Chapter 94: Chapter 94

David Zoe considered himself a collector, but things got complicated when his possessions were living humans with their own thoughts, feelings, and will. 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, Nicolas Zoe 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 David’s territory by an ally. Our job was to transport those white wolves to our territory. Getting caught would ensure a huge mess, one most of us wouldn’t be able to escape.

David Zoe would have every right to attack us for taking something from him, and if he caught us, a death sentence was the most likely outcome.

“Erika and Martin, they’re the most important. They have to get out at all costs. The others will stay behind and help them escape if necessary,” Nicolas told the three of us, a bitter look on his face as we memorized the details.

“What makes those two important?” Ethan asked. I stayed close to Ethan, using his imposing presence to give me some confidence. “Any special abilities we need to know?”

“Martin can help. He’s good with emotions, in a different way than you, Sussan. Erika, not so much,” Nicolas replied dryly. I tried to suppress my surprise when he said my name for the first time. It wasn’t progress, as much as I wished it were for Aly’s sake. What he said next reassured us a bit. “She’s pregnant, and we don’t know what the child could be. It’s just a matter of time before my father grows impatient.”

“You can’t speed up a pregnancy. Even David Zoe can’t force nature,” I retorted defensively. It was more of a reflex than anything, a need to confront the monster that was rearing its head, a monster with David Zoe’s face.

“He doesn’t need Erika. He keeps her close because she’s Martin’s mate. Their abilities are incredibly rare and unique, but they’re passive. My father doesn’t like passive abilities,” Nicolas replied somberly. “If the children are powerful enough, he might not need Martin either. The baby has been showing signs lately, performing magic from within the womb. They not only have limited options but also limited time.”

We had twenty-four hours to come up with some kind of plan.

“When will we retrieve Liam?” I asked a bit frantically.

Nicolas must have seen something urgent and unpleasant in my eyes, as he felt the need to take a few steps back before answering. I could feel myself bristling at his words, even if I understood his version of things.

“I’ll help your mate when these wolves are safely transported,” he replied with a heavy voice, his eyes shifting between Ethan and me as if one of us might lunge for his throat. Once again, I couldn’t blame him. “If it’s not clear, I’m entrusting you with the lives of these wolves. Even after I help your mate, you’ll still have them under your custody. All I have is your word that you won’t harm them, and you haven’t even given me that.”

“Somehow you don’t strike me as the kind of person who honors someone’s word,” Aly scoffed in Nicolas’s direction, her words sharp and venomous.

“There’s very little you know about me right now,” he replied cold and flat, but that didn’t deter the fire that was Aly.

“Mm, we’ll see. Egocentric, wealthy, spoiled, sadistic,” Aly nodded to herself, ticking off each attribute with her finger. As much as I wanted to stop her, she deserved it. Just as much as Nicolas deserved to be reminded of his foolish choices. “You’re like a diamond, Zoe. All pretty and shiny on the surface, but at the end of the day, you’re just a rock.”

I could feel the tension in the room break, but even with the warning, my reaction wasn’t quick enough.

Nicolas growled and lunged at Aly. Instinctively, I lunged to put myself between the two. Ethan’s arm created a cage around my abdomen, holding me against him. I remembered the vague comments about werewolves and dominance, something the twins had told me when I first returned to the city.

David Zoe considered himself a collector, but things got complicated when his possessions were living humans with their own thoughts, feelings, and will. 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, Nicolas Zoe needed a group of ten white wolves transported from his father’s territory.

Proving yourself through trials and tribulations, that was a big part of belonging to a pack.

I wasn’t sure what Nicolas was trying to achieve. Whether it was because of the fractured mate bond or Nicolas’s own twisted morals, he didn’t seem to be trying to kill Aly.

Nicolas’s hands gripped Aly’s upper arms as he pushed her against the wall. He bit her neck with semi-extended teeth, and it took me a moment to realize what he was doing.

Aly dug into the thick carpet covering the floor and twisted. The movement was smooth and graceful, leaving Nicolas against the wall.

She slammed her weight into his stomach, and I couldn’t help but smile when he growled. Aly rose on her tiptoes until her eyes met his, and she snarled in his face with a voice that was pureblood.

“I won’t submit to you, Nicolas Zoe,” she snarled, spitting the same flames that lived within her soul. “I’ll only bend my knee to someone I can follow. You’re a selfish, wayward coward who has so much power, so much more than you realize. Power to change things, but you won’t. The world is made of miserable men like you.”

Nicolas took each insult and bitter word, dragging them into the snowstorm that constantly clung to him. His eyes were shards of ice as they bore into Aly’s skin. What was even more interesting, his face was flushed. Rosy red on his cheeks and his neck.

The three of us convened a meeting with Thomas, Axel, and the twins’ parents. For now, we were shifting our focus from Liam to these white wolves. It made me sick to think about it, but we only had twenty-four hours. I reminded myself that this would bring us back to Liam, but even that was making my ears ache.

Both Aly and I were escorted back to our rooms one floor below. Ethan decided to stay with Thomas and Axel for a few more hours, planning what he now referred to as the “Great White Wolf Heist.”

I curled up in the suite’s corner, with teary eyes and a heavy heart. I had tried to pull on the bond between Liam and me, like I did with Ethan. I could still feel the bond there, but something was blocking it.

An hour and a massive headache later, there was a knock on the door. I tiptoed closer and looked through the peephole, seeing nothing.

What was even more concerning was the fact that there were no guards stationed outside our room tonight. We had our own men watching over us, but there were none here.

I attributed it to some kind of programming error and opened the door.

Sitting on the floor was a small, simple card. While it seemed to be from Nicolas, the handwriting was completely different. Not as neat as Nicolas’s handwriting, and some smudges of lead made me wonder if the author was 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 David Zoe, meet me at eleven o’clock.”

Ethan was still with Axel and Thomas, and I knew going alone was dangerous, so I stopped at Aly’s room. After a few knocks and several minutes, I assumed she had gone to bed.

I knew it wasn’t a great idea, but if the note was true, we needed that kind of ally. I was almost sure the note was from the golden-haired Alpha and Luna, who clearly despised David.

I slipped through the quiet hotel corridors, smelling of air freshener and freshly laundered clothing. My phone was snug in my back pocket, and I kept a hand on it in case all of this was a big mistake, or worse, a trap.

I slipped into the dimly lit suite and jumped when the door closed. The lighting was poor, but I could clearly make out a large figure above the shelves.

Reclining on a leather two-seater sofa with a whisky in hand was none other than Maurice Evans.

“I wondered if you’d show up,” Maurice said in his musical voice. Deep and smooth at the same time, much like the Scotch whisky he was drinking. “I find the game enlightening. You can learn a lot about a person based on the choices they’ve made.”

“I’m really not here to chat.” I cleared my throat, shifting uncomfortably on my feet under 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.

Maurice Evans wasn’t an unattractive man. For someone in their thirties, he looked incredible. His rust-colored hair made him even more unique, unusually beautiful.

“Don’t you want to know what I’ve learned about you based on your decision to meet me?” he asked with a shy smile, one that I’m sure had led many women to his bed.

“Tell me, what have you learned?” I retorted dryly.

This was already going south. I was here without Ethan, anxious to grab my phone and call him to rescue me. I took a step toward the door, a movement Maurice caught.

His smile widened, nothing short of reptilian.

“I’ve learned that you’re reckless and incredibly naive.”

A second later, two men appeared at my sides. They seemed to emerge from the darkness itself, and they wrapped their meaty hands around my arms.

Adrenaline and panic surged through me as I writhed and growled against their grips. I gritted my teeth as one exerted significant pressure on my shoulder, causing it to bruise and ache. I noticed the glint of something as one of the men pulled a syringe from his pocket. I vaguely remembered being injected for the first time and fought to keep that from happening again.

“Knock her out, and we can snatch the friend,” Maurice said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “Her friend might not be a white wolf, but I’ve always had a liking for the young ones.”

I growled at what Maurice had said, but the action only made him laugh.

“Also, when we’re done here, give my regards to Nicolas Zoe. It was a nice alliance while it lasted, but it was no more powerful than a spoiled child,” Maurice chuckled under his breath. “As for your other mate, leave him with David. I’m sure David will shut him down eventually. Finally, I’ll have the upper hand.”

Everything seemed to slow down, and in the midst of my panic, I could feel my power bubbling beneath my skin.

There was something radiating from all three men in the room—both guards and Maurice Evans. It was like a light bulb under their skin, flickering with different colors and intensities.

My power was drawn to those lights, like magnets. Panic and power flooded through me, and I clung to those individual sparks and pulled.

I was hit by a wave of power so strong that I fell to my knees. I hoped the two men would fall with me, pin me to the ground, and inject me with their poison.

The men did fall to the ground, but not to subdue me. The thuds were loud but cushioned by the luxurious carpet.

A whistle that was supposed to be a scream escaped my lips. The two human-sized lumps on the floor weren’t moving and seemed lifeless.

Their skin was gray and wrinkled, barely covering bruise-like veins that wrapped and crawled up their necks and arms. They had twisted mouths and vacant, glassy eyes.

I wouldn’t admit to 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 when I turned around and met Maurice Evans’s frozen face of horror.

I had absorbed his soul’s power too, all without realizing it.