Ch. 436..440: The Alpha Contract Chapter 436-440
Chapter 0436
"Is he dead?" Neah whispers
I point to Ryken to check Cooper while I check on Klaus
"Dead." Ryken mutters seconds after pressing his fingers to Cooper's throat.
"Double check." I mutter, pulling Klaus's shirt open to find his chest already healing. A sigh of relief escapes me. "He's alive."
"Are you sure?" Neah asks
"One hundred percent." I watch his wounds knit together abnormally fast. Sometimes I forgot just how quick he could heal. It was almost as quick as me.
"And this prick is definitely dead." Ryken tells me. "What the fuck was he playing at?"
Hollow gasps rattle from Klaus's chest and he finally takes a deep breath. "He's not playing or plotting, at least he wasn't." Klaus croaks. "He was only ever here to keep an eye on his sister. He had no plans for any of us. Except me." "But what about Maddie?" Neah presses
"She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He took advantage of the situation." His breath is still a little wheezy. My guess would be that Cooper managed to hit a lung. "Samara wanted Blair to come here." "Why?"
"That's something I don't know. I don't even think he really knew."
"That makes no sense. He let her out of the prison." Neah states
"I don't think he did. I think it was her." Klaus coughs and spits out a bit of blood. "He talked about her being safer in the dungeon, but also said you lot would be safe with her in there. He said if she gets out it will be a bloodbath now she has her abilities. I thought he was controlling her, but I think it's the other way around. Or maybe they were controlling each other over different things."
"Brax would have seen the lies. She already fooled him once."
"Not if the questions were specifically about Cooper and Cooper's plans. She wouldn't have known because they were never his, they were hers." He rolls onto his side and frowns as he stares at Coopere's body. "She's a Lycan. I can control her." Neah mutters
I hold a hand up to Neah. "So he blocked her abilities to keep her safe? That's why he hasn't tried coming for her. Samara is locked away, but he wanted to stay near just in case."
"Not just for her." Klaus coughs and spits out more blood
"So in a fucked up way, he was trying to help?" Ryken scoffs
"Until he realised we were mated." Klaus mutters. "I feel so much better now he is dead. I'm so glad he never marked me."
I glance over to Cooper. The blade still remained in his eye and the wound on his abdomen continued to bleed. But something wasn't quite right.
'Damien, is Samara still in the dungeon?'
'Yes, Are you ready for her?'
'No, there is a change of plan. Is she okay? Or is she upset?'
'She's angry. She knows my presence means something.'
She would be upset if she had just felt her brother die. I glance back at a lifeless Cooper. Something seemed off.
"Can you stand?" I mutter to Klaus
"I think so. Fuck. I don't want to be stabbed in the chest again." He rubs the wound
I offer him a hand and pull him to his feet as Neah throws her arms around his waist. Telling Klaus how happy she was to see him.
"Everyone, get on the other side of the gate. Ryken, Do you have a lighter or a match?"
"I think so." He looks inside the little office by the gates and brings me a box of matches. "Am I missing something?"
"Dealt with any Witches before?" I ask
"Can't say I have. Always taught to stay clear."
"What's happening?" Neah asks as I strike a match and watch the little orange flame appear. I toss it at Cooper and it lands on his chest. He goes up in flames, igniting in a ball of orange fire. "It's not him." Klaus scowls, suddenly understanding what I was doing.
"No it is not."
Chapter 0437
Klaus
"That doesn't make any sense. How can it not be him?" Neah demands. "I watched him stab you. I watched you kill him. You stabbed him in the eye!" "It's...."
"Are you saying this was one of his abilities?" Ryken asks
"Yes." I look to Dane, hoping that maybe he would be able to explain it better than I could.
"Are you trying to tell me it's a twin?" Neah searches my face, looking for an answer.
I turn back to the fire. Not even a hint of an aroma of burning flesh. It's what I would have expected if it was him.
"Dane?" Neah asks. "I don't understand."
"Klaus didn't kill him." He tells her
"I'm right here. I saw it happen."
"There's something called astral projection." Ryken explains
"Astral projection? He stabbed Klaus!" Neah mutters
Dane cups her face and tilts it up until she is facing him. "Remember how I told you Witches have different capabilities?"
"Yes but...."
"He was never here, Neah. But his projection was strong enough that he was able to wield a weapon. It is why you can't smell any burning flesh. It is why when the fire burns out the body will either remain or it will disappear for good, leaving just the blade." On cue, the blade clatters to the ground. Turning to the fire, I watch it slowly burn out. Nothing but the blade remained, just as Dane had said.
"So he can be in two places at once?" Neah asks as Dane moves towards the blade.
"Yes, though it could be more depending on the strength he has." I reply
"If he wasn't here, how was I able to force him to let go of you?"
"Because you did find his weak spot. From what I know, projecting takes a lot of work. When he thought he had killed me, it did weaken him. The problem is, he knows that now and is likely going to find a way to make sure that never happens again." "So if he wasn't coming after us before, he is now?" Ryken asks
"Yes. Maybe just for me and Samara, maybe for everyone." I frown and look around. "The worrying thing is, I don't even know how I got back here."
"You were in some sort of trance." Dane mutters as he takes off his tee and wraps it around his hand. He carefully picks up the blade and brings it back to us. "Your eyes were grey and you could barely walk. I assume he gave you something."
"He drugged me after I confirmed that he would meet with you. That took away my Wolf, but there was a point where I was asking questions and he got pissed off because I figured things out. All I remember is everything going dark and then waking up, here." "Neah, Klaus go back to the house." Dane instructs. "I need to catch up with the sister." He looks at the blade, turning it over in his hands. "Ryken, let us know if there is any sign of him or anyone else."
Ryken bobs his head. "At least I know what the prick looks like."
Neah walks quickly to keep up with my long stride. "How do you know so much about Witches?"
"Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure."
"What does that mean?"
"Information on Witches is limited. There are no books on them, the same as there is limited information on Lycans. But it feels like some knowledge is just here." i press a finger against my temple "But you like to research so maybe you have learned it at some point."
"Is the fucker dead?" Brax asks, rising up to his feet as we approach the pack house. He folds his arms across his chest as he stares at us. "I assume he has to be if you are standing here." "No." I groan
"Why not?"
"He projected himself."
"Different." He mutters. "Where's Dane?"
"Gone to ask Samara some questions." Neah tells him.
"Oh shit, so the fucker lost you and his sister. Right now he is probably beyond angry. I know I would be." He purses his lips, "Now can Neah and I go and kill him?"
"You have just said it yourself. He is beyond angry. Do you think you will be able to just walk in there and kill him?"
"Who said anything about walking in? I have guns with longer range than a pistol."
My eyes shift to Neah. Ultimately it wasn't my decision to make, but I was hoping Neah would see how stupid this idea was.
She shakes her head, "Brax, I know you think that's the easy way. But I don't. What if the one you shoot is just another one of his projections? What if it's a trap? What if it is exactly what he wants us to do?"
Chapter 0438
"He was counting on you turning up." I tell her. "If anything, he was annoyed that you hadn't. He has enough syringes full of drugs to wipe out more than the people in this pack. Essentially, he could turn us all Human." "Was it intentional for it to wear off so quickly? Was that what he wanted?"
"I don't think so. He seemed surprised when he realised I wasn't drugged anymore. Hence stabbing me."
"It's because he is a Hunter." Brax shrugs his shoulders like it's no big deal.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh come on, Mister Research." Brax rolls his eyes at me, "Are you seriously telling me you have created her whole family tree, going back centuries, but you haven't even bothered to look up your own ancestry?" "Well, I have been a little preoccupied."
"You are a fast healer, right?"
"I guess so. I always just put that down to being lucky."
Brax rolls his eyes at me. "You are a Hunter. As much as that word should not be connected to you. It is. Hunter's are fast healers. We heal like Alpha's because we are our own kind. Have you ever seen me with a wound?" "That's why the drugs didn't stay in his system long?" Neah scowls
"Bingo."
"But there is also something else you should know about Hunters." His eyes flicker around the grounds. "That maybe we should discuss inside."
He gestures to the door and Neah is the first through it. She leads us into the office and takes Danes' seat behind the desk. "Well?"
"This is information I never thought would come in handy."
"Spit it out Brax." I snap. I was done with this. I need a good sleep and a space to clear my mind.
"If you haven't done research on yourself. I'm guessing you haven't done much on Hunter's in general?"
"I haven't needed too. Generally if I ask you, you will tell me what I want to know."
He sits on the corner of the desk, much to Neah's annoyance. "Hunter's don't just hunt Rogues."
""What?"
"Actually, that is the wrong phrase. There are Hunter's that don't hunt Rogues."
"So what are you saying?" Neah asks," Because I'm clearly missing the point."
"It doesn't help when Brax has a need to be dramatic!"
"Ooh, look who is growing a pair of balls after making a decent kill!" He smirks "BRAX!" Neah warns him
"Fine. You were with Cooper for a few days. What did you learn?"
""He is unhinged!"
"More?"
"We are mated!"
"Are you sure about that?" Brax cocks an eyebrow at me.
"He has a mark with my initials."
""Does he?"
"He showed me."
"See, now that's where it gets a little interesting. Witches do have a mark."
"The mark is the initials of their mate. Yes I know. i lied to him and gave him a false name but I don't think he bought it."
"That's not entirely true."
"That's what you told Dane. You said over time the mark mutated into the initials of their mate." Neah frowns
"I said I believed, but now, I don't think that is quite true. Or there would be more Witches present and he would likely be mated to another Witch to keep the bloodlines from disappearing altogether."
"Brax, just spit it out. These short answers make me want to rip out your tongue!" Neah scowls at him. Or maybe it was Nyx with how dark her eyes are. Since when has that started happening again?
"So I've been wondering why you are unphased by the Lycans. In fact, you are so fucking curious about them that it makes me a little sick. But nevertheless, you are a Hunter. There is a reason you can withstand Cooper's bullshit. That mark that he showed you, I don't believe is a mate mark. He is still half Lycan. And clearly he hasn't been raised to understand that. I think I was wrong. I think the initials belong to the person who is going to kill him, not his mate."
"What?" Neah presses. I couldn't tell if it was a 'what' because Brax admitted he was wrong. Or a 'what' because of what he said about me.
"Klaus isn't just any Hunter. He is a Witch Hunter."
Chapter 0439
Dane
Samara is sitting in the back of her cell as I enter the dungeons. Her knees are pulled up tight to her chest as she tries to hide her face from me.
"She stopped crying a little while ago." Damien tells me. He is sitting on a stool at the far end. "But she's clearly shifted again at some point. More claw marks." He points to the top of her cell. "Is the bastard dead?"
I shake my head, "It's a little more complicated."
Stopping outside of her cell, I observe the deep claw marks. They were all focussed around the top of her cell. Almost like she is trying to dig a way out. She will have a hard job, inside the cement is more bars. I wasn't letting someone else escape. "My brother is alive isn't he? He was here and now he is not." She whispers though she continues to keep her face covered by her arms, like she was hiding something.
"You tell me. It seems that you have been lying Samara. Do you even know how to tell the truth?" I ask
"I'm not...."
"Cut the bullshit. I know you are behind everything. Why did you want Blair to bring you here? Who are you after?"
"I came for help. That's true."
"If you continue to lie I'm going to open this cell and run this blade from your neck to your navel. Very, very fucking slowly." I hold the blade up to show her and she finally raises her head to look at me. Slow healing claw marks littered her face. Her eyes drift to the blade, "You can't hurt me with that."
"Don't test me."
She shakes her head, "You literally can't. There are marks on the handle. Marks that mean it can't touch my flesh."
I look at the handle. She wasn't wrong. Strange marks had been carved into the wood. "Why?"
She shrugs her shoulders at me. "Coop made it for me to use. It was so I could protect myself but it could never be used against me. Though, he never actually let me use it. Decided I wouldn't need protection when I had him." "Protect yourself against who?"
She drops her head forward on to her knees and doesn't answer.
"Samara!"
She remains silent. I was on the verge of ripping her cell door open and testing out her theory until I remembered what Klaus had said. If she got out, it would be a bloodbath. Yet I still didn't know why.
"Everyone and no one." she whispers
"What does that mean?" Damien edges forward. "How can you need protection from everyone and no one at the same time?"
"From yourself? Is that who you are talking about? Or are you talking about Cooper and his projection abilities." I demand
Her grey eyes are wide as they flicker up to mine. "He's mastered it?"
'Is this a trick?' Damien links me
'I don't know'
Samara scowls into her legs. Her mouth opens and closes like she couldn't find the right words to say. "If he has mastered it after all this time.... I don't know what will happen now."
"How about you tell us the real reason why you came here." Damien presses
"It's true, it was my plan to come here, but not for the reasons you think. Cooper didn't know, I never told him. But I knew there would be a good chance he would follow. I have to stay close by. It's what he does. I made Blair believe he would follow her. I didn't want her to know that it was really me."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"You can't keep saying that. You clearly know what you are saying so why are you withholding information." Damien snaps. "You know you are just speeding up the chances of you dying." He looks to me, "At this point, it will just be easier to bring Brax in. Her answers are not even making sense any more. One minute she is telling us her brother is going to come for her. The next she is a mess."
I agree, her story was making less and less sense. 'What do you think?' I ask my Wolf.
'I'm thinking of Neah.' Aero replies
'Okay.'
'Just how she was when we first met her. Keeping quiet about things happening to her because she knew there was a strong chance things would get worse if she spoke up. We saw what that family was like. Maybe Neah is right. Maybe Cooper has screwed with Samara's head.' He nods, 'But that doesn't necessarily mean it's Samara's truth.'
I grab the stool Damien had been sat on and take a seat right in front of Samara's cell.
"I did like Blair." She mutters quietly. "I didn't want to use her. I had no choice."
"We all have choices. And one of you is lying or you are both stupid enough to play each other off. That never works."
"I'm telling the truth about this!"
"About this?"
She nods her head at me. "I couldn't even link the Alpha. When she told me that Neah was her half sister. I saw an opportunity" She buries her face in her hands and starts screaming. Her fingers paw at her skin, digging and scratching until blood reaches the surface. "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"
She pulls her clothes off as she screams and claws at her skin as she squirms around on the floor. It reminded me of Jenson as he fought against his Wolf. "Samara, stop!"
Her grey eyes find mine, they glaze over as she continues to dig at herself.
"What do we do?" Damien asks
"We need to see what happens."
"GET OUT!" She screeches again as claws sprout out of her fingers. Tufts of dark fur erupt from her skin. She screams as her bones break.
I had watched Neah shift as well as my own son, yet neither of them made this much noise and Neah had said it was the most painful thing she had experienced.
The whole process takes a good thirty minutes and stretched out on the floor is a very large Lycan. Her breaths are heavy and her eyes remain closed. Damien shifts his eyes from her to me."What do we do?"
"We wait."
Another thirty minutes pass before there is any sign of movement. Her fingers twitch and the twitching spreads to her arms. Her eyes open and she continues to lie on the floor.
I watch as the nostrils move, she inhales the scents around her and slowly sits up, staring at us. Neither Damien or I speak. I wasn't even sure if Samara could hear us.
My hand tightens around the handle of the blade, preparing myself for an attack but she just continues to watch us, like we were the ones locked in a cage. She glides her tongue over her sharp teeth as she stands. She is definitely bigger than the average Lycan.
Chapter 0440
Damien
She stares back at me from her cell. Samara had been staring at us both for a while. But since her grey eyes had shifted to me, I seemed to be all she could focus on.
'Rogue?' Dane asks through mindlink
'No. Brax would have scented it a mile off and so would I.'
I look in the cell. All the claw marks at the top made sense when she was probably over eight feet tall, though it was hard to tell while she was still sitting. The rest of us were probably around the seven foot mark once shifted.
"Can you talk?" Dane asks her and for a second her eyes shift to him before returning to me.
"Maybe we need Neah." I mutter
"I will ask her to come over." Dane frowns
Samara gives me a sharp nod, like she knew that was who she needed. She doesn't move as we wait for Neah, but she does not stop watching me either and it is starting to creep me out.
Neah's footsteps are soft as she creeps down the stairs. "What did you....?" She stops as she spots Samara's Lycan. "She shifted again?"
"She doesn't seem to be able to control it." Dane tells her.
"But she knows it's coming in time for her to remove her clothes?" She points to the discarded clothes in the corner
Dane sighs, "Yes, it seems that way."
Neah suddenly holds a hand up to Samara. "I am talking to my mate."
I look in the cell to see Samara has dropped her head in submission. It was new. She had been angry, frustrated, even tearful but to accept dominance was different. Maybe it was the Lycan in her, maybe she couldn't refuse, or maybe she was starting to see that she couldn't win. It had taken long enough.
"She just shifted?" Neah asks Dane
"She screamed and wanted us to leave, then this appeared." Dane gestures to Samara
"We all knew she was a Lycan." I murmur and Samara's grey eyes flicker to me. "But she is a lot bigger than the rest of us. Could she be something else?"
Neah moves closer to Samara's cell, yet Samara keeps watching me until Neah speaks to her.
""Who are you?"
"What do you want?
Neah is silent for a moment and then tells Dane and I to turn around. "No one wants to be watched while they are shifting if it hurts."
We turn and face the opposite cells. A growl turns into a howl that is quickly replaced with a Human screaming and crying.
"Get dressed." Neah mutters. "You need to give us clear answers."
"I can't." A whispered reply echoes around the dungeon
"You mean you won't." Neah presses
"No, I can't. I didn't lie. I came here for help. That is my truth."
"First you said you came for help and then you said it was your brother who wanted you to come here. Now you are back to saying it was for help. Which is it?" Neah demands "Help. I need help." Her voice cracks
"Then why did you threaten us with your brother?"
"You were going to kill me and he always said he would protect me. Now this, the monster....It hurts so much. Is that what he was protecting me from?"
I turn around to see Samara sitting on the floor. One leg folded under her at an awkward angle while she hugs the other. Tears fill her grey eyes
"Cooper followed you here?" I ask
She points to her neck. "I think he put something in me. I think he does it to most people, to keep tabs."
'A tracker?' I link Dane.
'Possibly.' He replies, but he is deep in thought about something else. "The farm? You or Cooper?"
"Coop at first, to stop anyone running away. Blair was not the first but she was the first that I liked. That's why I helped her. She reminded me of me and I just thought that maybe he wouldn't miss one. I could just help one get away. The other's they were different, dangerous even without Wolves and Lycans. I had to keep them busy until Coop came for them. That was my job and I got to stay on my little farm."
Her eyes settle on Neah. "Blair told me who you were. I thought....I thought this would be it. But I knew I had to lie. To her, to him, to everyone."
"That's the trouble when there are too many lies." I tell her. "You unravel and you end up in even more shit. The kind that gets you killed." "What do you want?" Neah demands.
"I just wanted to get here. It took so much time to convince Blair to come here and I really thought she was going to walk away after we had come so far. I knew there was a chance that you would kill her. I took that risk because I thought if I could just get her to show me where you were, then maybe I could convince everyone she is not who she once was. I didn't think that my death would be a possibility. I thought... it doesn't matter anymore. I know you won't help me."