Chapter 4

Lily’s POV  

I couldn’t believe what I had done. I held my breath as I expected Gunner to force himself forward and kill me. Samantha was as important to him as Zola was. But after taking a dozen deep breaths, I looked at Axel and internally grinned. 

That’s when I knew for sure Axel didn’t want her. My plan worked. He was choosing me over her. This was my chance. My chance to become Luna was within reach. All I have to do is get rid of Samantha once and for all.  

“She’s our Luna. Don’t you dare harm her,” my wolf Fran snarled at me. 

“No, she’s not. Axel doesn’t want her and Gunner hasn’t marked her.” This shuts Fran up. She knows I’m right.   

“She’s our friend,” Fran counters.  

“No, she’s competition. I’m the one who deserves to be Luna.” I retorted. Because that is what Samantha is. She is the one thing stopping me from becoming the most powerful woman in the Shadow Pack. At that moment, I knew how far I was prepared to go to fulfill my dream. 

“Get into town and do your job, Axel. I have a plan and will take care of everything.” I instruct Axel, as my mind formulates a plan. “Wait for my mindlink before you return.” Axel looks confused and then tells me what he had told Gunner when Samantha tried to reject him. “Perfect. I have a plan,” I told him before I kissed him.

Once Axel left, I looked down at Samantha. Even in her sports bra and shorts, she has the body of a child, not a woman. I lifted the skirt of the dress and put my bare foot over her mouth, causing her lips to press against my foot with every breath she took. “Axel deserves a woman. Someone who will please him. He deserves me.” I said proudly. I grabbed Samantha’s arms and dragged her towards the kitchen.  

Everyone in the pack knows that beneath the packhouse, there is a room where the Alpha takes captive rogues for interrogation. A room accessible from behind the packhouse and only accessible with a key that the Alpha has. When I was young, I watched Alpha Drake drag many a rogue through that large metal soundproof door. “Once they go in, they never come out. It has a built-in furnace.” My dad once told me when I asked what happened to the rogues once Alpha Drake had finished with them. 

But few people know there is an internal entrance. It’s hidden inside a pantry in the packhouse kitchen. I only know that as I found it by chance when I was looking for some chocolate spread. I planned to spread it on myself for Axel to lick off. Axel found me trying the door and told me he even told me where the key was. 

I dropped Samantha’s arms and went to retrieve the key. With the key in hand, I unlocked and used my shoulder to shove open the heavily reinforced door. A musty scent wafted out of the darkness. “I guess no one has been down there in a while. Not until now,” I said, smirking to myself and looking at Samantha. I picked her up by her hair and the waistband of her shorts and threw her into the darkness. Not caring where she landed. A loud thud told me her body had landed. I was about to take the first step inside when I realized I was still wearing Samantha’s ceremonial dress. I needed to keep the dress clean, as that was part of my plan. I locked the door and rushed upstairs to change. If Samantha woke, she wouldn’t know where she was, and that there was no escape. “You’re not going to kill Samantha, are you?” Fran questioned me. 

I scoffed at Fran’s question. “She stands between Axel and me being together.” I paused, hoping she understood my answer. She went to defend Samantha, but time is of the essence and I don’t want her guilt to prevent me from delaying me. 

On my way through the kitchen, I pulled out a butcher’s cleaver from the knife block. In case she woke up and attacked me. I am not sure Fran would harm her.

As I opened the door, I couldn’t hear anything, and when I pulled the dangling light cord, it illuminated the room. I could see Samantha lying at the bottom, sprawled on the ground where she landed. 

As I descended the wooden steps, I looked around the interrogation room. A huge wooden chair with a headrest and restraints for the arms and legs was the first thing to catch my eye. After a few more steps, I could see a barred cell in the corner of the room. Opposite the cell sat the massive metal furnace I had heard about. I got a sudden chill when I thought about what had happened in that room. Then I looked at Samantha. She wasn’t a rogue. But she needed to disappear. 

I placed the cleaver on the bottom step, grabbed Samantha by her arms, and dragged her toward the cell. Inside there were chains attached to the wall, which I fastened around her wrists. I pulled her head back by her hair. “You’re going nowhere. Not now, not ever,” I snarled at her with a smile on my face. Just in case she could hear me. 

I went to investigate what was in the cupboards around the room. The first one had a facemask and a pair of gloves threaded through the handles. I disregarded them and pulled open the doors to see dozens of bottles and vials. Reading the labels: hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, arsenic, lye, lime, and ammonia! I was freaked out, as these could cause some serious harm to someone. But then I remembered what this room was used for. There was a drawer with a skull and crossbones on it. That must be where they store the powerful stuff. I opened the drawer a little. “Close it,” Fran screamed as she forced her way into my consciousness. “I can smell wolfsbane,” she told me, panicking. 

At first, I was shocked that Alpha Drake or Axel would go to such extreme measures to gain information. But it was only to be used on rogues, which made me feel better. I closed the doors and moved onto the second cupboard. 

A large, second cupboard had a pair of leather gloves over the handle. Pulling open the doors, I found a selection of knives of various shapes and sizes. They all looked well-maintained. Wondering how sharp they were, I reached out and touched the smallest one, only to slice my finger. I immediately shoved it into my mouth. Fran would no doubt heal me immediately. But after a few seconds, my finger still stung. “What the hell Fran?”

“I can’t heal it. The knife has to be made of silver.” My jaw dropped when I figured all the shiny blades must be made of pure silver. That’s why there are leather gloves on the door. They are to protect the user. 

I was about to go to the third cupboard. “What’s going on?” Samantha sobbed. I didn’t look at her as Imay have done in the past. Instead, I walked over to the first cupboard, putting on the facemask and gloves. I pulled open the drawer with the skull and crossbones on it. My fingers touched a vial, which I pulled out. You can do this, Lily, I told myself as I walked toward the cell. 

“Why are you doing this?” Samantha cried.

No doubt Zola can smell wolfsbane. “You have something that belongs to me. I want you out of the way,” I snarled as I got closer.

Samantha kicked out. “I took nothing that wasn’t mine.” She protested. Without removing the facemask and gloves, I went and grabbed a knife. This time when Samantha kicked out. I grabbed her foot and sliced her bare calf. It’s a good job this room was soundproof, otherwise, her screams would have been heard by someone. 

As she screamed, I rushed towards her, grabbed her jaw, and poured the entire vial of wolfsbane into her mouth. I wasn’t sure how much would be needed to make Zola dormant. But if Samantha got killed in the process, it would do me a favor.

I walked upstairs, pulling the light cord. Knocking off the lights and leaving Samantha hurt and alone in the dark. Knowing she was going to die alone down there. 

I quickly showered and changed again as I was about to alert the pack of Samantha’s disappearance. I didn’t want her scent on me. When I was ready, I looked in the mirror. “Show time,” I told my reflection. “Has anyone seen Samantha? She was at the packhouse and was upset. Now I can’t find her. Alpha, I think she has run away.” I mindlinked the entire pack. Before I went outside, and forced myself to cry. I had to convince everyone that my best friend had disappeared.