0069
Neah
It was never ending.
Secret after secret, being revealed like it was some kind of game.
The dungeon is filled with choking sounds and I look up to see Dane with his arms stretched through the bars, his hands are locked around Trey's throat. Squeezing him until Trey's lips begin to turn blue.
His body spasms and his hands fall from the bars. His mouth opens and closes like a fish but no sound comes out. His eyes slowly bulge from their sockets as Dane uses his strength to crush Trey's throat. 'It's time.' Nyx mutters. 'It's time to finish him for good.'
Stepping forward, I stretch my hand through the bars as long, sharp claws sprout from my fingertips.
My hand makes contact with his chest. Slowly, my claws pierce his flesh with ease, slipping through the layers of skin and muscle until they touch his heart.
I hover for a few moments, staring into the eyes of the man that had caused me so much grief and pain.
Not once had he apologised. Even now, seconds away from death, he stares back at me, ignoring the Wolf crushing his windpipe.
His voice appears in my head. 'Go ahead. I have been waiting. I knew this day would come.'
'What do you mean?' I mumble through the link
'I knew I would die once you had found yourself. Once you had realised your true position.'
He splutters as my claws sink a little deeper, piercing the edges of his heart.
"Goodbye Trey." I mutter, as my claws dive into his heart.
This time I keep them there. Watching the light disappear from his eyes. Feeling the heart fight around my claws as it leaks blood.
Dane releases him and he takes a hollow breath that sounds like an old door opening.
What I didn't expect was for Trey to grab my wrist, forcing my claws in deeper.
His eyes close and more empty gasps of air creep from his throat until there is silence.
His heart had stopped fighting, his lungs had stopped demanding air. The only thing keeping him upright were my claws.
Pulling my hand free, his body hits the cement floor with a crack. Blood quickly pools around him and a tear leaks from my eye. I had finally closed the door on my past.
Dane carries Trey's body outside. He dumps it on the grass as Klaus appears with a box of matches and a small can of fuel.
I watch in silence as Klaus drowns the body and lights a match. He looks at me for confirmation and I nod my head.
The flame lights Trey up the moment the match hits. Huge orange flames travel along his body, drowning out the smell of his blood. Instead the air was filled with the nauseating smell of burning flesh.
Dane slips his arms around my waist, pressing his chest against my back as we watch the body burn. "They are all dead." he whispers
I nod, not being able to find the words I wanted to say.
"You won, Neah."
"Is... Is Jess okay?" I ask quietly. I wanted to ask where Roan was, but I wasn't ready to deal with that just yet.
"She's inside with Eric and Raven." Klaus tells me
I could feel their eyes on me. They were expecting me to talk about what had happened, but there was nothing to talk about. I had killed them, that was the end of it. "Has Jenson rejected her yet? Is that why they are with her?"
"Uh, it's a little more complicated than that." Klaus shakes his head. "She is refusing to accept the rejection."
"Why?" It comes out a little higher pitched than usual
"What do you mean she is refusing?" Dane asks.
"She flat out told him that she is refusing it. She didn't even say no. She just said she refuses it."
"Can that be done?" I ask with a scowl. "I mean, I was somehow still mated to Kyle after he tried rejecting me."
"That was because you didn't accept the rejection correctly." Dane mutters. "I can't say that I have heard of someone refusing a rejection."
"She could die!" My heart flutters with panic. I knew what Jenson was like, we all knew what Jenson was like. If he slept with another female, it would kill her.
"Where is my brother?" Dane questions
""He left." Klaus refuses to meet his gaze.
"He left? Where the fuck did he go?"
Klaus shrugs his shoulders, "We tried to stop him, but he was so angry."
""With Jess?"
Klaus shakes his head. "With the Moon Goddess. She is the one who paired him with Jess and he isn't happy."
"I need to find Jess." I mutter
They let me go on my own. Now that all the Lycans were gone, Dane wasn't too fussed about me going anywhere on my own.
Roan makes me jump. He is sitting outside the office door when I enter the packhouse. He rises to his feet when he sees me. His dark grey eyes drift down to my blood covered hand.
"You killed him?" His tone is empty, but he continues to stare at me like he had since we first met.
"Yes, he is dead." I don't know what it is about this man, but he brings out my irritation just by existing. "That makes you the last one. Well, you and Jess."
I don't like the way he is looking at me and his eyes settle on my stomach. "Do we know what they are?" "Dane's heirs." I mutter back
"You know that is not what I am asking."
"And still, that is what they are!" I snap. "Unborn members of this pack. Can I ask you a question?"
"Ask?"
"The bitten, the ones changed, whatever you want to call it. How did they end up in your city?"
"The same way as they ended up in the city down the road."
"How long have you known there were Lycans?"
He stares at me, pressing his lips together.
"You knew. You knew before they started turning up in your city. When you were told, you barely reacted. How long have you known?"
He shrugs his shoulders at me.
'He's an asshole!' Nyx growls
"You didn't come just because of the contract, did you?"
"In parts, yes. I don't walk away from my commitments. Though I was excited to hear that the great Alpha Dane had finally settled down. I was curious until I heard your name. Neah Kitson. It's not a name you forget easily." He rises from the chair. I frown, taking a step back. "I've never met you."
"But you have. A long time ago. You were little, a few months old. I was ten, maybe eleven. Your parents were in my family's city. They abandoned you."
"No, you are lying." A growl comes from deep inside me.
"It's the truth. I watched them leave you in a basket down an alleyway. A blanket tightly wrapped around you. The idiots made a mistake there as your name was on the blanket." He rolls his eyes and turns away from me as he sighs.
"I took you home to my parents. By the time I got you home, you had already shifted, multiple times." He smirks as he checks his reflection in the mirror. "A strange little monster, but I couldn't leave you alone."
I shake my head, it couldn't be true. I had been bound. I couldn't shift.
"My parents spent a week tracking your family down."
"You are making it up."
His dark grey eyes find mine. "Moonshine is situated in the middle of nowhere. Far away from any other civilian life. Far away that no other packs can easily find it. The house is large, but not as big as most packhouses. Gardens sit out the back." He continues to describe my old house.
I feel my heart hammer.
"Your parents tried to say you were kidnapped, but there were no other scents on you. Just theirs. To be honest, they didn't even seem happy that you were being returned. I begged my parents to keep you. But they said they couldn't. They said you were a powerful being." "My parents loved me!"
"Are you sure about that? Wasn't Trey raised as your older brother so that he could be the next Alpha? Weren't they the ones who had you bound twice before Trey did it to." He rubs his jaw, "The impression I got from them is that no matter what they did, you kept surviving. Like somehow you were supposed to. Maybe to lead you to this moment. He points at my stomach.
"You were going to kill Trey and Cassandra?" I whisper
"Not until a couple of years ago, when those who had been bitten began turning up in my city. At first we thought it was Vampires, but then they started shifting. I knew what they were, I had seen it before. And it had to have something to do with that pack you belonged too."
"Two years?"
"Maybe more. Their plan had been in place for a long time, Neah. It was just amped up after you met Dane. They were likely going to breed you until you dropped dead."
"All the ones who were bitten are dead now, aren't they!" I snap
"Not quite!"
I realise how quiet the house is, and my heart plummets. "Where's Jess?"
He smiles at me.
"What the fuck have you done to her?"
"She's safe, for now."
"Where is she?" I feel my blood boiling. She couldn't be far. Klaus said she had been with Eric and Raven. Where were they? He couldn't have taken them all out.
But then, if he had wounds. They would have healed by now.
I turn away from him, quickly moving through all the rooms on the bottom floor. Roan stays on my heels, following me from room to room. Laughing as I discover the emptiness of each room.
"The moment Trey died, the contract between us was over!" He murmurs behind me.
'Just kill him!' Nyx snaps
'We can't, we have no idea where Jess is. And he knows that.'
"Don't go getting any ideas from that beast inside of you!" He smirks at me
"Jess is just a kid." I snarl at him
"I know. That is why I said she is safe for now."
"She is part of this pack!" I snap. "You are breaking your contract with Dane."
"The contract was over the moment you killed Trey. Dane said it himself, when the threat is over, the contract is over. And i am not threatening your pups."
"So what? This is some kind of payback? You were the one who wanted Dane's help and now you repay him like this?"
"I did repay him. I helped kill the Lycans for both of you and she's not part of his pack. She is part of your pack. I suggest you tell your beast to step down."
My eyes gave it away, turning black as Nyx pushed herself forward. But shifting right now was not going to help us. Where was Dane? He must be able to feel my panic.
I close my eyes, trying to understand what benefit Jess would bring him.
"It was me, wasn't it." I mutter. "You said you were fascinated by me shifting, but you can't have me because of Dane. So you are taking your chances with Jess. Which is disgusting, you are almost twenty years older than her and she is a kid. She is fifteen!" 'He doesn't know.
' Nyx murmurs. 'He doesn't know she has a mate. If he tries anything it will kill her.'
Roan shrugs his shoulders at me. "Do you really think I'm bothered by age?"
"What are you trying to get out of it, pups? Lycan heirs?
He smiles at me and I feel sick
"She can't give you pups."
I catch sight of Dane in the window to the side of Roan. He puts a finger to his lips. 'Keep him talking.' his voice echoes in my head.
"The witch tell you that?" Roan asks
"Yes. We are a dying breed. I am the last true Lycan. That is why there was only one pack left. They are slowly dying out."
"Yet you carry twins." He mocks
"There is a good chance they are Wolves." I snap back.
Deep down, I hoped they were, the idea of bringing more Lycans into the world terrified me.
Everything I had learned about myself had all been here, in this pack.
I couldn't raise Lycans with no knowledge of them. "Maybe, but only time will tell and I need to prepare."
"By trying to create your own? What's your plan, Roan? To attack Dane and get payback?"
"What's going on here?" Klaus comes through from the back of the house and I don't get any answers.
"Nothing." Roan mutters. "I was just letting Neah know that I am leaving."
I frown. Him leaving right now was not what I needed. I needed to find Jess.
"So soon. You don't want to stay and celebrate Neah's birthday with the rest of us?"
I try to keep the surprise on my face hidden. No birthday party had been mentioned. This had to be something to do with Dane.
'What is Klaus up to?' Nyx murmurs
"It's tomorrow." Klaus continues, not meeting my eyes. "And you know, after everything, we all feel a celebration is needed. Dane wants to throw a party. I guess it will be a joint party. Neah's birthday and to celebrate winning the war." "A party?" Roan cocks an eyebrow at Klaus.
Klaus nods, "Are you interested? After all, you did help take down multiple Lycans."
Roans eyes shift to me and narrow. "Sure, why not. It's been a while since I've celebrated anything."
"Great." Klaus smiles at him. "Do you know where your brother is? I need to ask him too. Trying to get a list together."
"My brother left a little while ago. He's heading back home to his wife."
"I see." Klaus mutters. "That's a shame. Oh well, more alcohol for the rest of us." He laughs. A fake laugh.
'His brother has her.' Nyx mutters to me.
'They live hundreds of miles away.' I panic
"I thought you might have travelled together. Seeing as you live in that direction." Klaus presses. He had the same thought I had.
"I needed to clear a few things up. I wanted to get a written letter from Dane to confirm that the contract was over. I don't need him finding another loophole."
"He said it was over. Several times." I mutter
"Still, it's best to have it in writing." Roan smirks at me. He was too dumb to see that Klaus was digging for information. "But I will stay for the celebrations, it could be fun."
He turns from us and heads out of the house.
"Are you not going after him?" I whisper to Klaus.
"No. Dane is already on it."
I look up to the window and he has disappeared.
"What about Raven and Eric?"
"We found them, unconscious in the pantry. Don't worry, they are both fine. Just out of it."
"But Jess...."
"We will get her back. We all know that she means a lot to you." He gives me a smile but it doesn't meet his deep green eyes. He was worried too, he just wasn't going to admit it. 'Someone needs to tell Jenson.' Nyx murmurs.
'He doesn't want her. And that's for the best.' I
'He is still mated to her.'
'Are you thinking that he will chase after her?'
'I think if we tell him, we will learn what he really feels about being mated to her.'
'She's a kid.' I mutter
'I know. Why do you think he really left?'
'Because she refused the rejection.'
She shakes her head. 'Try again.' Nyx mutters joyfully
'To wait until she turned eighteen?'
She nods, 'She refused his rejection. He can't do anything because he knows it will kill her. The easiest thing to do is to create distance and wait until she is old enough.' "Talking to Nyx?" Klaus asks
I nod.
"Dane will find Jess." He tries to reassure me
"I hope so. Can you do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"Link Jenson and tell him."
"He wanted to reject....." He stops when he sees my face. "You have an idea?"
"Please just link him."
He nods his head at me.
His eyes quickly glaze over, showing that he is in the middle of a conversation.
I watch his face go through a range of different emotions before he refocuses on me.
"He is on the way to meet up with Dane. It seems as though Dane had the same idea as you. He had already told him.
*****
"We should tell the pack to keep an eye on Roan." I mutter to Eric as I stride back and forth in front of the office window.
Since he had regained consciousness, he had stayed with me in the office along with Raven and Klaus and I was growing restless.
Eric shakes his head at me. "As much as I understand where you are going with your idea. Dane doesn't want the attention on him. It will just give him a reason to run. As far as the pack is concerned, Roan is staying for the party. Nothing less, nothing more." "But Jess....."
"I know, but you have to remain present." Eric mutters, "As soon as he suspects something, it will screw up everything."
Raven takes my hands in hers. "Jess has become like a little sister to you. If it were me that was missing, my brother would be like you, he would want to send out a search party."
"He had to once." Eric mutters and Raven glares at him
"So I get it," Raven continues. "And Roan has told you himself, she is safe for now. Dane and Jenson know what they are doing. And they will be back in no time. For now, you need to remain calm and keep those nephews of mine protected." "Boys?" Klaus asks curiously
"We don't know for certain, but Madame Curie suggested it was boys." I tell him
"As I said." Raven smiles at me. "Try and keep yourself calm. It's not good for you or them."
"We also need to continue as normal." Eric tells us. "Hiding here in the office is just going to draw more attention. Neah, you should stay with one of us. We can keep you updated about Jess and you have a reason to be with each one of us." "I'm fine on my own,"
He looks directly at me. "Dane's orders."
"He's right." Klaus adds. "You can do tutoring with me. You can spend time with Raven because of the pups and Eric is your bodyguard when Dane isn't about."
I silently nod.
Hours passed and there was still no news. Sitting in the hospital with Raven was making me fidget. I felt the need to be doing something rather than just sitting around, waiting for news.
"Here," Raven mutters, sliding a pack of ginger biscuits across the station to me. "Dane had them placed all around the pack, just in case."
"I'm not hungry."
"No, but you look like you need to vomit."
I had been feeling this way for a while. Something just didn't feel right, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I rub my eyes and sigh, taking the biscuits. "Anything?"
She shakes her head at me. "He's fine, you would know if something was wrong. We all would."
"I thought that we were done." I mumble. "When I killed Cassandra and Trey and all the other Lycans were killed. I thought it was over. But there is always something."
"Unfortunately, that is part of being a Wolf, or in your case, a Lycan. Problems exist wherever we turn. It's why Dane has worked so hard to make our pack what it is, to limit the problems."
"And I have brought more." I groan
"Dane knows what he signed up for. Of all the women he has tried forming a bond with, there has been nothing like the one you share with him. He could have killed you the moment he found out the truth about you. But he didn't. He isn't phased about what his pups might be, he is just happy to be a father.
She smiles at me. "You make him happy."
As I smile back at her, I'm hit with a sharp pain in my heart. Just as the colour drains from Raven's face.
Dane was in trouble.