His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Damien

“So we have no way of knowing just how large this army he has built is?” one of the Alphas in the room asked.

“No, we don’t. We have a guess, but we can’t be sure. We don’t even know how long he has been planning this. We believe he has been putting this plan in place for at least two years,” I explained. Convincing all the neighboring packs that we needed to attack them on their turf was not proving to be easy.

“We lose the advantage of knowing the land going to them,” another pointed out.

“But if we are smart about this….” I tried.

“How can we be smart when we know so little?”

“And you have an Alpha ready to run blindly into battle?”

“Everyone!” Langston called, stopping the objections. “If anyone in this room lost their pregnant mate, they would be in the same mindset as Alpha Blackfur is right now. He has made the wise decision to hand over his responsibilities to his Beta, but we are both asking for your cooperation. We think this is the best course of action.”

The room was silent for a minute. “Liam has never once second-guessed stepping up to help any of you. Whether it be sending our best to help train your ranks or helping with provisions needed for your people. He has been a model leader for close to ten years now and deserves our support. We are asking you to help us stop a threat not just to our pack but to our race as a whole. Warwick won’t stop with B***d Eclipse; he will systematically come after all of us. He’s already shown he can do it with the micro packs to the East of the mountains. Taking down B***d Eclipse will only be the beginning.” I hoped the unsettling truth of the situation would get to them.

The silence in the room stretched heavily. Finally, someone stood. “We will stand with B***d Eclipse.”

Then another, “We will fight the vampires.” One by one, everyone else in the room stood and pledged their packs to the fight. I looked at Langston.

“Alright. Now, we need to prepare.”

Azalea

Cold sweat beaded on my skin, and my breath came shakily. My fever wouldn’t go away. I felt my baby less today, and it’s setting my nerves off. If Liam were here, he would have taken me to his uncle long ago. Yesterday, it felt like the baby dropped. When Junior dropped, it was only 48 hours before I went into labor. Panic was really starting to set in, and it was difficult keeping calm for Missy.

“Liam, where are you?” I whispered. I hugged the blanket around me. Missy had been quiet for a couple of hours now.

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself. I just needed to hold out a bit longer. Liam was going to come; he always came to my rescue.

My bladder was in desperate need of relief, and I knew it. I was having trouble keeping the food they brought from coming right back up, but I could drink the water. I closed my eyes and mustered as much strength as I could before pushing myself up from the ground. Even though the room was no more than 12ft wide, it felt like a mile as I shuffled towards the bucket that was the bathroom. It had a lid, but that only muted the smell so much. I managed to lower myself over the bucket with the support of the wall, not completely balanced on my feet. As my bladder emptied, I felt something fall from my body.

I inhaled sharply. If that was my mucus plug, that means this baby may not wait for its father to come rescue us.

Missy

I could hear Lea’s whimpers and suppressed cries. She is getting worse, and I knew the baby could come any time. I spent a long time looking over every detail of the room, especially the small vent separating us. If I could get it open, maybe I could help her from this side.

I clenched my fist around the moonstone necklace that Maddox gave me. “Dad, Maddox, where are you?” I thought. My wolf was quiet, trying to conserve as much energy as possible. I sat in the corner opposite the gross bucket they gave me for a toilet. I rested my head against the wall, keeping myself upright. They were going to come for us; I knew it. They just needed to get here in time.

Maddox

We finally made it to the packhouse. As we approached the front door, I stopped sharply. Vlad almost tripped, but I kept him upright. He turned around and gave me a confused look.

“What’s wr-” he was abruptly cut off by my fist landing on his jaw, again. I pulled my hand away and shook out the sharp pain in my knuckles. I needed to do that, and it wasn’t even for my mate.

Vlad g*****d, and I had to stop myself from hitting him again. He was already sporting a deepening bruise on his chin from the first hit. The front door of the packhouse opened, and Vlad spat b***d out onto the ground. He gave me a withering look before turning his head.

“You deserved that. And more,” I said quietly as Beta Damien and Alpha Langston came running towards us.

“Maddox, what is going on?” Beta asked.

“He was found at the border,” I said. “Alpha wants him brought to him immediately when found.”

Beta and Alpha Langston looked at each other for a minute before nodding. “Maddox, you can go get Alpha Liam, and we’ll take Vlad,” Alpha Langston said.

“No need,” came a voice behind them. Alpha was striding quickly towards us. With no preamble, he pulled back and also punched Vlad straight in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Beta grabbed him and pulled him back before he could do it again.

“Liam, he’s a boy!” Beta growled.

“That has committed the crimes of a man!” Alpha roared. “Where are my mate and my daughter?”

“I’ll tell you everything!” Vlad shouted.

“Liam, you need to calm down! He is being compliant!” Alpha Langston said.

“Get him to an interrogation room now!” Alpha yelled.

“Liam, calm down! Or I won’t let you in the room!” Beta threatened.

“Like hell, you won’t!”

“I am acting Alpha, and if I say you are too worked up to go in, you won’t. So get it together now!”

“I want in the room too,” I said resolutely. That stopped everyone for the most part. Everyone turned their attention to me.

Alpha nodded while Beta looked conflicted. “His mate is missing as well,” Alpha said. “He has every right to be there.”

Beta Damien and Alpha Langston passed each other questioning looks. “Fine. But neither of you is to lay another hand on him until we know more. This is not how we do things,” Beta finally agreed.

“We need to call the boy’s father,” Alpha Langston commented. He walked over to Vlad and lifted him from the ground effortlessly to set him back on his feet. He took him by the arm and led him toward the back of the packhouse where the jail entrance was. Alpha broke out of Beta’s grip and gave him a callous look before motioning for me to follow. I bowed my head to Beta as I passed him to follow Alpha.

–

The pack’s prison wasn’t entirely what I was expecting. It went down underground, and there were warriors stationed at each level, including the one where the interrogation rooms were. No one questioned me as I followed Alpha into the dimly lit facility and down to where they would question Vlad.

“Has he told you anything?” Alpha asked me.

“He said he was trying to protect Missy. He said Warwick used him by threatening her, but he was just trying to keep her safe,” I told him.

“Anything else?”

“Warwick is the vampire that bit him, and it killed his wolf. He can’t shift,” I told him, trying to recall everything Vlad admitted through my angry haze.

“You did well,” Alpha said, catching me off guard.

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

“I am glad you are her mate,” he said as we stopped outside a window. It must have been a two-way mirror because we could see Langston and Vlad inside. “You will make a good partner for my daughter.”

“Once we get her back, I will never let her be hurt ever again, sir,” I promised. I had no intention of letting Missy out of my sight for a long time.

“He may never leave this building again,” Alpha said, his voice cold. I nodded my head and looked back at Vlad who was sitting with his face in his hands, elbows leaning on the table. “We will begin when Abraham arrives. Technically, Vlad is not of age yet, so his father has to be notified.”

“What will happen to him?” I asked.

“I haven’t decided yet. It will depend on the state of Azalea and Missy when we find them as well as the other missing pack members,” he said. His words chilled me; his demeanor was cold and detached. I had to wonder if this was because of who was missing or if this was how an Alpha acted in these situations. Beta Damien finally joined us.

“Abraham will be along shortly,” he said.

Liam

White-hot rage pulsed through me. It consumed me as my eyes stayed trained on the traitorous urchin seated on the other side of the glass. Gavin wanted to rip him to shreds, but I managed to hold back and only hit him once. He had information to give about Warwick’s hideout, and I was going to get it one way or another.

Maddox shifted uneasily next to me. I could feel the conflicted emotions coming from him. He was angry with Vlad for his treachery and putting Missy in harm’s way, but he wasn’t comfortable with the possible outcomes here. When Abraham finally arrived, he looked scared.

“Where is he?” he asked. Damien pointed inside the room. “Where was he found? Where has he been?”

“Abe, he is involved with Warwick,” Damien told him. Abraham paled.

“No,” he shook his head. “He wouldn’t. Not after his mother….”

“He is going to be questioned, but our laws state that you have the right to be present,” I grunted.

“I just don’t understand. Please let me talk to him first,” he begged.

“No!” I yelled while Gavin tried to push to the surface with his impatience. Damien gave me a curt look.

“I’m sorry, Abe, but due to the severity of the situation and the time-sensitive factors here, we cannot allow you to do that. He has already stated that he is willing to comply, so we have untied him,” Damien explained. “We can allow you in the room, but I have to question him.”

Abraham nodded before realizing Maddox was also here. “Why is a boy here?”

“He is Missy’s mate. He realized after she was taken,” Damien said in a solemn tone. Abraham looked at Maddox.

“I am so sorry if my son contributed to your mate’s disappearance. No one deserves that heartache,” he said sincerely.

“Enough,” I said. “It’s time.” Damien nodded, turning on his heel to lead us into the interrogation room. I would have chosen one of the rooms more suited for forceful interrogation, but I reminded myself that he was just a boy.

Vlad looked up as we entered, his eyes connecting with his father’s. “Dad,” he said quietly. Abraham gave him a tight smile.

“Stand to the side, Liam. Please,” Damien linked me. I gave him this, moving over to the sidewall opposite the two-way glass. Maddox followed, taking his place next to me. Damien sat down in front of Vlad.

“I want you to start from the beginning and tell me just how Warwick ended up with our Luna and Missy,” Damien said gravely. “I don’t want excuses or anything else. Three lives are hanging in the balance, and the longer you take to tell me everything, the closer they get to death. Your fate is decided by how useful your information is and whether or not it helps us get to them alive.”

Vlad let out a shaky breath and nodded before beginning his story.