Ch. 586..590: The Alpha Contract Chapter 586-590

Chapter 0586

Chapter 0586

Brax

'Dig deep.' I tell Indy through our connection. You have to find a fucking way."

'I'm not a good Witch. I was never good at it.'

I hear howls in the distance. Possibly below us somewhere.

'We are going to die.'

'Is that what you want? You want our insides smeared across the walls? Do you really want to give the bitch the satisfaction?"

'No. I.... The walls close in. It wouldn't be long now and we would be sandwiched on all sides.

Howls grow louder and the walls appear to stop.

*Thalia," I call out, knowing she couldn't resist knowing we were close to death.

She doesn't answer.

*Thalia!"

*Orion said they are trying to buy us time." Indy whispers.

*Indy, she thinks you are weak. She believes she can just walk all over you and you are letting it happen."

"I am weak."

"I don't believe that. I see a lot of confused souls and yours isn't one of them. She has made you believe that you can't do this. She took away the one thing that gave you strength. I know I'm not your mate, and we are just Blood Tied, but you can use that. You have to. I've watched people get stronger by being connected to someone."

"While we can still breathe, you need to do something. Concentrate, Search your memory for anything different. Something that happened a long time ago that you have buried deep down inside you."

I squeeze her hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You are like an annoying brother!" She tuts at me in the darkness.

I hear a muffled screech from below. I had no idea what they were up to. But I'm sure Thalia would make it so she returned to us as soon as possible.

Indy's breathing slows. "There's something from when I was younger. It's not clear. I hated school. Like, really hated it. Witches were singled out. They were expected to be great. Powerful. I wasn't. One day, the teacher was being a dick and all I kept wishing was for the school to crumble."

"It did, didn't it?"

*Bits of the ceiling at first. Then the cracks appeared in the wall from floor to roof. Everyone screamed and ran for cover." There is a tiny hint of amusement in her tone. "I've never told anyone that."

"They didn't suspect it was you?"

"Orion doesn't even know. But Brax, I don't know how I did it. It just happened."

*It happened because you wanted it to happen."

Her fingers tighten around mine and she falls quiet. Seconds later, the cracks could be heard, snaking through the cracks.

"Keep going," I whisper.

The walls are almost rattling around us. Indy is tense as she concentrates. Her nails dig into my skin as dust falls

from above. Glimmers of light flicker through the cracks and the stone shatters, causing a sound like a bomb to go off as the walls tumble around us.

Indy's eyes and mouth are wide open. "I did it."

"You did."

She throws her arms around my neck, pressing herself against me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you,"

"We need to move," I tell her, climbing over the rubble and pulling Indy with me. No doubt the sound would alert Thalia.

We leg it through the corridor, cracks lingered on every stone wall we passed.

"What the fuck!" Thalia screeches

'Keep moving.' I tell Indy.

"Fucking find them!"

'We are going to die,' Indy mutters.

'Not if I can help it!'

We turn a corner and find another set of steps that lead up, taking us further into the castle. You are going to bring this whole place down once we are all out.

'What?'

You have already started.' I gesture to the cracks that snake across the ceiling.

I pull Indy to a stop as footsteps come barreling towards us. They were coming from behind us and in front of us.

I catch the scent of Klaus and the others.

Orion appears first. A woman draped over his shoulder but he looks so relieved to see Indy.

"We can hug later," I mutter to him.

"Where is she?" Klaus asks, "Where is Thalia?"

*I thought she was chasing us." I look back at the way we came. The pounding footsteps had stopped. This wasn't over. She was changing tactics.

 

Chapter 0587

Xavi watches Indy. Absolute hatred in his amber eyes. He seems to be forgetting that she just saved his life. It may be the Blood Tie that is making me feel this way, but I am ready to rip his throat out if he so much as touches a hair on her head.

*She has the upper hand here. We need to get out." I tell them

I glance at the woman on Orion's shoulder. Her eyes are closed and a trickle of blood runs across her temple.

*He knocked her out turning a corner," Klaus tells me. "She is fine or at least she will be."

We continue to move through the stone corridors and up multiple levels of steps. There is never a window or another door, just more stone walls.

Indy suddenly stops, pressing her hands against a crack. She glances back at me. 'I can try."

I nod.

Xavi watches her. A hint of his sharp teeth on show. I block his path, glaring at him. He could try, but he will never succeed.

"Pack it in, the both of you. We just need to get out of this place!" Klaus snaps

The crack in the wall grows until the early morning light breaks through.

Pieces of the stone fall away, crashing down to the ground below, leaving a massive hole for all of us to look out. We were at least four floors up, maybe even five. Below, the people of the pack stare up at us. Still and silent. Thalia moves between them, her dress dragging along the ground behind her, probably whispering some spell to them.

*How did she get outside so quickly?" Indy whispers

*She knows this place like the back of her hand," Klaus mutters. "Secret doors, probably secret rooms. She wants to keep us here. Trap us forever."

I lean out, it is a sheer drop and the chances of survival jumping from this height are unlikely.

"I don't know Orion!" Indy snaps at him. "It's new to me too!"

*This is not helping. We need to find a way out." Klaus sighs

*And without all the fucking zombified assholes coming after us. I'm happy to kill, but even I can see we are well and truly outnumbered."

"But it's not them." Indy pleads with me. "They don't deserve to die for something they don't know is even happening."

I feel her pain. She was so desperate to help these people. To snap them out of whatever trance the wicked Witch had put them under but I'm not even sure it's possible without killing Thalia first. And by the looks of it, Thalia knew that. It was why she was putting more people between us and her.

"What do we do?" Indy asks

"Ugh," Amelia mutters from Orion's shoulder.

*Amelia?"

"Don't call her that," Klaus tells me. "She goes by Amy."

Orion lowers her to the ground and props her up against the wall as she continues to groan. Her hand moves to the dried blood on her temple. "Blood. My blood." She blinks a few times and her grey eyes move between us before she slumps forward.

"Amy," Klaus mutters as he squats. "Amy, is there another way out?"

"Not here. Somewhere else."

"Where?" I demand

Her head wobbles side to side. Her grey eyes widen as they focus. "Trapped."

*She is not helpful."

"You don't know that!" Klaus frowns at me.

"Amy," Indy whispers. "Do you remember me? It's been a long time. You used to come and visit me, bringing me presents."

There is a hint of recognition in her grey eyes as she smiles. "Baby girl."

"It's not Samara," Klaus tells Amy. "I'm going to take you to meet her, but we need to get out of White Cliffs."

*Just let her believe it." Indy mutters. "If it means she gets to be more responsive. Let her believe it." She lets Amy cup her face. "Can you show us how to get out of here?"

Amy's eyes flicker around the rest of us and she nods. "I can help."

 

Chapter 0588

Neah

"You're not joking either, are you?" I couldn't believe what Dane had just told me.

"No," Dane mutters. "I wish I was."

"Let me make sure I have this right. Klaus has found his mate, and they are now in White Cliffs with Brax. Thalia has some sort of weird hold over everyone there. Brax has found Silas's true mate, and now you are also telling me that Amelia is somehow alive?"

His crimson eyes don't leave mine as he nods. I know he is trying to figure out what was happening in my head.

'And the news just keeps coming.' Nyx tuts.

"How bad is it?" I ask Dane

“From what I gather, pretty fucking bad. They are currently trapped inside a castle. Klaus is dropping me bits of information when he can.”

"And they are hundreds of miles away with no help," I whisper so I don't wake the girls

"I'm not happy about it either."

"What about Serkan? We haven't seen or heard anything since that night at the gas station. Any mention of him. Is he back in White Cliffs?"

"No. He could possibly be in hiding while he tries to figure out his next move or while he waits to hear from Thalia. As expected, Serkan and Thalia are working together."

"Well, that's hardly a surprise." I groan

"And he may not actually be your grandfather."

'What?' Nyx echoes my thoughts

"Serkan is my grandfather. It's in the family tree. Both in the one Klaus made for me and the one I took from Moonshine.”

"It's not him. Well, that's what Klaus thinks."

He watches me as the words sink in. "Another imposter?"

"It would explain why you are unable to link him." He frowns

"Whether he is family or not, he is a Lycan. There should still be some sort of connection. I should be able to contact him."

"Not necessarily. Cooper found a way to trick you, to trick all of us. There is a good chance Thalia has helped whoever this guy is and he is just playing a part in her plan."

I sit on the edge of the bed, cradling Willa. "But Silas could link him.”

"We don't know that for sure. Thalia has already convinced him that he lived another life. That she was his mate. That they had children together. She may have convinced him that Serkan was talking to him when it was really her."

"How powerful is she?"

"Pretty fucking powerful by the sounds of it."

'I don't believe that.' Nyx mutters. 'We are the last female Alpha. Thalia can shove her powers up her ass.'

'I could try linking the Lycans there. See if it wakes them up from whatever spell is being held over them. Silas said they heard us before. Maybe they will hear me again. Even if it's just for a moment.'

I look up at Dane, "You should tell Silas about...." I didn't even know her name.

"Indy." Dane continues to watch me

"And I will tell Samara about Amelia. It's only fair it comes from me."

"I don't think that's wise."

"To tell Silas or Samara?"

"Neither of them. Samara believes her mother is dead. Giving her hope when Amelia might not even make it out alive will be another blow. Silas has had more than enough news.in the last twenty-four hours. He is processing something unexplainable. He is definitely not in the right head space for this."

I could read between the lines. I knew that he was trying to tell me that it was going to be unlikely that any of them would make it out of White Cliffs alive, so it was better not to tell the others the truth.

Moving to the girls' cribs, I lower Willa into her bed. Her eyes drift open just enough for me to see her crimson eyes, but they close again before she can properly wake up. It was our last night in Mallory and Eric's home before we officially moved back into the packhouse. But I couldn't keep packing our things knowing what Dane had told me.

I had to find a way to help.

Dane's hands settle on my shoulders, his lips close to my ear. "They are not stupid. They will fight until they draw their last breaths. They will take down as many enemies as they can."

 

Chapter 0589

I spin around to scowl at him, "I don't know if it's because you are sleep-deprived or what, but are you really giving up on them? Klaus is a good friend! And what about the others? Brax has done so much for us."

He frowns and lets out a sigh.

"You don't see a way for them to get out of this, do you?"

Dane places a finger under my chin, tipping my face up to his. "From what I have been told, no." He sighs, "I can't see what's going on in White Cliffs. I only know what I am being told. Klaus is telling me that things are not looking good."

I step back away from him, surprised. It wasn't like him to give up so easily, which means he really didn't see any way for them to get out of this.

My stomach ties itself up in knots. I shake my head at him, opening and closing my mouth while trying to find the right words, but nothing comes out. Thalia had everyone exactly where she wanted them. Split apart from the pack, miles away from one another. Was that always the plan? Had we done everything that she wanted without even seeing it?

"Can you stay with the girls?" I mutter

"Neah,"

"Please? I just...I need a moment. I need to process." I wanted to speak to Samara.

"Neah," There is a hint of a warning in his tone

"I won't go far," I tell him. "I promise." He nods and steps out of my way.

Creeping down the stairs, I step out into the early morning sun, quietly closing the door behind me. Wolves and Lycans are already out and about, as many of them prefer to train early, including Damien.

"Rough night?" He raises a brow at me as he makes his way across the training ground away from the others.

"Do you know?"

He dips his chin, "I was with Dane when he got the first couple of links from Klaus. You were asleep. He didn't want to wake you."

"Do you agree?"

"I think he is stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"Taking quotes from Brax?" I muse

He gives me a smile

"I refuse to accept that I can't help them, Damien. There has to be something." It was a risk, but I think the only person who could help me was Samara, more specifically, her Lycan, Dakota.

"You are the Alpha."

"Is Dorothy at yours?"

He narrows his eyes, "No, sleepover with a couple of other kids. Why?"

"Silas?"

He points to the training hall. "In there." He raises a brow at me. "What are you up to?"

"Samara home?"

"She's probably already on her third cup of coffee." He smirks. I start to naway. " We said wouldn't tell her."

"I know."

"Should I be concerned? You've just had twins."

"I'm okay."

"In that case, as Beta, I think I will come with you."

"Okay," I mutter as I carry on walking.

From the corner of my eye, I can feel him watching me. He had probably already told Dane that he was with me.

"Has Samara done something that I should know about? Has Blair been running her mouth again?"

"No." I stop and turn to face him. "You can link everyone in the pack, right?"

"You know I can."

"But only when you accepted the Beta role?"

"Yes."

"You can order people just like we can?" I confirm.

“To an extent. Fear works well. What are you up to, Neah?"

"I have a hunch."

He opens the door to his house. Samara lowers her mug, and her grey eyes find mine. "Is everything okay, Neah?” Her eyes shift to Damien then she slowly brings the mug to her mouth.

“Neah, are you sure everything is alright? I can call Dane." Damien asks again

"I'm fine."

'She's the chosen Beta.' Nyx mutters.

'I know.'

'You think she can help us?' Nyx asks

'There is only one way to find out.'

 

Chapter 0590

Chapter 0590

Neah

"You still haven't said anything," Samara whispers as she eyeballs me.

"She's talking to Nyx," Damien tells her.

The longer Samara waits for me to talk, the more jittery she becomes. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, slurping on her coffee or glancing over my shoulder at Damien.

"Dakota," I mutter. "She told you that you are my Beta."

*Yep. Look... I only know what she has told me. Honestly, it's not the end of the world to me, maybe her, but not me. I'm just grateful to be alive. You are still allowing me to settle in. Letting me live here. Just because she said it's true, I don't expect it to ever be something you acknowledge. You have Damien, and he is good at his job. And you have Eric." She gives him a big smile.

"That's why you are here, isn't it?" Damien asks. "Because of this Beta business."

"I'm trying to figure out some things," I sigh. I wasn't quite ready to discuss my entire thoughts.

"You are not planning on running off to help the others, are you?"

I frown. "You sound just like Dane, but no, I can't, and I won't. I've just had the girls. And I'm not Cooper. I can't just project myself into White Cliffs. Though that would be a useful gift to have right now."

*Then, at least try and explain your thought process because you are not making any sense.*

"I think I know what she is trying to figure out," Samara mutters. Her grey eyes hover on me. "I don't have the answer. I only know what I am told by Dakota. She thinks our fates have always been tied. That even though we never grew up together we were supposed to find one another. A renewed bond for Kitsons, a future for Lycans."

*Go on," Damien encourages her.

*Dakota thinks with Neah being Alpha and me being her Beta, our bloodline is stronger and thicker than it has been in centuries." Her eyes shift back to me. "And right now, I wish she would stop talking because it makes me sound like I'm trying to make a decision for you. Which I am not."

Damien snorts but keeps his mouth closed.

'Exactly what we are thinking.' Nyx mutters

'A bond stronger than a mate bond?' I ask Nyx. 'Is that even possible?"

Weirder things have happened. Kitson blood is the backbone of Lycans."

I could feel Damien and Samara staring at me, waiting for me to respond. Instead, I leave and head in the direction of the newly built packhouse.

It's larger than our old house. A house that gave me my first real taste of freedom. There had been so many deaths inside of it that maybe a new house was what we needed.

A porch wraps around the entire bottom floor, and there are still as many massive windows as there were before, maybe even more. The woodwork is painted in the darkest shade of black, giving it an almost gothic feel.

"There you are!" Mallory mutters as she comes to a stop next to me.

"Dane sent you?" I keep my eyes on the packhouse, taking in all the small details.

"He said you went to get some air, but he knows it is code for you needing time to think. I was just going to link you, but figured you were deep in thought somewhere."

*He used to get so angry when I kept things to myself. Now, I think it helps that he can get into my head and see what's on my mind without asking what I'm thinking about. As long as Nyx doesn't block him."

'I'm behaving myself.' Nyx huffs

*Does it bother you that he does that?" Mallory asks

"No." A smile creeps across my lips. "I think it has helped to make us stronger. Sometimes, he knows me better than I know myself."

*And you came to the packhouse because? You are moving back over here later anyway."

"I didn't come straight here. I went to see Damien first."

"Ah, that was why I couldn't find you."

I turn to face her. "Mallory, this thing you have going on with Damien." I shake my head, "It has to stop. He has marked her. She isn't going anywhere. We shouldn't be falling out with each other when there are outside threats."

Her brow creases," She isn't right for him!"

"Why isn't she?"

*She did so many bad things."

*Did she? At the end of the day, she played Blair. Everything she said to us was twisted because of Cooper, but she never actually hurt anyone other than Blair and herself. She believed in a different life. He made her believe that. Just how Cassandra made you believe that I was in the wrong. Just as Trey convinced everyone that I killed my parents.

*Samara's younger years are almost as messed up as mine, Mallory. Ironic when we carry a bloodline that is supposed to be unlike anything else. Damien is happy with her, and I know he misses you. And not just him, what about Dorothy? You haven't had her over since you and Damien fell out."