“What did you say?!” Camila stayed very quiet, leaning away from the two dominant males.
“You heard me! She just forced her way past the guards I posted at the den’s entrance using your name!” Darren took a step towards Nick, who took a step in return. Nick was older and more powerful, Camila knew. Darren was not a Pureblood, but still very strong. This would get bloody fast if someone didn’t stop it.
“Enough! Both of you sit down!” Beatrice smacked her desk hard with a loud crack. Her eyes glowed golden, touching all in the room and calming them. Darren moved to sit across from Nick as he, too, returned to his seat. “Now then, shall we discuss this? It seems Miss Winters has been causing more trouble. What is it this time, Darren?”
“She used Beta Nicholas’ name to get herself and the Omega out of the den, against my orders that no one leaves after dark,” Darren responded.
“Nick, did you order her out?” Beatrice turned her honey-dripping voice to Nick.
“Of course not, but you said she’s with the Omega? Jeremiah?” Darren nodded to both questions. “Then there is little time. We have to move quickly.”
“Start by telling me what is going on and why Camila is with you?” Camila shrunk in her soft leather seat even more than she already was. Nick launched into the discovery made by Elizabeth of the crumbs, given to Camila and then given to Nick. Explained how they had retraced her steps and discovered Ginger was awake and well, but also the most recent attempted victim. He finished with what he knew of the herbal ingredient and its use in the past. “So you believe that Elizabeth may have used this herbal treat to sneak out when she returned home?”
“Yes, I do. And if she did use it, she knows who gave it to her. Liza asked Camila about Jeremiah’s whereabouts before giving this to her. This leads to the belief that he was the one who gave it to her in the first place. There was already one attempt to take her before she was bonded to me, now he has succeeded in his mission and we have to save her before she is gone, for good,” Nick finished. They all stared at Beatrice and waited for her answer to the call to action. Camila was hopeful at first, Elizabeth was a part of the pack and bonded to Nick. She wouldn’t just abandon a pack member for her own gain, would she?
“Nicholas, I know your feelings towards your mate are strong, but I feel you aren’t thinking rationally. How can an Omega possibly obtain such a thing? He is one of the lowest ranked wolves in the pack, he is hardly allowed out by himself. Plus, aside from the crumb what proof do you have that he is the culprit? Just hearsay and conjecture is all you have to go on.” Beatrice shrugged, shaking her head.
“I won't take that as an answer, Beatrice. We have to get a search party of everyone we can spare and get out there now, before it’s too late. This may be where the other missing wolves have gone too.” Nick was gripping the sides of his chair so tightly, Camila saw his nails dig into the leather. Camila wanted to help, but she couldn't speak with so many in authority around her, so she put a hand over Nick’s.
“I can confirm at least that Jeremiah has been trying to sneak out, I caught him and sent him back to his den a few times,” Terry chimed in. Camila’s heart soared.
“Even more reason then. Why would someone who has access to these things not use them to sneak out instead and avoid being caught all together? Nick, I will put in a call to Byron and see what he says.” Beatrice picked up her phone and started to dial. Nick grunted and stood, moving to the desk and slamming his hand hard enough on its surface to crack it nearly in half.
“You don't understand! I don’t care what your feelings towards me are, I am getting my mate one way or another and if you don’t call for backup, I will be forced to take action.” Nick glared at Beatrice, eyes completely silver. She paled and leaned away, much to everyone’s surprise. Camila realized what was happening, Nick was challenging the pack’s Alpha in dominance, and was winning! Beatrice tried to fight back, but Nick wasn't having any of it. He gently, but forcefully took the phone from Beatrice’s hand, which had already dialed Byron’s direct number. Beatrice just sat, frozen by Nick’s gaze, unable to move or fight back.
After a few more moments, Beatrice lowered her eyes and inhaled deeply as if she had been holding her breath. Nick turned towards the gathered wolves, raising an eyebrow in challenge. All heads bowed to their new Alpha. There was no fighting it, Nick was stronger and Camila was glad for it. Breaking the silence, Nick spoke, “Hello? Yes, Byron? This is Nick, current Alpha of the Central Florida pack. Yeah, long story, but it can wait, is Colin in the pack right now? Good, get him and your fastest, strongest wolves down here. We have a lead on where the missing wolves are. Yeah. By the morning? Good. Thanks, I owe you.” He hung up the phone, tossing it back to Beatrice, who caught it clumsily. “Terry, Darren, gather everyone you can, females and males, and bring them to the dining hall. I have an announcement.” Without hesitation, Camila saw them nod and leave the room. “And you,” he spat the word at Beatrice, who flinched. “You are not going to stop me, do you understand?”
“Y-yes, Alpha Nicholas,” her voice only slightly louder than a whisper.
“Good, Camila, let’s go. You’re acting Beta until we get my mate back.” With that, she followed him as he walked out the door, leaving a quietly weeping Beatrice behind them.
Chapter Twenty-Six
She woke to the sounds of clicking metal and rusty wheels rolling around over sandy trails. Elizabeth blinked a few times, the sky turning from the darkness of night to lighter shades of blue over the tops of trees. Towards the east, some of the treetops were lined with a purple glow. She sat up slowly, trying to discern her location, but nothing looked familiar. She only knew that she was moving, and in some kind of cage. Elizabeth grabbed the bars, trying to pull them apart with her strength, but the heavy steel bars didn’t even creak in weakness. She heard a grunt and looked at the back of a man, werewolf by the look of him. He was staring back at her, glaring as if him pulling her around was a huge inconvenience.
Rolling her eyes, she looked around more, trying to see if she could see something that she was missing. Trees and other foliage abounded here, wherever here was. Everything looked natural, no sign of people or civilization at all, except for that. Her eyes suddenly drew to a massive water slide, double water slide actually set into fake rocks above an immense concrete swimming pool. Looking down at the bottom of her cage, she saw they were on an overgrown pathway, grass and other weeds sticking up through it. She smelled water, but it wasn’t salt water. Instead, it smelled like a lake she had once visited, so maybe it was one of the natural Florida lakes. That didn’t narrow it down any, there were tens of thousands of lakes of varying sizes in the state, but not very many of them had abandoned water parks in them.
She also spotted a few tents set up around the area, nestled within the overgrowth and between the trees to hide from sight. She tried to reach out to Nick, hoping he was safe and sound. She sensed his worry and fear for her, but no pain so that was a tiny blessing in all of this. The brutish man was approaching a sound looking structure that, on the outside it appeared to be some kind of lodge. Once another strong looking werewolf opened the door, she could see the place was cleared out of mostly everything. Stains on the floor showed where tables and benches once rested. One thing hung on the wall which both shocked her and answered her question as to her location.
“River Country? I’m in that old, abandoned Disney water park?” She whispered the words, but someone heard her anyway and laughed.
“Yeah, brilliant right? Hiding in plain sight from the humans and their filth. The happiest place on earth, as if, they spent all this money on this place and then just dumped it. No matter, we use it just fine,” Jeremiah called to her from the shadows before stepping into the dim light. She glared at him, her lips pulling back in a feral snarl. “Now, now, calm down with that. You’re completely helpless in that cage and if it wasn’t for my Master wanting you alive and unharmed I’d have my friends wipe that glare off your fac
e!” He jumped at the cage, shaking it roughly. She pushed herself away from him and his hands.
“Release me! Let me go and I’ll have the pack go easy on you! When Nick and the others get here, they’re going to kill you and all your friends. He’s stronger than you, Jeremiah!” She shouted, sounding fiercer than she felt. She had a headache to die for, but at least she didn't feel blood pouring down her neck anymore. Maybe the blood she left would be enough of a trail to lead them to her.
“Oh, but I’m not at liberty to make such a deal. Don’t worry, my Master will be here soon and he’ll be able to explain everything. Jake, bring her down stairs with our other ‘guests’,” he waved the man pulling her cage toward a doorway. With a nod, he turned and picked up the cage, jostling her inside of it, and headed for the doorway. Jake easily kicked the door open to a lower level that seemed newer than the rest of this place. The cage she was kept in was big enough for her to stand in, but with the bulky man walking down the stairs she wouldn’t dare try.
She could tell they were walking down into some kind of basement, which was rare in Florida because of the water so close underground across the peninsula. She could also tell these walls were carved out by werewolves and not construction equipment, if the roughly laid bricks and smoothed stone floor were any indication. These underground areas were added at some point since this place was abandoned. The tunnels weren’t the only thing added, because at the bottom of the stairs Elizabeth could see metal doors built into the walls. They had reached the bottom floor now and Jake was carrying her towards a closed door at the end of the jail-like hallway. Some of the rooms were empty as they passed, but some had massive mounds of fur in them.
As she passed by one such fur mound, it poked its head up and she nearly screamed. It was the head of a wolf, horribly deformed in size as it moved to stand and walked to the door. Walked is a gentle term, more like lumbered. The beast had massive arms, easily the size of Elizabeth’s whole body in width and strong back legs with a bushy tail in the back. Mostly brown in color, except for patches of skin where the hair didn’t quite cover it in places, or maybe they were bald spots from past scars, she couldn’t be sure. Once it caught sight of her, however it went from being a curious dog, to a vicious beast. Pawing at the floor, grabbing the bars as it tried to get out and get to her. She leaned as far away as she was able, fearing for her safety. That was a mistake, because now the other massive creatures woke up and began doing the same. Her body became very cold as she watched no less than seven pairs of monstrous hands gripping their cell bars, trying to get out and tear her apart.
“Jake, get her in here. You’re making our friends upset,” Jeremiah ordered. If they were his friends, she didn’t want to see his Master. “Settle down now, my little furry ones. You can’t eat this one, we need her. I’ll retrieve your food soon, or once her pack comes for her, you can eat your fill of them,” he crooned to the massive wolves. Jake continued to carry Elizabeth’s cage into the room with Jeremiah. As he set the cage down in the middle of the new room, Jeremiah shut the door behind them and casually strolled in front of Elizabeth. “Did you like my friends? They looked pretty strong, right? They can walk on two legs and have the combined strength of a wolf and a man. Only problem is, they aren’t the brightest bulb in the bunch, so you gotta keep them in line.”
“Why are they like that? What happened to them?” The fear in her voice was all too clear, because she was terrified of those monsters. What was it Colin had called them in the rumors?
“Well, that was a little concoction Master created in his attempt at giving all werewolves the ability to have a hybrid form. A failed attempt, mind you, but those creatures are very good soldiers. Every one of them can easily kill ten werewolves before being taken down, and we have more of them elsewhere in this facility. Oh but where are my manners, do say hello to your new friend,” he smirked as he motioned toward her right. She followed his direction and stared in awe at another female werewolf, seemingly unchanged but barely alive.
“Who is that and what have you done to her?” she cried, moving over to that side of the tiny space.
“Elizabeth, meet Candice. Candice, Elizabeth. She is bonded to that Beta friend of yours, Nicholas. Everyone has been so worried about you, Nick even went looking for you and attacked her in hunger, turning her on the spot. Poor little Turned, never asked for any of this did she?” Emotion rolled off Jeremiah’s tongue as easily as his sarcasm did, but his words did reach Candice as she turned weakly to Elizabeth. He strolled towards Candice as he spoke to her, but her eyes were only on Elizabeth.
“You bonded with Nick? But Beatrice was sure that-” Candice started, weakly. Jeremiah slowly paced between the two caged women as he spoke.
“Yes, our dear Beatrice lost her chance at having Nick because of Liza. She’s only caused problem after problem for the Alpha since her arrival. I wonder what would have happened had Beatrice just had you killed that night instead. How many of her problems would have been solved? How many of mine? Granted, had you not been Turned my Master would have never wanted you, but no matter. What’s done is done, and we can’t change that now can we? ‘It’s the Goddess’ plan’ they’d say right now. I say forget the Goddess, forget the Three and let all werewolves be able to have a third form!” He stood in the middle of the room now, arms wide as he spoke. She thought he looked like he had lost his mind.
“So that’s it? You’ve been taking wolves just to perfect this potion to give you a third shift?” Elizabeth asked.
“But of course. Not just for me, however. You see every wolf here with us was thrown out by their pack for one reason or another. Some for crimes, some out of spite but their past doesn't matter. We accepted them as family when no one else wanted them, we only asked that they help us in return. They were only too happy to test our potions and look at them now, with their newfound strength and forms! But you, dear Liza, have been given a special treat. Do you want to see? Oh, but first thing’s first.” Jeremiah walked quickly over to a table with a jar sitting on top. He opened the jar and pulled out a cookie she knew very well. “Hold her.”
Jake responded to the order immediately, reaching through the bars and grabbing her arms in both hands and stretching them out. She cried out in pain as he pulled tightly on her wrists, trying not to struggle else she might dislocate them. Jeremiah made his way over to Elizabeth, holding the cookie in his hand. Once he reached the cage, he tried to feed it to her, but she turned her head away. After a few moments of frustration, he angrily grabbed her jaw and forcefully pushed the cookie into her mouth. She nearly gagged and tried to spit it out again, but he held her in place until she had no choice.
“There now, let’s see them track something they can’t detect. Now, about my gift. Well, not my gift of course, the gift my Master wished to offer you,” Jeremiah chuckled as he walked back to the table and grabbed a metal case from underneath. After gently placing it on it’s side, he flipped the latches quickly and pulled something from it in a tiny, thin bottle. He slowly paced back to Elizabeth, holding the potion carefully in both hands.
“That another one of your tricks, Jeremiah? Like the cloaking cookie?” She leaned away from the bottle and him, not trusting him or whatever he is offering.
“Oh no, there’s no trick here. While we haven’t found a way yet to change a Turned back to a human, we are very close. We are working on silencing the wolf inside completely. You’ll still have the healing and slightly extended life span, but you won’t feel that constant gnawing at your mind from the wolf, the urge to shift forms. But that’s not even what this potion is offering to do for you, Liza. This potion will completely sever your bond with the Beta.”
Elizabeth blinked as she stared at the tiny bottle. Her wolf was in agony being so far away from her newly bonded mate. She still had some insecurities about being attached to him for the rest of her life, but would she let that all go forever?
“I don’t understand what you mean. I’m happy with Nick,
” she found herself saying.
Jeremiah snickered. “Oh really? Happy that you are stuck with the one who forced this life onto you? Happy that you still lose yourself when you give yourself over to the bond? I overheard about your first night together, you were mentioning it to Camila I believe. I am aware of your past, though not the full details. Abused, damaged, broken. While your body may have healed with the change, your soul is in need of a much longer time and this potion can help you. The ingredients in this vial are rare and hard to come by, but we have completed it. My master is offering it to you. Drink this and your bond with Nick will be like it never happened, with no side effects.” He held the bottle out for her to take it.
She continued to stare at the tiny thing. “What does he want in return?” She couldn’t really be thinking about this, she could hear her inner wolf screaming. Elizabeth clamped down on the wolf trying to emerge by forcing a change, she was stronger than it now.
“That isn’t my place to say. Master just told me to offer this to you, and so I am,” he said with a little shrug. Still holding the potion out to her, he moved it a little closer. Elizabeth could see Candice, she was watching the two as Elizabeth deliberated the choice. Finally, she made a decision. She took the bottle.
Pureblood (Pureblood series) Page 25
