25. Lock down the Estate
David
When I saw Matt and Tony walk in earlier, I had hoped to see Lucy again, but she wasn’t with them. I couldn’t say if I was angry or just disappointed. Whatever I was feeling, it made me more determined. The moment I could take over the packs, I would kill them both and take Lucy for my own.
If it weren’t for them, I would have had more time to talk to her the last time we met. At the same time, there was a good chance that I would have never met her again if it weren’t for those two.
I turned and drifted through the small gathering. As usual, Peter only had a few alphas of his pack present. The Black Moon Pack organized themselves differently than other packs. Well, at least different that the Blood Moon Pack, but that was because the Black Moon and Blue Moon Packs were much smaller than the Blood Moon Pack. They didn’t need a chain of command to command under a hundred people.
Peter hadn’t reappeared yet, and I didn’t see Matt and Tony either, but soon, I heard someone announcing that the auction was about to start. I smelled human fear nearby. I headed in for the auction, itching for something else to focus on. It had been a long time since I had just enjoyed myself, but I was looking forward to doing so soon, even if it meant spending my money with the Black Moon Pack.
As I shook hands with a lower tiered alpha of my pack, I tried to smile. The man looked at me like he’d rather not ever see me again. I couldn’t blame him. I would have rather killed him ages ago, but my pack was too large to manage without enough alphas under my command.
“Something on your mind?” I asked.
He looked at me. “Nothing much… other than why you didn’t think to say anything when they were speaking earlier.”
“Are you questioning me?”
His eyes narrowed. “And if I am?”
I bared my teeth. “Let me remind you of what happened to the last old man to question me.”
His eyes narrowed. He tried to look tough, but he lost a bit of color in his face. My father’s old beta had expected to take over as soon as he’d passed. He’d challenged me in front of the entire pack. I tore him to shreds and banished his family for the offense. I don’t know what happened to them, but either they joined the Black Moon Pack or they were hiding in the human world. I might not be outright sending my pack members to their deaths, but I wasn’t tolerating insubordination either.
“It would have been a good time to show that we stand with Peter,” he said.
“We don’t,” I said. “Peter’s agenda, whatever it really is, would hurt our standings in the human world, the wealth of the pack and its well-being is the most important thing. I would not risk that so we can play kings and queens among the supernatural community.”
He set his jaw. “And this alliance Alpha Tony spoke of?”
I snorted. “Wishful thinking. There can only be one pack or the three.”
I would not allow it to be any other way, and as soon as I could figure out the secrets of the Moon Goddess’ necklace, I would make sure there was only one. He left my presence, likely just to complain to his friends, but I didn’t care.
I stopped as I heard Matt’s voice.
“What do you mean?”
I turned to look at Matt. He was stock still. He’d gone pale as he held the phone to his ear. My heart lurched. Was it Lucy? Had something happened to her?
Matt
My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said, her voice panicked. “I came upstairs and the door was locked from the outside. I tried calling through the door, but she didn’t answer. My dad’s trying to break down the door now, but I can smell…”
“Smell what?” I hissed.
“Poison,” she said softly. “I’m not sure what kind. I already called the doctor, but I’m not sure how long it’s been and I… I don’t hear her heart beating.”
Everything in me went cold. Tony took the phone, his eyes glowing red. His teeth looked a little sharper than usual.
“Lock down the Estate. Anyone who even thinks about leaving is to be shot on suspicion of being a part of this. Confine everyone to the main hall. Go in through the window or one of our rooms if you have to.” He thrust the phone back to me. “Call the car, we’re leaving.”
I nodded and headed towards the door. For a moment, I caught David’s eyes. His expression was filled with concern. His lips moved as if he wanted to ask, but I glared at him and hustled towards the front of the building to call the driver back to the front of the building using the concierge. She stammered and got on the phone quickly.
I looked back to where Tony was. His eyes were still glowing red. He was saying something to someone, but as I heard the rumble of the car coming, I headed out the glass doors and pulled the car door open.
“Stay on the line,” I said. “We’re headed back now.”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think anything of it,” she said, softly. “She… She hadn’t been out of her room. I just thought she was sick or something. She was eating regularly still. I thought it might be a human thing or, you know, she could have been pregnant.”
She wasn’t. We would have been able to smell it if she was. All the sex we were having meant she really should have been, but I tried not to think about that right now.
“Just let me know when your dad has the door open?”
“It’s not even budging,” she said breathless. “What is it made out of?”
“No idea,” I said. “When was the last time you saw Lucy?”
I passed Peter, but I didn’t acknowledge him or register the expression on his face. Then, Tony was coming up behind me. The car pulled up, and we jumped into the back seat. I heard grunts of exertion and the sound of straining wood in the background of the call. It was our beta trying to get through the door to the luna’s suite.
Someone shuffled around and I heard different grunt from a bit farther away. I figured it had to be someone trying to break through the wall. I grit my teeth.
“I can’t say whether I’m grateful for the strength of the luna’s chambers, or pissed off about it.”
Tony said nothing. I could feel the guilt and anger rolling off of him. I could see his eyes reflected in the glass of the window. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He turned his head and looked down at me.
“Don’t,” I said. “We both agreed that it was safer for her there. We couldn’t have known.”
That wasn’t better than what was happening now, but he nodded and turned his gaze out the window. I looked to the front seat as he pulled the car onto the main road.
“Back to the Estate as quickly as you can.”
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