CHAPTER 59

Rose stared fixedly at the front door of Thomas' home. Nothing about the place had changed over the years. It was as she remembered it during her last visit, his wife's funeral.
The woman had been a beautiful and gentle wolf who never deserved being mated to an abominable man like Thomas. Anyone present at her funeral would have known there had been no love lost between her and Thomas. The man had barely mourned her demise before he started entertaining other women in his bed and in those women's bed.
"Like he was not doing that even while she was alive," Rose muttered under her breath scornfully, just before the former Beta opened the door.
"Rose," he said cheerfully, moving to take her hands in his and kissing the back of her hands. It took a lot of effort not to snatch back her hands.
She scoffed under her breath. He always pretended to be the perfect gentleman, even while he was carrying on an affair with the Crier, crying and begging at her feet to get into her bed while at the same time, he still came to bow before her son and pretend to have all the respect and loyalty of a thousand men.
Rose never liked him but he had been chosen by the goddess to rule the pack with Adam. And who was she to question the judgement and decision of the goddess? Besides, her own son had decided to turn a blind eye to all the atrocities his Beta committed with his own wife. She never had a say and had watched the vile creature before her make mockery of him.
Thomas was never going to have his way again, no matter how thickheaded her grandson was being. If she could not save his marriage despite how hard she was trying, she could at least, save his position.
Right now, it looked like he was not trying to save either of the two. It was as she had suspected. Finding out about Shana had broken him and it was affecting every area of his life. But she was still rooting for him and she expected him to come out of the new walls he had built around himself a stronger and forgiving man.
But while he was at it, she had to help him in whatsoever way she could. Like handling the enemy he seemed not to care about.
"Thomas," she said in a tone laced with the lightest touch of scorn. And Thomas was not stupid. He was smart enough to sense the hostility coming from Rose.
"We should get out of the cold." It was his way of inviting her into his home. His own way of saying he wanted peace but Rose shook her head from side to side, her eyes clouding over in veiled anger. Even now, he was still nothing but a pretender.
Thomas did not want peace and she was never going to fall for his acts.
"We both know this much cold does nothing to us. We can barely feel it," she said with the slightest hint of a smile. "Besides, I never want to step foot inside your home," she added in a cold, brusque voice.
Thomas released a nervous laugh at that, his eyes shifting nervously. One thing had always been constant in his life, even while he had been taking his pleasure in the bed of the Crier-Thomas had always feared the old woman. Something about her eyes made him feel she could see through him to the deepest, darkest part of his soul and it felt like her eyes was always judging him and casting him into the lake of fire. He had always avoided her as much as he could.
Now, her outright hostility was not something he needed. And it told him she knew something.
"Yes, I do know something I'm not supposed to," she said like she had read his thoughts, making Thomas more nervous than he already was. "And I'm here to give you a warning," she added brusquely.
"I'll be glad if you explain to me what you are talking about. I don't seem to get you or know where this conversation is headed," he replied with another nervous laugh.
Rose threw back her head of grey hairs and gave a loud, scornful laugh, her hands tapping rhythmically to the wheels of her shaking chair. "You are so revolting," she said through her scornful laugh. "Look here wolf, you can't fool me with your pretend act. Whatever you are plotting to usurp the Alpha, I've come to warn you it will only boil down to you harming no one but yourself," she said with a cold gleam in her eyes. She rolled her chair so close to the shaking wolf, that her clothes brushed his.
Thomas stood rooted to the spot, all his fears about Rose seeing into his soul materializing. He knew she was gifted by the goddess but not to see. She could only make premonitions about things to come.
His plans and everything else had stayed between him and Collins. No one else was a party to all their meetings and all they discussed, unless the old woman had people watching him. But that was unlikely.
"I don't know what you are carrying on about," he replied with fake bravado."No one supports the Alpha as much as I do. I support him just like I did your son."
"I must say you did support my son in a most pleasurable manner. Pity the current Luna wouldn't find your support as desirable as the old one did," Rose replied with derision as her gaze scanned the nervous man before her.
"Enough! I know nothing of all you are accusing me of," he said as he backed away from Rose.
"It would do you a lot of good if your claims are true. Because if they are not, you and your ally from another pack would burn. Mark my words."
Then she was rolling away and Thomas kept standing at his front door stupefied, for a long time.
When he finally shook off his fear, he stamped his feet angrily on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.
It was all Collins' fault. If things had gone his way, he would have been the one to tell Asher about his mate. He would have done it in a way that, there would be an uproar in the pack for the Alpha to step down, instead of the quiet way his son had. Then Collins could have moved in when the pack was in disarray.
But no, the stupid, all-knowing Alpha had to do it his own way. Even now, he could not risk him finding out that Asher already knew the truth because that would only endanger Mark.
Collins was wasting too much time and Thomas knew he was risking his life and that of his family but there was nothing much he could do. He just had to keep waiting for the grand plan that Collins had.
★★★★★★★★★★
Mila came around slowly. First, she became conscious of her throbbing head and then, her rumbling stomach. Her last meal was the apple she had after Shana refused the fruits she took to her. The Luna had been eating very little and it had pained Mila to watch. All her attempts to get her fed had proved abortive.
She groaned as she remembered she had to wake up and go back into that house. It was not a place she wanted to be anymore.
She opened her eyes slowly, trying to ignore her throbbing head. Then she looked around her sleepily, realizing it was daybreak because of the light streaming in through the curtains. She was in her bed alright, just as was expected but something was not right.
She had left the Alpha's house deep in thought. Then she had branched at Walker's.
She became fully awake as all the painful memories of the previous night flooded her, right from the beating to blacking out and waking up to find her way home. She could not remember anything after that.
She remembered her broken nose, fully becoming aware of the dull ache she was feeling from it. By now, it would be healed and forever crooked, all because she had been too cowardly to set the bone herself. She tried to touch it but she could not move her hands. They seemed glued above her. Mila looked up and her eyes widened in horror.
They were tied above her!
She screamed but it came out as just a muffled sound and she realized her mouth was taped and no matter how hard she screamed, no one was going to hear her.
The rest of her blurred memories came to her. She remembered she had collapsed at her door and not in her bed. Someone had definitely moved her to the bed and tied her up.
Her heart raced in panic as her thoughts ran wild, different, crazy scenarios toying with her sanity.
No wolf had indicated the slightest interest in marrying her and so, this was no mating rite. It was no kidnapping like she had first thought. She was still in her own room but a pervert had immobilized her.
She fought against her constraints crazily, trying to free herself before her captor showed up.
"Do not bother yourself mate. The ropes won't give an inch because I tied them myself."
Mila looked towards the source of the teasing voice. It was coming from her kitchen and it was a man's voice, one she had never heard before.
"You should relax your tired body for now," he said and she heard his footsteps moving towards her.
Then, before her stood the owner of the voice and her blood went cold as recognition lit up her face.
"You!," she screamed into the tape but it came out muffled.