*Noah*
With each day that passed without any news or sightings of Daven, I felt myself suppressing my anger and hatred more and more. Zara had been good at soothing at night, often making love to to ease so tension out of my body.
Oftentis, just holding her and talking to her about my frustrations toward the whole situation cald enough to be able to get through each day.
“All the stress isn’t good for you,” she had said to one night after a particularly heated night. “I know you guys will find him. I’m not worried, so you shouldn’t be either.”
I was finally beginning to accept that this would take so ti before the bastard’s son decided to show his face. I was disgusted that Gray had the audacity to co pleading for Zara’s help considering the way he had so callously rejected his vulnerable mate, Lorelei.
I couldn’t even fathom doing the sa to Zara, at least consciously.
I rounded on the guard, feeling anger course through . “Have him detained and prepared for interrogation,” I said in a no-nonsense tone.
The guard hesitated and glanced at my father, who nodded. “Do as he says,” he said in a hard tone.
The guard scurried off to do just that. “Let handle the interrogation,” I said to my father.
To my surprise, he didn’t argue. “Very well,” he said diplomatically.
“Despite the circumstances, I raised an eyebrow in bemused surprise. “Really?” I asked. “I would have thought you’d want to be there to make sure I didn’t lose my cool.”
Father shook his head. “You are a child no longer, Noah,” he said. “And I agree with your decision to have Alpha Daven’s son captured and questioned. I have no doubt you will obtain the answers we need without my presence.”
I squared my shoulders, determined to do just that.
I steeled myself as I pushed the door open to the holding room. Gray was there, behind a glass wall. We had decided against tying him up since he wasn’t technically a criminal.
He stood on the other side of the wall, his arms crossed. He lifted his head when I ca into the room, his eyes widening upon seeing .
“I want answers, Gray,” I announced without preamble. The big tal door shut ominously behind . “Since you have not committed any cris against us directly, we decided against restraining you. However, you’ll find I can change my mind pretty quickly if you decide to be difficult.”
“There’s no need for that,” Gray assured in a surprisingly placating tone. He put his hands up in a sign of peace. “Please. I truly only wish for Zara’s help in finding my mate. I an no harm.”
“I know very well why you’re here,” I snapped impatiently. “First, I have so questions for you.”
“You wish to know about what my father has been planning, no doubt,” he said, his eyes full of certainty.
“Yes,” I said with a smirk. “Now, we can do this the easy way or—”
He put a hand up to stop . “Like I said, there’s no need for that,” he said. “My father has been dabbling in so dangerous work over the last decade, expanding his power grab in the Dark Realm.”
I cursed under my breath at the news, though it was what we had feared since learning that the bastard had kidnapped Zara.
“And does the na Serena an anything to you?” I asked finally.
“Yes, she is now my father’s Luna,” Gray answered with a hint of disgust in his tone. “She appears to be just as ruthless as he is as well. She seems power hungry too, which I’m guessing will one day lead to their downfall.”
That wasn’t particularly surprising to considering Serena’s nasty behavior toward Zara and her general unlikeable nature.
“What do you know of your father’s current situation in terms of numbers and power?” I asked plainly, in no mood to beat around the bush after several days of waiting for my chance to beat the sorry so-called Alpha to a bloody pulp.
Gray was very quick to answer, seeming desperate to gain access to my side, which did nothing but cause my suspicions of him to rise. “Last I heard, Father’s numbers have grown. He is quite persuasive and able to easily convince others to join his twisted cause. It wasn’t long ago that I learned that he had been invading small packs and forcing them to join him. He has also allied with larger, more ruthless packs in order to fortify his position.”
This ti, I was positive that the curse that flew from my mouth was audible to Gray, despite the fact that there was a thick glass wall between us.
This wasn’t good. I doubted that Gray would lie to protect his father from us. Not only did he seem desperate to find his mate, but it also was apparent that he didn’t think highly of his father.
“Please, Noah,” Gray pleaded, stepping up to the glass wall that separated us. His eyes were wide. “I must find Lorelei. Please allow to et with the matchmaker so that we can work together to find her. I am desperate.”
I couldn’t help but sneer at his words. “Your desperation is more than obvious,” I inford him. “But what was even more apparent in the past was the disgraceful way that you behaved toward a young woman whom you supposedly now wish to pursue. Why should I help you when she is more than likely better off without you?”
I watched with a grim satisfaction when Gray winced at my words, but his mouth tightened with determination just a mont later. He ducked his head, staring down at the cent floor beneath his feet.
“It is true that I wish to pursue her,” he admitted. “But I also wish to make ands and to beg for forgiveness for the cruelty I showed her. Rejecting her turned out to be the biggest mistake and my deepest regret. I was being selfish and arrogant by resisting the mate bond simply due to Lorelei’s lower station.”
“Yes, it was extrely cruel of you,” I agreed, trying to keep any sympathy out of my tone even though Gray’s situation reminded , in a twisted way, of the cruelty I had showed Zara not too long ago when I was avoiding her.
I shook my head hard, convincing myself that this was entirely different.
“Due to my childish ways, I wounded my destined mate,” Gray went on forlornly. “I ca here, knowing that perhaps I don’t deserve a second chance after the way I acted. However, if Lorelei decides to accept and give a second chance, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I’ll be the mate she deserves. Please help obtain that second chance.”
I scoffed at the re notion that we owed anything to Gray, especially after everything his father put and my family through. I also couldn’t ignore the chance that Gray could be working with his father and until I was proven otherwise, there was no sense in setting him free.
“Your father is a war criminal,” I spat. “It has been confird that he has been hiding behind his aliases and falsified docunts like a coward. Tell , why I should trust anything you say right now given all of that?”
I knew he wouldn’t be able to and judging by Gray’s defeated look, he knew it as well. We were silent for several monts as I watched the sorry guy grapple with anything to say and clearly co up empty.
“Please,” he said finally. “I am more than willing to offer up more intelligence information to aid in my father’s capture in exchange for the matchmaker’s help toward rebuilding my relationship with Lorelei.”
I narrowed my eyes at the man, the very thought of him anywhere near Zara causing my blood to boil. Although he didn’t seem that dangerous as he stood before with wide, pleasing eyes, I wasn’t going to risk Zara’s safety just to give this guy another chance at love.
“If Daven wouldn’t surrender to spare his own son’s life, then perhaps more drastic asures need to be taken moving forward,” I told Gray in a cold voice.
Gray’s eyes rounded at my words, and he actually stepped back from the wall, finally looking like he was understanding that I didn’t plan on giving him and offering him any kind of help.
“Guards,” I intoned, shifting my focus to the two burly n who stood off to the side. They were watching the interrogation with matching looks of interest and eagerness. “See to it that this man has no chance of escape. He is to remain locked securely away while we deliberate on how to proceed.”
I stalked out of the room then, not bothering to look back at Daven’s son, but I thought I sensed a regretful gaze boring into my back as I shut the large tal door firmly behind .
I went straight to my father to give him a report on the interrogation. I watched the powerful Alpha’s expression shift to one of horror, to fury, and then finally, to resignation.
“There is not a doubt in my mind in terms of how we should proceed,” my father said tiredly, and for a mont, he looked his age.
I nodded firmly, sensing that action was finally going to be taken against the dangerous criminal. “After speaking with his son, I can confirm that Daven believes himself to be untouchable now, too powerful in his ominous domain to face justice willingly for his past dishonorable warti actions.”
I paused, looking down at the desk between us as I rembered the way Gray had spoken of his father as if even he believed the bastard to be a ruthless tyrant. It gave pause for a brief mont, but I shook it off just as quickly.
“I feared that Daven would have grown too powerful and with too many loyal followers for us to handle,” he said, locking his jaw.
“We can send a spy in order to confirm the boy’s words,” I suggested, not entirely convinced that we would be unable to do anything.
Father very firmly shook his head and leveled with a look that probably would have caused his enemies to quake. “We will not put the mbers of Drogomor at risk,” he seethed. “I believe the best course of action is to give the information you were able to obtain to the Dark Realm palace. They have more ans of handling this kind of matter.”
I nodded, although I wasn’t entirely satisfied with that answer. Deep down, I knew that this truly was the best course of action to protect my family and our pack.
“As for the boy,” my father said finally, and I was pleased to see the dark look in his eyes, “he should be detained as a prisoner until his tyrant of a father is brought down.”
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