***Since Jeremy left, everyone who came to the suite to see Ryan made it a point to announce themselves first. Even after Clara alerted him, they would still announce themselves by pressing the bell at the entrance of the suite before they actually entered. When a surprised Ryan had asked them why the change, Philip had told him how Jeremy had left a strong warning the day he’d left, that no one was to barge into that suite without alerting him first. And that was the exact moment Ryan knew without a doubt that he’d lost his heart to his mate. That night he’d cried himself to sleep. He wished he’d been able to tell Jeremy that he loved him too when he’d told him the day he left. Maybe knowing that he loved him too would have made Jeremy’s pain more endurable. But he’d been so shocked at the words, he’d literally gone speechless. To know he was madly in love with his mate and his mate didn’t even know… How fucked up was that?With a sigh, Ryan left the bed and went to open the door. B
***“Is there a problem?” Ryan asked, taking in Paige’s demeanor.“I think so.” Paige started packing what was left of their breakfast, their conversation forgotten. “We’re all to converge in meeting room two in ten minutes.”“Who and who?”“You, me, Lip, Stan, Mama G, Dad, Deloris, George, Pete…you know George and Pete don’t you?”“George is the head hunter right?” At Paige’s nod, Ryan smiled smugly and added… “And Pete is the head assassin.”“Good job.” Paige moved towards the cute kitchen in the suite. “It’s an emergency meeting of sorts. All the other Betas will be there too.”“Whatever it is must be serious,” Ryan murmured, following Paige into the kitchen. “Why do I have to be part?”“You’re the alpha’s mate, Ryan. You need to know what’s going on.” Paige explained as she washed her hands.“Philip is the alpha, Paige.”“Lip is only acting.” Paige sighed. “When will you get it into that head of yours that being an alpha’s mate makes you an alpha too? Come on, let’s go.” Paige gra
***Not everyone around the table knew the exact whereabouts of Jeremy. He sometimes took unannounced trips since as second in command to the head of all alphas in the world, he had other duties. So no one questioned his absence. Besides, Philip always managed the affairs of the pack just fine so there was no problem at all. At Philip’s words, all eyes turned on Deloris.“Why haven’t you said anything till now Del?” Gloria gasped but the warlock didn’t even raise her head to acknowledge the question.“I’ll explain everything Mama G,” Philip said. “The Wyatt Clan kidnapped Camilla to blackmail Deloris. They wanted Jeremy but couldn’t find him anywhere. So they decided they needed an insider to help them. And what better person than a fellow warlock who knew all about how nasty they could be? She’s not supposed to tell anyone about the kidnap otherwise Camilla dies.”“Oh my god.” Gloria’s hand flew to her throat.“They’ve sorta tapped into her brain to ensure they’ll know immediately if
***“He has a point,” Stan said.“Shut up Stanislav,” Paige growled.“What? I think Ryan is exactly who we need for this battle.” Stan insisted. “You didn’t see what he did to Katie, Slip.” An admiring twinkle appeared in his eyes. “Having him on our side will be a big advantage if those people are as ruthless as Deloris says they are. What’s all this about anyway?” His eyes turned onto the warlock. “What does that clan need the blood and bone marrow of the top alphas for? Do you know why, Deloris?”Deloris looked at Stan helplessly and gestured for a pen. But even as she was being handed a pen and a writing pad, Ryan felt something push him. He suddenly felt suffused with so much energy. Was it because he was angry, Ryan wondered. He couldn’t help but observe that every time his power had manifested itself, it had been triggered by anger. Was that it? Did anger trigger whatever powers that he had? That wasn’t a good thing, he frowned. But at that very moment, he had an urge to do som
***“But we didn’t even go through the ceremony.” Ryan pointed out.“But you had sex, right?” The warlock shot back.“Oh, they so did.” Stan drawled, making Paige and Phillip burst into laughter despite their worry over Deloris’ news. “Everybody felt it too.” He added teasingly, making Ryan and Joel blush whilst Gloria squirmed in her seat.“That’s all that’s needed,” Deloris said. “They’re going to use your blood to scry for Jeremy. And of course, we all know they won’t be able to locate him since he’s nowhere on earth. They will probably give him some days to come after you. And if Jeremy doesn’t show up, they’re going to use you. Those people don’t play Ryan. Human sacrifice to them is like taking coffee in the morning. It’s not a big deal at all. And immediately they’re able to complete the potion, they can channel the life force of all werewolves whenever there’s a battle, in order to ensure their victory. Succeeding in completing that potion, therefore, means you guys become the
***Phillip, the acting alpha of Stanton Pack and his warriors stood at marked points around a large stretch of bare land. There were forty pack members, standing in groups of fives, with each group standing at a distance from the other. It was dawn and all was quiet. Apart from the alpha and his squad, there was no evidence of life on the land. After making sure that all the vantage points were covered, Alpha Philip raised a hand to signal someone in the group that was made up of four women and a man.Deloris saw Phillip’s signal and nodded. She had in her right palm eight coins, each representing a group. Their strategy was to first rescue Camilla, bring down the invisible barrier shielding the fortress, and then attack. Camilla had to be rescued first because should the clan see or sense any intruders, Camilla would be killed. Although they didn’t know the exact powers that Ryan had, the squad from Stanwood Pack hoped to use it to their advantage. Deloris had assured Ryan that she’
***Reynard Wyatt looked up when the door to his sanctuary burst open. He was in there, going over the final plans with his Trusted Seven as he called his top strategists. The best time to come up with strategies was at dawn when their minds were relaxed and fresh after a good night’s sleep.“I thought I told you not to disturb…”“We’re under attack, Lord Command.” The Jackal said urgently.“How…”“Wolves.” The Jackal rasped. “They’re on the compound. I don’t know how they got in. Somehow, our strength and magic have gotten very weak. Some of our people are already dead.”“Go out there and find out who they’re working with.” The Lord Command roared. “Those mangy mutts could not have penetrated our shield unless they had help from a warlock. I don’t think someone from within can betray us. That warlock you’re working with…”“It can’t be her, Lord Command.” The Jackal couldn’t look his Lord in the eye. “She wouldn’t risk the life of her only child.” He sure as hell couldn’t tell the Lor
***The jackal stared at the bed on which he’d expected to see Camilla and felt his heart drop. She was gone. That meant only one thing… His death. He’d assured the Lord Command that Deloris was under his control because he had her daughter. Not only was there no daughter, but it looked like Deloris had led the pack straight to them. Oh, his death was so assured. There was only one thing to do at that point. Get his wife and run!He closed the door, turned around, and came face to face with a…sex worker? The Jackal didn’t know what to make of the woman standing in front of him. She was dressed in a sexy black leather outfit and had a whip in her hand…like a dominant about to work on a submissive.“You, my friend, are a hard one to find,” Paige said in a husky voice. “Going somewhere?”“Look lady, I don’t know who you are or what you think you can do but trust me, you don’t wanna go up against me.”“Is that so?” Paige started circling around the sweating albino. Somehow she didn’t thin