Chapter 47 Warehouse

*Ethan*

I know it was reckless of us to do all of that in broad daylight in front of witnesses, but there was nothing we could do. We had to save Athena, if not it would become an even bigger problem for Lucas and my Diana.

I didn't want Diana to have any more problems. She already had so much on her plate already and she wasn't even officially eighteen yet. It made me think what else could possibly go wrong before her first shift. Right now, she should be preparing for her big day, not running away from the police.

I glance at her and l was surprised to see her smiling.

"We're running from the police and you're smiling?!" She turns to me, her reaction like she was caught stealing from the cookie jar.

"This is my first time to see my dad and my uncle in action. I always thought in situations like this, they would run just like what we've been doing all my life. The way Uncle Mike snapped the neck of that man and rolled his neck like he was on top of the world was totally sick!" She gave me a wicked smile.

"I see." Diana thought her father and her uncle were soft. I think she didn't see the big picture. "Have you heard of the wolf named Alpha Connor?"

"No. What about him?" She looked at me with interest.

"His pack was almost exterminated by rogues after he helped your father save you. His younger brother died during the attack. Your father and uncle didn't want further bloodshed nor did they want other people to get hurt. This is why they have kept hidden all these years. They made a sacrifice so others can live, Diana." I glanced at her and I saw she lowered her head in shame.

"I didn't know that. My father did tell me about an Alpha from a neighboring pack. He didn't tell me what happened to him or his pack after though. I apparently owe that man a huge debt of gratitude. I'll pay him back. I promise." She sounded embarrassed.

"Don't be embarrassed, Diana. I just needed to explain your Dad and Uncle Mike aren't cowards." I patted her on her thigh. "But you're right though, your Uncle Mike is ruthless. He didn't even bat an eyelash when he snapped that wolf's head. And your dad, wow, he was so calm. I, for one, was actually panicking." I laughed and I saw her face brighten.

"You broke that other man's neck too. I'm impressed," she said.

"Military training. That's why I enlisted. I wanted to train more."

"I want to learn that. Maybe I should join the military." I was surprised she actually wanted to learn how to fight and kill.

"Shift first, then maybe we can start training you. Your Uncle Mike definitely has had some military training. By the way, good thinking hitting that man on the head with a rock."

"Onyx told me to pick up the rock and hit him at the back of the head. Just like you, I was actually panicking!" She giggled, admitting what she felt. Her eyes were alive like the time we made love. Naughty Diana.

"Ethan, there's a small abandoned building to our right. Let's stop there and regroup," Lucas mind links me.

"Copy. We're right behind you," I mind link him back.

We turn into a small road that leads to an abandoned warehouse. How he knew about this place, I could only imagine.

We stop in front of the gate of the concrete fence that surrounds the warehouse. Michael jumps out and opens the gate so we could drive in. I stop for Michael so he could catch a ride with us after closing the gate. He jumps in and I follow Lucas to the warehouse. His car stops in front of two huge gated doors and I stop behind it. Michael gets out of the pickup and opens the doors so we could enter.

Once we were safely inside, we all climbed out of our cars. Athena starts emptying the contents of her travel bag, searching for something. Michael starts looking through the neatly strapped bundles of hundred dollar bills, making sure nothing was inserted in between the bills. Lucas on the other hand, starts checking the pieces of clothing as well as the jewelry that was inside the bag. He picks up an unusually big locket and shows it to Athena.

"This is the first time I've seen that. That isn't mine," she said. Lucas pries the locket open with a utility knife he had in his pocket. There inside it was a very small little black box.

"Found one tracker. There might be more." Lucas takes out a backpack from the car. "Change your clothes and shoes, Athena. You can change inside the car." Athena nods her head.

"Oh wow!" Michael opens a fake bundle of dollar bills which was actually a box. Inside was a tracking device. "I say dump everything, including the money. Where did you get this bag, Athena?" Michael was all business. Being Lucas' Beta, he was trained in situations like this.

"This is actually my emergency bag which I have kept stashed in my closet. My mate gave it to my secretary who then gave it to me. He told my secretary I would know what to do with it. Well, of course, I would know what to do with it, it's my go-to bag. I just didn't bargain my mate would help Chase and my father." Athena scratches her head in frustration discovering her mate had actually betrayed her.

"Well, we're dumping all of it. Athena go and change while we burn all of this. We'll add your clothes after. I'll just pay back the money. Don't worry. I got you covered." Lucas walks to an empty metal container and carries it towards the cars.

"Wait, Dad. Onyx says take the currency bands off of some of the money. We might need it later," Diana tells her Dad before he throws the money into the metal container. Her dad pauses and turns to look at her, an idea framing in his mind.

"Can Onyx tell which of these items has tracking devices, Diana? Well, aside from the ones we have already found." Lucas gazes at Diana to see if Onyx could help us. Diana stands still for a while then walks up to the items in Athena's bag. She points to another bundle of money. Michael picks it up fans through it showing that it was real cash.

"Slowly, Uncle Mike. The transmitter is wedged between two bills. It's really thin, like a rod." Michael slowly flips through the bills until he finds a very thin red filament. He takes it out and studies it in the light.

"Bank grade tracking devices. Of course, the Lockwoods own a bank. Where else, Diana?" Michael tosses the bundle and the tracking device into the metal bin. Diana picks up four bundles and leaves the rest.

"These four don't have transmitters. The rest do." Michael gathers all the cash and throws it in the bin. "Onyx says to burn everything else, even the bag." Michael nods his head and starts throwing Athen's clothes in the bin.

"Even the picture of my kids?" Athena came out of the car wearing blue jeans, a black sweater and some boots. She had a black beanie on her head and was tucking all her hair inside it.

"Athena, don't you have any pictures of your family posted on a social media account? Just have one printed out." Michael said, matter-of-factly.

"The picture you can have, but Aunt Athena, Onyx warns you not to call your family for the time being. And she wants you to dump your phones inside the bin. We can't be found just yet. I have to shift first," Diana told her aunt in a take charge kind of voice.

"The Alpha in you is coming out." Athena nods approvingly. She walks to Lucas and hands two phones. "Here are my phones. Luke, do get me new ones. I want the latest model." She winks at him. Lucas rolls his eyes at his baby sister. She giggles.

"Is there any information in these phones that we can use?" Lucas asked Athena, but it was Diana who answered.

"There's nothing we need inside those phones, Dad. We have the Elder if we need information. Take out the sim cards and destroy them and burn it all." Diana was busy taking the currency straps off of the hundred dollar bill bundles with her dad's utility knife which didn't have tracking devices on them. I wondered what she needed the money for. I took out my utility knife from my pocket and helped her remove the rest. Then she places the money in a paper bag I had in my pickup.

Lucas found a can of gasoline in one of the rooms of the warehouse, poured some of it in the metal bin and threw in a lighted match. I wondered what this building was for. While the others watched Athena's things burn, I walked around, looking for answers.

"I was suppose to open a car shop here to cater to all the rich folks in New York and in this area. I was about to make a deal with the Johnson's of the Midwest when I had to go into hiding. This warehouse was suppose to become my headquarters. That's why I got that house for Diana's mother. When Diana was old enough, we'd move here." I didn't notice Lucas had followed me. I almost jumped when he started talking. I had to keep it together.

"I know you're going to tell me that I should be telling Diana this, so I can at least redeem myself in her eyes. Honestly, Ethan, after I rejected Diana's mother and her pregnancy, there's nothing I can do to ever redeem myself. If I could just go back in time, I would do things differently. Maybe, I wouldn't have had to live without a mate." I felt happy Lucas could confide in me, however I also felt pity. He was a man living his life full of regret.

"Alpha Lucas, during your time, human and wolf relationships were forbidden. You had a difficult choice to make. Yet, from what I see, you may have done what was expected of you, reject a human mate, but at the end you discovered you were wrong and tried to make up for it to Diana's mother. The only thing wrong I see is your brother and father killing her. They didn't have to kill her. They didn't need to kill you or Diana. Whatever possessed them to do that, was wrong. Utterly wrong!" I think I yelled a little too loudly because Michael called our attention.

"Hey, I know all of this is wrong, but I'm feeling quite satisfied with myself. So please don't ruin it for me." Diana laughed at what Michael said.

"About that Uncle Mike, can you teach me to do that? You know, that neck thing?" Michael smiles and bends his knees showing Diana how to snap a man's neck.

"Sure, kiddo. All you have to do is-..."

"Michael, don't give Diana any ideas. She's already dangerous as it is." Lucas scolds Michael.

"Awww, I hold an old woman's neck in my hands and now you're calling me dangerous." Diana pouts.

"An old woman's neck? You don't mean the Elder do you?" Athena stares at Diana with her eyes wide open in shock.

"Ah, yes, Aunt Athena. I'm sorry, but I needed to. She didn't want to help us. I needed to scare her and Jonathan."

"Wait...Are you telling us, you did the same to Jonathan?" It was Michael's turn to be shocked.

"Yes, Uncle Mike, Jonathan in one hand and the Elder in the other. What's the big deal? I bet all of you can do that!" Diana raised a valid point, yet I have never raised a wolf off the ground. A human yes, but he was smaller than me and weighed much less.

"Uhm, no. Human yes. Wolf no. And I had to use two hands, Diana, for that human and a little bit of my wolf." Michael reasoned. "Plus, uhm, that sprint you did when you accused me of lying, I can't do that in my human form. I have to shift to wolf."

"Sorry, about that, Uncle Mike." Diana said sheepishly. "Well, Onyx did say I am an extension of her so, I guess I may be a bit dangerous?" Michael chuckled.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll train you. I'll mold you into a ruthless female Alpha,"  Michael said, which earned him a dirty look from Lucas. "What? We need to prepare her if we are going back to New Jersey, Lucas. They will keep calling her half-breed. I, for one, will not tolerate anyone speaking of Diana in that way. I will kill them."

"Fine." Lucas finally gives in. "Some of our pack members can be a bit, uhm, conservative." Diana coughs and raises her hand.

"Onyx says it's safe to leave. The snow has barricaded the town. We just need to get rid of Ethan's pickup. It was parked in front of the cafe."

"No problem. I have some cars here in storage." Lucas walks to the garage door I was looking at a while ago. He opens it and I let out a low whistle.

In it were several muscle cars. Wow! I open the door of a Dodge Challenger.

"Alpha Lucas, I have always wanted to drive one in the snow."

"Can I drive one?" Diana excitedly runs to the cars. We all look at each other then at her and yell...

"NO!"