In utter shock, I can’t believe what Alpha Zenith has just told me; he is my mother’s true mate and murderer. Full of anger, I stand, run to the cell door and shake the bars with fury.
‘You killed my mother! You killed her!’ I yell. Alpha Zenith smiles.
‘Yes, I killed the bitch! After everything I did for her! I gave her a chance to reunite with me and she threw it away like I was nothing!’ He yells.
‘You killed her whole family! You murdered them all in cold blood! She didn’t want to be with a monster!’ I yell. The look on Alpha Zenith’s face changes from a smile to aggression. He unlocks the cell door and grabs me by the throat, holding me against the cold, stone wall.
‘What did you call me?’ He growls, squeezing my throat tighter. I try to loosen his hands from my throat. I can’t breathe. Black dots appear in my vision, and he loosens his grip and speaks.
‘Call me a monster again, Astrid,’ he warns. Boring into his eyes with mine, I know he will kill me if I call him anything again; I shake my head in defeat.
‘That’s what I thought,’ he says, dropping me to the ground. Tears stain my face, and I’m gasping for oxygen.
‘Pathetic!’ He says, staring down at me, before smirking and walking away.
I feel like I am going to explode; a cocktail of emotions swarms through me after all of the new information about my mother, my father and the pack I come from. I stand, grab the sides of my head and let out the loudest, frustrated scream. James comes running down the stairs.
‘Astrid! What’s wrong?’ He asks, concerned.
‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ I repeat, in disbelief, at his dumb question. ‘I’m locked down here in a cold, dirty cell, forced to be your mate! Your father murdered my mother! He wiped out her whole pack! I want to be with Ryker, where I am supposed to be! And you have the audacity to ask me what is wrong?’ I yell. James looks away.
‘Did you know that your father killed my mother? Did you know he murdered a whole pack?’ I yell; James looks at me in silence, for a moment.
‘Yes, I know. The whole pack knows. That’s why most pack members are afraid to disobey him; they know he’ll kill them in the blink of an eye. They all know you’re Alyssa Moonstone’s daughter; the only werewolf left from Moonstone Crest. Why do you think everyone was so excited to meet you when you arrived?’ He asks.
‘I hate you,’ I say, in a low voice. James stiffens and glares at me.
‘Look, I need to go help Dad in the office today. When I return, I will come see you,’ he says.
‘I’d prefer you never come near me again,’ I retort.
James crosses his arms in anger and goes upstairs. Hours pass; I’m guessing it’s late afternoon; it’s hard to tell with no windows down here. I wonder if Amelia had any luck finding the cell key. To entertain myself, I throw small stones between the bars of the cell door, missing half the time.
Suddenly, I hear yelling and cries close by. I see light on the stairs as the door opens. Amelia is shoved down the stairs, and cries out as she stumbles and falls.
‘Please John, I’m sorry!’ She says.
‘Don’t waste your apologies on me! Save them for the Alpha!’ He yells. He stomps heavily across the stone floor, grabbing Amelia by the hair and dragging her into the cell next to mine. He throws her in and slams the cell door shut.
‘Amelia!’ I shout. We look at each other; her eyes are red and puffy from crying; she has a few small bruises on her neck.
‘Astrid, I’m sorry,’ she cries, looking away.
‘I caught my little mate, Amelia here, rummaging through my father’s things, and forced her to confess what she was looking for,’ John says smirking.
‘You were supposed to be at work today!’ Amelia yells at John.
‘I was, but came home early. We had some issues with Ryker, from Shadow Crest, we had to take care of. I was sent home to prepare the warriors. Just in case Ryker tries to break in and rescue his dear Astrid,’ John says.
‘Ryker is looking for me?’ I ask, excitedly. How did he know to go to Zenith Creations? He must have found the business card; I must have dropped it in my room.
‘Don’t get too excited sweet cheeks,’ John says. ‘His beta Seth and others found your scent in the city, but lost the trail until later on. Seth broke into our underground car park after picking up your scent again. We have pack warriors on patrol nightly. Seth was caught, as you know, and has been in the basement ever since. We only let him out to interrogate him and beat the shit out of him,’ John laughs.
‘Wait! That guy you beat the other day was Seth?’ I ask, in shock.
‘Sure was,’ he chuckles.
‘You’re a bastard! You know that, John?’ I yell, glaring at him.
‘Yep. I know it, and I like it,’ he laughs.
‘What has Alpha Zenith told Ryker?’ I ask, needing more information.
‘He told him you begged him for temp work, to skip town, so we gave you work for a few days, paid you cash and you left,’ he smiles.
‘Did he believe it?’ I ask.
‘I don’t know. Hence why James and I came back to the house, to prepare, in case he does decide to trespass, and search for you both. Anyway, I’m sure your soon-to-be mate James will be coming to see you shortly. Alpha Zenith should be back soon too. It will be interesting to see what Amelia’s punishment is for trying to help you escape,’ he says with a smirk.
John leaves Amelia and I, and I crawl over to her on my hands and knees on the stone floor and reach out to her. She is shaken and petrified; as am I.
‘Amelia, look at me,’ I whisper. Amelia slowly looks up at me with her pretty brown eyes.
‘I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?’ I promise.
‘Astrid, there is nothing you can do,’ she says, wiping tears from her face.
‘Ryker will save us; he is coming to save me; I just know it, and you will come home with us!’ I say, reassuringly.
‘I hope you’re right,’ she sobs.
Moments later Alpha Zenith enters the cells, dragging Seth down the stairs. A calico bag is over his head and he isn’t moving; his wrists are cuffed.
‘Seth!’ I yell.
‘Yell all you want. He is knocked out good!’ Alpha Zenith laughs, as he drags Seth to a cell opposite mine and throws him in like a bag of potatoes.
‘Why the hell are you in here, Amelia?’ He growls, Amelia bursts into tears; frightened.
‘Ah, fuck it. I’ve got more important shit to deal with right now,’ he snaps, stomping off.
Amelia and I stay huddled up to each other, despite the bars between us. It must be nightfall when James comes down the steps. He unlocks my cell door, not saying a word. He stares intently at me the whole time. He pulls me away from Amelia.
‘Don’t touch me! Get your hands off me!’ I yell, trying to slap his face. He pins my wrists between us, holding them tightly.
‘I wish I could mark you right now, Astrid,’ he whispers in my ear. Shuddering at his words, I recoil from him.
‘I look forward to your first shift tomorrow night. Ever since Ryker showed up looking for you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you. Thinking of him taking you from me is not good,’ he says.
‘I belong with Alpha Ryker, not you! You’ll be sorry when he finds me!’ I yell. James glares and pushes me harshly against the bars.
‘You are mine! And I’ll claim you as mine after your first shift. I’ll make sure you’re bearing my pups by the end of the night!’ He growls.
‘I will never mate with you; I would rather die than bear your pups!’ I yell. James strikes my face and I fall to the ground.
‘Astrid!’ Amelia cries out; James storms out of the cell locking it behind him.
‘I’m okay. I’m sorry you had to see that,’ I say.
‘Astrid, we need to get out of here!’ Amelia cries.
‘I know,’ I say, looking away. Seth sits up.
‘Seth! Seth!’ He raises his wrists to his face to take the calico bag off his head. He spends a few moments squinting before his eyes adjust.
‘Astrid?’ He wonders.
‘Yes, it’s me! Seth – I’m so glad you’re awake; I was so worried!’
‘Where are we?’ He is groggy and disoriented.
‘We’re in the cells underneath the Shady Crest pack house.’
‘Who is that?’ He asks, nodding to the cell next to mine.
‘Amelia. She tried to help me escape, but she got caught. She is John’s chosen mate,’ I explain.
‘Why would anyone have a chosen mate?’ He asks.
‘Alpha Zenith doesn’t want his children or pack members to be with their true mates. He killed all their mates: Vanessa’s, James’ and John’s. He says they were weak omegas. He wants only high-ranking, strong werewolves. He wants them to breed stronger pups to make the pack stronger. Amelia is an Alpha’s daughter from another pack. He bought her to breed with John. He is trying to force me to mate with James after my first shift, tomorrow night,’ I explain.
The look on Seth’s face says it all.
‘You are Alpha Ryker’s mate! You are my Luna! You can’t mate with James!’ He yells.
‘We need to think of a way to escape before I shift. Otherwise, we just have to hope Ryker saves us,’ I admit. Seth and Amelia nod in agreement. We spend the rest of the evening devising a plan.
