Chapter 14 - Alanis
The journey north began before daylight.
The sky was still dark as Alanis got into one of the two cars that would take them to the Shadowridge pack.
August drove with Rael in the passenger seat and Alanis in the back, flanked by two of the pack members whom she had seen around but had never met properly.
Rael introduced them to each other. “This is Alanis. Alanis, this is Krival and Tessa. They are our reconnaissance team. Krival does logistics while Tessa scouts.”
Krival was big-shouldered, with sandy hair, brown eyes, and an easy smile. Tessa was smaller, with dark blonde, curly hair and blue eyes that softened when she looked at Alanis.
“Nice to meet you in person, finally,” Krival offered his hand for a shake. “Heard a great deal about you.”
Alanis took his hand. “Good things, I hope.”
“Interesting things,” he said with a smile. “Which is better than good. Good is boring.”
Alanis laughed softly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should.” Tessa leaned in. “Whoever can put Alpha Javi in his place right in front of the whole pack has my respect. That man needs to have his ego checked on a regular basis.”
“I did not put him in his place,” Alanis protested. “He did that himself.”
“Even better.”
The second vehicle behind them had four more pack members and other supplies.
Rael told them they must put on a show of strength, yet remain careful not to look too intimidating—just enough to make it clear that the Weston Pack was disciplined, organized, and nothing like the trafficking business they were rumored to be involved in.
Alanis looked out the window. The sun had started to gradually rise, coloring the sky in pink and golden shades as they drove past trees.
Krival and Tessa were talking to August about supply lines. Their conversation was filled with pack slang and jargon Alanis did not completely follow. But they tried to involve her, and when she appeared puzzled, they asked her what she thought about things she may know about.
They traveled hours, stopping once to have lunch and change drivers. Alanis watched
the way the pack members moved. They were efficient, coordinated, and definitely at ease with one another. They were joking and bantering, yet there was a layer of trust that had been built over years of working together.
She wanted that. She wanted to feel like she was part of such a beautiful pack, and that the people were on your side, not because it was their job, but because you were a member of the pack.
To be honest, she didn’t have these sorts of people in her life. She had the Lumen and Deva. They rescued her, trained her, and gave her a purpose. They were her family. But
she had not been in touch with them in weeks. She hadn’t sent word that she was alive, that she was safe. Lord knows what they must be thinking. That she was dead or captured?
Guilt knotted in her stomach. She had to find a means of communicating and let them know she was alright. But each time she contemplated making contact, the possibility of leaving Weston Pack, leaving Rael, made her heart ache.
She wasn’t ready to leave. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It was a terrifying thought.
Later in the afternoon, they arrived at the lands of the Riverdale Pack. At the border, they met Alpha Marcus, who, with a small escort, received them there.
He looked older than Silas with gray strands showing through his black hair. He grabbed Rael by the forearm, smiling. “Alpha Rael, it is good to see you, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances.”
“So do I,” Rael nodded. “Thank you for welcoming us.”
“Your pack has been a good ally. I am not about to turn my back on you because of a few rumors.” Marcus glanced at Alanis. “And you must be?”
Alanis raised her chin and looked right into his eyes. “Alanis Hester. Rael saved me from being trafficked.”
“Ah. So, you have a special understanding of how this network works.”
“Enough to convince anyone that the Weston Pack is not running it.”
“We will discuss more at dinner. I have a place ready to receive your party. You must be tired from the journey.”
***
The Riverdale Pack was smaller than the Weston Pack. But it was warm and inviting. There was a familiarity among the pack members, kids playing in the yard and the smell of food in the air.
It made Alanis think of what a Pack was supposed to be like—definitely not the brutality of Caldwell, but something more humane. Something better.
During dinner, the senior pack members of Riverdale were present. Alanis was seated between Rael and a woman called Catherine, who was a beta to Riverdale.
“So,” Catherine said casually as they ate. “How has your experience been with the Weston Pack? A great change it must be after what you must have gone through at the hands of those traffickers?”
“Yes, it was an adjustment. But not as hard as I anticipated.”
“Really? I would have figured that being captured and then bonded to an Alpha that you hardly know would be traumatic.”
Alanis looked at Rael, who was conversing intensely with Marcus at the other end of the table. “It should have been. But Rael... he is not who I thought he was. He is a good man.”
Catherine looked at her keenly, then went back to cutting a piece of chicken on her plate. “And the pack? How are they with you?”
Alanis visibly hesitated. She could lie and present a perfect image of integration and acceptance. But Catherine seemed to be someone who appreciated honesty.
“There has been... resistance.” She finally said. “Some do not feel I belong since I am not able to shift.”
“Ah.” Catherine nodded knowingly. “There were some very inflexible notions that they had towards Elle as well.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“For what it’s worth, I believe Rael did the right thing by claiming you.” She smiled politely. “You look like you’re a resilient woman, and that is what packs require. Not only people who can shift, but people who will not break when the going is rough.”
The words settled warmly inside Alanis’s heart. “Thank you.”
After dinner, Marcus invited the core group—Rael, August, Alanis, and a few of Riverdale’s senior members—to his study for a more private discussion. This was where the real work would happen.
Rael calmly presented their evidence in a systematic process, taking them through the financial documentation, chronology of their investigations, and testimony of victims that they rescued. August gave technical explanations of the forgery, demonstrating how the evidence had been planted.
And when Marcus asked why they should be convinced that Weston Pack was not involved in this, that’s when Alanis spoke up.
“I was there,” she said quietly. “I saw the buyers, the handlers, and how the operation was working. If Rael was there as a buyer, he would not have risked rescuing me or seven other women, tanking his mission.”
She looked straight at Marcus. “Someone is out to ruin the Weston Pack because they are getting too close to the truth. The rumors are nothing but rumors designed to cause distractions.”
There was a long silence in the room. Then Marcus nodded.
“I’m sure my chiefs here have heard what they need to.
” The senior pack members nodded, whispering to each other.
“I believe you, and I support Weston Pack. I will also go to the other allied packs, tell and show them what you have shown me, and I will try where I can to refute the rumors.”
Relief poured through Alanis.
“Thank you,” Rael said. “This means more than you know.”
“Just find whoever is behind this, Marcus said sternly. “And make them pay.”
***
They spent the night at Riverdale, and the following morning, they made their way north into Shadowridge Pack. But this time, they split up. Krival and Tessa took half the team to approach Moonstone Pack, while Rael, August, and Alanis continued toward Shadowridge.
They were smaller now and also quicker. By
late afternoon, they arrived at the village near Shadowridge land. They lodged at a small inn and were to meet with the Shadowridge Alpha the next day.
Alanis was unpacking in her room when Rael knocked on the door.
“We have a problem,” he said.
“What is it?”
“August got a message from one of his contacts. Apparently, one of the organizers of the auction we were following is here. Just an inn away.”
Alanis’s pulse quickened. “Are you sure?”
“Three of my other contacts confirmed it,” August appeared by the door. “Which is either incredible luck or a very obvious trap.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Well, August is putting cameras in place, spying on him, watching whoever he communicates with. We must be careful about this and collect as much intelligence as we can.”
“And then? Do we watch him leave? Wait until he holds another auction? Just how long are you going to watch him?”
“As long as it is necessary to do this right,” Rael said sternly. “We cannot simply kidnap him off the streets since he would be obviously heavily guarded and most likely has contacts with local police. If we go too quick—”
“We lose him,” Alanis finished. “Like you all have lost all the other leads as well, because you are so cautious.”
Rael’s jaw tightened. “Caution keeps us alive and prevents missions from failing. I understand you want some action, but—”
“Results.” She glared at Rael and August. “I want results. I want to simply put a stop to these people and not just watch.”
“And we will. But we need to be strategic.”
“For how long? Until more women get sold? Until the network continues to run and your pack continues to have crimes attributed to it?”
Rael sighed, exchanging brief glances with August. “Give me two days to gather intelligence, figure out how tight his security is, and his habits. Then we will figure out how to get to him. Together.”
Alanis would have liked to make an argument and insisted on taking immediate action. But she could see Rael was tired from the burden of responsibility that he bore.
“Fine,” she agreed. “Two days.”
***
Alanis couldn’t sleep. She tossed and tossed until she settled for staring at the ceiling.
The Lumen would already have taken action. Deva taught them to be daring, to take calculated risks, to believe in their abilities and instincts. Waiting was not on the list.
And here was this man who had made a fortune off the pain of so many women. Within reach.
She thought about the women she met at the auction and wondered if they’d found safety or if they’d ended up back in the same hell they’d escaped from.
Rael’s plan was methodical and safe. But safe didn’t save people. Action did.
Alanis got out of bed. Her mind was made up. She would allow Rael his time of observation during the day. But tonight she would do her best.
She would approach the target and get the information in the best way she knew how.
Thirty minutes later, Alanis stood outside the fancier inn.
She looked down at her outfit, silently thanking the stars.
She had accidentally packed some…skimpy outfits—courtesy of Sara.
It was a tight red dress that revealed more than she was used to.
She also coincidentally had a bit of makeup in her bag.
She should probably take Sara out for lunch or something when she gets back.
The makeup she did turned her face into a coquettish and seductive one.
She had done this previously. Many times. The Lumen had trained her how to seduce a target, how to get them to talk, and how to go about wringing information out of them when they were so consumed with lust that they forgot what exactly they were telling you.
Alanis never felt bothered about this before. It was all a part of the job, as much as lock-picking or surveillance.
However, now, dressed in such a way, about to seduce another man, she felt…dirty. Like she was betraying something or more specifically, someone.
It’s nothing but information, she said to herself. Rael would understand. This is what I’m good at.
She pushed the lodge doors ajar before she could give it a second thought.
It was a fancy bar with dark wood and low light. Her gaze fell on a man in his mid-forties, in an expensive suit, sipping whiskey, alone at a corner table. He looked exactly like someone who was a trafficking coordinator—the suit and flashy jewelry gave it all away.
Alanis strutted to the bar and ordered a drink. She felt his eyes on her. Good. This was going to be easier than she thought.
She waited three whole minutes—long enough to not appear desperate and short enough to keep him interested. Then turned and looked at him, letting a small smile grace her lips.
He smiled and lifted his glass a little. She grabbed her drink and walked over.
“Is this seat occupied?” She asked in an unusually high-pitched voice, breathy and enticing.
“For you? Never.” His lips curved into a smirk. “I’m Daniel.”
Liar.
“I am Sophia. Here on business?”
“Pleasure, actually. But those two are liable to be mixed in my trade.” His gaze trailed up and down her body. “And you?”
“Passing by. Thought I should see what the nightlife was like.” She leaned forward a little so he could peep down her dress. “It was disappointing. Until now.”
The conversation picked up from there. Alanis giggled at his jokes, rested her hand on his arm, asking him questions so he felt intelligent and significant. Gradually, she carefully steered the discussion to his business.
“You said your work has to do with pleasure,” her fingers traced the edge of her glass. “That sounds intriguing. What is it you do?”
“I’m in acquisitions,” he grinned. “I am interested in…uncommon things. Things hard to come by in traditional ways.”
“How exciting.” She leaned closer. “What sort of …rare things?”
His hand snaked up her thigh beneath the table. “The type that is better spoken of in private. There is better whiskey in my room than here at the bar.”
This was it. The moment when she would go into his room and get him drunk and talking, so she could get as much information as she could out of him.
But his touch made her skin crawl. Alanis shuddered at the idea of being with him alone, of letting him believe he had a chance with her, touching and groping her.
All she could think about was Rael, and how his touch was in stark contrast with the creep beside her right now.
She had deluded herself into believing that what they had was only dependent on the mate bond, which caused her to feel things that were not there.
But sitting here, trying to seduce another man, she told herself the truth. She couldn’t go through with this because it felt like she was betraying Rael Weston. What felt like the norm for her during missions now made her feel disgusted with herself, and it was because of one single Alpha.