "You are over it?"
She nods at me. "I want it dealt with. I want him gone. I want Samara gone. I want to live in peace. I want to raise my boys and not have to worry that someone is going to come for them."
"Okay, I will link Klaus and tell him to let Cooper know we are ready to trade."
'She didn't mention Blair.' Aero mutters
'No she didn't.' I confirm, though I wasn't planning on bringing her up right now.
Neah leans forward, resting her chest on mine. "Thank you."
I search for the link to Klaus. 'Good time?' I ask, knowing there were limited times he could talk.
'Yes.' He replies, though he sounds a little off
'Are you okay?'
'Tired.' He mutters back through the link. 'He's watching me more.'
'Anything?'
'No. He has spent the day trying to convince me I'm his mate.' He sounds absolutely disgusted
'It doesn't matter now. I need you to tell him we want to offer a trade.'
'Dane, I need more time.'
'I'm sorry, but I can't give you any more time. We need this dealt with. Neah is right, this has gone on far longer than it needs too. Tell him that he needs to be at my gates with you by six tomorrow morning.' 'He will refuse.'
'In that case, tell him his sister will be killed. And there will be no hesitation.'
Klaus pauses and I glance down at Neah. Her eyes are closed and her lips have parted as her breaths settle into a steady rhythm.
'I will tell him.'
I cut the link and don't move. Letting Neah have some peace. I place my nose against her hair, taking in her lavender scent. It was a scent that calmed my own mind and one that I will never get tired of smelling. Her body grows heavy, moulding itself into mine as she slips deeper into sleep. I close my own eyes when Klaus links me.
'We will be there.'