by Bryce Evans
Cade hugged Adrianna closer. “We need to make a plan and call Mace and let him know. We’ll need to leave the Supreme Alpha out of these plans, Adrianna, because Selena is his mate. We can’t take the chance of him telling her.”
Cade left the room, called Mace, and asked him to come alone to their house.
A little while later, Mace walked in smiling, until he saw the expression on everybody’s face. “What now?” Mace asked looking at Cade.
“Sit down, Mace. This may take a while to explain,” Adrianna calmly instructed.
Mace sat down as Samson explained to him the events that had taken place and then he explained about Selena. Mace sat silently only with a shocked look on his face. He didn’t want to believe it, but the facts were staring him in the face.
“Oh my God! She knows our plans that we have in motion already. All that freakin’ work we’ve done. The Bitch! I’m going to kill her. She is now on Ashland land, I just welcomed them. I have put my pack in danger.” Mace shook with the rage building inside of him. He stood up pacing the floor.
Adrianna immediately went to Mace’s side and sent a calming spell to him. “Look Mace, I don’t know if I believe Selena is the bad guy here. I have known Selena a long time; she has been like a mother to me.” Samson was getting up, trying to defend his explanation when Adrianna cut him off. “Samson, I understand what you are saying, but maybe it just seems that way. What if it’s just our imagination? I would hope that I could see this, even feel this, in her.” Adrianna walked up to Samson, caressing the side of his face looking up into his eyes. “I just need more before I have to do something. She is Afton’s mate. This will destroy him.”
“Adrianna, I know how you feel about her, but Cade and I will do what is necessary to protect you and our people from her. We will change the plans without them knowing. If we find out it’s not her, then we will tell them the new plans. We have to act the same around them. Okay?”
Adrianna didn’t want to, but she shook her head in acknowledgement, agreeing to the plan.
Mace continued to pace while they changed the plans and decided who could be trusted to help with the new plans. Adrianna sat silently listening. She kept thinking that it couldn’t be Selena, there had to be a reason for her actions and the cape in her car. She knew that she was going to do some investigating of her own, but she had to do it without her mates finding out.
Mace stayed at Adrianna and her mate’s house until the next morning. They had changed most of the plans and had changed the passwords that were previously given. It was time to bring more players in. Mace, Cade, and Samson would make the contacts. They were trusted pack and clan members. Adrianna excused herself to her bedroom; she didn’t know how to react to anything anymore. She felt odd, disconnected from everybody. She felt as if she couldn’t trust anybody any more. She loved Selena like a mother. Her mates were mad at her. They were joined together by the fates. She wasn’t allowed to fall in love with her mates the old fashion way. They really didn’t want her, but they were now bound to her. She knew they probably cared about her, but true love was a different story. She needed to be by herself to think about all of this. Everything was happening too fast and out of her control. She went to the bathroom to soak in the tub. She needed to be alone.
Cade walked Mace outside as he was leaving. “Adrianna didn’t look right, Cade. She looked distant, out of touch with us. I don’t know what is going on with you and Adrianna, but the tension was written all over your face. What’s going on?”
“Mace, we’re just getting to know each other. This with Selena has put a lot of stress on all of us. Adrianna thinks of her as a mother. I don’t know how she’ll take it if it really turns out that Selena is the bad guy. We need to keep her focused on our plans, but it will be hard for her not to act differently to Selena. We have a lot to work out with each other; it will take time for that to happen. I can’t wait until you find your mate. Then you will understand how we feel and how out of control it makes you feel.” Cade sighed then walked back on the porch.
“I hope I don’t find my mate, at least not now,” Mace said, and then he walked to his truck. “Call me later today; we’ll put the plan into motion. Take care of my sister, Cade. That’s all I ask.”
“I will. Bye, Mace.” Cade stood watching Mace drive out of the driveway. Then he walked back into the house, needing to be near Adrianna.
Cade walked back to the master bedroom, expecting to find Adrianna and Samson. He saw Samson leaning against the wall telling Adrianna to open the door.
“What’s wrong? Why is the door locked?” Cade asked Samson.
“Exactly! Why is the door locked? I hear her in the bath tub, but she continues to tell me that she needs some alone time,” Samson stated angrily.
“Then leave her alone. Let her come to us. It’s time she learns that we don’t just cater to her. If she wants to be in this relationship, then she has to give a little too.” Cade stated as he walked out of the room.
Samson followed Cade as he walked out of the room into the kitchen. “Let’s eat. I’m starving, I’m pissed off, and I’m craving Adrianna. Which pisses me off too,” Cade said as he got out the ham to make a sandwich for Samson and him.
Adrianna hated being a bitch toward her mates, but she felt like she needed to distance herself a little because she knew she felt more than her mates felt for her. Cade pretty much said that today. It would probably be better to sleep in another room too. That way they could all calm down. It was already eight in the morning. She needed to get busy on the plan. Her first job was to spy on Selena, try to find out more. She couldn’t sleep anyway, so she might as well go to the hotel and see Selena. She had some jobs for the Protectors that were going to be watching the Supreme Alpha. She didn’t know if Selena might try to hurt Afton, so she had to plan for it.
Adrianna looked out the window and saw the protection detail arrive who were there to protect Adrianna, Cade, and Samson. She had trained most of them. She didn’t recognize some of the Guards who had just flown in to meet with Samson. She could hear the detail talking to Cade and Samson in the living room.
Adrianna walked into the living room, the room fell silent, and all eyes fell on her. “I’m going to the hotel, whoever is going with me, let’s go.” Adrianna couldn’t show any emotion. She needed to get away from her mates. The further away, the better she’d feel.
Cade and Samson watched Adrianna walk out the door without saying anything to them. The Protectors and Guards looked at each other feeling the tension in the air. Antoine Pugh looked at Samson asking whom they wanted on Adrianna’s protection detail.
“Antoine, you stay with me and you three go with Adrianna. Stay close and protect my mate, even from herself,” Samson instructed. Two Protectors and one Guard left to find Adrianna.
Cade asked Antoine and the others to go outside so they could get a feel for the grounds. They would need to know the smells of the area around their house in case they smelled something different. Cade needed to talk with Samson about Adrianna.
Cade looked up at Samson when the Guards walked out the door. “What the fuck? What is wrong with her? Damn it Samson, I don’t know if I can take my mate hating me.”
Samson leaned on the table, and then he sat down in the chair. “I know. I never thought I would feel this way for her. I care about her more than I thought I would. I thought I would always be fighting because she would want more from me than I could give.” Samson inhaled sharply. He felt the pain in his heart as he made the comment, but he knew he already loved Adrianna.
Cade sighed as he told Samson, “Let’s get to work, maybe with the distance from each other will help her. Maybe the mating pull will make her want us as much as we want her.”
Samson and Cade went into the office they were going to share to do the paperwork that needed to be done. Then they’d get the people who would be arriving that day prepared for the new plan.
Chapter Fifteen
Adrianna sta
yed silent as her protection detail drove her to the hotel to meet with the Supreme Alpha and Selena. She had already made plans to meet with Mace at McDonald’s Pub. It looked like an old-fashioned Pub except bigger. Adrianna couldn’t wait to see how much the place had changed since Mace took it over, but first she needed to meet with Afton and then Selena. Plus, she needed to do a little spying on Selena. She needed information and knew Damen was the one to help her with it.
Adrianna walked into the hotel with her protection detail following her. Jacob came around the corner smiling. “Hey, Adrianna. I was about to ask Mace for a ride to your house but here you are.”
“Hey, Jacob. I loved what you did with the house. You did a great job.” Adrianna praised Jacob. “Have you seen the Supreme Alpha and Selena this morning?”
Jacob was looking at the men who were standing behind Adrianna with curiosity, wondering who they were here for. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t answer Adrianna.
“Jacob, did you hear me?” Adrianna asked.
“Oh yeah, sorry, Adrianna. What did you say?” Jacob silently cursed because he didn’t hear what Adrianna said. He didn’t want her to think he couldn’t do the job for her. Especially, since it seemed he couldn’t even pay attention when she spoke to him.
“Do you know where the Supreme Alpha and Selena are?”
“Yes, they are in the Supreme Alpha’s office, meeting with some of the staff that just arrived from the Resort,” Jacob said as he pointed down the hall to the Supreme Alpha’s office.
“Thanks, Jacob. I will be here in town for a while today, so I’ll call you when I start to head back to the house. You can ride with me. Oh yeah, this is my protection detail. If you don’t mind, can you show them the dining hall? I’ll be in with the Alpha for a while,” Adrianna asked.
“Oh sure, Adrianna. I can do that,” Jacob said shyly.
She pointed at Jacob and then introduced them to him. “I need to speak to the Supreme Alpha for a while. If you’re hungry, then Jacob will show you to the dining hall so you can eat. Make yourselves at home.” Adrianna didn’t give them time to ask her any questions as she walked down the hall knocking on the Supreme Alpha’s door.
“Come in.” Adrianna heard the Supreme Alpha mutter.
She knew he had a lot on his mind, but he usually made time for her.
“Hello, Luv.” Adrianna looked up as Selena was walking back into the office. “How do you feel this morning? I was worried about you last night. We need to practice today. We need to get you prepared,” Selena advised Adrianna.
“Hello, sweetheart,” Afton said as he got up and walked over to Adrianna, hugging her.
“So how do you like your house? When can I come and see it?” Afton asked as he was sitting down on the couch beside Selena. Adrianna watched as Afton took Selena’s hand, kissing it.
“Today would be great,” Adrianna said calmly as she watched Selena. “Remember Selena, we still need to go to Seige Field and practice,” Adrianna said as she watched for Selena’s reaction.
“Well Adrianna, if you don’t mind, I think it would be better if we practiced around here or at Mace’s house. Maybe it would be better if we didn’t practice where everybody would expect.” Adrianna looked at Selena in surprise. She had said earlier that she wanted to practice at Seige Field because it held a lot of magic for her.
Okay, this doesn’t mean anything, Adrianna said to herself. It made sense that they wouldn’t practice in the field. It was too obvious. But it still made Adrianna nervous. She would look around for anything and try to feel Selena out.
Adrianna sat with Afton and Selena for about an hour then agreed to meet at Mace’s house to practice. Adrianna needed to talk with Mace and Damen and get Damen to look more into Selena. She needed to check her laptop and see if someone could check her phone records to see whom she had been calling or who had called her.
Adrianna remembered that Mace said Jacob was a whiz at computers, but she didn’t want to get Jacob hurt. Adrianna knew she needed Jacob now; she didn’t have time to wait on finding another person. First, she needed to talk with Jacob; he needed to understand what he was getting himself in to. He could get her laptop while she was with Selena practicing. Damen would help him distract others from coming into Selena’s room so Jacob could do a little spying.
Adrianna went searching for Jacob when she ran into Damen. “Hey, beautiful,” Damen said smiling at Adrianna.
“Just the person I need to talk to.” Adrianna dragged Damen outside and over to the trees in front of the hotel. She explained her plan to Damen who looked at her as if she was crazy.
“You want me to do what with Jacob?!” Damen yelled.
“Be quiet, you big mouth. I don’t think Selena heard you. Speak a little louder next time,” Adrianna whispered looking around to see if anybody had heard Damen.
“Do you know what you are doing, Adrianna? Jacob doesn’t look like he could break a sweat, much less into Selena’s computer,” Damen scolded as he looked around checking the area.
“Mace said he was a whiz at computers. I have faith that he can. Come on, Mad Max, I need to know if Selena is evil. I have to know. Please help me,” Adrianna pleaded.
“Adrianna, you know I’m going to help you. I need to know too because if she is, then Mace and I are going to kill her before she can hurt you or anybody else.” Damen looked sad as he told Adrianna his plans.
“I know. I heard Mace already say that last night. If it comes down to that, then I will be the one who kills her. She is very powerful, Damen. You don’t know the extent of her magic. I do. Let’s try to find out the truth first,” Adrianna said quietly.
Adrianna walked back into the hotel in search of Jacob. She was running out of time and needed to speak to him and ask for his help. Jacob was sitting in a big chair with his laptop.
“Hey, Jacob. I need a favor. Do you have a few minutes to go over some things with me?” Adrianna asked.
“Sure Adrianna, anything you need,” Jacob said.
Adrianna held her hand out to Jacob walking him outside to meet with Damen. Adrianna’s protection detail was discreetly following Adrianna checking the area. They didn’t need to be told what to do. Adrianna had trained them all and they knew from her training just how to guard the target.
Adrianna and Damen explained what had happened at Seige Field and then asked for Jacob’s help in breaking into Selena’s laptop. Jacob couldn’t take his eyes off Adrianna. He couldn’t believe the Supreme Alpha’s mate could be a trader. He shook his head out of the daze he had been in, shocked with the knowledge that Adrianna and Damen had trusted him with this information. He didn’t know if he should feel proud that they had trusted him enough to ask for his help, or to feel scared that he would probably die if Selena caught him.
“Well say something, Jacob,” Adrianna said.
“Umm, well,” Jacob slurred.
“Look, Jacob, don’t worry about it, I shouldn’t have asked you. I only ask you not to tell anyone what we have trusted you with,” Adrianna said, she could smell the fear coming off Jacob and she didn’t want him to get hurt.
Adrianna and Damen started to walk off when Jacob said, “Wait! I can do it, Adrianna. I can break into her laptop without her ever knowing I’ve been there. Please give me the chance to prove that to you.” Jacob pleaded.
Adrianna frowned as she placed her hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Jacob, you don’t have to prove yourself to me. I will still be your friend and you can still work for me.”
“I really can do it, Damen. Give me the chance and I won’t let you down,” Jacob practically begged Damen.
“Okay Jacob, we don’t have a lot of time, so we’ll have to work fast. She won’t be gone long. I don’t know how much time it may take to look through her files. So let’s get started,” Damen said as he started walking off.
“Hey!” Adrianna said, but knew it was a lost cause, so she nodded okay then followed Damen and Jacob into the hotel.
; Adrianna walked back into Afton’s office and asked Selena if she was ready to go. She knew Damen and Jacob were waiting for Selena to leave so Damen could distract Afton in order for Jacob to get into Afton and Selena’s bedroom to get to her laptop.
Adrianna and Selena left to go out in the backyard to practice. She had hoped Selena would have wanted to go to Mace’s house then Jacob would’ve had more time.
When Adrianna and Selena went out in the backyard, Damen went into the Supreme Alpha’s office in order to get him to take a break. Jacob needed to get into the bedroom and he had to access Afton’s office to do so.
Damen knocked on the Supreme Alpha’s door. “Enter, Damen.” Damen looked surprised that he knew it was him at the door, but he was the Supreme Alpha had a powerful nose.
“Sorry to bother you Alpha, but I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me outside to meet some of the pack who will be helping with the plan.” Damen knew he only had a few minutes to get Jacob into the bedroom.
“Sure Damen, which would be good that we did it outside, less chance of anybody hearing. Let’s go,” Afton said as he got up and walked outside with Damen.
Jacob watched as the Supreme Alpha walked outside with Damen. He ran to his office and opened the door, then ran into the bedroom the Supreme Alpha shared with Selena. He looked around trying to find Selena’s laptop when he observed it lying beside the bed on top of her dresser. Jacob ran quickly over to the laptop, placing it on the bed sticking the flash drive into it to copy the files they needed to check later. Jacob walked back and forth between the laptop and the door, watching for anybody who might walk in.
Selena looked up at Adrianna and told her to concentrate on the spell. Selena talked quietly to Adrianna. Then she told Adrianna to hold on, she needed to get something in her bedroom that may help her to concentrate better. Before Adrianna could stop Selena, she ran back toward the hotel going in the back door.