CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

**GABRIEL**
I slammed my car door shut and stood in the blazing sun, taking deep breaths and fixing myself to calm down. I looked up at the offending building and felt anger build in my soul again.
“Here we go,” I said to myself and strolled into the building.
As I made my way inside, I didn’t miss my notice how people stared as I walked past…as though they had seen a ghost…as though they were all aware of the attack, and for some reason, none of them had expected that I would come out alive.
They had all expected my pack and I to be wiped out, and that just served to make me angrier. I heard boisterous laughter as I approached the door, and opened it to find all the alphas seated at the large oval table, bottles of wine opened and being shared, the aroma of finely cooked chicken and other spices filled the air and despite myself, I felt my mouth water. My stomach growled reminded that I hadn’t had anything to eat since the kidnap of Oliver and his mother.
The room fell silent as I walked in, all conversations and feasting stopped, and all eyes turned to me. The only sound to be heard was that of the fan whirling above our heads, and my footsteps on the hardwood floors. They looked from one to the other as I circled the table. I stopped at the window and looked out at the expanse of Alpha John’s pack. I watched from the high-rise building as people strolled the streets peacefully, chatting and going on with life without a care in the world.
“It’s nice of you to join us, Gabriel,” my father said from behind me, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room.
I turned back and advanced to the table, smiling at Alpha Dan as I took his glass of wine from him and drained it, sighing in pleasure as the smooth wine ran down my throat. I then threw the glass into the wall and watched with a satisfying smile on my face as it hit the wall and shattered to the floor. There were collective gasps from around the table, and the murmurs began to rise.
“I think it’s really beautiful, you know…” I started. “Very beautiful how your pack members are safe, strutting up and down the streets without a care in the world. A beautiful sight.”
I picked up a bottle of unopened red wine and uncorked it, my eyes meeting each alpha’s as j downed the whole bottle and sent it flying into the way, an odd sense of satisfaction filling me as the bottle shattered against the wall and stained with with droplets of red. I felt my father’s eyes on me, amusement dancing in the orbs of the sleazy old man. I walked around the table one more time before settling myself into the only seat available at the other end of the oval table.
I felt my father’s eyes on me, looking in amusement, enjoying my pain, my suffering. At that moment, I understood why my mother had left him. But I ignored him. Today…today, j had come here for something bigger than him. Something more important.
“What are you doing here, Gabriel?” Alpha John asked, breaking the silence.
I laughed. “Why? Am I no longer a member of this revered council?” I asked mockingly and leaned back in my chair.
I looked around the table, my eyes landing on each member of the table, and watched as they averted their gazes, and fidgeted. My eyes fell on Kyle and I smiled.
“Alpha Kyle,” I called out. “I had heard about what happened to your beta. That was rather unfortunate. His mate must be devastated. However, tell her to take consolation in the fact that he had had a quick death.”
I saw a thin sheen of sweat break out on Kyle’s brow, and he shifted in his seat and quickly nodded his head in acknowledgment of my statement. The rest of the alphas were highly uncomfortable with my presence. All except for one —my father. He stared at me with amusement dancing in his eyes. His calm demeanor made me believe that he had more to do in this situation than just being in the council.
“As we’re all aware, my pack was attacked a few days ago,” I said, my voice taking on a grave tone. “Surely, you already know that’s what brought me here.”
Alpha John stared at me, his hands balled into fists on the table, and his eyes filled with annoyance. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Really? Because most of the wolves from the attack were members of your packs. So, how did that happen?”
The men around the table shifted uncomfortably, their gazes lowering to the ground.
“Such bold allegations you’re making, Gabriel,” Alpha John said.
I smirked. “Your wolves…they had strange features. Black eyes…stronger. But don’t worry, it was nothing I couldn’t take care of. Let’s not beat about the bush here. Who sent you?”
Pin-drop silence enveloped the room, the only sounds to the heard were that of the fan whirling above our heads and the sound of the air conditioning unit.
“Again, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Alpha John replied.
“Even now…even now, you cannot bring yourselves to tell me the truth,” I slammed my hands on the table and rose to my feet forcefully, forcing my chair to fall backward. “My mate has been taken! Kidnapped! My pack members were killed by yours! Surely, you’re aware that this is an act of war, are you not?”
Alpha John slowly rose to his feet, his mustache twitching and a stormy expression on his face. His eyes switched to an unusual shade of red, signaling the presence of his wolf.
“Are you threatening me?” He asked, his voice expressing a calm that he didn’t feel.
I smirked and shrugged. “You can call it whatever makes you sleep better at night.”
All heads turned to my father as he threw back his head and guffawed. My brows drew down in confusion as I watched him laugh until he struggled to take in air until tears rolled down his cheeks, and until he choked on air.
“Perhaps you want to tell everyone what’s so funny,” I said, my hands balling into fists.
He raised his hands in mock surrender and sat up in his chair. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he said. “It’s just…you came before this honorable council, and accused us of working with some…dark power to kidnap your mate…”
He broke off mid-sentence, giving the audience time to absorb his words before continuing.
“The way I see it, you have failed in your responsibility of protecting your mate. You have failed so now, you’re looking for who to shove that responsibility to. All you know how to do is make threats and issue smoke.”
One minute, I was standing at the other end of the oval table, and the next I had flung myself at my father and tackled him to the ground. I smiled in satisfaction as my fist found his face and landed hit after hit. And yet, as he lay there, under my onslaught, he wouldn’t stop smiling. The final blow landed with a satisfying crunch.
All too soon I was removed from him, and he struggled to his feet. His face was bloodied and blood poured freely from his mouth. He smiled sinisterly at me.
“Next time, you watch your fucking mouth.”
My father laughed. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a failure.”
Alpha John roses to his feet and slams both hands on the table, causing wine glasses to topple over and food to fall to the ground.
“I’ve had enough!” He screamed. “Leave now, Gabriel.”
I wiped my father’s blood from my hands and headed for the door, giving one last cursory glance around the room, before storming out. People stared at me as I stormed out of the building, their eyes fixated on the spots of blood that stained my shirt. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t be bothered. Oliver was gone. The only thing I needed to do was get him back.
“Gabriel!!”
A voice called out to me just as I reached my car. I turned around to see Kyle running to catch up with me, throwing glances over his shoulder to be sure he wasn’t being followed. I growled at him as he got closer and he simply raised his hands.
“Hey, I’m not your enemy.”
“You’re not! Because last time I checked, your beta tried to kill me!”
“Listen. J understand how you feel, but please believe me when I say that we had no choice in the matter.”
“Don’t—“
“We received ten dead bodies a week before the attack. Ten. Chopped into a box, and delivered to our doorstep,” Kyle said, sadness heavy in his voice. “Attached to these bodies was a note. Assist him in getting you or our mates to die. That and the majority of our pack.”
My anger gave way to confusion. “Who is this person?”
Kyle shook his head. “I don’t know. No one has seen him before,” he said and dug his hands into his pocket and brought out a small square-shaped card. “What I do know is that all the notes we have received have this insignia.”
I took the paper from him carefully, as though it was some sort of ancient bomb that would blow up in my face at the slightest provocation. I stared at the insignia. It was simple and yet elaborate, staring at it alone caused the hair at the back of my neck to rise. On the card was a cross, wrapped around the cross was a hissing cobra, and standing proudly on the cross was a vulture with its wings spread wide.
“Thank you,” I said to Kyle as I slipped the card into my breast pocket.
“You’re welcome.”
He stood there and watched as I climbed into my car, and just before I drove off, he said to me.
“I hope you find Oliver.”