~ Chapter Nine ~

"What the fuck? What the actual fuck? Should I- Should I be worried? We... should be going to Roger about this, right? They won't just leave us alone. We'll get slaughtered alongside the others when they come."

"You're making a lot of assumptions," I interrupted Nola's ranting as we walked down the stairs. "And talking about something very sensitive in a very public area."

"Because we're going to die!" she hissed.

"*If* his pack are really going to come here," I said, dragging her into a spare closet downstairs where no one could hear us, "then you need to hide. I don't think his pack is anything like ours, they won't come here and just kill. If you're unarmed and pose no threat, they won't hurt you."

"You don't know that," Nola pointed out.

"Use your mental energy, or whatever, Nola." I shrugged at her. "Find it within yourself to accept the possibility that not everything is like it is for us."

Nola shook her head. "I believe that, I do, but what I don't believe is that a pack coming for their imprisoned alpha will be very kind to his captors."

"That's why I told you to hide," I insisted.

"And what're you gonna do?"

"Hide, too." Nola and I stared at each other for a long moment of consideration, then she sighed and I was envelopped into a hug I *really* needed - more than I thought I did.

When she pulled back, she silently left the closet without even a glance back. I pressed my back to the wall to stare mindlessly at the ceiling.

Everything was so uncertain since Dimitri had arrived at our pack. Granted, anything that happened as a result of him being here was totally Roger's fault, maybe the fault of the pack warriors - but mostly Roger. He knew he was imprisoning an alpha and we all should've thought about the possibility that he'd been communicating with his pack this whole time. Clearly, with Jess's arrival, they were planning something quite big.

I left the closet, heading for the basement. Everything felt loud in the quiet house, which was only this way because everyone was holding their breaths waiting for Roger to truly snap. I wouldn't be surprised when he cast the order to have my mate killed. If his pack could get to him first, then I wished him luck wherever he went.

Expecting the basement to be empty aside from Dima, I carelessly walked inside and started down the stairs, but a couple of steps down, I found that Dimitri wasn't alone at all.

There were three warriors stood around him, one of which *currently* punching him in the face, and Roger stood back watching.

The fist-to-face contact caused me to scream automatically, which gathered the attention of every person in the room. Roger was the only one I concerned myself with, staring at him as he was staring at me. A long moment of this nothingness passed, then he walked away from the scene.

"This prisoner means nothing to me or any of the pack, Keller," he started. "You need to get over this stupid little puppy crush of yours, because he is going to *die*. Soon, too. I've just about reached my breaking point with getting information out of him. Might as well rid of him."

"Why?" I breathed.

"We need this space for other prisoners."

"So chain more than one up down here - or just let him go."

"Let him go!" Roger yelled and broke down into laughter. The other warriors weren't amused, but they weren't particularly sympathetic to my case, either. No one but Connor ever would give a shit about my mateship with Dima. "How could I let an alpha go after everything we've done? If he has any guts to him, he'll only come back with an army."

"You never should have imprisoned him in the first place, then."

I regretted the words as soon as I said them. I should have known better than to open my mouth like that.

Roger stomped up the few steps between us before there was a sting at my cheek and a sound echoing off of the walls. Everything else fell completely silent, while I stared blankly straight ahead of me in surprise, unable to tell whether or not that'd really happened. My processing was completely off.

"Do not raise your voice to me or ever speak in that tone again," Roger was saying. "You're nothing but a doctor here. I could replace you. It'd only take a day, maybe two. Do *not* think you have *any* authority."

Instead of listening to him, now I was looking at Dima through the two warriors in the way. His brown eyes stared back at me through the cracks, widened slightly and angry, if I knew him at all by now - which I did. This was the end of the line for us, it felt, because Roger wasn't going to go lenient on anyone now. Not me, not him, not Connor if he ever found out the guy was on my side rather than his.

We were all screwed in some way.

One mistake and I was gone. One more snap and Dima was gone. One slipped word and Connor was gone.

Connor, I thought. His kids, Valerie - what would they all think if something happened to him? If he died? Would anyone even step up to be the protector, or would Valerie have to find the warrior she once was to look after her children? I didn't want to think about that at all, but it was at the forefront of my mind that I was dragging other people down with me. Hell, I'd even pulled Nola into this today.

I wished I could do something, but as I couldn't, I just said, "The other prisoner is awake. I'll be in my room if you need me," and I walked away with my arms wrapped around my stomach.

/////

Connor walked carelessly into my room with his youngest son in his arms. The boy was fast asleep and clutching to him like a koala would a bamboo stick, but he didn't seem bothered as he sat down on the couch at the foot of my bed. He shuffled the boy into a more comfortable position not saying a word - and without looking at me.

"The date's set for tomorrow, Erica."

I stared at the only tiny window in my room, refusing to respond in case I'd heard him correctly.

"There's nothing I or anyone can do. I can't risk it. This boy here? Means too much. I'm sorry, my family comes first."

"You don't have to apologise about that," I whispered into the dark. "Jacob's a good little kid, gonna be a real fighter. And he's your son. I can't expect you to put me above him... or Tony... or Bree, or even Valerie." Connor nodded solemnly.

"Did you speak to the prisoner?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What did she say?"

"To be ready," I muttered, "that they won't let their alpha die here. But they probably won't make it here in time if the date's tomorrow. Roger'll have *him* dead too soon... won't he?"

Connor uncomfortably shifted. "Probably."

"I think I should go and see him," I decided. "He deserves to at least get to be around me for his last night alive."

"If you're gonna go down there, take your FirstAid kit. I heard the warriors talking about what they've done to him." Connor stood with his child in his arms, sweeping across the room toward the door again. "And make it stealthy. Roger's about to snap."

"Okay."

I felt utterly numb as Connor left the room and shut the door, like everything was going wrong all of a sudden. Nothing had really been right recently, but at least I'd been able to pretend Dima's inevitable death wasn't going to come so soon, that he *could live*, even though, realistically, I should've been preparing myself for this outcome the whole time.

It was stupid of me to get attached at all. Now I was facing the consequences.

And I would face them.

Head on.

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