“Are you okay?” I whisper as if she’ll break if I go any louder.
She twists her head away from my hand causing my wolf to whimper at her coldness to us.
“I’m fine Alpha Roman. So if you’d please move, I have a deal to uphold.” Her voice is detached and emotionless as she makes her way around us and out the door.
Jack, Zeke, and Cal all rush after her while I stand there staring at the spot my mate just occupied. Something stirs within me as a feeling of dread spreads through my whole body. Something bad is going to happen. I know it.
|celeste|
I pull the rogue along the corridor, making twists and turns as I lead us towards Zeke’s office. I know for sure it would be the only truly private place for us to talk; it being completely sound-proof to the point where not even a werewolf putting his ear directly against the door could hear us.
I open up the familiar double doors and shove him inside before turning to the three men following behind me. “Stay here. This shouldn’t take long.”
Before they can even respond to my statement, I slam the door shut and lock it.
Turning towards the inside of the room, I see the rogue sitting on one of the leather couches with his hands still cuffed in front of him.
“Talk,” I grind out through clenched teeth.
“Sit, Celeste. There’s quite a lot to hear.” He gestures towards the seat in front of him.
“No thanks. I’d rather stand. Now, start talking.” I glare holes through his head as he just rolls his eyes and gets comfortable in his chair.
“My alpha would like to make a deal. You come with me and we’ll deliver your family to the outskirts of Roman’s pack lands, safe and sound.”
“That’s it? I go with you and my family lives?”
He nods, and a sly smile takes over his features.
“How do I know they’re alright? That you haven’t already killed them?”
“I can prove their alive and well. Just take off these cuffs.” He shakes the cuffs on his hands.
“Not happening.”
With a loud dramatic sigh, he mumbles out a small fine before pulling a phone out of his front pocket. “Take this. Alpha Foster figured you wouldn’t believe me, so he made a little video to help persuade you to visit him for a nice chat.”
Taking a few steps forward, I stand in front of him and snatch his phone away. I find nothing but a single video and a few pictures of my chained-up family members.
“Play me” is the title of the video, so I hit the little play button.
“Hello Celeste. Did you miss me?” Foster’s face appears on the screen of the cell phone.
“Right about now, you are sitting with my Beta. In a secure room, I hope. If not, then there will be consequences.” A sick smirk spreads across his face before the camera turns to a hooded figure chained to a chair.
A man walks up behind the small figure who is shaking in the seat as metal chains burn its way into her skin. My jaw clenches as the hood is removed to reveal Kelly, Sylvia and Warren’s daughter. She has blood dripping down her face, her eyes drifting in and out of focus as she tries to stay awake.
“Say hello to Celeste, Kelly.” Foster cackles darkly as Kelly tries to move away from the camera on her face while whimpering. “Now, Celeste, listen carefully because if you don’t do exactly as I say, your family will be punished.”
A tall bony man comes forward and takes Kelly away as Foster steps back into the sight of the camera.
“My Beta will be in contact with me the whole time he is with you. Whether he is drugged with wolfsbane or chained with silver, we will still be able to communicate. He will inform me once this video is over, and then the clock will start ticking. You’ll have till midnight to send your precious mate home with his guards and walk out into the woods with my Beta. He should be in relatively good condition and not be bound by anything. He will lead you to where you need to go. We will then have our chat. For every hour that you don’t refuse to follow my instructions, a family member of yours shall be whipped. And remember, darling, don’t tell a soul about this. See you soon.”
The video ends.
With an angry growl, I toss the phone to the ground where it shatters.
“So, who shall it be, Celeste? You or your family?” He smirks, already anticipating my answer.
“Tell your alpha I’m coming, but if my family isn’t with Roman by midnight tonight, the deal is off, and I’ll be coming for his head.”
CHAPTER 34
|celeste|
“Why?”
I sigh for what seems the like hundredth time today before turning back to Austin. “Because…I need you back at the pack house to help out your warriors. If anyone can find a clue, it’s you.”
Just as instructed by the kidnapper, I haven’t told anyone about the demand. I even destroyed the phone with the video so no one would be able to get ahold of it.
“They can handle it on their own,” Austin says offhandedly.
I withhold a frustrated groan and put on a sweet smile instead. I’ll have to use the mate bond to get my way.
“I need everyone I can trust to look for them. Please?” I walk closer and wrap my arms around his torso. I look up through batted eyelashes as I silently beg him. “Plus, the quicker we get them back, the quicker I come home.”
His resolve slowly starts to crumble. I can feel it.
“Please, Austin?” I whisper sweetly.
And just like that, his last bit of fight dies and he sighs in defeat.
“Fine,” he mumbles then wraps his arms around me. “I don’t get why you need the guards to leave, too, though.”
As he says the words, he nuzzles my my neck then hides his face in my hair. It brings an unwelcome but pleasurable sensation in my insides.
“Like I said, I need everyone looking. Besides, I have a witch, a demon, and another werewolf to protect me. I’ll be fine.”
I feel him groan against my skin, and I chuckle lightly when he mumbles something about never letting me out of his sight when this is over.
“Okay,’ he finally says, “just keep me updated and text me every hour.”
“Okay.”
He pulls back and stares me straight in the eyes. “I mean it Celeste. Promise me you will.”
“I promise. Now, come on. You have to leave soon.”
|celeste|
It was now eight in the evening. Austin and his guards left a few hours ago. I hate to admit it, but I actually kind of miss him.
“We’ll come back eventually.” Cat’s confident voice filters through my thoughts.
“How do you know? You do remember the last time we were face to face with Foster, don’t you? We barely made it out alive.”
“Yes.” she hisses, her annoyance clear as day. “I remember, but we will get away. We always do.”
I sigh and take deep breathes to calm my nerves. She’s right; we’ve been through hundreds of dangerous situations and we’ve always made it out. Sure, on occasion, it took us months to get out of a situation, but we always ended up fine.
“Oh god. These thoughts aren’t helping.”
I start to pace. The deep breathing isn’t actually helping now.
“Calm down, Celeste,” Cat says in an annoyed voice.
“Can’t you see I’m trying?” I growl at her as I sit down on my bed.
“We’ll be fine. We’ve gone through this before, so we know what to expect. We’ll be okay.”
I don’t have time to respond because a knock interrupts our conversation.
“Celeste? It’s time for dinner.” Cal calls.
Taking one last deep breath, I stand up and head over to my desk drawer.
“You got all the ingredients, right?”
I mumble a yes to her, and I shove the little vial of green liquid into my jacket pocket before opening the door.
“Okay,” I say to Cal, “you have all the guys set the table and I’ll bring out the soup.” I give him a small sm
ile as he looks over at me with worry.
It’s not long before everyone’s at the dinner table. I take a look at each of them as they enjoy their meal. I shake my head slightly as I think that this could very well be my last.
“Now, we wait.”
|AUSTIN|
It’s been hours since we left Zeke’s house. Cat has blocked Ezekiel from talking to her, so he’s been moody the whole day. We didn’t pick up any new clues about her family either, and that just made his mood worse. Now, we’re on the bed to catch at least a couple of hours of sleep before heading back out, but I can’t seem to get Celeste off my mind.
I mean, she’s always on my mind, but this time is different. I’m worried about her. She was acting weird after she talked to that prisoner. Her whole mood did a 180. She was just way too chipper. She wouldn’t even tell me what he said.
“It wasn’t of importance,” she claimed.
The sharp ringing of my phone cuts through the silence, snapping me my thoughts. I’m up in an instant, and I can’t help the giddy smile that spreads across my face as Celeste’s photo flashes on the screen. I took a picture when she wasn’t paying attention while she was living here with me. She looks breathtaking in it.
“Angel, did you miss me?” I tease as I lay against my headboard.
“Go to the south boarder of your territory.”
Her cold and low voice has my smile dropping and me flying off my bed. “Why? What’s wrong?”
I throw my front door open, not wasting a second as I sprint from the house and into the thick forest.
“Just hurry.” There’s a tense silence between us as I pick up my pace.
By the time the boarder comes into view, I’m barely even winded. “I’m here. What’s wrong?”
“Do you see anyone? They should be there.”
My eyebrows knit together as I look all around me. “Who?”
She growls loudly. “You said they would be there!” She shouts but I can tell it wasn’t directed towards me.
“Who is supposed to be here?! Where are you?”
“My family!” She snaps before releasing another growl. “You lied.” Her voice becomes distant as she pulls the phone away from her ear to yell at the person with her.
“Be patient. They’ll be there any second now.” It was a voice of a stranger. Deep and husky, it sounds like it is from someone who smoked often. I don’t like it.
“Celeste, who is that?” I seethe before the rustling of leaves and the sound of branches snapping catches my attention. “Who’s there?” I yell into the dark.
“I need some warriors at the south boarder.” I call through the pack link for backup.
“Alpha Roman?”
Where have I heard that voice?
“We were sent here by an Alpha Foster. He said Celeste would be with you.”
Two figures step out from behind a tree and that’s when I recognize it as the man who was taken by Celeste from my dungeons.
“No, she’s with her grandfather. Are you all there?” My question is answered as all eleven of her family members come out of hiding, bloody and bruised.
“I need a pack doctor, too.”
“Austin? Is that them?” Celeste’s panicked voice filters comes on the phone once more.
“Yes, they’re all here. They’ve got some pretty bad cuts and bruises, but I think they’re okay. You can come home now.”
“A-actually, Austin, I have to go now. It’s just for a little while, but I promise to come back. Please watch over them for me, okay?”
“What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
“Promise me you’ll take care of them?” She demands through the phone.
“Yes, I promise.”
She sighs, contented with my promise.
“Thank you,” she breathes quite happily. “I’ll come back as soon as I can. Goodbye.”
She hesitates for a second before her angelic voice filters into my ears once more, her voice low and soft as if she’s whispering me a secret; a secret meant only for me. “I love you, Austin.”
It’s barely there but, I could still hear it. My heart stops and my breath hitches. The line goes dead, and it snaps me out of my trance.
The warriors arrive, along with a doctor. My brain immediately kicks into alpha mode.
“Take them back to my house. They’re under our protection.” I yell out to a group of four warriors, and they instantly spring into action at my command.
“The rest of you, come with me. We have to get back our luna.”
CHAPTER 35
|celeste|
The plan worked perfectly. The potion I poured into the soup had the men in the house sleeping minutes after dinner was over. I got a hold of the prisoner, and of course, I took that special sword of my grandfather’s for protection. After two hours of walking, we made it to the middle of the forest.
Alpha Foster was already is already waiting with four more of his enforcers. I knew he’d bring some backup, but I figured it would be way more than just four.
“I’m here Foster. Where’s my family?”
I call to the wolf as I clutch tightly to the prisoner he calls his beta, a throwing knife pressed against his throat.
“On their way to your precious mates pack. Call him, he can confirm it.”
Sure enough, they are there.
The phone call to Austin is hard, especially the part where I admitted I loved him. It is probably selfish of me to tell him that when we’ll most likely be apart for a while. It just depends on how quick I can get away from Foster.
After I end the call, I am instructed to throw the phone over to one of his minions that are standing behind him. Not wanting to anger the man that can harm my mate and family, I toss it over.
The loud smash of the glass screen shattering against a tree echoes into the quiet night.
“Now, hand over my beta,” he says calmly, but the anger storming behind his eyes is clear as day.
I smirk, knowing I have some form of leverage. I pull the dagger closer, watching as a bit of fear flash through his eyes.
“I see this beta actually means something to you.” I practically spit out the word. “Let’s see if I can guess why, shall we?” I chuckle darkly as his fists clench. “Well a beta is usually blood-related to the alpha or a close friend, but you seem too fond of him to just be your friend and you two look too much alike to be just cousins.”
It all clicks into placel and I make a fake gasping sound. “Oh, don’t tell me. No! It can’t be!”
I laugh loudly and direct a harsh gaze onto the so-called alpha. “Is this your dear baby brother?”
His lips thin out as he looks away.
“He is! Oh my god, do you know how long I’ve searched for this disgrace of a wolf?”
I clutch him tighter, dragging the dagger up higher to rest against his cheek.
“I wonder, are the rumors true?” I slice down his right cheek and smile in amazement as Foster hisses in pain, an identical mark making its way down his face.
“They are! You two really are blood-bound.”
I grin crazily at the man before me and push the dagger to rest right above the beta’s. He is Andrew as I have now come to realize.
“I could just kill him, and my problems would be solved since you would die too.”
Both their eyes widen as I turn Andrew around and raise the dagger. Right as it’s about to plunge into his heart, I’m tackled. The dagger gets shoved into my side as I land on it.
“Motherfucker!” I screech and roll onto my back. “I’m going to kill you!”
I pull the dagger out slowly, blood starting to ooze from my wound and through my shirt.
A foot is placed on top of my wound and I’m forced to the ground once again. I scream in agony when the foot is twisted.
“You’re lucky I need you or else I’d kill you right now,” Foster hisses in my ear as he slips on a pair of gloves. It reeks of black magic . Not a minute later, he snatche
s my sword and dagger away from me.
I don’t have time to respond as another foot flies to my face and unconsciousness claims me.
|celeste|
I groan as I slowly open my eyes. My head is spinning and aching.
“What the…” My words trail off as my head starts to clear, the condition I’m in becoming evident. I begin to panic as I pull against the rope wrapped around my torso and legs. I scream as I feel the silver imbedded in it push against my skin, causing a cut on my side.
My breathing comes out in pants as I try to calm down. I need to think clearly. I take a deep breath in and one out, repeating the process a few times before my heart starts beating at a normal pace. I take a look at my surroundings; taking in the wall of torture I grew accustomed to just a few years ago with silver chains hanging from the ceiling. I shudder at the memories this place brings.
I shake my head, ridding it of those thoughts. I look down, taking in how badly bound I am. There are blood stains covering the rope. Thanking the goddess that they didn’t bound my hands, I wiggle my fingers closer, trying to elongate my nails into claws, but it doesn’t work.
“No…” I whimper and try again. “No, no, No!” I scream and shake in my chair, ignoring the pain of the silver as I tug and pull against my bounds. “Let me out!” I screech, my chest heaving up and down as my hair falls in my face. “I swear I’m going to rip you all limb from limb! Let me go!”
I scream till my throat is sore, yelling death wishes and profanities to all the people residing here. “
I will not do this again!” I try to yell but it comes out a hoarse whisper. My struggles subside as my wounds start to make their appearance. My energy is leaving my body.
Slowly, my eyes shut and my head hangs. The last thing I hear is the sinister voice of my captor as he finally shows his face.
“Sleep, my dear, for this is the last day you’ll have any peace.”
CHAPTER 36
|celeste|
“What are you doing?” A voice echoes around me as my eyes open. There is nothing but darkness and the smell of the trees surrounding me.
The Devil's Daughter: A Paranormal Romance Page 15