The secret meeting.

“Are you sure you'll be able to stay silent?” The Council member stood in front of Henry, doubting the guard's ability to resist questioning from an Alpha.

Most of those men, working around the territory, guarding guests or perimeter, were damned to follow any other command from an Alpha. All they could do was pray to the gods for Henry to keep by their scenario.

If he cracked - soon, they all would fall.

It wasn't that Luciano was the most influential person - yet. The main problem was that judging by their rules - no one, even the Elder's Council, held power big enough to refuse an Alpha the woman he had claimed.

“I am a hundred percent sure, sir. Seth is family now; my wife and kids would never forgive me if I ever let her down. If anything, I'm doing this for my family. The only thing you should worry about is these other guys who know the details. I won't crack, but won’t they?”

Henry was sure of himself. Alyssa wouldn't look into his eyes ever again if she found out that her husband was the one responsible for Seth's downfall. The guard could picture disappointment in their eyes - all three of them, watching how someone took Seth away from them.

“Not to worry, Henry, my men are loyal - built to keep their mouths shut. Nobody in this room will ever let him know anything; the only man we are worried about is you,” the elder chuckled.

It was funny to see how those men trusted Henry to look after Seth but wouldn't trust any information to him. He went through rough training, both physically and mentally, while these men facing him did nothing but sat down and spoke.

Henry had seen war zones since he served in the military, and again, these men had seen nothing as terrifying as he did. All in all, Henry was more likely to keep his mouth than the Council members or their bodyguard, but they pointed only at him.

At some point, he hoped that someone else would confess, but he quickly dropped the idea. He wouldn't take it kindly - nobody was allowed to give out any information about the puma woman.

Henry himself would stand up for her safety and reputation.

“We will see about that, sir. For now, I would wish to rethink possible answers to avoid bringing up the young lady. I'd suggest doing the same to all of you and the guards.”

As odd as it seemed - Henry was the only well-trained guard in the room. He also sounded like the most diplomatic of them all while the Council members had to be the ones who could lead a discussion.

An Alpha would ask many questions; to some, he might lack an answer, but he had to do his best no matter what. The future of his family was on the line.

A door opened, and an insanely large man entered the library. Thus far, Henry had never seen the Alpha's face or full size.

When one would say Luciano was tall - in reality, he was like a walking mountain. Man as he would intimidate, and did, every one with his presence alone.

As Henry watched Alpha Vincent politely greeting everyone, shaking hands, and sitting down, the man wondered what drew Seth towards such a man.

The guard didn't believe that she went after the title since she gladly left as soon as she had a chance, but there had to be something.

“Sorry for the delay, gentlemen; an unexpected guest arrived at my doorstep, but that would be a discussion for later. Now, did the guard arrive?”

If someone told Henry that Alpha Vincent could be as polite and calm - he wouldn't believe a single word. How can someone who had beaten someone up to a near-death state still be as charming?

“That would be me, Alpha,” Henry stepped towards him before any of the Council members could try to involve themselves.

The guard knew that the elders might try to change the topic and make things much more difficult. The faster they went through the questioning - the sooner he could leave the territory and head back to the family.

“I would like to apologize for ruining the vacation with your family. I promise that you will be able to return as soon as this meeting is over; however, if only you prove or make me believe that you do not know anything about Seth's location. We are not animals, so let me start with a basic introduction - I am Alpha Vincent, but please feel free to call me Luciano. It's a pleasure to meet you; I've heard a lot about you, only the best, of course.”

When Luciano finished with his little introduction, Henry stood in front of him, absolutely dumbfounded. The Alpha offered him a hand to shake, and soon the guard understood why Seth must have decided to jump into anything connected to this man.

He was known to be an insensitive asshole, but when needed, he clearly knew how to set everything straight in the most polite manner ever. Heck, Luciano made Henry feel as if they were equal - how was that possible?

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha; I've heard a lot as well,” he took Luciano's hand and shook it.

The guard felt like a little kid who had gotten the best gift ever while standing next to his father. Henry compared Luciano to a fatherly figure simply because of the difference in their heights and builds.

“My name is Henry, I am a night guard around here, but you could find me around the main gate most of the time. If I am supposed to introduce myself by the title, I am a Delta and retired air force sergeant, sir.”

Henry's introduction impressed Luciano; he grinned and held his hand for a little longer, adding: “I am honored to meet another military member among these people, thank you for your service.”

What seemed to grow as questioning from an Alpha turned out in a friendly meeting between two men who had served in the military, sharing bits of their experience.

It was odd how Henry thought so lowly of the Alpha, but meeting him in person was incredible. Henry would feel honored to be a friend with a man such as Luciano under any other circumstances. Everything about him was mind-blowing.

“As much as I enjoy the friendly chat, unfortunately - the reason for our meeting is a missing woman. Truth to be told, I feel like everyone here is aware of her location but keeps doing everything to prevent me from finding her. I wouldn't know why, since I've never hurt her, nor intended to do so. In this room, men would gladly stand by her father, who is an absolute twat, if you ask me, but would defy my attempts to get back what belongs to me. You see, Henry, I've claimed the woman who went missing during the previous Council meeting, so I won't stop until she is back in my arms - the only place where Seth would be truly safe.”

Luciano's words made Henry feel guilt for following any command from the Council. However, the guard couldn't understand why the Alpha brought up Seth's father.

“Excuse me, Alpha, but we wouldn't stand by that man; you really do love to spread fake accusations,” one of the Council members tried to deny his words.

Luciano turned around and faced the man, a corner of his lip visibly lifted as the elder paled.

“So, you're trying to tell me that you weren't the one who sent that maid, am I correct? You know, the one who tried her best to seduce me but failed miserably. I assume you wouldn't know about the letter sent by that greedy wannabe Alpha either? And about his visit? How about that? Of course, such a safe territory as yours probably lacks guards, so every other nobody could invite themselves in and happen to find me. They would happen to know that I was looking for Seth. This is not about you, moron. Right now, you will sit your ass back down and zip that mouth before I do. Understood?”

The words left Luciano’s mouth with such force; Henry felt as if Luciano could kill someone with his voice alone.

The guard watched how the elder sat back down, gulping loudly and averting his gaze. Only a person who was caught red-handed would act in such a way, so the Alpha didn't lie.

“Now, back to the main issue. Henry, you wouldn't happen to know where Seth is, right?” Luciano turned his attention to the guard.

The Alpha lost hope in catching anything suspicious about the male - both of them served, both knew how to hide anything they felt. Being an ex-military had a few advantages - one could act as if nothing was wrong while half of their body was shattered.

No pain, emotions, or feelings.

While Luciano spoke to the Council member, Henry had a while to rethink his answer.

They could connect in so many ways, and the guard did want to help the Alpha. However, his family and Seth's safety had to be prioritized.

“No, I do not,” Henry replied, sounding as sincere as no one in this room ever did.

“Alright, yet something tells me that people in this room are hiding the information, so nobody will leave before I find out every little detail. Am I clear? Oh, please, take a seat, Henry; we will have quite some time to understand each other better.” Luciano offered a seat right next to him.

Gasps filled the room - it was a great honor to sit next to an Alpha, especially if the wolf had invited someone to join him.

The Council members had many deals with Luciano, but he never invited them to sit near or have a conversation out of business. Henry was gaining Luciano's liking, and not everyone around the room liked it.

After a few minutes, chatter between the Council members and guards filled the room. Henry sighed and averted his gaze to his feet - his action was quickly noticed by Luciano. The Alpha knew that Henry might be his ticket to Seth.

“Whisper so those old fucks won't hear you. You can tell me, if anyone, I am the only one who genuinely cares about her safety. These morons will sell her off to whoever gives more money, and I have to get her before such things happen.” Luciano shared his thoughts, receiving nothing from Henry. “I know it will happen because her father was there, but I mentioned that already.”

The guard instantly showed his interest in the topic. Henry searched Luciano's eyes to find out if he wasn't lying and mouthed a silent “why?”

“He tried to sell her - ten million and land. I know she's worth more, but that's sick. I could get you out of here; just help me. I don't like talking about feelings, but man, I think I love her.” Luciano sighed, thinking if the words would be enough to get somewhere with the situation.

Henry wasn't a bad man, and even if he didn't say anything - Luciano wouldn't move a finger to hurt the guard or his family. He was trying to protect Seth, and risking his life to hide something from an Alpha already proved Henry's loyalty.

“Promise that you won't hurt her, Alpha? She is our family; we can't and won't let anyone hurt her,” Henry whispered, taking a glance back at the Council members who appeared rather busy with their discussions.

“You know a soldier wouldn't break a promise, and you have mine.” Luciano leaned closer to Henry, connecting their wrists.

It was a silent thing some men who served did. What would be the odds to see the one detail that made the guard trust Luciano. Both of them had identical tattoos, connecting as they were supposed to whenever a promise was given.

“I know where she is. I can't say it out loud, but the hint was already given.” Henry whispered back, watching the male next to him tense.

The Alpha didn't say a word until he processed their conversation. Luciano smiled, mouthing “family,” and turned back to Henry. The guard nodded his head in agreement - Luciano had guessed where Seth was.

The Alpha wanted to thank him, at least silently, but he couldn't since one of the Council members jumped on his feet and spoke up.

“We have been business partners for years, and you'd trust a guard more than us. We have done everything to help Alphas, including you, but you never asked us to join, disrespecting any effort from the Council. However, you have the nerve to invite a simple guard to a private conversation. I can't believe this; the whole situation is outrageous. Would you still sit next to the traitor when you found out that he is the one hiding that woman? Go ahead, ask him. Get his phone and call the woman, she will pick the phone. They had a deal - if you call from his number, she will tell you where she is. Don't believe me? Try it! Henry is the traitor you're looking for!” By the end of the sentence, the elder screamed at the top of his lungs.

Henry didn't crack as they supposed he would - all he did was give a hint out of trust. The guard knew that Luciano was one of his, a rare person to trust, and he wouldn't hurt Seth.

It was funny to see the widened eyes of everyone when the Council member cracked and told Alpha everything he knew. Unexpectedly, Luciano stood up, placed a hand over Henry's shoulder, and smiled.

“This man, right here, is following your orders. I knew that I wouldn't get through him as soon as I discovered that he had served. Men like him had gone through a lot of top training; cracking them is impossible. However, cracking a bunch of greedy Council members is a piece of a cake. I'll happily watch your downfall after the news spread - could you imagine the shame. The all mighty elders Council is hiding an Alphas chosen, such a low blow. No one would ever blame Henry since all he does is follow orders and his job. You guys are too dumb to sit here, might attempt to get a new calling instead of you.” Luciano smiled, content with the result.

“Now, excuse us, it appears that I'll need to borrow Henry's phone to call my woman. Enjoy the evening, gentlemen.”
Between the Four Alphas
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