Chapter 19 Challenged #2
“That is too rich,” Jared chuckled. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now, especially not since it will make what’s to come all the more satisfying. You, my dear Omega, are to be my instrument of vengeance against the wolf who killed my father.”
“Felix,” I whispered.
“Felix,” Jared agreed with a wicked grin. “But you’re not looking too hot, so I won’t burden you with the rest of our sordid story. I hope we didn’t give you too big a dose, but then again, I ain’t the doctor in the family.”
His hand settled on my knee. To my horror, I found that I couldn’t pull away from him. My entire body was refusing to obey my commands.
“While we’re waiting here, perhaps I’ll sample the goods.” His fingers crept higher, his nails gently dragging across my pants unapologetically. “After all, I think I deserve a reward for waiting so long.”
“It’s only been a couple months. You haven’t been waiting that long,” I gasped, reaching for the first thing that crossed my mind. Anything to distract me from the touch of his fingers and the dread of what was to come, anything at all.
“Oh no, I’ve been waiting for years, Omega. You’re just the latest and most convenient tool for ruining the Alpha and his brother.”
I knew I should be coming up with a plan to escape, but my mind was still swimming with the drugs.
What had they given me? Even if I managed to figure out these restraints and cut through them, would I be able to escape?
And what would Felix think if he knew that I’d been captured? Would he punish me?
That last question snapped me out of it. Maybe the Felix of several months ago would have, but not the Felix that I knew now.
And then, as if summoned by my thoughts, his voice rang out through the clearing.
“Monte?” he bellowed, a sound that made my entire body sag with relief. “Monte!”
But then I opened my eyes, and all my relief froze in my chest. Jared didn’t look particularly alarmed by this development. He wasn’t panicking at all. If anything, he looked pleased, a feral grin crept across his lips.
Only then did I realize the horrifying truth of this situation. I had just been bait, and they’d chosen perfectly if they wanted to lure Felix out here. Had they allowed Ara to escape so she could tell Felix that I’d been kidnapped?
I wanted to shout out, to warn Felix, but Jared was two steps ahead of me. He clapped a hand over my mouth, and my ruined voice was in no shape to overcome that. All around the treeline, the moving shadows slowed, then stopped. The wolves were in position and waiting for a signal.
Felix was walking into a perfect ambush.
Please let Felix bring other wolves with him. Please let him come prepared.
But when my husband strode out into the clearing, his black coat flowing behind him in the breeze, he was almost entirely alone. I strained my eyes as hard as I could to search for the others, but I only saw Wyatt following in his Alpha’s wake, his face set in grim resolve.
They were coming straight for us, and the closer they got, the easier it was to make out the mask of ice that Felix wore.
Gone was every shred of warmth and affection that had started to melt through his facade in the past weeks, replaced by the glowering frown that had terrified me from our very first meeting.
“Jared.” His voice carried easily across the clearing, booming in condemnation and promising violence without mercy.
“Alpha,” Jared replied with a sweeping bow as he rose to his feet. “So good of you to join us. I’m glad that we found the proper inducement to lure you out here.”
Felix’s eyes settled on me for just a moment long enough for him to be sure that I was safe, then his attention returned to the wolf before him.
“Trap,” I tried to warn him, but my voice would not come out. I tried to lean forward, to somehow crawl to him, but my body simply would not respond.
“I am surprised that you brought a second,” Jared said. “I believe our message said that you should come alone. Was it not clear enough?”
A message? That made it sound like they sent a demand to the pack house.
Did that mean they hadn’t let Ara go and run back to Felix herself?
In that case, where was she now? I felt a surge of impotent rage deep within me.
The thought of them hurting my Beta made me want to rip out throats and taste blood.
“You did say to come alone,” Felix agreed, “but are you really so concerned with one extra? Now you only outnumber us several dozen against two rather than several dozen against one. Don’t tell me you’re so afraid of one little Beta?”
Behind Felix, Wyatt stepped forward. His face was just as cold as his Alpha’s, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he resented Felix for that description because Wyatt was anything but little.
“I suppose you’re right,” Jared conceded.
“But now that you’re here, I suppose there’s no sense in wasting time.
” He turned and addressed the trees, raising his voice.
“Brothers and sisters! Our Alpha has grown reckless and lost his way! He is ruled by his lust and not his logic! He is under the influence of a cunning outsider, and he becomes more of a tyrant by the day. And is it not the duty of every loyal Redrow to cast down tyrants wherever they may rise?”
If nothing else, the wolf was a gifted orator. He cast his voice wide, delivering his impassioned speech so intensely that I instantly saw the resemblance to Hunter. And just like with Hunter, this sounded equally insane and unfounded.
But as I looked around the trees and saw the wolves stepping out to bear witness, I realized this was nothing more than a farce.
These were not neutral observers to be swayed.
They were bloodthirsty loyalists that already backed Jared completely.
Their eyes gleamed greedily as they fantasized about exactly how they’d carve up Redrow territory after this coup.
“I’m surprised you’d stoop to such base measures,” Felix scoffed. “This is the best you could come up with, Jared? To just lure me out here and kill me? You really think the pack will follow you after this?”
“Of course,” Jared said as he shrugged off his white cloak.
“Because this will not be murder. It will be an Ascension Combat. One shall live, and one shall die. The Goddess will decide the Alpha of the Redrow pack, just as she did two years ago,” he sneered.
“Everyone knows I’m the only alpha who can go up against you for the seat as the next Alpha leader. ”