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Sixty-Three
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Set me Free, Alpha Sixty-Four
VALERIAThese men had to be the ones who I had suspected had been following me around, the ones whose existence Vance had so quickly dismissed.Everything went black for a second. I dug my fingers into my palms hard enough to draw blood so I could hold on to consciousness.The baby. Think of the baby, I told myself.The thought of my child in danger helped me focus. If I didn't have my wits around me, these men would hurt me and definitely my child."Good girl," said a cold, hard voice with a trace of amusement, from behind me. "You're smart. I can see that. Remain smart and don't move until I tell you to.""Until we tell you to," corrected another voice. This one was completely without humour.As if to underline the point, I felt the muzzle of the gun dig harder into my back, hard enough to leave a bruise. The thought of dying here, just when Vance was not so far away made me so frightened that I couldn't suppress a whimper."Try to scream and that will be the last thing you ever do!
Set me Free, Alpha Sixty-Five
DIMITRIIn the cold, dark, dank room, Valeria's face seemed to float in front of me. Even when I closed my eyes, it was all I could see. I had a strong feeling that it was what was going to haunt my dreams now for some time to come.During the drive here, I had kept telling myself that she was okay. She was on the mend, at least. The doctor had assured me of that. She was fine, he had said, and our baby was fine too.But all the assurances in the world could not get rid of the image of her pale, bruised and bloodied face. Her nose was still swollen and as red as a tomato. She had a nasty cut above her eyebrows, lots of scrapes on her hands and legs. Not to mention..."A damned concussion," I muttered under my breath, ignoring a slight sound from the man on my right, which the sound of my voice of my voice had occasioned.The thought that Valeria had still been attacked despite my best efforts at keeping her safe drove me up the wall. She had suffered so damn much, and for what? Just b
Set me Free, Alpha Sixty-Six
VALERIA"Say something," Dimitri urged.Only his voice seemed to come from far, far away. I couldn't move. I couldn't even speak. I just kept clutching folds of the bedsheets in my fists. I held on to them as though they were my grip on reality, which they probably were in that moment as I struggled to make sense of what Dimitri had just told me.I couldn't believe this. I couldn't believe that I was caught up in some sort of Mafia like vendetta like in the movies. I was marked. Really bad people were out hunting for me. I would have thought I was having some kind of horrible nightmare if not for the sight of Dimitri's tortured face. I had never seen him looking like that. I would have felt pity for him if I wasn't feeling so many conflicting emotions at the moment. I didn't know whether to feel sad about the deaths of Dimitri's parents and his ex, or angry that Dimitri had dragged me and my baby into this mess. Into his mess."Valeria-" he began."What? What? I'm still trying to proc
Set me Free, Alpha Sixty-Seven
VALERIA"I need to work. Please."Other than spearing a piece of meat with his fork a little harder than was necessary, Dimitri gave no other indication that he had heard me. I stopped eating at once. I was getting slightly desperate now. The thought of having another day like yesterday was intolerable. Amelia had kept me company most of the time, but even her presence had not be enough to relive me of boredom. I was used to being really active. Why on earth was that so hard for Dimitri to understand?"I'm fine now," I pursued. "My wounds have healed. I need to-""You don't need to do anything," said Dimitri, speaking for the first time since we started having dinner. "My answer about you working still remains no." As I opened my mouth, he added. "Nothing you can say will change my mind, so save your breath and eat."Grumbling, I picked up my fork and resumed eating. I kept shooting Dimitri dirty looks. If looks could kill, I was certain Dimitri would be pushing daisies by now. As it
Set me Free, Alpha Sixty-Eight
DIMITRI"Trust me. This is the best decision you've made in a while," Silas said as we neared the entrance of the pack.I shrugged. "I guess it is."I was on my way to the pack a few days after my last visit there. Silas had sort of talked me into visiting the pack again. But before he had even made the suggestion I had already been thinking deeply about it. I was staying at the pack for a few days this time. There was just one thing that made me feel out of sorts."Valeria and the baby will be fine. She just has to be, with three bodyguards looking after her," said Silas, breaking into my thoughts, saying the exact same thing that had been preying on my mind. "Ah! Here we are."Silas drove through the gates straight to the pack house. I was expected this time. Silas had told the leaders of the pack that I was coming for an extended visit, and they were all there, waiting for us.The first day, I took a tour of the pack. I pointed out alterations and additions that had to be made to t
Set me Free, Alpha Sixty-Nine
VALERIAWe were rounding up the Rosy William project, and I was kept very busy putting in the final touches. Every morning when I got to work, I ticked off each day until the end of the project on the little calendar that had pride of place on my desk.Realizing I wasn't really making any significant progress in the report for the project which I was supposed to be typing, I sighed and pushed the sheaf of papers away from me. I walked over to my window and tried for what felt like the umpteenth time that day to immerse myself in the sight of parts of the city I could see spread out before me. The distraction did not work. Not one bit.Again, I found myself thinking of Dimitri and the kiss we had shared in his bedroom a week ago. Unconsciously, my hand went to my lips which had been a little bruised and swollen after the kiss. I closed my eyes. I shivered at the memory of him running his tongue across my upper lip over and over again until I had felt like swooning from the assault on m
Set me Free, Alpha Seventy
VALERIAShe didn't look too good. Was it a trick of the light or my imagination? I gently ran my fingers across her cheek. She stirred, opened her eyes. I watched the awareness come into her eyes slowly, too slowly. It seemed her reflexes too weren't as good as they had been the last time I saw her."Hi honey. You're here. You should have woken me up immediately. How long have you been sitting there?"Worry knotted my insides at the sound of her hoarse voice. She looked so weak, so frail. What had gone wrong now?"You're not well, gran," I said.She smiled and struggled to sit up. I reached for her, wanting to give her my support. With a smile, she waved me off and sat up herself."I'm fine, dear. I'm fine. I'm just a bit under the weather today. It's nothing serious." She looked at something over my shoulder. "Isn't that right, doctor?""What did I miss?" said the doctor cheerfully.He came further into the room and started examining her."I commented on how pale she was looking," I
Set me Free, Alpha Seventy-One
VALERIAMaybe he was used to giving and receiving the cold shoulder for days on end, but I was not. I felt it was high time we trashed it out the reason for his recent attitude once and for all.He was in his usual haunt, his study. He was scowling at the screen of computer as though it had done him a personal injury. His scowl deepened when I stepped into the room. He looked as though he would have liked nothing better than to order me out the way he had order me out of his bedroom the last time. I refused to be intimidated by his stare. I marched up to his desk, drew up a chair and sat to show him I meant business."What's your problem with me?" I asked.Before seeking him out, I had decided that going straight to the point was the best form of approach."I don't understand what you're talking about. I don't have a problem with you or anyone else," he said.I slapped down the files he was trying to flip open. I kept my hands there, splayed on them. There was no way I was going to le
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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
