Chapter 61

They kept her drugged up for most of the time. It had only been a day, but Lori felt like she was losing her mind. The sedatives rubbed her off the wrong way. It was hard to keep a clear head when she was being injected every now and then.

She didn't have anything to eat, but they had brought in some water for her parched throat. Lori was inclined to reject it, but she had no choice. She was thirsty.

She took a few gulps and saved her strength. At least for a while.

She had to start thinking of a way out. The sedatives had finally worn off and she had to use her time wisely before they came back with another batch.

She closed her eyes and pictured Gabriel in her mind, if... if she could reach him somehow.. if there was a way.

She thought.

She tried harder and felt a slight tug. Like a pull in her mind.

Did it work?

Lori thought to herself as she sent a word down the bond.

Gabriel?! Is that you?!

She asked nervously. There was no answer, for what seemed to be eternity.

Till she heard a voice, clear and strong in her head.

Lori where are you?!

Lori gasped in relief. Opening her eyes and sitting up quickly.

She looked around the basement. That was the problem, she had no fucking idea where she was. She had been drugged all the way here, but she didn't think she was far away from him.

No, not really.

But maybe somewhere in the woods. Since the house was deathly quiet. She heard no voices. No whispers, only footsteps of people coming towards her. Nothing else.


In a basement! I'm in a basement! I don't know where it is!

She sent the words down the bond, waiting for a reply, concentrating even harder despite the dull ache in her head.

Who took you?

His voice was urgent, she could practically feel the anger all over them. And she knew it was not her, it was him. He was angry. Rightfully so, she had let herself be kidnapped.

Lyle. And a woman named Sabine.

There was no response after that.

And before Lori could try to reach out again, the door rattled and someone opened it.

It startled her. So much so that she lost the connection.

It was Lyle. He had a menacing look on his face. Something about his leer reminded her of Asher. He was unsettling.

"What were you doing?!!"

He asked and Lori shrugged.

"Nothing."

He paused for a minute then charged down the stairs, angry and frowning.

He bent and grabbed a handful of Lori's sweatshirt as he dragged her up.

"I asked you a question. I said what the fuck were you doing?!"

He questioned and Lori stayed mute. He seemed to only grow angrier by the second.

"I wasn't doing anything."

"Let me go!"

Lyle chuckled.

"Let you go?! Oh so you're now giving orders?"

He asked.

"Who do you even think you are?!"

"Do you even know who I am?!"

He ranted and Lori felt the urge to retort. But she swallowed her words. It was best to not get into any extra trouble. She didn't want to get sedated again, at least not yet. Not until she talked to Gabriel.

"Lyle."

A voice called out from the top of the stairs. It was a soft but firm voice and Lyle slowly released her.

So she was the boss?

Lori thought as she glanced at Sabine.  She still didn't know who the woman was, and how she played into everything.

With Lyle it was easy. Gabriel had said he faced opposition when he became alpha, especially from his family. Maybe Lyle was one of them.

He definitely was.

But the woman. She was an alpha, did she hate Gabriel too?

And for what reason.

"You're needed outside. There seems to be an emergency..."

She said as she pointed to the stairs. Her eyes on Lori.

Lyle took one more look at Lori then left, Lori adjusted her sweatshirt.

The minute Lyle left and the door was closed, Sabine slowly descended from the stairs. She was wearing a dark brown coat, knee high boots and a beige shirt. She looked dressed for the outdoors. Was that where Lori was? Some woods in the outskirts of town?

"You amuse me."

Sabine said and Lori raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want from me?"

Sabine shrugged.

"Oh you? I don't want anything in particular from you. Just Gabriel."

She finally halted when she stood in front of Lori, mere inches away from each other and nearly a foot taller than Lori.

"I had the displeasure of meeting your brother."

Lori paled.

Jared?! Jared met this woman?

She took a small step back, the worry and fear evident in her features.

Sabine smiled. It looked chilling.

"Don't worry. He won't come close to you..."

"For now."

She added as an afterthought.

"Why are you here?"

Lori demanded and Sabine shrugged.

"Like I said. You amuse me."

"Do you know what you are girl?"

She asked and Lori furrowed her eyebrows.

What did she mean? Did it have to do with what Gabriel told her about her not being human? It couldn't possibly be that. She thought.

"I don't know what you mean."

She said and Sabine smiled.

"You also had quite the interesting past."

"Interesting?!"

Lori asked as she scoffed.

"Nothing about it is interesting..."

She murmured and Sabine raised her eyebrow.

"You're right... it's actually more of sad. After everything you've been through... you manage to end up in this… predicament."

"You put me in this predicament."

She retorted and Sabine shrugged.

"I'm not the one who was sleeping with an alpha who has enemies."

"You must have known you were bound to get hurt one way or another.”

“In the world of supernaturals humans are merely collateral damage."

She laughed and Lori frowned deeply.

"It's quite laughable really. After all you've been through... you end up here.. as some pawn in my game."

Sabine drew closer, a more softer expression on her harsh face. Her blue eyes searching Lori’s.

"Did you not learn anything from your past?"

"All that pain, all that violence, yet it didn't manage to toughen you up. Only made you weaker it seemed..."

She looked Lori up and down and Lori took another step back.

"Are you only here to berate me or is there something you actually want to say?!"

Sabine shrugged, smiling as she took a lap around the basement.

Suddenly she turned towards the stairs and started leaving.

She was done then... Lori thought as she released a breath she was holding.

Sabine halted at the foot of the stairs and turned to her.

"Perhaps... if you knew what you truly were... you could have become so much more."

What did she mean?!

Lori asked herself as she walked out, two men walked in as she left, Lori could see the dreaded needle in one of the men’s hand again.

No. No. Not again.



*********************


So far, Gabriel had stormed out of the elders meeting. Pointless. It was pointless and the time he had spent there was valuable time lost when he could be looking for Lori. His grandfather had even been more pissed, because he had refused to disclose Lori's identity to them.

He had been on his way back from the meeting when he felt the tug of the mating bond. He had been trying to reach her for hours and he could suddenly feel her through the bond.

He was more than elated.

It was progress. More progress than he had ever made ever since.

He responded quickly, trying to sniff out any clues she gave out. As far as he could feel, she was fine, completely fine but he could not guess where she was.

She didn't know either. She made it known through her answers.  Even though she didn't tell him that she was scared, he could feel her fear down the bond.

And the connection had been cut abruptly and it had been nothing since then.

That made it even more worse.

But at least he had a lead.

A valid one.

He was stopping at the penthouse for a change of clothes before heading out. A change of clothes and maybe a quick hello to Emilia. He had been busy. Busy enough to have ignored her for a whole day.

He felt bad.

But he couldn't help it.

"Draco?!"

"I have a lead."

He barked into the phone as he rushed to the elevator before it closed.

"What is it?! We just finished checking out those leads we had. We didn't find anything."

Gabriel nodded.

"Lori mentioned that Sabine was there. So we start from there. We start from her."

"Sabine?!"

Draco asked in surprise and Gabriel scoffed.

"Honestly. I'm not surprised. But I need you to pull up every property she owns in this city, we will do a thorough sweep of each and every one of them. She's probably the one funding this whole nonsense."

"Understood."

Draco nodded.

"Any updates on the witch?"

He asked.

They had enlisted a witch's help, at Draco's request. Draco didn't think it was normal than Gabriel couldn't mind link Lori. It was true. Even though they were newly mated, he should have still been able to reach her.

Which made them guess that there were probably other powers in play.

It wasn't unusual to enlist witch's help in pack conflicts. It was just considered playing dirty.

Very dirty considering witches were loyal to nobody else but witches.


"She couldn't find anything. She thinks Lori's location may have been cloaked."

Gabriel grunted.

"I'm at the penthouse. Text me when you're done."

At the penthouse, Grace was gently rocking Emilia when he walked in. She quickly rushed towards him, worry etched in her features.

"Any news?!"

She asked and Gabriel shook his head.

"None."

He sighed.

Grace nodded, her face downcast.

"I hope she didn't give you any trouble..."

He asked and Grace shook her head.

"She has been very fussy. I think she can sense that something is wrong."

Gabriel sighed.

"I know. I can feel her distress. She must miss Lori."

"How could she not? Lori has been a mother to her."

Gabriel felt a brief jab in his chest from Grace's statement.

That bit was true.

Lori was practically Emilia's mother. Taking care of her like she was her own. Even more than he had done.

His phone rang again. And he groaned as he looked at the caller.

It was Kate.

He really wasn't in the mood. She had called a few hours earlier and he had Draco call her back explaining the situation. He had asked her to give him space.

Clearly she didn't get the memo.

"Gabriel! Oh how have you been? I can't imagine what you're going through."

Gabriel sighed.

"We still don't know where she is..."

Kate gasped.

"Oh I'm so sorry. I talked to my father... he's willing to help in whatever way he can. He says his men are at your disposal."

Woah. That was unexpected. But Gabriel didn't mind. He would appreciate the extra help.

He had to get his hands on Sabrina one way or the other... but, alphas didn't help other alphas for free. 

"I'm honored... but I think I can handle this on my own..."

"Oh Gabriel! Don't be so modest. I was so shattered when I heard the news! Lori and I got along so well... I was looking forward to seeing her again."

"How's Emilia? How is she doing?"

She pestered.

"She's holding up..."


"And who's taking care of her now?! I wouldn't mind coming over and watching her for a while. It's the least I could do."

Gabriel shook his head.

He couldn't... he couldn't burden her that way. But he turned around and saw how stressed out Grace had looked.

He had to find someone else to take care of the baby. Just for the meantime.


"Don't worry. I'll find someone else. You don't have to go through the trouble..."


"Oh I insist!"