Chapter 12

Sunlight pouring in from the tall windows was what woke Thalia up from her heavy slumber. For a few moments, her mind was still recovering from the last vestiges of sleep that it took a little while to realise she was not in her bed and that she lay naked under a soft light duvet.

The events of the previous night flooded in quickly and Thalia felt heat greep up her neck and cheeks as a blush coloured her cheeks.

They hadn’t had sex which Thalia had been grateful for and equally was amazed since she had known how aroused Dante had been. Instead he had spent the evening drawing orgasm after orgasm from Thalia with his mouth and fingers until she had begged for mercy. Her core still tingled from the demon’s assault on her and every slight movement made her inside hum with pleasure.

She had never experienced anything like it but the cold light of day sobered Thalia, a small seed of regret growing and blossoming inside of her.

She shouldn’t have agreed to stay the night. She should have kept Dante at arms length.

To her relief, Dante wasn’t in bed still nor was he even in the room. Climbing out of the bed, the young she-wolf located her underwear before wrapping the duvet around her, looking around. To her surprise, her dress was neatly folded on a chair by the vanity and she quickly pulled it on hoping to find a way back to her room without encountering Dante. She wasn’t sure she was ready to deal with the awkwardness that would inevitably come from cross paths.

Opening the bedroom door, Thalia paused when she heard voices further down the hallway. One was certainly Dante but the other was unfamiliar. Her senses told her to be careful for her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself walking silently down the hall, her heart racing in her chest.

“The council is starting to ask questions about your whereabouts, Dante. You have missed too many of the sessions and it’s drawing attention.” The unfamiliar male voice announced. “They will find out about what you’re up to if you carry on like this and we both know that won’t bode well for you.”

“I’m aware.” Dante growled. “These ones are the last of them. I am moving them next week. Once they are all settled, I can return and the council will not need to grow suspicious.”

“Hm…” The other male seemed unconvinced and yet didn’t press but instead, change the subject. “Is it true you have a werewolf now?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.”

Silence fell for a few moments and Thalia started to wonder if they had moved to another room. Then, an amused voice broke the silence.

“Come out little wolf, we know you’re there.”

It wasn’t Dante that spoke but Thalia was sure if he had she would still feel the cold prickling of panic. Taking a breath, she walked into the living room, her eyes finding Dante who was standing by the window, his own eyes watching her. There was no emotion on his face which didn’t help to settle Thalia’s worries anymore. However, eventually her attention turned to the other man in the room. He was sat in one of the stylish armchairs, holding a crystal glass filled with something amber. He had very different features than Dante and yet was no less attractive with his square jaw, full lips and eyes as black as the hair styled on his head. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes, a calculated mischievousness that made him seem playful and dangerous all at the same time.

“Well, are you a sight for sore eyes.” The mysterious guest smirked, a dimple appearing in his cheek. “I can see your fascination in her.”

“Don’t be so vulgar.” Dante huffed, walking over to Thalia, standing in front of her to block the guest’s view of her.

“It’s not my fault her scent is all over you, Dante.” The man tisked before leaning in his seat so he could catch Thalia’s eye again. “Aren't you going to introduce us?”

Thalia could see Dante’s shoulder tense under the pristine black fabric of his shirt. The air in the room grew heavy as the guest stared at Dante expectantly and Dante remained frozen like an angry statue.

“Thalia, this is Lucien.” Dante finally gritted out.

“Dante’s brother.” Lucien flashed a seemingly friendly smile.

“Half-brother.” Dante interjected. “And he was just leaving.”

“Fine.” Lucien rose from his seat, buttoning his suit jacket. “Just remember what I said. It was nice to meet you Thalia. I hope we see much more of each other.”

Silence fell as soon as Lucien was gone. Thalia remained frozen to the spot as Dante stalked towards the mini-bar, pouring himself a drink and downing it in one gulp. The frustration was rolling off of him but Thalia couldn’t tell if it was because of his brother’s visit or because Thalia had been eavesdropping.

“Your brother seems nice.” Thalia murmured, unable to stand the silence anymore.

“He’s a nosy asshole.” Dante muttered, all but slamming his glass down and walking towards Thalia. “I don’t like that he knows about you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just wanted to go back to my room.” Thalia replied quickly. “I panicked.”

“It’s fine.” Dante sighed, cupping the young she-wolf’s cheek. “I’m not angry with you Thalia. Lucien is dangerous and he likes to meddle with what’s mine and you are mine, Thalia. I won’t tolerate him doing anything to you.”

“I understand.” Thalia whispered.

Dante smiled, the hard expression of his features softening. It was as if Thalia had said exactly what he wanted to hear and the anger seemed to melt away. Dipping his head he caught Thalia’s lips with his own, a soft growl of satisfaction rumbling in his chest. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but it was enough time to leave Thalia breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest at the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions running through her.

“Come, I’ll walk you back to your room.” Dante finally spoke, taking Thalia’s hand in his before leading her to the door.

---

Thalia had just finished getting dressed for bed after a long shower when a sharp knock on her door broke the silence. It had to be at least 10 pm now so it was a bit surprising that someone was visiting her so late.

Before she could go to answer, the door opened and Ms Thorton waltzed in, carrying her phone and tablet.

“Good evening, Ms Georgiou. There isn’t time to explain but I need you to change out of your night clothes.” Ms Thorton announced, making her usual trip to the closet.

“It’s late, Ms Thorton.” Thalia frowned in confusion. “What is this about?”

“I said there was no time to explain.” Ms Thorton replied as she walked back out holding a change of clothes for Thalia. “Put these on. They will be comfortable.”

To say Thalia was unimpressed was an understatement but, with a huff, she took the clothing and quickly changed, slipping on the trainers that the stern blonde had given her. She barely had time to finish pulling the light grey cardigan over the long-sleeved tee before Ms Thorton was ushering her out of the room.

The whole house seemed to be in a flurry of activity. Guards and employees were rushing back and forth with orders being barked here and there. There was a sense of urgency in the air that had everyone moving quickly, ignoring the two women walking through to the front doors. It was the first time Thalia had ever seen these doors and yet she was certain she had been through this hallway before. Either way, she didn’t have time to question it as Ms Thorton led her to a waiting people carrier, the engine already running.

“I’ll explain everything when we’re on the road.” Ms Thorton finally said before opening the passenger door.

Thalia climbed in, instantly coming face to face with five pairs of eyes.

“Thalia!” Laila sat up. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” She replied as she sank into a seat and pulled her seatbelt on. “What is going on?”

“No idea.” Svetlanna spoke up looking tired. “I was already asleep when Ms Thorton came barging into my room.”

“Whatever the reason, it’s clearly got everyone nervous.” Miriam added, looking nervous herself. “Do you think something happened to Mr Connaught?”

Thalia frowned at this. She had last seen the man earlier that day when she had been caught listening in on his and his brother’s conversation. It was obvious that the appearance of Lucien had set Dante on edge. Did this have to do with the council they were discussing? Was Dante in trouble? Or was there something else going on?

Her thoughts returned to Doctor McKinley’s warnings the previous day. So far what he had said was true about Dante and he had even predicted that they would be leaving at some point. Were they in danger? What about their children?

The van had already started moving and the lights of the house disappeared behind into the darkness as they travelled over a gravel road and deep into the heart of the forest. No one spoke, as if they were afraid something would happen if they did. It was just them, the driver and Ms Thorton who was sitting in the front barking orders into her phone. Something had definitely rattled these people, their uneasiness tainted the air leaving a bitter taste on Thalia’s tongue.

“Right ladies,” Ms Thorton finally directed her attention to the six young women in the back. “Apologies for the sudden road trip. Mr Connaught had to bring his plans forward which didn’t leave us with time to inform you. As you have probably guessed, we are moving to a new location, somewhere much nicer than this part of the world. You don’t need to do anything. Just sit back, relax and---”

A loud bang rocked the vehicle, metal screaming as it was warped and glass exploding everywhere. Screams filled the small space as the vehicle flipped and rolled quickly several times, everyone inside being chucked about like rag dolls.

The vehicle rolled to a stop on its left side, a stunned silence plummeting into the space as no one dared to move.

Around Thalia, everyone lay motionless and lifeless as pain throbbed all over her body. She could smell blood but couldn’t tell if it was her own. The sound of a car horn coming from another vehicle let Thalia know they had been hit by another vehicle and yet the darkness around them told her they were in the middle of nowhere. There were no street lights, no houses and no means of getting help.

Groaning, Thalia found her seatbelt buckle and released it, gasping as she landed on her side, broken glass biting into her skin. She had to find help. She didn’t know if the others were alive or if anyone had been following them…

*Any chance you get, you take it. You run and don’t look back*

The doctor’s words rattled inside of Thalia’s throbbing head just then. This had been what he was talking about. Had he planned this? Had he tried to give them a chance to escape?

Looking around, Thalia knew she wasn’t going to be able to move the others. Hell, were they even alive? She felt awful about leaving them but if what doctor McKinley said was true then she needed to get the hell out of here and maybe try and get some help in freeing the others. She couldn’t do it alone, not when she had no idea where she was.

With that thought in mind, Thalia gave the bodies of her friends one last look before forcing herself to climb out of the broken window of the car.