by Jen L. Grey
His face was set in a scowl, and his body was so strained that the veins in his neck popped out. "No, you're not. But you two are required for this meeting as well."
"For what?" Sherry's brows furrowed.
"You'll find out soon enough. The other council members are rounding up the others now." He pointed toward the building that housed the council meeting room.
Mia, I think they must have gotten whoever it was out of the headquarters. Liam's strong voice filled my head. Dad is demanding for me to meet with the other council members.
Mr. Rafferty was taking Evan. He told Sherry and me that we had to come too. Unease filled my body. I'll see you there.
The rest of the walk was made in silence. The fact that they demanded Sherry and me as well made me nervous. Maybe they recorded our conversation in the dorm the other night. Except that Micah had been examining our dorms every day for cameras and whatnot, so there shouldn't have been anything in the room.
Kai was outside, working with Gertrude when noticed me. His gaze flickered back to Mr. Rafferty and then came back to me with concern.
I wanted to say something to him, but right now wasn't the time.
We marched into the building, and soon we were on the top floor. When we entered the room, we found all of the other council members there along with the other three heirs and even Amber.
Why the hell was that bitch here?
Mr. Rafferty joined the council at the table while the three of us joined Liam and the others.
The seven of us faced the council members together.
Liam reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling me beside him in the middle of the group.
Mr. Hale moved his seat so he could remain standing while the other three members followed suit. "Last night, something troubling came to a head."
This confirmed what I had thought. The rebellion hadn't told us when they planned to strike, but the timing made sense. They'd want to get out whoever they could right away.
"Oh, no. What was it?" Amber's fake voice sounded like Minnie Mouse.
Mr. Green stiffened. "Are you taking us for fools?"
"What?" Amber's face dropped, and confusion took over.
"We hadn't informed you all, but we had someone in custody at one of the headquarters, who we thought had ties to the rebellion. Last night, someone broke them out."
"Who was it?" Liam asked.
Thankfully, we didn't know much so we might be able to get out of this without lying.
"Why don't you tell them?" Mr. Croft crossed his arms as he stared Amber down.
"I was sworn to secrecy by you." Amber's voice shook, and her heart increased in pace.
"Yes, you knew." Mr. Hale pointed at her. "You also knew about another prisoner we had who was somehow rescued as well."
Holy shit. They thought she was the mole.
"Yes, but I didn't do anything." The stench of rotten eggs wafted off her. "I didn't tell anyone."
"That's bullshit." Mr. Hale slammed his hand down on the table. "Do you really think you can lie to us?"
I wanted to give him an eye roll. He always seemed to do that when he was trying to make a point.
"No, I only told Robyn. That was it." Amber lifted both hands. "She and her friends were the only ones."
Oh, wow. Those two bitches were meant for each other.
"You not only disobeyed us, but now, because of you, two important shifters who could've been spies for the rebellion have escaped our grasp." Mr. Hale gestured to the sons. "Now you will learn what to do with people who betray you."
"What? No." Amber's bottom lip quivered. "Please. I didn't know they were tied to the rebellion."
She wasn’t lying. The rotten smell wasn’t coming off of her anymore. “She’s telling the truth.” I couldn’t let someone innocent get hurt, especially since it was our fault.
“This is council business, so you need to butt out.” Mr. Hale yelled at the top of his lungs. "Guards!"
The door opened, and two men in black uniforms entered the room. The taller one bowed his head. "Yes?"
"Take this girl to the holding house." Mr. Hale motioned at Amber. "And then you," he said pointing at the other guard, "I need you to go find Ms. Grover and her two friends. Take them there as well."
Amber stumbled back a step as the guard approached her. "I didn't do anything. I'm sorry for telling them."
I had to do something. This wasn’t right. Her only fault was whatever fucked up relationship she had with Robyn and her desperate need to be with Liam. Now, it was going to get both of them hurt if not worse.
"You can't be trusted." Mr. Rafferty spat the words.
The one guard left to find Robyn while the other walked over and grabbed Amber by the arms. "Come."
"No." Amber cried as she tried to dig her feet into the ground. “Liam, please help me. I didn’t mean for anything to happen.”
Even though she'd been a bitch to me, she didn't deserve this. I moved toward her when Liam's hold on my hand grew tighter.
The more you try to help, the worse it’ll be. Liam’s words were soft in my mind.
He knew I was struggling.
“Please, no.” Tears poured down her cheeks as she was being dragged away. “Mia, help me.” She begged as the guard dragged her past me. “I was only trying to do what my father told me to. Be useful to the council. I was trying to make him proud.”
My heart broke even more. This wasn’t right.
Do not react. Liam's voice was rough with emotion, but his face remained motionless. If you do anything, they'll be taking you with her. That's what they want.
But she didn't tell them. His words made sense, but it was so damn hard to stand here and watch. Maybe we could save her.
“God, please.” She yelled as she was forced out the door, and when it slammed shut, an eerie silence filled the air.
"We don’t tolerate mistakes." Mr. Hale adjusted his tie around his neck as a small smirk filled his face when his eyes landed on Sherry and then locked with mine. “We know you’re up to something. Even though we haven’t found proof, all of it will eventually come out.”
He was trying to intimidate us. “I’m not up to anything.” We were only doing what was right.
“Bullshit!” Mr. Rafferty yelled, and his face turned a shade of red. “We aren’t stupid. You may be messing with the heirs’ heads, but they will eventually fall back in line.”
“In line?” I hated these four men. They were arrogant, cruel assholes. They didn’t deserve to breathe, let alone lead.
“Enough.” Mr. Hale looked down his nose at us. “We will find out what you’re up to. We aren’t stupid, and eventually, everyone makes a mistake.” He pointed to the door. “There are severe repercussions for those who don’t listen to us.”
“And you four.” Mr. Hale turned his attention over to the heirs. “You better think carefully about what your next actions will be. Otherwise, we may be forced to retain control of the council.”
“You can’t do that.” Liam lifted his chin in defiance.
“Oh, but we can.” Mr. Green chuckled.
“Those alphas you met, they are loyal to us.” Mr. Croft stood. “If we say you aren’t fit to lead, they will back us.”
“We’re the ones in control.” A smirk spread across Mr. Hale’s face. “Don’t force us to remind you of that. Amber is a testament to what could happen to an heir or anyone else who wants to rise against us. Let this be a warning. You're dismissed."
They were cold-hearted killers. There was no doubt in my mind that they had done something similar to my father. Any hope of them redeeming themselves was gone. They were going to pay.
The only problem that shook me was that I wasn’t sure if they were passing judgment on Amber to the heirs as an example or if they were threatening us. Either way, it wasn't good.
When the six of us walked out into the hallway, her cries were already gone, and my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, and there was another text.
Get Kai out now. The council is on to him. - W
Chapter Ten
We have a big problem. It wasn't like I could just tell them all right now. We had just left the council room, and there were guards all around.
What's wrong? Liam sounded tired.
I couldn't blame him. It wasn't even noon, and we had already gone through so fucking much today. I just got another text from Willow. I couldn't even put it into words even though the message was very simple, so I handed my phone over to him.
Fuck. He took a deep breath and gave it back to me. However, his whole demeanor hadn't changed. Show Evan when we get on the elevator.
He was so much better at this than I was.
The six of us got on the elevator, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to blurt out the words. Kai had just been outside the building. I only hoped he wasn't there any longer or this might get even more complicated.
I nudged Evan, who was on the other side of me, and handed him the phone with the message already lit up.
His brows furrowed for a moment before it seemed to sink in. He handed it back to me as he clenched his jaw.
Once we were out of the elevator and standing outside, I realized Kai wasn't there, like I hoped. But now I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or petrified. Did he leave on his own accord, or did the guards already get him?
It'll be fine. Liam took my hand. There would be a huge crowd out here if they'd gotten him. The council will make sure that Amber and Robyn are taken discreetly. They don’t want to upset their fathers more than they already will be. And besides, we weren't up there for that long.
He couldn't be sure. What if they had just grabbed him and ran?
"Hey." Gertrude’s voice called out from behind me. "Do you know where Kai went?"
"What?" I heard the words, but it was like I couldn't process them.
"No, weren't you with him?" Liam asked as Evan waved the others in our group away to fill them in on what was going on.
"He told me to go run a lap around the whole damn school, and when I got back here, he was gone." Gertrude rolled her eyes. "I'm so sick of this. I'm going to ask Coach Riley to train me now that Tripp is gone." She headed off toward the gym.
"Well, at least we know he wasn't taken." Liam pointed at my phone. "Text him and see if he responds."
"Okay." My hands shook as I typed out the message.
Where are you?
"What is this? Get rid of the exes in one day?" Simon headed over to the two of us. "Maybe you should consider it a blessing. One stone, two issues solved."
Sherry smacked him on the back of the head. "Dear God. Can you not just be nice for once? This isn't something to joke over."
"Hey." Simon rubbed his head. "That hurt."
"Good." She arched an eyebrow at him.
"So, where do you think he went?" Micah scanned the perimeter like Kai was just going to stroll out from the trees.
"I'll go check the men's dorm, but I doubt he'd be there." Evan motioned at Liam and me. "The rest of you go to Sherry's dorm room. Maybe he'd show up there for help."
"But he saw us walk by this morning?" Micah sighed.
"Fine, go walk the perimeter." Evan nodded. "Simon and Sherry can start from one side and you on the other. If someone finds him, text us. Just make sure you get him off campus as soon as possible."
We all split up as four guards came barreling outside. They scanned the area, looking for someone.
I had a feeling I knew exactly who.
We had to hurry.
Slow down and don't act suspicious. Liam tugged my hand, causing me to walk at more of a leisurely pace. They don't know his smell yet, so we have a little time.
How do you know that? For them to be unable to sniff Kai out was a good thing.
Because the guards don't know him. Hell, Kai has probably only walked by them a handful of times. As we reached the door to the girls' dorm, Liam dropped my hand and opened the door for me. So, hopefully, we can find him before they get on his trail.
I tried to walk through the door calmly, but my body was pumping with adrenaline. Yeah, I hated Amber, but I would never wish something like that on her. And if Kai got captured too, well, I didn’t know if I could handle it. Even though we didn't work out, he still meant something to me—my friend.
We reached the elevator, and with a shaky hand, I pressed the UP button.
Hey, it's going to be okay. He pulled me into his arms.
I don't think you can make that promise right now. However, I couldn't do anything but melt into his arms, feeling so damn ashamed that I was feeling better at the moment.
The one thing I've learned about that asshole is he has a way of getting out of things. Liam's words were laced with jealousy.
What do you mean? There were feelings of dislike between them even before I came along.
It doesn't matter right now. He dropped his arms and took my hand once more as we headed toward the open door.
We moved into the elevator, and within seconds, we were entering the dorm. The breath was knocked out of me when I saw Kai and Bree sitting on the couch.
"It's about damn time you two got here." Bree jumped to her feet and marched over to us. "We've been waiting for you."
"Whoa. We got here as soon as we could after the text." Liam's eyes began glowing with his wolf. "So, calm down."
"I told her you guys were held up with the council." Kai stood and picked up a bag from the floor. "I don't know what to do, but I’ve gotta get out of here."
"If we run into the woods, they'll eventually follow us if they pick up his scent." It was a damned if you don't, damned if you do situation.
"I'm going to run and get the SUV." Liam glanced at me and Kai. "You two walk like you're going to the stadium, and let Kai take the woods. I'll pick you up at the corner of the parking lot. Kai, follow the tree line to the very edge of the lot. I'll pick you up there."
"That way, my trail will stop in a dead end." Kai shook his head. "Yeah, good idea."
"Make sure your scent doesn't mix with his." Liam held my gaze. "Otherwise, they're going to know you helped him. You have to separate your scent so it ends before his."
"Text the others, and tell them to continue as normal." Liam opened the door and paused before leaving. "We have to act as normal as possible. Our fathers can't know something is out of place." He shut the door, leaving us in silence.
"I'm going with you two." Bree moved over and slipped her tennis shoes on.
"You need to stay here. I don't want you to get caught as well." It was so damn hard to protect everyone.
"Don't care. You might need back up." Bree headed to the door.
There wasn't a choice but to let her come. Otherwise, she'd wind up following and potentially getting us caught. "Let's go down the back stairwell."
"Fine." She huffed. She opened the door and glanced down the hallway. "We're good."
The three of us hurried toward the stairwell. As the door shut, the silence was deafening. I took the lead and tapped into my wolf to jump down the stairs.
When I reached the bottom, Kai and Bree were right behind me. I opened the door that led out the back and glanced around. I didn’t see anyone at the moment. "Let's go."
Kai hurried into the tree line as Bree and I walked along the sidewalk behind the school. We stayed close to the building and even made a point to walk by several students who were coming in from classes.
"This is torture," Bree whined as we headed toward the parking lot.
"What are you two ladies doing?" Mr. Hale's voice called from behind us.
I had to keep my act together. I turned around and faced the horrid man. "We were taking a walk. I needed to clear my head."
"I'd think that you'd be ecstatic that Amber won't be around to harass you anymore, especially after the breakfast scene the other morning." His eyes darkened as he stared at me. "She was determined to make Liam hers still."
"How do you know about
that?” My chest tightened, but I forced a look of indifference on my face.
“Oh, sweet Ms. Davis.” Mr. Hale chuckled darkly. “The council has eyes and ears everywhere. Did you not think I’d be watching you?”
The unveiled threat clung in the air.
I couldn’t allow my demeanor to change or allow him to think he was affecting me. “Well, then I'm surprised you didn't want to keep her around." There was only so much I could take and keep quiet. "I mean you two were on the same page for that."
"What's going on?" Bree's forehead lined as she glanced back and forth between her dad and me. "Are you talking about Amber?"
"Oh, you didn't tell her?" Mr. Hale's eyes lit with excitement. "We caught our spy."
"Amber?" Bree's mouth dropped open.
Where are you two? Liam's voice popped into my head.
Your father stopped us. The longer we stayed here, the harder it'd be.
Us?
Bree’s with me. I hated that we got her involved.
I'll go grab Kai and drive around to pick you two up. Liam's voice sounded relieved. This is a good thing. Dad won't suspect us now.
I hadn't thought of that. True.
Just give me a second, and I'll pull up there.
"Yes, Amber." Mr. Hale frowned. "She was so promising, but she gave information to the eastern regional alpha's daughter, and it got leaked. We had two potential rebellion members in our grasp, and now they're gone … all because of them."
"It could've been Robyn who told someone and not Amber." Bree's nose wrinkled, and she chewed on her bottom lip. "You might be punishing the wrong person."
"Oh, both of them will get dealt the same punishment as well as any other person when I get my hands on him." His eyes scanned the area looking for someone.
He was looking for Kai. That's why he was out here.
"But Dad, Amber wouldn't do that." Bree winced.
"She shared a secret she was entrusted with." Mr. Hale's face was set in a hard frown. "That's just as bad as being part of that rebellious movement. There will not be any mercy, not for anyone."
A car pulled up next to us in the parking lot and honked its horn.
We all turned in the direction of Liam’s car.