Chapter 37
· King Soren ·
The next day
Damian stands at the far end of the hallway, waiting for me with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression is one of concern, a reflection of how I feel inside.
I’ve just left Aubrey asleep in our room, hoping she stays asleep a little longer, but either way I have a guard at her door to watch over her.
Still the bond hums uneasily at the thought of leaving her.
Even in sleep, she’s restless, her emotions bleeding into mine like ripples.
She knows something is coming, even if she’s not fully conscious to piece it together.
“Are the men ready?” I ask Damian as I approach.
My voice comes out rough, edged with the tension I’ve been holding back since Bianca’s phone call to Rhett.
Despite finally getting Aubrey back to sleep, I barely caught a wink of it myself, too eager to catch the bastard who dared hurt her.
So when the mindlink opened I was still awake and ready to go, but we needed to organise the men first.
“All of them. I sent the scouts ahead—they’ve confirmed the trucks are heading toward the eastern checkpoint near the beaches.
They should reach it by tonight. Cars will be waiting when we land so we should reach the area before them.
And we are only taking a few men with us.
I had Wayne fly the rest out while you were sleeping.
” Damian glances away nervously as I reach him.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Clyde’s there. He’s overseeing the operation himself. Seems Alaric doesn’t want his hands dirty if he is now ordering council members to handle his pickups.” He pauses, his gaze narrowing slightly. A growl escapes me.
“More like he is hiding his hand in all this. He knows we’ve caught wind of everything and is careful now to make it look like a council issue.”
“A werewolf issue, meaning he’ll hold extra support when he goes for a higher seat if the council can’t be trusted. The werewolves are under your rule, council members and Rhett play right into his attempt to overthrow the council and take control.”
Damian is right but Clyde being there and not his own men or him, won’t deter us. We have enough proof and Bianca has shown she’ll go against Rhett for her parents and to save her own skin; getting her to testify against the Vampire King won’t be too hard.
“Let’s get this over with. I want to get back home to my mate,” I tell him.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take her with you?”
I shake my head, the mere thought of bringing Aubrey into this mess tightening something in my chest. “No. She stays here. We don’t know how bad this is going to get. I need her safe.”
He studies me for a moment, then nods. “I’ll have a small squad stay behind to guard the castle, just in case.”
“Our parents have their own guard.”
“Yes, but we can never be too careful. Besides, if she loses control, you’ll want the extra hand to detain her; no one wants to risk your wrath by hurting her if they are forced to. More men will ensure they catch her without hurting her.”
“Good.” I glance toward the staircase leading up to our room. I don’t want to leave her, not when things are still so uncertain. But this is something I have to handle myself. If we’re going to stop Rhett, Clyde, and Alaric, it starts here. There’s no room for mistakes.
“She’s going to be pissed,” Damian says, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
I grunt in response, knowing he’s right.
Aubrey isn’t the kind of woman who likes not knowing what is going on which is part of the anxiety I still feel from her despite her being asleep.
She won’t rest easy until she knows for sure he can’t hurt her.
But I can’t risk it. She’s been through too much already, and as much as she might hate being sidelined, I’d rather deal with her anger than risk her life.
“We’ll be back before she even has time to realize I’m gone,” I mutter, mostly to reassure myself.
“Let’s move. The convoy won’t stay in one place for long. And we need to be ready when they reach that checkpoint.”
I nod, already forming a plan in my head.
“We’ll split into two teams. You’ll lead the first team and cut off their route from the front.
I’ll take the second team and hit them from behind.
No one gets out.” My voice hardens as I add, “We take Clyde alive. Rhett, too. But if either of them resists—”
“We put them down,” Damian finishes grimly.
Rhett deserves a slow death and I intend to give it to him, but we also need to go through the correct channels with this.
My rule has already been threatened with this mess, I don’t need the council fighting me too when rumors have already circulated about Aubrey.
Goddess only knows what mess the tabloids would make if packs started getting involved.
If Alaric puts claims out about this being an inside job before we can prove without a doubt Clyde is working for him, it will be a disaster.
“Kieren checked the back roads maps, they’ll have to pass through the forested ridge before they reach the checkpoint. It’s narrow—perfect for an ambush.”
I nod, stepping outside to the waiting car, ready to take us to the helicopter pad.
The car roars to life and we are away, the castle disappearing behind us as we drive toward the helicopter pad.
Within minutes, we’re stopping on the helicopter pad at the far back of the castle just through the trees where most of my guards are also housed in the cabins out here.
As we pull up, the whirling blades drown out the sound of my rapid breathing.
We reach the helipad, and two helicopters are prepped and ready for take-off.
One for Damian’s team, another for mine.
As I step out onto the tarmac, people snap to attention.
All I give them is a look and then we’re breaking off into our designated teams into the two helicopters.
With a hard clap on Damian’s shoulder, I give him a curt nod and head for the chopper.
My heart throbs with anticipation as I step on and take my seat, my gaze fixed at the steadily lightening horizon where darkness is dissolving to dawn’s soft colors.
Today is the day it ends; either Clyde goes down or we do.
I allow no space for any other outcome in my thoughts.
The blades churn overhead drowning out any possibility of conversation as I climb in. Kieren is already inside, flicking a series of switches above his head before turning to face me, green eyes glinting with anticipation.
“Anything you need me to do?” he asks, his voice hardly a whisper over the deafening rotors.
“No, just get us there alive. Damian has everything organized.”
He nods, Kieren would have been the one flying the guard out to scout last night, so I know he must be getting tired but only a handful of my men know how to fly.
Once we arrive, we split up into two cars and drive out.
The ride was the worst part. Knowing we were minutes away from what could be a deadly face-off made the tension in the cars palpable, the air thick with anticipation and nerves.
As we skid onto a dirt track winding through the thick forest, my heart thumps faster.
The sunshine filtering through the dense canopy of trees is distorted by the swirling dust, making it a bitch to see.
The salty scent of the ocean grows stronger as we approach, mingling with the cool morning air. The anticipation clearly thrums through my men—it’s like the calm before a storm, the air thick with the promise of violence.
As we near the scouts’ position, Damian opens the mindlink to everyone. “We’re in position and going the rest of the way on foot. Don’t want them hearing us coming.” As we near, Kieren pulls over and we all climb out.
· · ·
Crouched low in the undergrowth, I spot the convoy up ahead.
The trucks are parked in a makeshift clearing near the edge of the beach.
Clyde stands near one of the trucks, barking orders to a group of men unloading crates.
Rhett is there too, looking worse for wear.
His once-proud posture is gone, replaced by a weary, frail body.
It’s clear the severed bond with Aubrey has taken its toll on him.
Kieren nudges my shoulder, his eyes flicking toward a cluster of armed guards positioned near the trucks. “Ten men, maybe more hiding behind the trucks.”
I nod, formulating a plan in my head. “We hit fast and hard. Take out the guards first, then go for Rhett and Clyde. No one escapes.”
He grins. “Sounds like fun.”
I lift my hand, signaling the scouts to move into position. My heart pounds in my chest, not from fear but from the anticipation of finally ending this. As we get into position, Kieren sends a few men to clear the guards we can’t see.
“Go.” The word barely leaves my lips before chaos erupts.
My men burst from the undergrowth, their movements swift and deadly.
The guards barely have time to react before they’re taken down one by one.
Cars swerve and crash, bodies tumble onto the dirt, and shouts rise above the gunfire.
Clyde shouts orders, but it’s too late. Damian tackles one of the guards, his claws ripping through the man’s chest.
Clyde’s grimy face peeks through one of dust-choked windows as he tries to escape in one of the trucks which is quickly stopped by Damian before he is hauled back out, surprise etched on his features.
It’s then hidden behind a mask of fury as he struggles against Damian who tosses him to the ground as if he weighs nothing.
I focus on Rhett, who tries to make a run for it. With a growl, I chase after him.
Rhett’s boots crunch on the sandy ground as he sprints, desperation etched in every twitch of his muscles. My snarl rips through the air and with a swift leap, I tackle Rhett, our bodies colliding with bone-jarring force.