Chapter 48

(Tommy POV)

“She is? Wait what number is this?” I ask.

“I may have borrowed someone else’s phone without letting them know.” He said shyly.

“You stole a phone? That could get you on cop’s radar, are you crazy!” I yelled at him.

“Look, I will give it back as soon as I get a chance to. But this way I can send you the location of the pack right now instead of in a crowded café for everyone to hear! Ok?!” He snaps at me.

A low annoyed growl rumbles in my chest, but I push it down with a deep breath.

“Ok, we can worry about all that later. Send me the location and wait for me to contact you again. Understand? Do not go in until I tell you to! My father has a plan.” I try to enunciate the part about him not going in alone, but by his lack of immediate response it was clear he planned on ignoring my orders.

“Ok, I understand.” He says, only half paying attention.

“I mean it Eli, do not go in there! If you get caught, you can’t help Maya!” I warned him, and even though he agreed I knew he would not listen to me.

My alpha side helped me focus away from my urge to go storming into that pack and taking my mate without hesitation. I need to think things through like an alpha should, but Noah and Eli couldn’t do that. They were fueled by their need to be with her and would sacrifice themselves to do it. I knew Eli would try to get to her, and we needed to be ready to back him up. I looked to my dad.

“Eli found the pack, and knowing him he is going to find a way in. We need to be ready to help them escape when he reaches her.” I tell him.

“I had hoped we would have a little more time to plan, but we can not wait. We need to get here now; did he send you the location?” I stood and handed him my phone with a map pulled up.

“It looks like it is on the other side of the village we saw before Noah was hurt. There is a difficult hike up a mountain and the descent is dangerous but it’s not impossible.” I explain to him.

“I’ll alert the pack. We will be ready to leave in an hour.” My father says and I nod in understanding.

For a moment I let myself feel the mate bond, and I was hit with the desire to see Maya again. I had been holding back so long that it was overwhelming how strong my heart yearned for her. My father had left me alone in his office, so I did not hold back the whimper that escaped my lips as I fell to my knees and held my chest. Letting myself feel the lose had made the pain of being separated go from a dull pain to one that knocked the wind out of me. I dropped to my hands and knees and let out unsteady and quick breaths trying to not pass out from the sheer amount of emotion I felt.

This was worse than before. Maybe because we had still barely known each other when we mated the first time. We had been together more recently, and it must have made the bond stronger and for a second I felt scared. This pain was so intense that if I never saw her again I was sure it would kill me.


(Eli POV)

As soon as I hung up with Tommy my mind was made up. I never liked going against his orders, but that dull ache I had begun to feel had turned into torturous pain of longing. I need Maya, now. Even the thought of other men around her was driving me mad. I could smell her scent on the man I saw in the café and I nearly ripped his head off. I couldn’t because he would show me how to get to her. I watched him enter the pack lands and when he was far enough out of sight I tried to follow. That was until an unseen force pushed me backward. A protection spell?

It was not uncommon for packs to cast protection spells around their land, but that meant there was no way I was getting in unless accompanied by a member of the pack. The blood of their alpha would have been used for the spell, and when every new pack member went through the ceremony of officially becoming a pack member they would drink his blood. This however would be to my advantage once inside though. When a pack member entered or left through the barrier, then it would send a signal to all the members of the pack. The fact that I was not a pack member would mean he would be undetectable once inside.

I needed to wait for someone else to return and somehow enter without them seeing me. It was not going to be a walk in the park with our kind having such good sense. I would need to mask my scent as well. The clothes I was wearing had a strong smell when I first put them on but had since faded. I needed to find something very strong to mask my smell. I let my eyes wander the woods around me and with nothing more than pine trees in sight I settled on smelling like pine. I walked to a tree and pulled a few branches down and rubbed them all over my body. At least I would smell like the trees around me, that wouldn’t raise any alarms since the scent already filled the air.
I kneeled in behind the trees and waited for someone to show up.

(Maya POV)
My father had not come to see me again after our last talk. The only person I see is the man who had carried me here from the moment I was taken. He seemed different than the others who guarded me. His expression was always soft when his eyes would meet mine. He seemed gentle even, which was puzzling to me. He had been bringing my food and books for me to read. He had even snuck in a few treats a few times. It confused me because I felt touched by his actions, but he was one of the men who had taken me.

I decided today to talk to him more than our usual pleasantries. When I heard the lock unlatch and saw him step in, I gave him a soft smile. He stilled in front of the door for a moment. He seemed to be surprised by my sudden change of attitude, but I need him to trust me so I could convince him to help me.

“Hi!” I say softly.

He nodded and walked to the table not far from me and setting down the food. He also pulled out a small white bag and left it beside the tray and turned to leave.
“Wait!” I called out to him. “Can you stay and talk for a minute?”

He looked at me with wide eyes but nodded and sat on one of the chairs by the table. He was visibly nervous and fidgeting with his shirt without making eye contact with me.

“What’s your name?” I ask him.

He looks to me and away just as fast. It looked like he was considering what to do.

“Oliver.” He said quietly.

“Oliver? That’s a nice name. Oliver can you tell me why you are so scared? Are you afraid of me?” I ask pulling out my best puppy eyes.

He shook his head quickly denying that it was me he feared.

“I am afraid of the alpha. We all are.” He says simply.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

He looks to the door before dropping his voice to a whisper.

“The alpha has been very angry the last few months when he was not able to get to you. He has been punishing anyone who even looked at him. His anger has been seeping through the pack link for weeks making us all feel on edge. Then as soon as you came, he changed. It has made us feel more uneasy to feel him so calm. We are worried that something bad may be about to happen.” He admits to me.

“I know you are all bound as a pack, but if there are enough of you against him can you not just leave? Seek sanctuary in other packs?” I ask giving him a sympathetic look.

“Even though many of us wish to run, we are also afraid of being hunted and killed for going against him. He is a vicious man in battle, and wherever we fled he would kill us and those who helped us. We don’t want to put others in danger as well.” He dropped his eyes to his hands and sighed deeply.

These people were trapped just like I was. This had been my pack once, and here they were suffering while I had been hidden away for so many years.

“Oliver, I want to help you and as many others who wish to escape, but I need to get back to my new pack. They can help us!” I tell him, and his eyes lite up immediately. “IS there any way for me to get out of here?”

He looked around once again. “There is a protection spell around our land. It prevents anyone who is not one of the pack from entering, but it does not keep anyone inside. You should be able to walk through with no problems. The only problem is the guards you have to get past to even make it that far. But if a big enough threat was near, the guards would be called away to defend the pack.” He paused and smiled for a second. “And if I am not mistaken, one of your mates has been following me for a little while now”

My heart leapt at that. I knew they said they would come for me, but in truth I figured they had given up since so many days had passed and I had not been able to connect to them through our mind link.

“If I can sneak him inside, you may have a better chance of escaping if some of us could cause a big enough distraction. Maya, you would be the next leader of our pack if your father were to be killed. We would be ready to follow you if that happens, we have heard rumors about you that havee givven us hope. If I help you, please come back for us.” He pleads.

“I will.” I promise and I mean it.

“Thank you! I will speak to a few and I will try to sneak your mate in tonight. Be ready!” he stood and lowered his head to me before turning and leaving.

Once I was alone, a glimmer of hope sparked in me.