Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Sloan**

“What do you mean, found you?” Declan asked.

“**It’s the beauty of being a Lycan who has found his mate and Luna… I can communicate with Myra through her vixen spirit, regardless of the distance between us.**” Alpha explained while typing in a number and waited for the video call to the Council Chambers to connect.

“Alpha Sloan, we are still––” Elder Reagan immediately started speaking with the call connected.

“**Stop looking,**” He commanded, and the Elder’s eyes widened. He immediately bared his throat to Sloan in submission, even though they weren’t in the same room. This display indicated that Sloan’s newfound status as a Lycan surpassed the Council rankings and power.

“A Lycanthrope?? It is an honour.” The elderly gentleman said.

Alpha ignored his respectful and friendly sentiments and got down to business, “**We know where they are hiding… Haleville Watermill. We will need the schematics and blueprint layout of the compound; thermal imagery of the buildings and the surroundings. We should be within the chamber in the next fifteen minutes, and I expect to have what I asked for available upon our arrival.**” Alpha ordered. In the background, they could see people already moving about the room, fulfilling his request. “**Maintain a radio silence on this development; I don’t want their spies catching wind of our progress.**”

“We will continue with the perception that we are still searching for the Ome… the Luna.” Elder Reagan smiled, and the call disconnected.

“Stacy isn’t here… I did a thorough background check on her, but nothing new showed up. However, she’s just a kitchen staff apprentice, so she wasn’t brought back to the packhouse during this lockdown.” Tristan informed him. Honestly, she was the least of his worries, her betrayal noted, and her punishment will be just as severe as Richie’s and the others.

“**She’s of no consequences to me… Gather the team. We leave as soon as possible.**” Alpha ordered, and Declan walked out of the booth. “**Kenny, you are coming with us… pack whatever you may need.**”

“Yes, Alpha.”

* * *

While Declan and Tristan organized with the security team to leave the house, Alpha quickly retreated to their bedroom. He needed to tend to the wound on his face and change his clothes. He completely ignored the bed once he entered the room, rushing past it on his way to the bathroom. He looked at his face in the mirror and grimaced.

“*That fucking cunt messed up my face.*” Alpha heard Sloan’s voice snapping from the back of their mind.

“**You mean our face… and I should have killed the little bastard,**” Alpha growled, washing the blood off his face. The injury caused a pathway through his beard, and the only result is to cut it off.

“*It’s been a while since I’ve had a clean-shaven face,*” Sloan groaned as Alpha looked around for a razor. “*I don’t think I possess a razor, to be honest.*” Alpha chuckled because Sloan was just as annoyed as him. “*There should be extras on Myra’s side with her shaving gel.*”

Alpha nodded, rummaging through Myra’s cabinets, and he found a new razor and a can of vanilla-scented shaving scream.

“**We’re going to smell like our female.**” Alpha chuckled, shaking the can before spraying out a good dollop of the gel into his hand.

“*Nothing new,*” Sloan smirked, and the memory of her feminine secretions coating his beard flashed through their mind. The memory was bittersweet as it reminded them of what was taken and what he will soon be losing. Then the thought of who was to blame made them angry all over again. “*Brainy Brian Marshall?? He was like a younger brother to us. We looked out for him. Especially when he never gained an animal spirit and was considered a dud.*”

Sloan’s last memory of the boy was a couple of years old when Brian left for university. The Marshalls were so proud of the full-ride academic scholarship that they had a big going-away party for him. Even then, he was a twig of a boy with thick glasses, embarrassing facial acne and bracers. He was terrified of his own shadow, bullied whenever they were there to protect and had a massive crush on Elizabeth.

“*No wonder he risked it all to break her out.*” Sloan wondered in disgust.

Alpha chuckled, “**He risked it all because she is his mate.**”

Sloan was flabbergasted and rendered speechless. Did Elizabeth know at the time and didn’t care? Or was this a long-ass con? However, the nagging thought that still bothered them was how did Brian orchestrate all of this?

Gazing into the mirror, he almost didn’t recognize himself. It had been years since he went clean-shaven, and he didn’t like the look. The wound was slowly healing due to the deadly poisons that coated the blade. But their Lycan blood helped to remove the toxins out of his system. It had stopped bleeding and looked raw, red and angry. The odds of the wound perfectly healing may be slim to none.

“**Fucking prick.**” Alpha cursed Richie and his lucky shot.

He pulled off his blood-splattered tee and threw it directly into the waste bin. Sloan glanced at his body in the mirror and noticed that his muscles looked even more defined and bulkier if possible. He finished cleaning his face from his quick shave and the dry blood from both his wound and Richie’s that splattered on him. He threw the blooded washcloth directly in the waste bin.

“**Showering now will be pointless because the next time we step into that stall, we will be with our female.**”

Sloan smirked, liking the direction of Alpha’s thought. Alpha quickly grabbed a jersey and left the room. As he descended the stairwell, he pulled down his black tee over his stomach. He paused midway down the stairs, and all conversation stopped. Alpha gazed at the gathering in his foyer. More of his security team were called in and were waiting patiently for his instructions. In total, there were about forty-five of his senior well-trained and toughest Shifters in his pack; their species varied and skill levels impeccable. All dressed in tactical black clothing that can shred easily upon shifting, and each held motorcycle helmets.

Just to be sure there wasn’t any other Richies in his rank, he made a spectacle of sniffing the air. He searched for any further hints of Myra or the unknown chemical that he picked up on him. Thankfully, he didn’t pick up on anything; unfortunately, his trust was already broken. He was wary and suspicious of everyone. His eyes fell on Myra’s father and brother-in-law, who also stood amongst the team’s numbers, dressed in a similar manner. While Alpha was happy about their presence, Sloan was hesitant about their decision to join in her rescue.

“**Myra and Myrielle will kill me if either of you got hurt or killed.**” He noted, and both men nodded.

“She’s my little pup… and one part of the two precious things my wife left me. Those bastards are going to learn that they messed with the wrong fox.” Laurence growled, and Alpha saw parental rage flash in his eyes.

“You’re lucky I have a pup of my own,” Myrielle voiced from behind. He sensed both her and Megan coming down the stairs behind him; the baby cooed blissfully unaware of the brewing battle. Glancing behind him, he also saw Bryn and Pearl were brought safely to the house as well – that saved them the trouble of tracking them down and dragging them back to the house. His sister sniffled, and he noticed her red-rimmed eyes. All of the girls had puffy red eyes. They have all bonded over the past weeks, and their relationship was strong like sisters.

“**Listen, everyone… I cannot guarantee your safety or your lives,**” He announced, “**If you don’t wish to head somewhat blindly into danger, now is your chance to leave.**"

“A life for a life!” The gathered group echoed their vow loudly and without hesitation, standing at attention before him.

“**Richie comes with us… he can rot in the Council’s cells until they rounded up the others.**” He stated, and two members nodded and disappeared down to the dungeons and get the boy. “**Mom, Dad. Myrielle, Megan, the baby, Bryn and Pearl are all coming with us too. They will be protected in the Chambers under your watch.**”

For once, his sister and Pearl did as told. Even though they both received the same military combat training as the rest of the pack, he – as well as Declan – wasn’t allowing the girls to see combat. Call them hypocritical, but they were still their baby sisters.

The look of confusion on Megan’s face upon his words, and then her sudden words that broke his train of thought and the tension within the room. “Aren’t we forgetting the small details that I’m human? Shifters may have adopted me, but I’m not welcomed in that place.”

“**As my mate’s best friend, you are under my protection… for the time being,**” He added the last piece glancing at Declan. However, his friend was staring at her with mixed emotions displayed on his face. “**Pull your head out of your ass and claim your mate.**” He linked with Declan, and his eyes snapped to Alpha. But he looked away just as quickly, trying to masquerade his expression. Alpha smirked at his reaction while Sloan chuckled in the back of his mind.

“**Tristan, take the SUV with Myrielle, Megan and the baby… Dad, you take your vehicle with mom, Bryn and Pearl. I want a six-member team acting as protective convoy to the chamber.**”

Tristan pointed out twelve members to be their security detail, and they immediately left the room in the direction of the garage with his family in tow.

“*Keep her safe for me.*” Declan linked with both Tristan and Alpha. He looked at her retreating body as she walked hand in hand with Myrielle. Tristan, who followed behind them, turned around and made an inappropriate jerking motion with his hips, earning a growl from Declan. Tristan just winked and disappeared through the garage doors.

“**Steven and Valentine deliver Richie to the Council dungeons.**” Both Shifters had returned dragging a still wheezing Richie into the foyer. They nodded, and they too immediately left.

“The rest of you with me. We will start for the treatment plant and surround the area from a safe distance. We will also do an initial reconnaissance of the site while waiting for your arrival with reinforcements.” Declan concluded to the remaining team.

Alpha nodded and accepted a leather jacket and motorcycle helmet from Declan. After shrugging into his jacket, Alpha went straight to the garage. He quickly zipped up the garment while approaching his custom-made matte black super-cycle.

He heard different vehicles starting up and driving out of the garage. He didn’t wait for anyone else; he powered on his motorcycle and sped out of the garage with a loud, tire burning squeal. He had the custom-made vehicle built for speed and quiet as compared to other bikes on the market. It was one of the best purchases Sloan had ever made. He couldn’t wait to have Myra riding with him, clenching his middle from behind enjoying the ride.

The thought of their mate caused Alpha to push the bike to go faster. Was he worried about the police? Nope. They would have to try and catch him first.

He took the different corners at break-neck speeds, and he weaved through the traffic using his Lycan reflexives to manipulate his reaction time. He even ignored traffic lights as they only hinder his progress. He was the first one from their group to make it to the Chambers’ grounds, just under eight minutes.

A valet approached him as he dismounted the bike. The man bowed and quickly took the helmet from Alpha’s passing figure. His Lycan aura was so strong that the Elders and other Alphas just moved out of his way. Two guards standing by the main doors to the chamber opened it as he approached. So, he quickly stepped inside.

“Alpha… we have everything you requested.” Elder Reagan stated when Alpha walked into the busy inner chambers. He patted on a female Acolyte’s shoulder, silently giving her instructions. The girl sitting behind the control desk typed on some keys, and two images came up on the big screen.

As the image materialized, another Alpha approached Sloan. “We are all ready to join you in battle… just say the word.” He commented, and several others behind him nodded in agreement.

“**Have your people ready to leave as soon as possible.**” Alpha instructed. Everyone, besides Elder Reagan, looked at Sloan in shock; some even bared their necks to him in submission. He quickly dismissed their display and looked back at the screen. One image depicted the blueprint plans of the water treatment plant. Several areas were circled in red, “**What are those highlighted spots?**”

“All possible entries and exits to the treatment plant. We got all records of the buildings, outhouses and grounds. Further scans showed that there are no hidden tunnels or passageways that we can find.” The female Acolyte explained, “The other image is the thermal can of the surroundings… As you can see, a flurry of activities in and around this main building.”

Alpha shifted his eyes to the second image on the screen, taking in the different heat spots moving about the different levels of the building.

“*Very Marauders map like.*” Sloan wondered.

A different Acolyte spoke up, “In the last twenty minutes, they have all moved to this area… it’s the old desalination pool.” He isolated a large area with multiple thermal signatures, at the same time, the doors opened, and his family were ushered in. The moment Megan stepped in, nervous murmurs broke out throughout the room.

Alpha snapped, “**The human is under my protection… if you have a problem, tough luck. Any harm comes to her, you will answer to Declan and me.**” His bark stopped all further conversation about her. “**Also, this is Kenny. He’s my pack security IT specialist… he will be an extra pair of eyes during the operation.**”

“Alpha… Elizabeth sent us another link,” Tristan announced as soon as he entered. He nodded to the Acolyte, and soon the link was up on the screen. It was blurry at first, but once it came into focus, a voice started speaking.

“Ready to see some fun… it’s a fight to the death!” The distorted voice announced as the video feed moved over to showcase the empty desalination pool, confirming their location. It panned out, and there were several creatures gather. They were wearing Guy Fawke masks, cheering and booing at the two women in the pool, standing in the converted battle arena. “A challenge for Alpha Sloan’s heart and to be his one true mate!”

The video cut to Elizabeth in one corner, and she looked a terrible sight.

“Someone needs to be hosed down with a power washer.” Megan giggled, and some in the room chuckled.

Elizabeth’s usual platinum blonde hair looked matted and unkempt. There was a wild look on her face, almost feral like and sick. What looked out of place was the jagged bite mark on her neck.

“It looks like someone tried to chew on her.” Myrielle frowned.

“Talk about desperate,” Bryn whispered to Pearl.

“**Kenny, it’s a live feed… hack it,**” Alpha ordered. The video panned over to Myra, and she looked tired. But to him, he knew Skye was still in control and pretending to be weak. The act was to give Elizabeth a false sense of security and victory. “**We are leaving now!**” Alpha barked to the room, and then he linked with Skye as they ran out of the chamber, “**Soon, my love!**”