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Eighty-Two
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Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Three
DIMITRII was up at the crack of dawn. I rolled out of bed with a grimace. My night's sleep had been far from restful. My run in the woods had helped ease my mind, but not much. There was still a lot of nervous energy pent-up in me. I wanted to be at the forefront of a battle. I wanted to just... do something. But for now, there was nothing I could do. I just had to wait until the assholes leaving destruction in their wake showed their ugly faces.But damn! Waiting was so hard. The attacks across various packs were spreading now. Hardly each day passed without Silas informing me of more attacks. They were even increasing in intensity. It sure looked like whoever was behind this wanted to slowly spread fear among the packs that had as yet not been attacked.I shook my head to clear it as I padded barefoot into the bathroom. It was a new day. I had a whole lot of things to do, so I couldn't dwell on that now. After I had shaved and showered, I felt much better. The scalding water had he
Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Four
DIMITRI All thoughts of Summer and her family were pushed out of my mind as I eased my car into the evening traffic. I thought only of Valeria. She wouldn't be happy about us withholding the announcement about the broken engagement for a while, but I was sure she would see understand when I explained the reason behind my decision. And then there was also the fact of Valeria's ill health. I hoped she was better now, or at least had the presence of mind to take care of herself if she was not since she had been to the hospital after all. But what if she hadn't? My hand began to inch toward my phone, but I stopped myself from calling her since I was almost home. It was late and she would have returned from the hospital by now. I would see her face to face and confirm that she was okay with my own eyes. To my amazement, Valeria wasn't at home when I got there."What do you mean she's not at home?" I asked Amelia who had told me this l. "Did she return and then leave again?"Amelia sho
Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Five
VALERIA"Here. Take this." Ivy handed me the cup of tea and sat beside me. "How do you feel?"I sipped tea and seriously considered her question. I actually felt better... in some ways. Being away from anything that reminded me of Dimitri had helped a lot. I was no longer in the grip of the bone-chilling terror of the day before, though I supposed I would never really be able to entirely get rid of the fear.So I smiled at Ivy and said brightly, "I'm feeling much, much better."She didn't look as though she entirely believed me, but she nodded and did not press the issue. That was one of the things I loved about Ivy. At times- not all the time- she had the knack of knowing just when to offer comfort without probing too much into the reason why I was distressed. Last night, I had just showed and expressed my wish to sleep over and she hadn't questioned me much, for which I was grateful.Now, she leaned over and patted my arm. "You know you can tell me anything that's going on with you.
Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Six
DIMITRIDammit! I had thought the meeting would never end. I still could not believe that I had sat through more than an hour of listening to my client's representative drone on and on about a partnership we were about to undertake. The annoying thing was no actual strategy had been discussed. If it had, that would have at least made things at least more bearable. It was the fact that the client in question was one of our most loyal, and the meeting had been planned weeks before hand, that had kept me there.And so I had sat there, thinking, half out of my mind with worry about Valeria and thoughts of what the hell had gone on in our relationship. Just when I had thought I would loose it, snap and maybe punch the man droning in the mouth, the meeting had finally, mercifully come to an end. I sank into my chair, closed my eyes to take a breather. The door creaked open."Give me five minutes," I said without opening my eyes."Hey, handsome. I don't think you'll want to wait five minutes
Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Seven
DIMITRIIn slow motion, I watched her fall. Again. Although I was standing at the wrong angle, I somehow managed to see the realization in her eyes, the realization that she would not be able to save herself. The sound of her head hitting the steps made me feel like something inside was breaking. And then the blood began to pool all around her. Against the law of physics, it came up the stairs. It got higher and then someone was shaking me, shaking me insistently, demanding my attention-"Sir. Sir?" I opened my eyes, blinked. A hand was on my arm. I looked from the arm up to Vance's worried face. "Sir. You're... awake?"Shit! I had probably moaned or said something in my sleep. I suddenly felt a surge of relief at the realization that the horrible dream about Valeria wasn't real.Valeria!I jumped to my feet."Where is she?" I demanded of Vance. "How is she? Shit! I can't believe you let me sleep.""You needed to get some shut-eye, sir," said Vance."The hell I did!"Vance was right,
Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Eight
VALERIAThere was something waiting for me at the other end. I knew it. I wanted badly to reach it so I did my very best to focus. After an indeterminate length of time, I began to panic, thinking I was still in the void and then I heard it; the steady beep of something that sounded like a machine, the soft rustle of something, (Clothes?) and the sound of someone's deep, heavy breathing. Somehow I knew that I had heard these sounds before, but now they were clearer than they had ever been. I focused on the sound of the breathing and struggled towards wakefulness even though I found myself slipping away once or twice. It got easier the longer I kept at it and then I opened my eyes.I was in a brightly lit room, lit mostly by the sunlight streaming in through the open window. The bland decor told me I was in a hospital. So did the continuously beeping machine that seemed louder now. I turned my head and saw the heart monitor at the same time I saw Vance seated at my bedside. The magazi
Set me Free, Alpha Eighty-Nine
VALERIA"I'm sorry," I said after Dimitri had come tentatively into the room and we had been staring at each other for what felt like forever."Valeria..." He reached out to maybe stroke my hair, clenched his fist and gripped the chair's armrest instead. "There is nothing for you to apologize for. None of what happened was your fault.""It is," I insisted. "Partly anyway.""Isn't," Dimitri said. I almost smiled as I was reminded of his usual mulishness."No matter what had happened, I should have known better than to run blindly down the stairs like that in my condition.""You couldn't have known-""That I would fall? No, but at least I should have thought about the consequences if I did fall.""Valeria-""But that's not what I was apologizing for. Not really. I'm sorry I didn't entirely believe you earlier. Noah and Ivy told me about the announcement of your breakup with Summer. They told me the news has been everywhere for two days now. But what about the product launch, our product
Set me Free, Alpha Ninety
VALERIA"How is this even possible?"I held up my finger, examined every inch of it. I felt a sudden surge of hope when I thought that perhaps I had bandaged the wrong finger. I couldn't get my hands open fast enough. I even extended the examination to my wrists and elbows, but after a solid five minutes of close inspection, I had to admit that I was not hurt. Not one bit.My heart began to race. I leaned over the bathroom sink, stared right into the frightened eyes I could see in the mirror. Maybe, just maybe, I had not cut myself at all. Hadn't the knife slipped from my grasp while I had been making sandwiches? I had even been half asleep while doing it. It was possible I had everything completely mixed up in my head. Although the blood... I was almost sure that I had seen blood flow out of the cut. I had even sucked the injured finger. Or hadn't I?I let out shaky laugh. It would be funny if I eventually found that I had gotten myself all worked up for nothing. Who ever heard of cu
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Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Six
VALERIAWith my hands on my hips, I took a step back to look at the decorations. After a few seconds or so, I had to admit that the decorators had done a pretty good job. I had as well. Jayden had his superhero theme decorations all in blue, his favourite colour. Jane had her favourite Princess whatsername theme also in bright yellow.I grinned, reflecting on how very different children's birthday parties were from those of adults. The entire living room area was a clash of yellow and blue, and then there were the balloons also, covering large sections of the floor."And what are you grinning about?"I felt myself relaxing at the sound of Dimitri's voice, leaning back against him until his arms went around me. He repeated his question."I was just thinking that the whole place looks like a rainbow exploded in it," I murmured."Mmm. I think I rather like the look of the place. It's an improvement if you ask me."I snorted. "Having kids have made you soft. There was a time when you woul
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Five
VALERIAIt was bone-chilling to see Amelia's expression when she realized the game was over. It was like she had been wearing a mask which had suddenly come off. Now I could clearly see what lay beneath the facade she presented to the world. The sight made me shiver and I unconsciously shifted close to Dimitri who gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Amelia, teeth bared, kept looking around like a trapped animal searching for a means of escape."There's no way out now," Dimitri said, leaving the sofa to stand in front of her. "You can't escape so bury that thought.""Why?" I said, the question drawn from my lips before I even thought of it. Everyone turned to look at me but I had eyes only for Amelia, the woman who was my mother but had done things to hurt me more than anyone in this world. "Why do you hate me so much? Why... all this? How could you-""You know nothing!" she declared vehemently. "So don't you think you can sit there and judge me when you don't know half of what happ
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Four
DIMITRII let my suggestions about Amelia's and Alexis' eventual capture sink in. When I was sure it did, and that Valeria was in agreement with all I had said, I stood up to leave. Valeria's hand on my arm prevented me from doing so."Wait," she said. "There is something more."I slowly sat back down. "Tell me.""I want to be part of the capture."My response was instant. "Oh no. You can't.""Why not?"Funny she would ask. Even the thought of putting Valeria, especially in her condition, through any form of danger was so abhorrent to me it made me shudder inwardly."Valeria," I said in the most reasonable tone of voice I could muster. "There may be danger when they are caught. I have no way of knowing, true. But I can't take the risk of you getting hurt. Silas, Vance and I with all the others I will bring in to help can handle them. Trust me. It will be best if you stay completely out of it."Then I groaned inwardly when I still saw that stubborn look on her face, the look I knew so
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Three
VALERIAOne of Ivy's nurse friends from the hospital clapped her hand over her lips to keep in a giggle."Ssh!" said a friend of Vance who just had to be a bodyguard. His tall, muscled figure could be made for nothing else.The man was smiling himself."Sorry," the giggler apologized as she smiled up at him.I felt much like giggling myself, especially at the look I was already picturing on Ivy's face when she eventually realized Vance had brought a lot of his friends and her friends on their date."They are here," Dimitri whispered in my ear.Dimitri's words were whispered back and forth between everyone."Remember everyone. Don't make a sound when they come in," someone said.I looked straight ahead and saw Vance, lead Ivy by the hand into the private booth of the restaurant where we were all hiding."It's beautiful in here," Ivy said, looking around. "But it's rather dark, don't you think? Maybe a little more light will-"She made a move to touch the light switch. I stiffened, drew
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Two
DIMITRISilas, who was to all appearances lounging on the verandah outside while making some calls, met my eyes. For the last few days, I had kept him in and around the house, ostensibly running a few errands for me, being extra security for Valeria, but really he was around to keep an eye on Amelia.We had all come to the conclusion that since she felt herself entirely free of suspicion, she would make a move to contact Alexis or to put her plans into action soon. I felt that she was about to do either or both of these things now.Just this morning, Amelia had been acting strangely. Although she had tried to hide it, Silas and I had noticed her acting ill at ease, although Valeria had of course remained oblivious. Amelia had started acting this way after Silas, as he told me, had overheard her yelling at someone over the phone.A few minutes later, with her handbag slung over her shoulder, she had said very casually, "I'm making a quick trip to the store to pick up some things we nee
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-One
VALERIAAlthough it had seemed impossible at first, the endless hours after Grandma Reese passed became days. Days became weeks. The weeks eventually added up to a month, and then several months. Though I missed her terribly with each passing day, life went on. My pregnancy became advanced. The doctors told Dimitri and I to expect our child soon.That was the only happy thought that kept me going all through those months. That, and the fact that I had Dimitri at my side.The rest of the time, I was consumed by fear, fear that at least one archenemy was still out there. Dimitri had gently broken the news of Grace's death to me, but had confessed that he still had not found a trace of Alexis. I was terrified that he would one day make an appearance and attempt to harm my child and I. Whenever I voiced out my concerns, Dimitri was quick to assure me that he was still on the lookout for Alexis.And though I took a little comfort in his assurances, I never once forgot that Dimitri was not
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty
AMELIAThey were fools. The lot of them. Stupid, trusting fools, but their stupidity suited me just fine. It was how I had stayed hidden all this time, after all.It was a shame about Grace, but it had to be done. She had been becoming a wild card, a disappointment to me. This early in the plot, she had shown that her emotions overruled her thoughts, and anyone who thought with the heart rather than the head was a liability, was expendable. This was why I had taken Dimitri and Silas to the spot where she was to meet with me. Grace was dead now and a lot of the future complications I knew she would bring had died with her.I glanced at the locked door of my room and continued pacing.I had to get word across to Alexis. Just calling him on the phone wouldn't do. I had to see him face to face in order to assure him that our plan was still on, and that Grace's death changed nothing.The only problem now was Dimitri wouldn't want to let me, a supposedly grieving mother, out of his sight. T
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Nine
DIMITRIThe place where Grace had chosen to meet with Amelia was very like the place where she had kept Valeria captive. It was on the grounds of a building, a deserted one by the looks of it. The building was in a scarcely frequented part of the city.Silas, Amelia and I got there a full hour before Amelia's appointment with Grace. We chose good hiding spots where we could see and not be seen. Then we settled down to wait for Grace to show up.Thirty minutes before the time of the appointment, we all clearly heard approaching footsteps. A woman came into view. She was wearing a scarf that obscured most of her face and huge sunglasses, but I knew it was Grace. My hands ached with the effort of keeping them still and not going for her right there and then. Grace gave a sweeping look around the area."Get down," I whispered to the persons with me.Though I was sure we couldn't be seen by her, we all went down and peered at her from between the thick foliage of overgrown shrubs we were h
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Eight
DIMITRI"I can't remember."Amelia had said this more times than I could count in so many different ways, but it still boiled down to the same thing. She still clearly could not remember anything about what Valeria's grandmother had said about her and her past."Why can't I remember?" she said again, with tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.She glanced over at Valeria. Whenever Amelia had declared that she didn't remember, Valeria, with her head resting on the sofa, nodded mechanically and simply kept staring at the blank wall before her.Seeing that Valeria was more or less unresponsive, Amelia turned to me. "What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember any of what happened?"I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring look, patted her hand. "It's okay. Don't worry. I promise you that I will do everything to find out how your memory was tampered with and if possible, you will get your memories back."Amelia nodded and then just sat there, crying and wringing her hands. I sat by
