Alpha - Forever #1 (Complete)

Chapter 26 - Part 2

"Why?" So many questions were running through my mind.

"I like to keep tabs on the packs that surround mine; it just makes sense to keep an extra eye on them. You must have heard the saying, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'."

He'd planted them as spies to keep an eye on Cade and Blake, and their packs.

"You planted the spies before I moved here," I realized out loud.

"Yes. Finding you was an added bonus," he said as he cocked his head to the side. He studied me for a moment like I was something precious to him, which made my stomach turn.

"When my daughter reported back that a new werewolf had moved into town I was very curious about you," he began to explain. "She took a couple of photos of you and when I saw them I knew who you were straight away. There was no mistaking those features."

He took a step closer and caressed my cheek with his knuckles. My skin crawled at his touch.

"I had no idea how your parents managed to hide your existence from me. But that is irrelevant. I have you now, and that is all that matters."

This guy was off his rocker. 'Fucking lunatic' was an apt nickname for him.

"Don't think for a minute that if you'd done things differently this wouldn't have been the ultimate outcome," he assured me with a smugness I wanted to wipe off his face. "From the time I found out about you, this was inevitable."

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"How did you get me away from Cade?" I asked the burning question. I hadn't been able to figure that out. I was never going to be okay. In my mind there were only two ways this was going to play out and neither was going to be good for me, but I needed to know that Cade was safe.

He studied me for a moment and touched my mating scar on my neck.

"Cade had no idea that when he requested Curtis to sedate you that he was making it easier for me to get you. We created a distraction and Curtis managed to sneak you out without anyone noticing. They had bigger problems to concentrate on than the fact that you're missing."

"What do you mean?" I asked as a sense of foreboding settled over me.

"I have decided that it is time to expand my territory. I'll get rid of the smaller packs and any werewolves that don't get killed in the process will be integrated into my pack by force."

Oh. My. God.

I put my hand over my mouth as I realized that the reason why he hadn't answered was because our pack was under attack. Panic began to build up in me. What if it was worse?

What if he'd been injured? Or worse? No, that wasn't something I could contemplate. He had to be okay. There was no other option.

I closed my eyes and tried to reach Cade again through the mind-link.

Cade! Please answer me. But I got no response.

I opened my eyes and Victor laughed at me.

"There is no point trying to mind-link with your mate. I've dosed you with the wolfsbane, so you aren't able to communicate with him."

Victor studied me for a moment. My eyes flickered to Keri for a moment but she was indifferent to me, her gaze fixed on her monster of a father.

"From this moment on you belong to me," he told me. "And I will never let you go."

He could hold my physical body by force but he couldn't hold my heart: that already belonged to Cade.

"I belong to Cade," I stated, holding his unwavering gaze. "And nothing you ever do will change that."

His eyes fastened on me, and before I could react his hand connected with my cheek. The force was so hard that I felt my teeth shake. I flew back from the force of the hit and my hand went to my stinging cheek.

Through the pain, I glared at him.

"If I have to I will beat it out of you," he warned me. "You don't know what I'm capable of, so don't test me."

I knew exactly what he was capable of. I fisted my hands to try and keep control of my temper because I knew I was about to lose it. My mind began racing through the options I still had. I was contemplating shifting into my wolf form and trying to attack Victor before he could shift and fight me back.

"Don't even think about it," he warned. The change happened so suddenly that I was convinced he had a split personality.

"The dose of wolfsbane also stops you from shifting into your wolf form."

My situation was getting worse and I was running out of options. I had to do something.

My gaze did a sweep of the immediate area around me as Victor turned to say something to Keri, but there was nothing within reach that I could use as a weapon.

"We need to move her," he informed Keri and she nodded.