Chapter 144
“Fuck!” Sandro groaned as he came to.
His head throbbed, and he blinked rapidly to adjust to the room’s lighting. But no matter what he did, his vision blurred even more, the ringing in his ears only grew louder, and he doubted it would stop soon.
He was in a… Room? He pondered, a frown forming on his face as he recalled being near the cave where Arabella was before they were swept into the whirlwind. Now, this place was nothing like a forest.
“Brianna,” he called. She was the only one who could explain what had happened.
Sandro heard a groan beside him and turned to see Blaze huddled over.
“Blaze?” he said, making sure he was really seeing him.
Just then, his vision cleared, and he glanced around. Sandro stood abruptly as he realized where he was. He was in his room. Everything was intact, just as he’d left it.
Sandro stepped towards the window, shifted the curtains, and peered out. He noticed his pack members were outside, too. They chatted happily and embraced each other.
Turning to Blaze as he heard him groan again, Sandro asked, “What happened, Traitor?”
“We got transported back here,” Blaze said, straightening.
“Why? And who did it?” Sandro asked. He knew it wasn’t Brianna, whom he believed was just as surprised when it was happening.
“I honestly don’t know,” Blaze muttered. “I’m trying to think.”
Blaze’s mind was fixated on Arabella. Had she been brought here as well? He couldn’t help but wonder. What about Thalia? Who had brought them back? His mind was muddled, and more questions without answers kept coming, making it even worse.
“It seems all the members are back in Cooan,” Sandro said.
Blaze nodded. “They are.”
“I think there’s a need for a meeting,” Sandro said. He strode towards the door, then halted. He turned, his eyes narrowed on Blaze.
“What?” Blaze grunted. “Am I not welcome at your meetings anymore?”
“That’s right, you’re not,” Sandro asserted. “I have a new Beta who will serve me well and won’t try to take Arabella from me.”
“Fine,” Blaze said. “I wasn’t looking forward to attending anyway. I guess we’ll have to sort our issues out the old-fashioned way.”
Sandro nodded, offering a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Ah, yes. That will be after my pack’s meeting. And I hope you won’t be inclined to try and escape.”
“Why would I?” Blaze asked. “I wouldn’t be here with you if I had any such plans.”
“Good,” Sandro said. “It matters not where you might run to, Blaze. I will find you and ensure you suffer for all that you’ve done.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Blaze rolled his eyes inwardly. He watched Sandro step out of the room and breathe out. Patting his pocket in search of his phone, he let out a relieved sigh when he felt it. Slipping it out, he powered it on.
He was grateful it had enough charge. It would suffice to call either Arabella or Thalia, whoever he could reach first. He needed to know if they were both safe.
Dialing Arabella’s number first, he placed the phone to his ear after the first ring. Blaze paced around the room as it rang for the third time, but there was no reply. He tried again, hoping she was occupied, but this time it didn’t connect. He let out a grunt, double-checking the number to be sure. It was indeed her number. Arabella had input it herself and even labeled it ‘Blaze’s girl.’
Blaze attempted it for the third time, yet it yielded the same result. He let it ring and then hung up.
He decided to try Thalia. If Arabella’s number wasn’t going through, Thalia’s might be reachable, he reasoned. But he received the same response, even after the fourth ring.
“Why aren’t they picking up?” He groaned. Stepping toward the window, he gazed out. How would he know if they were safe if he couldn’t reach them? He could have sworn he saw the cave caught in the whirlwind, too, but he wasn’t certain.
Blaze pushed a hand through his hair, shutting his eyes and then opening them. Maybe they were fine. Arabella was resilient, and he trusted Thalia to keep her safe. They were fine. He tried to reassure himself. Yet, he pondered how long he could maintain that assurance in Sandro’s custody.
***
“Alpha!” Brianna called out as Sandro stepped into the hall. Sandro tilted his head, studying her as she panted. “I was just about to reach out to you. Do you understand why this happened?”
“My sisters and I will consult the Oracle since we’re here. But Alpha, I’m afraid this isn’t a good sign. Whoever did this is trying to reach Arabella. She’s the target here.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Sandro couldn’t help but feel that she always managed to make everything about her. And he couldn’t fathom why everyone seemed to covet what he desired. Blaze had claimed her as his, and now the world wanted her too.
“I’d sooner face death than let them take her from me,” Sandro muttered.
“Then we must take immediate action. This part of the world is even more dangerous than Ascotan, and as far as I can tell, now everyone knows about her. There’ll be even greater danger,” Brianna warned.
Sandro nodded. He was already aware of this. He just couldn’t understand why she was attracting even more attention now.
“It’s because she’s unlocked her powers,” Brianna explained. “If they had remained dormant, no one would have discovered her. Plus, the arrival of her twin has only complicated matters further.”
“Very well, just do what you do best, and I’ll do my part,” Sandro replied.
“Yes, I’ll give it my all,” Brianna assured before stepping away.
Just in time, Leo entered the hall, precisely whom Sandro wanted to see.
“Gather everyone. We’re having a meeting right away,” Sandro commanded.
“Yes, Alpha,” Leo affirmed.
As Sandro paced around, he only halted when the hall was filled with pack members. Stepping toward the round table to address them, he didn’t waste time on pleasantries.
“I won’t sugarcoat this. We’ve been brought back here by some evil force, magic, or whatever you want to call it. But know this-it’s urgent.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping across each face in the hall to ensure they were all attentive.
When he saw everyone’s attention on him, he continued. “I won’t deny having a lot of enemies around here, but know this: as the alpha, I’ll never purposefully put anyone’s life in danger. I want you all to be vigilant and selfless. Look out for one another because these times won’t be easy. They will be challenging and may involve a lot of hardship.”
“Yes, Alpha,” came the chorus of replies.
Leo stepped forward. “Our allegiance is to you and to the pack. We will protect you and each other, even with our last breath.”
Sandro nodded. “Thank you.”
He dismissed the meeting but stayed in the room, watching as everyone filed out.
“Janice!” He called. He wasn’t entirely certain that was her name, but he could recall her face. She was Janice’s twin. He was sure of that.
“Me?” She asked, pointing to herself. Sandro resisted the urge to reply, ‘No, me,’ so he nodded instead.
She stumbled towards him, her eyes cast downward, and she wound her fingers together. “I am Annalise.”
“I want to know about your father,” Sandro said.
Annalise nodded.
“Come with me,” he ordered, striding towards my room. When Sandro stepped in, he saw Blaze by the window. “Are you planning on jumping out?”
“Why would I want to do that?” Blaze asked. “I could easily escape since you were long gone. And who’s she?” He nodded to Annalise as she stepped into the room.
Blaze frowned as he stared at her. It was as if he was looking at Janice, or at least a different version of her. They looked identical. Without being told, he was sure they were related, but he wondered how Sandro had acquired her. Perhaps another raid? So he could deal with Janice?
“She’s a twin to the bitch who spied on me,” Sandro said. “I can’t believe I was ever lenient with her. I even treated her as a sibling, and she betrayed me!”
Blaze shrugged. “What does she want here? Are you planning to take your revenge on her?”
“No,” Sandro scoffed. “She’s here to tell us about her father.”
Blaze’s brows furrowed. “Who’s her father, and what does it have to do with me?”
“My father is Paolo Salvatore,” Annalise replied.
“And you, my traitor friend and ex-Beta, will be assisting me in extracting the information I need from him,” Sandro declared a wolfish grin on his face.
Blaze didn’t quite grasp Sandro’s intentions, but he was sure it wouldn’t bode well. If Sandro wanted him to gather information about Paolo, it was evident the man was a formidable enemy. The only person less formidable he’d ever stalked was Arabella.
Blaze’s stomach churned. Strangely, he found himself preferring immediate punishment over the mission Sandro was about to assign him.