Chapter 56
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Rose's POV
"There's got to be a way to get our allies to help out,” I pleaded with Dad.
Alistair had left me alone at the alpha residence, coming to take me to the pack office during work hours and then dropping me home.
Lexia was nowhere to be seen and I had to assume she'd left after getting the antidote to Dylan.
Alistair had talked with Lexia a few times on the phone in front of me, asking her how classes were going.
Alistair would touch me sometimes, probably trying to experiment and see if it sparked anything between us.
His hand would go to my lower back likeAiden's had so often done and it was all I could do to not cringe away from him.
Or he'd place a hand on my thigh while Isat going over account books in the company office while he sat watching me.
Of course he didn't understand whatI was doing.
I knew he wanted access to the pack funds.
He planned to bleed them dry since he'd asked me the process for transferring the funds into his own personal accounts. So while Isat, working my way around the numbers, I did something I could never ask our pack accountant to do. I tampered with the information, depicting the funds to already be a vague shell of what they actually were so that the alpha couldn’t access them.
Maybe if he thought the pack was in trouble financially, he'd leave.
Because it was becoming clearer and clearer to me that Alistair's main motive was not land, as he'd previously stated.
It was money. I had tried to bite back a sneer of my own at the realization.
How typically human to sell your soul all for vast amounts of wealth. This man had committed atrocious acts, all for money. And sons. That was all too clear especially when earlier today he'd asked me before Igot out of the car to go inside my home,
"When's your next heat?"
The question had floored me. I simply stood outside the car looking at him with a gaping mouth.
"Lexia told me Aiden hasn’t been intimate with you yet. Does that mean you take pills when you're on your heat?" Alistair looked at me matter-of-factly.
The knowledge that Lexia had lied to her father pierced through me along with an overwhelming gratefulness Ididn't want to feel for the blonde.
Lexia would have known from our combined smells that we were sleeping with each other.
But she'd hidden it from Alistair. I was sure of the fact that if he didn't know it meant he had probably been too busy with his own nefarious plans to pay attention to our scents.
“Dr. Danvers prescribed me some.” My voice was hoarse, fearful.
This was all a bad dream. It had only been six days since Aiden had been defeated and already Alistair was talking about my heat cycle.
"Don't take them next time,” Alistair commanded.
"That boy was stupider than I gave him credit for,” Alistair mumbled.
"Probably waiting to make it special or some crap.
" He looked at me again. "I suppose that means you're a virgin too?
" He actually recoiled when he said the words.
As if it was the most disgusting thing in the world to have to deal with my virginity.
I could only nod jerkily. Praying he never found out.
With an audible clucking sound of displeasure, he drove off. I immediately mind-linked my father, Tony, and Dylan. This couldn't go for much longer.I'd break eventually.
Which is how I found myself looking at my father, trying not to give away how miserable and scared I was.
Dad sighed. "Rose, give the word and we'll all revolt.
You know the only reason we haven't done anything already is because you stopped us.
We have an alpha in Dylan." Dad looked at Dylan who sat off to the side.
Lexia had administered the antidote, and I noticed he was doing much better now.
Color had returned to his cheeks and the bags under his eyes had disappeared.
"I won't let anyone else fight him,” I snapped fervently.
"No, Dad. He's too strong." I gulped recalling the way Alistair trained like a mad-man.I'd seen the injections in his gym bag.
"He takes performance-enhancing drugs. He's...he's been preparing for this takeover for a while.
" I gulped. "I think this was his plan-B all along. "
"I'm older than Dylan and strong! I could defeat him," Tony piped up. "I'm a beta. I could take over until Aiden comes back."
Dad had already told me that Tony had almost gone rogue when he discovered what had happened upon waking up in the hospital.
It had taken a considerable amount of effort on everyone's parts to calm him down.
Today, he'd been discharged, but he was champing at the bit for an opportunity to challenge Alistair.
I shook my head. "Tony, I won't let you risk your life like that. Lexia was there to save Aiden. Who's going to save you? Alistair’s a cold-blooded killer."
"So you want me to just sit around and watch him take over this pack?!" Tony yelled angrily. "You want me to let him..." Tony ran a hand through his hair. “Goddess, Rose, it's no secret what he wants from you! You want me to just stand by and let it all happen?"
"I expect you to stand down and live to fight another day!" I retorted. "I've got the situation handled! He won't...force me,” I ended. I couldn't tell them I was pregnant. They'd never listen to me if they found out. They'd run in headfirst, ready to die for me and protect Aiden's unborn child.
Tony snorted. "He's a cold-blooded killer but he won't force you." Tony rolled his eyes.
"I've got it handled,” Irepeated firmly. "Besides...I think he prefers...older women."
"Well, he should if he doesn't want to be labeled a pedophile as well!" Dylan cut in angrily. "Rose, you're over twenty years younger than him!"
"And he's actually disgusted by it,” I retorted jauntily. "I'm safe on that front...for now,” I added under my breath. “Look, we need to figure out a plan. I mind-linked Josie. She told me Aiden's still out cold."
"You're still marked by him. Have you tried...contacting him? It might work? Might bring him back from his coma?" Dylan asked hesitantly.
I looked down at my hands helplessly.
"It's like reaching out into a black hole. A blank void. He's still out cold. I can't reach him, or it's not working because our bond was broken." I tried to still the trembling of my lower lip before looking back at Dad who'd been oddly quiet through all of this.
“I wishI could take you and hide you away, somewhere far away from all of this.” Dad said slowly. I knew my dad couldn't stand watching me go through this. But that's what being a luna was about. It was about sticking with your pack even when things got unbearable.
"Dad? What about the alliances?" I pressed again.
"They can't go against the alpha of the pack,” dad said carefully.
"We have no proof regarding whatever he has done.
If we suspected him, we should have brought it up before he challenged Aiden.
Now it just looks like Dylan and you are out to discredit him.
In the eyes of the alliance, he won his fight fair and square.
They can't interfere, no matter how much they might want to.
But they did offer sanctuary toAiden's luna, if she wishes to leave. "
The expression ondad's face made it no secret he'd prefer for me to leave.
I turned my head away. I wasn't leaving. I was going to hold the fort for Aiden.
"It's why we had to take him to the Rushing River Pack,” Dylan added, his face sober as he remembered the sad state his older brother had been in.
"The alliance couldn't go against the wishes of the main alpha of our pack.
They've offered to help us,” Dylan added.
"Alpha Ron said he'd issue a challenge of his own to Alistair and step down when Aiden recovered. "
I thought over this plan of action carefully. Ron was older than Aiden. He might just be able to defeat Alistair.
"It's a viable plan-B,” I decidedly stated.
"Now hold on, Rose—” Dad began. "You can't make decisions like this without convening the Council. I think we need a vote to decide what’s plan-B or plan-A."
I massaged my temples. They needed to be patient. But everyone was so worried about me and eager to get rid of Alistair, they were going to end up making another mistake. Mistakes I knew we could not afford.
"The less people that know about this the better,” I replied evenly.
"Our pack is in the hands of the wrong alpha.
He isn't fit to rule. I can't convene the council without raising questions from Alistair.
" I looked at the three occupants of my TV lounge.
"This all must be done covertly. No more going by the book. "
Tony's face broke out in a grin for the first time.
"Nothing like a little coup d’état to start off my first day out of the hospital."
I brushed off Tony's comment. Suddenly remembering something else that I'd been meaning to ask my father.
"Dad, have you heard of Evercore Inc.?"
Dad jumped in his seat at the words. He looked at me in surprise.
"You just threw me back decades," he admitted.
I felt relieved. He recognized the name. Maybe he'd give me some answers.
"Alistair's been asking me about the company."
"I can't imagine why."Dad's eyebrows furrowed.
"It's an oil drilling and fracking company.
They tried buying the land adjacent to the creek that runs through our land and into Alistair's before emptying into the lake behind his house.
This was around the time you were born. Austin and Alistair both refused to sell, werewolves love their land. "
And finally, all the missing pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place. Dad kept talking and my mind worked furiously, hoping additional information would help me.