32
Calum's POV...
Silence filled the room, my ears were attentive to the chirping sounds of the birds flying in the sky.
I stared at Max and Ryder who looked downcasted but no one spewed out a word, it almost felt like we decided to engage in the vow of silence.
I was unsure of what to do. Finding solutions to any task at hand had never been so hard for me but now it seemed I was trapped within what I desired for myself and mother's thirstiness for money, fame, and power.
Frank was on the other end. He had always been the silent killer. One who minded his business but it never occurred to me he was planning his comeback.
I watched him take Liv away with him right in front of my eyes and I couldn't do a damn shit about it.
"We seriously fucked up. I don't want to get started on the embarrassment he made us face" I voiced out with a surge of uncertainty inside of me as I slid my fingers into my hair.
"Yeah, you're right and despite being so powerful we couldn't use it to our advantage. Liv is with Frank and there's nothing we can fucking do about that" Ryder sighed
"You know what freaks me out the most? we are all aware of Frank's nature and how dubious he is. He's not going to leave any fucking stone undone to lure Liv into falling in love with him" Max lashed out, his foot tapping on the floor with a grimaced expression on his face.
"Then we have Liv who is making everything easy for Frank, he doesn't have to lift a pen and she's running into his arms"
"You can't blame Liv, she's just like every woman who has emotions. Obviously, she'll go for a man who treats her right unlike you guys" Ryder replied back as Max and I glanced at each other.
"Why do you have to exempt yourself as a good guy when we are all aware of who troubled Liv the most? we are all in this together so keep shut and act accordingly" Max voiced out in a hoarse tone, his eyes glaring dangerously at Ryder.
"Oh shut the fuck up. you don't get to talk to me in that tone you call a voice. Don't forget I'm your brother and not your fucking son!" Ryder lashed out, but Max simply tore his eyes off him.
"I'm relieved you blurted it all out. You can't be my son otherwise I would have taught you manners" Max retorted, his eyes fixated on Ryder
"Coming from someone who doesn't know how to control his wolf" Ryder mocked with a scornful look at Max who gritted his teeth in anger.
My eyes watched the intense argument which was building up in little bits. I could see the whole matter escalating and before anything became worse I knew I needed to put a stop to it.
"How dare you say that to my face!" Ryder yelled and rushed towards Max but I stepped in front of him, blocking his path to reach Max as they glared hard at each other.
"You know I don't fear anyone and even if I do, you'd be the last Ryder. So yes, I said that to your face" Max mocked with a wry smile displayed across his lips.
"That's enough of the arguments, we are only getting distracted" I yelled at the both of them in frustration. I suddenly realized how Ryder always felt whenever I fought with Max.
I placed my hand on Ryder's chest, gently pushing him backward. He straightened the sleeves of his shirt and wiped the beads of sweat formed on his forehead with the back of his hand.
"At this moment we should be thinking of a way to get Liv back and it's not possible for her to fall for someone else, especially Frank when she has not one but three mates" Ryder chirmed in, chewing on the side of his mouth as he settled on his seat.
"I wish you weren't so naive or should I just say you aren't aware of how corny and unreliable the dark sky creatures are and I'm lost wondering why dad has anything to do with them" I blurted, both tired and confused
"It might be Dad seeking a deep relationship with the dark sky pack but it's definitely his Luna's words, she just controls him like a fucking puppet" Max fired back as irritation scrunched up his face.
"I just wish Liv's eyes would get open soon, then she'd get to see Frank's true nature and not the loving person he's pretending to be" I stated.
I leaned my back on the sofa staring blankly into space.
Whenever I recollected the main cause of my predicaments, my mother's face flashed through my mind.
I could vividly see that victorious smirk on her lips. It says a lot about us.
The fact that she could use us as a price for power and we couldn't do anything about it irritated the fuck out of me but I was sure of one thing. She wasn't going to get out of our way anytime soon.
I was a future alpha with so much power bestowed on me to control the pack members but when it came to family, I was left trying to maintain the bonds that didn't even exist. I was angry at my mother but mostly at myself for letting her do such damage to all of us.
During my childhood days, I was left wondering why she treated us in such a cruel manner but still, I was always fed with the unrealistic stories of a 'mother's love'
Earlier, Max's idea of getting rid of her didn't seem fit to me but since I couldn't find any other way to get out of this mess and find a solution. I seriously considered agreeing to his plan and getting this done once and for all.
Just like Max had been reading my mind, he spoke "You now hate her as much as I do," he muttered softly but I shook my head, remaining mute, despite my lips desperately aching to spew out the words, especially the unwavering emotions buckled inside of me.
"We can't just stay silent and let her do as she wishes. Our days of acting upon her orders are far gone" Max suggested.
"I'll stake my say on this, I don't want us to lose track of what we so desire while looking for ways to change her point of view, and for all I know, it wouldn't take long for Frank to convince Liv and mark her as his mate," Ryder said
"That'd never happen" Max snapped
"What do you mean?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at Max.
"Frank won't mark Liv as his mate when he knows she's fucking taken" he glanced from Ryder to me. "By three men" He completed
"And how are you so sure about that?" Ryder asked. I knew for a fact he was certain Max's word might not stand, especially when Frank was involved.
"Do you really want to know?" Max queried turning to Ryder.
Ryder shrugged. "Come on surprise me because I don't see any way around this"
"The only reason Liv is with Frank is because of one person"
"And?" Ryder frowned.
"If we get rid of the main problem, she will be back and all our problems will be over" Max pushed further.
It took a while for it to register, but when it did, the color drained from Ryder's face. "No" he shot out. "We are not killing mum. Are you out of fucking mind!"
I chuckled in amusement, turning to Max. "And you were so certain he would agree"
Stunned by my words, Ryder turned to me in devastation. "You know about this?"
"And I acted just the same way you did" I shook my head staring at Ryder for a while. "You need to think about it. I mean killing her is extreme. Max just has to be himself, but"
I turned to Max and then my eyes went back to Ryder. "We still have to put her in a position where she won't be able to cause any more harm"
"She didn't do me a favor by birthing me. She stopped being my mother from the moment she started using us as a price and imposing her decisions on us" Max said.
"You're just digging your own grave, which you'll eventually fall into if you aren't careful enough" Ryder warned and cast a glance at me.
"She's not as powerful as you think she is"
"If you've got a sense of reasoning, you'd know how smart she is" Ryder shot at Max
"At least before we think of killing her. We should think of other ways. Like actually trying to bring Liv home" I said already standing up and heading to the door.
"Where are you going to?" Max asked, causing me to stop, looking at him.
"I'm going to bring Liv home and I'll love to see what Frank has to say about it. That asshole better stay the fuck back" I declared, twisting the knob of the door and pulling it open
Suddenly, a loud scream filled my ears and when I listened closely it was coming from a room on the other side of the mansion.
I spun my body around and exchanged looks with Max and Ryder. As if that wasn't enough, the pack bell broke the erring silence between us.
A reminder jolted in my head, I instantly knew something was up because whenever the pack bell rang, something terrible had happened.