“Call them, Kota!” I yelled as I began to run down the path.
“Who said anything about running?” Luna shouted after me, the tone in her voice frustrated by the increase in pace. I could hear the rest of their footsteps following me, trying to keep up as I ran faster. I needed to get to those trees. They were angry and confused by the disturbance and I knew that it had to be Malachi. He was the only one that could cause this kind of interruption in the natural order.
I had no idea if Kota had called the others or not, but I did not stick around long enough to make sure that she did. I was more in tune with nature than any of the girls and whenever there was an unease like this I had a tendency to take it personally. It was like it hurt me just as much as it hurt nature. Their feelings became my own.
I came up on a fallen tree trunk just off the path. It had not fallen on its own, which meant someone was around here causing destruction. I jumped over it and continued to follow the roots as they lead me to the heart of the pain. The girls were behind me, although, they were farther behind than I wanted them to be. I knew I was going in blind but if they were with me then we would all be blind, but we would also be able to help each other.
The roots stopped right before coming up to another fallen tree, giving me time to observe before walking in on whoever was threatening the forest. The leaves above me began to move with the wind but the trees behind me were still. I was quick to figure out that these trees were speaking to me and once again I felt forced to look up instead of looking in front of me. I started to walk forward just as the girls caught up to me, and before anyone could say something about me running off without telling them the plan, I laid eyes on the threat.
It was one of the larger trees in the forest, with a thick trunk, and hundreds of full branches. It was old and beautiful and the house that sat in the middle of it was upsetting it. This was the tree that I had felt back at the forked path. It was this tree that expressed its anger and confusion.
“Are you going to tell us what you’re up to?” Juda asked, breathing heavily from trying to keep up with me.
The trees surrounding the larger tree had all been cut down, most likely to build the house. I felt their sadness as only their trunks were left, circling the tree house like a very short fence.
“Deja!” Luna screamed. “Are you listening to us?”
“Look up,” I told them calmly as a tear dropped from the corner of my eye. The pain that trees felt was strong and it had taken over my own emotions.
“He didn’t even bother to put up a barrier this time,” Nova observed.
“There must be other traps waiting for us,” I assumed. “Kota, did you call the others?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “They should be here any minute. Since we were on the move, it took a little bit longer for them to get the message.”
Before the next word was spoken a bright light came from the tree house, heading towards us. It looked like lighting coming at us, but it was easy to see that it was spell meant to kill us. Kota stepped in front of us, crossing her arms against her chest and then whipping them open, extending them away from her body creating a dome that surrounded the five of us. This was definitely Malachi and he knew that we were here, and he probably knew that the others were not far behind. Another lightning bolt came towards us just as the dome came down and it was me this time that stepped in front of our group, bending down towards the ground and then standing back up bringing with a wall made of the dirt below us. It shattered when the spell hit it, but we were fine.
“Kota!” a voice yelled behind us. It was Kody and Nero, Jona, Liam, and Deni were behind him. They reached us and checked us over before asking questions. They did not get a chance to speak because Malachi was still on the offensive and threw another spell at us. We did not have time to block it so instead we jumped out of the way. I noticed Nero and Nova stripping, preparing themselves to shift into their werewolf forms. The rest of us surrounded them so that they were protected while in their vulnerable state. They would be strong again once they were in wolf form but during the shift they were at their weakest. It was a time that Malachi would definitely take advantage of if he had the chance. Two more wolves began running towards us and I recognized one of them to be Nico. I assumed the other one was Roman. One by one the others started to show up. Malachi was throwing spell after spell at us and we continued to dodge them until Juda had had enough of Malachi’s games. She somehow walked off and came back with a large boulder. Only a giant would think it was a good idea to even attempt to pick it up.
“What are you doing, Juda?” Juno asked from behind a tree, blocking himself from the threatening spells.
“I’m done with this coward hiding in his stupid tree house!” she said as she spun around with the boulder in her arms, releasing it as she faced the house again. It flew at a fast pace towards the tree, and thankfully it only hit the house and not the tree trunk. That poor tree had been through enough already.
The boulder landed right in the middle of the house, taking down the wall that faced us. Several wooden pieces fell to the ground, including Malachi, who stopped himself from slamming into the dirt with another one of his spells. He just had to be a sorcerer. If he were any other species, he would have died from that fall.
He was standing now just below the damaged tree house, wearing an angry smirk. He took two steps towards us as we surrounded the area. He was out numbered, and he knew it, but he was not backing down.
“Stand down, Malachi!” Levi shouted. The Alphas stood together, Juno on one end, Kory next to him and Nico’s wolf in the middle followed by Levi and then Dion. They were a wall of muscle ready to strike if Malachi made a move.
“You children are so funny,” Malachi laughed, his creepiness sending extremely strong shivers down my entire body. “Your confidence is much too high.”
“We have you surrounded,” Dion responded. “There’s nowhere for you to run.”
“Oh, you think you’re so smart,” Malachi’s demeanor changed, and his body tensed. “Didn’t you have me surrounded last time? You just let me get away. Oh, I almost forgot, how is your mother doing, Werewolf? She played her role so perfectly, didn’t she?”
“Shut up!” Nova screamed from behind him.
“Don’t let him get to you, Nova,” Nero told her as I saw her make eye contact with Roman.
“Aw, yes, the girls are here,” Malachi’s teeth grinded as he faced us. “The anomalies that have the Councils planning your deaths as we speak.”
We all froze then. We looked amongst each other for some kind of explanation, but no one seemed to know what he was talking about. I took one look at Dion who could not seem to take his eyes off of Malachi. The only thing stopping him from going after the sorcerer right then and there was the explanation that we were all waiting for.
“Oh, is this news to you all?” Malachi asked as he noticed the expressions we all shared. “My, my, my, I had no idea that you thought these girls were safe within your big, fancy castles.”
“You speak lies, Malachi,” Juno interrupted him.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Giant,” Malachi began to pace then, making us all follow his movements, watching for any kind of trick that he had up his sleeve. “I have friends in high places, you see, and they have told me of their plans to take your sisters off the game board. There is too much that is unknown about them and that makes them a threat to everyone in Medova.”
“Your word means nothing,” Kory snapped. “Now stand down before we take you down.”
“It’s cute when you try to have authority,” Malachi laughed. “However, you’ll never be your father or your grandfather. I was afraid of them, but you are no threat to me.”
Kory’s right hand pushed forward, releasing his own lightning bolt towards Malachi. The demon blocked it and quickly threw his own hand out only, he did not cast a spell. Instead, he opened a portal, but before running through it he said, “Sorry about the mess.”
&n
bsp; The portal closed before any of us could reach it. We stood there around where the portal had stood and looked blankly, replaying what had just happened right in front of us.
“Why is he always running away like that?” Jona snarled in frustration.
“He’s a coward, Jona,” Juno answered him. “Only cowards run away like that.”
“We need to get back to the Castle,” Dion ordered as the werewolves ran off to shift back into their human form. They slipped on their clothes and then joined us again as we waited for the sorcerers to open a portal. There was no need to walk back since we all had been to the Castle before.
“As soon as we get back, grab your belongings and get down to the vault,” Nico said. “Until we know for sure about the Council planning your deaths, we need to keep you safe.”
I realized quickly that only the girls and I would be cooped up in the vault. I understood why Nico felt this was necessary but that did not mean that I was happy about it. We were perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves and I think we proved that by holding Malachi off while we waited for the others to arrive.
“Why can’t we be held hostage in a room? Why is the vault necessary?” Nova asked. I was actually surprised that she nor Luna were arguing with the Alphas about Nico’s demand. If anyone was going to do it, it would definitely be Luna but usually Nova was her sidekick when it came to arguments.
“Because the vault will only open with our blood,” Nico told her. “If we put you in a room, anyone can get in there. No lock will stop them if they really want inside. The vault is the safest place for you. This is only temporary.”
“I knew the Council was sketchy,” Juda rolled her eyes just as the sorcerers opened the portal.
“We knew they were up to something, but I don’t think any of us imagined it would be anything like this,” Gavin said as he stood close behind me. His hand wrapped around my waist pulling me into him. After everything that we just witnessed I was glad to have him next to me.
“We don’t know anything concrete,” Levi reminded all of us. “We need to investigate this though. Let’s rule it out so that Malachi can stop messing with our heads.”
“What happens if we can’t rule it out?” Declan asked his Alpha.
“Then we’ll see every single one of them on Execution Day,” Levi answered with the other Alphas nodding their heads in agreement. I knew it was hard for our brothers to do things the political way. If they were not the Alphas, they would probably secretly kill every single member of the Council one by one, even if it is frowned upon and illegal. Since they are the Alphas though, they have to do everything by the book or it could back fire on the whole family.
We walked through the portal as soon as the sorcerers signaled that it was safe and when we returned we were back in Nico’s study. I moved off to the side while the rest of our group came through the swirling light and when it disappeared I sighed in relief. This had been a very confusing day to say the least. On a good note, we found Malachi, but on a bad note, we found out that our Councilmen are trying to kill the girls and I. Well, we do not know that for a fact, but I have never trusted the Councilmen so, in my mind, they are plotting to kill us.
“Go make sure it’s clear to take the girls down to the vault,” Nico told Roman before he left the study, shutting the door softly, making no noise at all.
“We’re going to escort you girls up to your rooms, so you can grab your stuff,” Levi directed towards us.
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?” Luna asked her brother.
“Now is not the time to argue with me, Luna,” he answered sternly. “You five are the key to stopping Malachi but if the Council kills you first then all hope is lost. Just do as we tell you for once.”
“So, we’re just supposed to be stuck in the vault by ourselves until you can figure out what the Council is up to?” Juda moaned. “How long is that going to take?”
“You won’t be by yourselves,” Kory told her. “You’ll all be together.”
“You realize that we eventually try to kill each other if we’re with each other for too long without any breaks,” Kota reminded her brother. Kory shifted his head to the other Alphas as they all realized they had forgotten this fact. They had witnessed and had to break up many fights between us over the years. We never hurt each other but we were like any other sisters who fight, and our brothers knew this. We may not have actually killed each other yet but that could change depending on how long we are stuck in the vault.
“We might have to rethink this,” Kory told the other Alphas.
“What are we supposed to do?” Dion asked, annoyed that this was actually a conversation that needed to be had. “Can’t you five just behave for once in your lives?”
“Have you met us?” Luna asked.
“It’s not like we do it on purpose,” I explained. “It’s just when you’re cooped up with the same people for a long time, buttons get pushed.”
“Then don’t push them,” Dion told me.
“Now you’re asking for the impossible,” I rolled my eyes, trying not to laugh.
“You five are hopeless,” Juno chuckled.
“What if we send the guys down there with you?” Nico suggested, volunteering Gavin, Declan, Hudson, Roman, and Nathan to be stuck down in the vault with us as well. “Will that stop you from killing each other?”
“Yes, but only because they’ll kill us instead,” Hudson whined. I saw Juda smile as he squirmed at the thought.
“That’s not likely to happen if all of you are down there with them,” Juno told his second in command. “Are you afraid of them or something?”
All four of them shook their heads yes and I bet if Roman were here he would be shaking his head yes as well. The Alphas were visibly annoyed that it was this hard to come up with a plan and they were even more irritated that their second in commands were scared of us.
“You’re going down there with them, end of story,” Nico decided. “They need to stay alive and if we leave them down there by themselves that might not happen because of their own stupidity.”
“We’re not stupid,” Kota argued.
“You are when you make things this difficult,” he quipped.
“All of you need to go upstairs and get your stuff that you will need for when you’re down in the vault. Nero, go get Roman and tell him the plan and then continue with what he was doing.”
Nero did not hesitate to leave the study. He could feel the tension within the four walls coming from the guys who did not want to be stuck in a vault with us. They loved us and adored us but even they needed their space from us. I did not take any offense to it but the other might depending on the mood they were in. We followed the Alphas out of the study and stomped up the stairs to the second floor. They followed us to our chambers and then guarded the door when we entered leaving them behind in the hallway. I looked around at the room and wished I could stay in here instead of being forced down to the vault. There was no safer place than the vault so logically it made sense but that did not mean that I was going to pretend to be happy about it. I did feel a little bit better about Gavin being down there with me. I know he and the guys were not overly excited about being there with us but hopefully we will not be down there for very long and nothing bad will happen.
I threw several pairs of pants and long-sleeve shirts into a trunk and then grabbed a few things from the bathroom. There was one bath and one toilet down in the vault, which meant that ten people were going to have to share. I had a feeling that would be no problem for the guys, but it may be an issue for the girls and I. That is something I can see us fighting over. There was no kitchen in the vault, so someone would have to bring our meals to us but surely the Alphas had come up with a plan for that. Only the Alpha werewolf bloodline can open this particular vault, so Nico and Nero would have to come down and open it whenever they brought us something to eat.
I dragged the trunk over to the door and opened it, throwin
g the trunk into the hallway. Dion was standing to the left when I walked out of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.
“That was quick,” he muttered as he pushed himself off of the wall so that he could grab my trunk.
“I didn’t bring a lot of stuff with me from home. If we were there I probably would have put more junk in there,” I told him.
“We’ll go home soon,” he promised.
“I’m not worried about,” I said. “This is just as much my home as our actual home. I’d actually prefer to stay here. I don’t like seeing mom the way she is.”
“Obviously, you’re welcome to stay here if that’s what you want,” he said. “I don’t think Nico would care but if you do choose to stay you need to understand that Gavin has to come back with me. He’s my second in command and with everything going on with the corruption of the Councils, I need him with me. I’m not taking him away as a punishment for you staying.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” I assured him. “I don’t think I want to stay here forever. It’s just home isn’t the same anymore and I’m still adjusting to that.”
“I know,” he sighed tucking his head down. “There have been a lot of changes, but we’ll move on one day when this whole Malachi thing is over. You and Gavin can figure out what you want and live your lives freely without having to worry about your safety.”
“You’ll be able to do that, too, you know?” I reminded him. “You’ll still have the stresses that every Alpha has but you’ll be able to figure out what you want and bind yourself to Geneva.”
“I have to admit, it’ll be nice to see Geneva again,” he smiled at thought of the woman my father had chosen for him. Just like with Gavin and I, my father had my Uncle Alex perform a blood ritual to test the compatibility between the potential mates and us. Geneva was a perfect match for Dion and even though he would never admit it, he fell for her the second that he saw her.
“Why don’t you bring her here?” I suggested. “Clearly, we’re not leaving any time soon and you could use the company.”
Deprived (Daughter of an Alpha Book 2) Page 15