Lexi had arrived a good hour or so after she had received Ann's text assuring her that she was fine. She reached into her bag and checked her phone for any more messages from her, but the message center was empty. She chewed her lip and frowned as she stared at the blank screen, her stomach tying itself in knots for no good reason. 'I swear to my father, Ann, if you've gotten yourself into some sort of trouble just because you're too damn naive for your own good…' She muttered angrily under her breath as she swung the door to her car open and marched into the coffee shop. After flirting a little with the new barista and collecting her coffee, she moved over to their usual table and sat staring out of the window expectantly, waiting impatiently for Ann's arrival. Five minutes passed, and then ten… Lexi checked her watch anxiously and dialed Ann's number again. She scowled deeply as it went straight to voice mail and swore under her breath. Something didn't feel right a
Adam had attended the meeting with the new Alpha significantly later than he had agreed to but thankfully, they were gracious enough about it. Having a fearsome reputation that preceded you was sometimes a blessing in disguise, although he had often wondered at the change in him since he had met Ann, although perhaps it was because she brought out a softer side to him that he had never really had cause to display before. They had hashed out the finer details of a defensive agreement that would benefit the smaller pack more than it would Adam, however, it also extended his alliances a little further. Having the right support from a prominent pack was often the difference between success and failure when it came to expanding into new territory. Adam wasn't interested in the short term losses he might suffer in protecting the vulnerable packs as they established their land and their defenses, it was the long term rewards that interested him the most. The potential of each of th
"Tell me again, Everything," Adam growled impatiently as Allen finalized the orders that Adam had already sent out and arranged additional resources. He was incredibly efficient as he simultaneously linked members of their own pack and made phonecalls across the city to call in favors from their allies in an effort to gather more information. Ann's disappearance was a huge deal and Adam somewhat blamed himself for her disappearance. If he had been able to reign his wolf in a little more, then perhaps she wouldn't have left today in such a hurry. Perhaps it could all have been avoided. Lexi rolled her eyes impatiently as she paced and threw him a withering look that should by rights have turned him to a pillar of salt. "Listen, fluffy, I Appreciate you trying to rationalize and look for clues in my brief interaction with her whilst she was taken, but the minuscule details that exist in that short exchange won't change, however many times I recount it." Adam snarled in irri
Adam considered Lexi's words carefully. She was right, of course, and she had already done a thorough job of searching the places that Ann should have been, had she genuinely taken whoever had appeared in front of her car to the hospital. With no trace of Ann on any of the security footage from the hospitals they had visited, or in the parking lots, Adam had pulled in a favor from a contact within the traffic administration system. Allen was on his way over to review the security footage as he sat here with Lexi discussing their next move. He wanted to be out looking for her but if she managed to escape and return home, he didn't want anyone else to be the first face that she saw. His wolf growled possessively at the mere thought and the sound rumbled from his chest unwillingly. Lexi flicked a sly glance toward him and a small smirk played at the corners of her mouth. "Are you okay there loverboy?" Adam nodded curtly at her, a little embarrassed at the familiarity that
"As your Beta, you have always trusted me with everything that went on in your life, Adam. I have served you well and faithfully, and our pack has prospered. For once, I'm disappointed in your choices and I cannot stress to you enough just how important it is for me to know what I'm dealing with here so that I can continue to support you properly." Allen said, trying to keep the hurt from his voice as he spoke. Adam didn't reply immediately, simply staring at his trusted beta's expression of hurt as he debated how to reply. How was he supposed to tell him that he had deliberately kept him in the dark because he didn't know if he could trust him to not let his personal feelings get in the way of what Adam decided was right? But it appeared that Lexi was going to save him the trouble of having to injure his Beta's pride as she smirked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Relax pumpkin… there's been a lot going on just lately and I'm fairly sure that if it wasn't for Ann's stupidi
As soon as Ada hung up the phone she let out a heavy sigh of relief and bit the inside of her cheek nervously as she began to make her way back down to the dungeons. She couldn't be sure, but she was hopeful that Adam had bought into her reasoning for calling. At the very least he hadn't immediately bitten her head off and promised her death, so in Ada's mind, that suggested that he at least didn't completely disbelieve her. The sound of her footsteps echoing down the stairwell sent an uneasy shiver down Ada's spine. Her mother had taken to spending all day down here since they had been confined to the palace. The Elite guards of the Royal Elder Council never left her father's side and he hadn't left his room in days. She had been going backwards and forwards to try to speak to him, but she was pushed roughly away by the heartless bastards that guarded his doorway. Narcissa and Ada had pretty much been left to their own devices. Perhaps they didn't see them as a threat. Ad
Narcissa had managed to creep up behind Ada without her noticing and she sneered quietly to herself. In every sense of the word, this girl had been a disappointment and nothing at all what she had hoped for. "I hope that with you seeing Ann so easily ensnared has made you reconsider the upbringing you were given," Narcissa spoke suddenly from her side, causing Ada to stand abruptly clutching her heart. "A little jumpy aren't we, Ada? You weren't considering doing something stupid now, were you?" Narcissa said as she folded her arms in front of her, one hand still clutching the bloody dagger that she had only moments earlier finished using. Ada's eyes flicked to the dagger nervously and watched with a look of thinly veiled disdain as Narcissa sucked the remnants of blood spatters from her fingers. "Of course not mother. I was simply contemplating my next move." "Our... next move..." Narcissa corrected with a lazy smile, pointing the sharp end of the dagger towards her. A
Ada watched her mother walk away with an empty feeling inside of her heart. This was for her future, and her baby's. That was all that mattered. With a deep breath and a quick glance at the spot where Ann was held, she pulled the phone from her pocket and punched in a set of numbers.It rang a few times as Ada began to pace nervously, her stomach in knots. Finally, he answered."What do you want, Ada?" Brad's cold emotionless voice rasped through the phone.Ada swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a sickly sweet smile onto her face, hoping it would take away the tremor from her voice."Are we not past this yet, Brad? Don't you want to do this with civility at least?" She crooned."Never. I will never forgive you for whatever it was that you did to me that made me..." he answered almost instantly before he was cut off abruptly by Ada's derisive snort."Oh shut up, Brad." She snapped in irritation, "You made the choice to fuck me, it was your decision every single time. Do y