Chapter 93
Marcus Novak considered himself a collector, but things became difficult when your possessions were living humans with
thoughts, feelings, and a will of their own.
His own son had slowly begun to turn against him, though not for the same reasons most would. For reasons completely
unknown to the three of us, Zayne Novak needed a group of ten white wolves transported from his father’s territory.
It was strictly a stealth mission; in and out. The white wolves would be deposited at the edge of Marcus’s territory by an ally. Our
job is to transfer those white wolves to our territory.
Being caught would ensure a huge mess, one most of us might not escape from.
Marcus Novak would have all rights to a****k us for taking something of his. If we were to be the ones venturing on his territory–
d***h sentence. So long as Marcus remained in the dark, all parties were safe.
“Naveah and Isaac, they’re the most important. They have to get out at all costs. The others will stay behind and help them
escape if need be.” Zayne told the three of us, a sour look on his face as we commited the details to memory.
“What makes the two of them important?” Kade asked, all business.
I stuck close to Kade, using his towering form to give me some confidence. “Any abilities we need to know about?”
“Isaac can help. He’s good with emotions, in a different way than you, Aurora. Naveah, not so much.” Zayne replied curtly. I tried
to suppress my surprise as he said my name for the first time. It wasn’t progress, as much as I wished it were so for Tori’s sake.
What he said next sobered the three of us a bit. “She’s pregnant, there’s no telling what the kid might be. It’s only a matter of
time before my father grows impatient.”
“You can’t speed a pregnancy along. Even Marcus Novak can’t force nature.” I scoffed defensively.
It was more a reflex than anything else, a need to put down the monster that reared its head. A monster with the face of Marcus
Novak.
“He has no need for Naveah. He keeps her around because she’s Isaac’s mate. Her abilities are incredibly rare and unique, but
they are passive. My father has no use for passive abilities.” Zayne replied darkly, “If the kids powerful enough, he might not
need Isaac either. The baby’s been showing signs lately, doing magic from inside the womb. Not only do they have limited
options, but they’re also running low on time.”
We had twenty four hours to come up with some sort of plan. Come tomorrow night, we would need to act.
“Alec–when do we get Alec back?” I said a bit frantic.
Zayne must’ve seen something urgent and unpleasant in my eyes, as he felt the need to take a few steps back before replying. I
could feel myself bristle at his words, even if I did understand his side of things.
“I’ll help your mate when these wolves are safely transported.” He replied thickly, his eyes darting between Kade and I as though
one of us might lunge for his throat. Again, I couldn’t blame him. “If it isn’t clear–I am trusting you with these wolves lives. Even
after I help your mate, you’ll still have them in your custody. All I have is your word that you will not harm them, and you haven’t
even given me that.”
“Somehow you don’t strike me as the type of guy to honor someone’s word.” Tori snorted in Zayne’s direction, her words neat
and venomous.
“There’s very little you actually now about me.” He replied cold and flat, but that didn’t deter the inferno that was Tori.
“Mm, let’s see. Self-centered, rich, spoiled, sadistic.” Tori nodded to herself, ticking each attribute off on her finger. As much as I
wanted to stop her, she deserved this. Just as Zayne deserved to be reminded of his idiotic choices. “You’re like a diamond,
Novak. All pretty and shiny to look at, but at the end of the day, it’s just a rock.”
I could feel the tension in the room snap, but even with the forewarning, my reaction wasn’t fast enough.
Zayne snarled and lunged at Tori. Instinctively, I darted to place myself in between the two. Kade’s arm created a cage around
my midsection, pinning me against him.
I remembered the vague comments about werewolves and dominance, something the twins had told me when I first returned to
town.
Proving yourself through trials and tribulation, that was a huge part of belonging to a pack.
I’m not sure what Zayne was trying to accomplish. Whether it was the fractured mate-bond, or Zayne’s own warped morals, he
didn’t seem to be trying to k**l Tori.
Zayne’s hands grasped the tops of Tori’s arms, as he pushed her back towards the wall. He snapped at her neck with semi-
elongated teeth, and it took me a moment to realize what he was doing.
Tori dug into the thick carpet that covered the floor and pivoted. The movement was smooth and graceful, leaving Zayne against
the wall.
She slammed her weight into his gut, and I couldn’t suppress my smile when he grunted.
Tori stood on her toes until her eyes reached his, and snarled in his face with a voice that was full-blooded Luna.
“I will not submit to you, Zayne Novak.” She snarled, spitting the very flames that lived within her curly locks. “I will only bend my
knee to someone I can follow. You–you are a selfish, misguided, coward that has so much power, so more than he realizes.
Power to change things, but you won’t. The world is made of miserable men like you.”
Zayne took every insult and spiteful word, pulling them into the snowstorm that constantly clung to him. His eyes were shards of
ice as they burrowed into Tori’s skin.
What was even more interesting, his face was flushed. Rosy red across his cheeks and down his neck.
The blinding rage he felt, it was the first emotion I had sensed from him. The first unbridled, human emotion. It wasn’t encased in
ice like the rest.
Tori turned her back on her mate, who was both hero and villain, and left the suite with her head held high.
The three of us called a meeting with Julian, Garrett, and the Twins parents. For the time being, we were shifting our focus from
Alec to these white wolves. It made me sick thinking about it, but we only had twenty-four hours. I reminded myself that this
would get us Alec back, but even that was making my ears ache.
Both Tori and I were escorted back to our rooms one floor below. Kade decided to stay with Julian and Garrett for a few more
hours, planning out what I was now calling, the great white wolf heist.
I lay curled up on the sectional in the suite, bleary eyed and heavy hearted. I had tried tugging down Alec and I’s bond, like I did
with Kade. I could still feel the bond there, but something was blocking it.
One hour and a massive headache later, a knock sounded on the door. I tiptoed over and looked through the peephole, seeing
nothing.
What was even more worrisome was the fact that there were no posted guards at our room tonight. We had our own men
watching over us, but there were none tonight.
I chalked it up to some kind of scheduling error and cracked open the door.
Sitting on the floor was a small and plain note card. While it looked as though it were from Zayne, the handwriting was entirely
different. Not nearly as neat as Zayne’s handwriting, and a few lead smudges made me wonder if the author were left-handed.
It wasn’t the room or floor number that caught my attention, but the scribbled note at the bottom.
‘If you want to stop Marcus Novak, meet me at eleven sharp.’
Kade was still with Garrett and Julian, and I knew heading off on my own was dangerous, so I stopped by Tori’s room. After a few
knocks and several minutes, I figured she’d went to bed.
I knew it wasn’t a great idea, but if the note were true, we needed those kinds of allies. I was near-certain the note was from the
golden haired Alpha and Luna, the ones who very clearly detested Marcus.
I crept through the silent hotel hallways, smelling airfreshener and previously washed laundry. My phone was snug in my back
pocket, and I kept a hand on it incase this was all a huge mistake–or worse, a trap.
I slipped inside the darkened suite and jumped when the door slid shut. The lighting was poor, but I could clearly make out a
large form over by the bookshelves.
Reclining on a leather love seat with a scotch in hand was none other than Desmond Deville.
“I wondered if you’d show up.” Desmond mused in that musical voice of his. Both gravely and smooth, much like the scotch he
was drinking. “I find g******g enlightening. You can learn so much about a person based on what choices they’ve made.”
“I’m not really here for chit-chat.” I cleared my throat, shifting uncomfortably on my feet at his amusement.
His gaze was thick and oily, and I knew it would take a few showers before I no longer felt his eyes on me.
Desmond Deville wasn’t wasn’t unattractive man. For someone in his mid-thirties, he looked incredible. His rust colored hair
made him even more unique, unxonventially beautiful.
“Don’t you wish to know what I’ve learned about you based on your decision to meet me?” He asked with a coy smile, one I’m
sure led him into the pants of many women.
“Tell me, what did you learn?” I asked dryly.
This was already going badly. I was here without Kade, itching to grab my phone and call him to my rescue. I inched towards the
door, a movement Desmond caught.
His smile widened to nothing short of reptilian, “I’ve learned that you’re rash, and incredibly niave.”
A second later, two men appeared at my sides. They seemed to emerge from the darkness itself, and wrapped their meaty
hands around my arms.
Adrenaline and panic surged through me as I thrashed and snarled against their holds.
I gritted my teeth as one put significant pressure on my shoulder, making it bruise and ache. I noticed the flash of something as
one of the men pulled a syringe from their pockets. I vaguely remembered when I had first gotten injected, and scrambled to
keep that from happening again.
“Knock her out and we can snatch the red haired one.” Desmond mused, running a hand through his messily styled hair. “She
might not be a white wolf, but I’ve always been partial to redheads.”
I snarled at what Desmond had said, but the action only made him laugh.
“Also, when were finished here, give Zayne Novak my regards. It was a cute alliance while it lasted, but were more powerful than
a spoiled child.” Desmond chuckled, “As for her other mate, set him loose on Marcus. I’m sure Marcus will snuff him out
eventually. At long last, I’ll have the upper hand.”
Everything seemed to slow, and in the midst of my panic, I could feel my power bubbling beneath my skin.
There was something radiating from the three men in the room: the two guards and Desmond Deville. It was like a light bulb
beneath their skin, flickering with different colors and intensities.
My power was attracted to those lights, like magnets. Panic and power rushed through me, and I latched onto those individual
sparks and pulled.
I was met with a wave of power that was so strong, I fell to my knees. I expected the two men to fall with me, to pin me to the
floor and inject me with their poison.
The men fell to the floor, but not to subdue me. The two thuds were loud, but muffled from the plush carpet.
A wheeze that was supposed to be a scream, left my lips. The two human-sized lumps on the floor were not moving, and they
looked–off.
Their skin was grey and wrinkled, barely covering bruise-like veins that wrapped and crawled up the neck and arms. Their
mouths were twisted open, and eyes were vacant and glassy.
I wouldn’t admit what I had done, even though I was vibrating with power. I had never in my life felt so strong–so indestructible.
I had no choice but to face what I had done as I turned and met the h****r-frozen face of Desmond Deville.
I had absorbed the power of his soul as well, all without realizing it.
“Well, well–k*****g High Table members, what will the illustrious Marcus Novak think of that?” Jaspar Fox scolded me, emerging
clad in leather pants and a biker vest, from his hiding place in the kitchen.