The Prisoner Arrives

*Hezzlie*

I’m pacing in the hallway outside of my room, outside of Rowan’s room, outside of his office. I can’t help myself. I could be doing something constructive, I suppose, but it’s been a while since Wilma was brought out of Rowan’s office, and I am losing my patience.

Wilma wouldn’t look at me when they brought her by. She was crying and holding her hand. I got a glimpse of it, and it looked injured. Elise gave me a sympathetic smile, and I could tell she wasn’t happy about this situation either. She’s known Wilma a lot longer than I have. 

The whole thing seems surreal. It’s almost like I’m back where I was all those weeks ago when I thought I was going crazy because I kept dreaming I was werewolf. The possibility that Wilma could be a traitor is almost as unbelievable as that.

Yet, both are true.

Well, I know werewolf isn’t the right word, but that’s close enough.

I’ve spoken to my mother, to Abby and Dean, to Mara and Aiden, and now, I’m just waiting for Rowen to come out of his office and tell me what the hell is going on. Does he know what prompted Wilma to betray us? Does he know who she was working with on the other side?

I know I could go in and ask Rowan those questions myself, but part of me still doesn’t want to bother him while he’s working. I’m no longer afraid of him, but my mate takes his job very seriously, and if he wanted to come out and give me an update, he would. Or he’d tell me through the mind-link. The fact that he hasn’t tells me that he’s busy.

Or there’s something else he doesn’t want me to know.

I’ve just about made up my mind to go into his office when he comes out. He sees me, mid-pace, standing a few feet in front of him, and stops in his tracks. “Hezzlie? What are you doing?” he asks. “I thought you’d be resting.”

“I’m fine,” I tell him, closing the distance between us. “What’s going on?” 

Before he can answer me, I hear a commotion going on downstairs, and for a moment, I think maybe we are under attack again. Maybe King Solomon has sent in his troops to fight us some more.

But Rowan doesn’t look worried–just very serious. His brow is crinkled as he places his hands on my upper arms. “It’s Alistair,” he explains. “He’s Wilma’s mate. He called while I was… interrogating her.” He winces when he says that word, “interrogate,” and I know that he had to do more than just ask her questions.

He had to torture her.

At least, a little bit. And he’s not happy about it. I feel my stomach turn over at the thought. That couldn’t have been easy for her. 

“So what’s going on now?” I ask him, hoping he has a second to explain before he takes off down the stairs.

He looks in that direction, like he really wants to go, but he tells me, “I gave the wizard two hours to surrender himself to me or else I was going to execute her. I believe that noise coming from downstairs is him arriving.”

“Oh.”  That’s all I can say.

Rowan kisses the top of my head before dashing off and bounding down the stairs. I follow him with my eyes for a few moments before my feet start moving, too.

It’s a lot to take in. I think over the conversations I’ve had with Wilma, how kind and nurturing she’s always been. The whole time, she was secretly giving information to Alistair. The wizard who wanted to brainwash me into hurting Rowan. The same monster who made Mara murder her own mother. How is it possible that Wilma could do something so outrageous as to stab us in the back like that?

Eventually, I follow Rowan down the stairs, but I keep my distance as Alistair is let into the foyer. He’s accompanied by four guards from Darksky who all look pissed, though I think I see fear behind their eyes as well. 

“Alpha King Rowan,” one of them says. “We are here on behalf of Alistair, not King Solomon. We are simply helping our friend here fulfill the bargain he made with you. We come under a white flag of truce–for the moment.”

Rowan nods. “Yes, thank you. You may go in peace, but know that, as soon as you return to your territory, the truce is over, and any sign of hostility will be regarded as an act of war. You also may want to tell Solomon that this is all over now. He doesn’t have his wizard. I have a powerful witch on my side. He can’t possibly win.”

“What is it that you’d like from our king, Your Highness?” the same man who spoke before asks in a voice that makes me think it’s all he can do to keep from lashing out at his enemy.

“Nothing but complete and total surrender,” Rowan says without missing a beat. “I want Solomon and Zeb, as well as their mates, to surrender to me and the kingdom to be handed over to Aiden and Mara to rule in peace.”

The guard has the audacity to chuckle under his breath before he says, “I can assure you, Your Highness, that won’t happen, but we’ll deliver the message. You should know that Alpha King Solomon hasn’t shown you his entire hand yet, Sir.”

He’s trying to rattle Rowan, to make him back down, but my mate stands firm. “Just deliver the message,” he orders, and even though the man isn’t part of our pack, I see him drop his head a bit, like a wolf who’s in trouble would if his Alpha gave a command.

With that, the four of them walk away, leaving Alistair in our foyer. He looks defeated and sad. “Take him to the dungeon,” Rowan tells our guards who are standing nearby. “Make sure he has silver around both wrists at all times.”

The guards make what I’ve come to know as the sign of respect to the Alpha by placing their fists over their heart and then move to take Alistair away.

But the wizard isn’t going–not yet anyway. He keeps his feet planted firmly on the floor as he says, “Please, Alpha King Rowan, might I see her?”

“No,” Rowan barks in that tone that used to make me shiver on the inside.

“But… I need to know that she’s all right,” Alistair argues as the guards begin to haul him away against his will.

“You should’ve thought about that before you asked her to betray her pack.” Rowan snarls. 

Alistair continues to plead as the guards drag him away. It’s then that Rowan turns and looks at me. The hard planes of his face give way to the softer version of him I’ve grown accustomed to.

Several servants are still standing around, but when he clears his throat, they all take off. I make my way over to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders. He relaxes into me, and I know that he’s not thrilled with the tasks this day has demanded of me.

“Will they be able to use the mind-link now that they’re both her?” I ask him, my voice just above a whisper.

“No,” Rowan replies. “The dungeons have silver in the walls so that no one within the cells can use the mind-link, shift, or in Alistair’s case, use their powers.”

I nod in understanding. I do think it would be an act of kindness to let Alistair and Wilma see one another for a few moments, but I will bargain for that later. Right now, I just want to hold my fiance in my arms and let him know I’m here for him.

After a few moments, Rowan lifts his head so that he’s looking into my eyes. “There’s a battle coming, Hezzlie. Those guards will return with the message. King Solomon will be offended, and he’ll attack. Soon. We have to be ready.”

I nod. “I think it’s time I went and got some of the moonstones.”

“Yes, and we need to get the agreed upon number to King Jackson Hudson of Midnight Moon so that they know they can trust us and will help us carry out my plan to defeat Solomon.”

“Let’s do that tomorrow,” I suggest.

Rowan nods. “That sounds like a plan. I just hope that Solomon hasn’t gotten anyone else from Raven Hollow to help him.”

I understand what he’s saying. It’s possible King Solomon has another witch on his side. After all, the guard did warn us that he might have another trick up his sleeve.

Well, no matter who it is, I feel confident in my ability to defeat anyone, especially if I can unlock the power of the moonstones. 

“We’ll worry about that later,” I tell him. I pull him in closer, my lips almost touching his. “For now, I just want to concentrate on you and me.”

Rowan’s mouth splits into a smile, and I can see we’re on the same wavelength. HIs mouth devours mine, and when he lifts me up to carry me back up the stairs, I happily let him.