Chapter 25

Third-Person POV

     "What on earth is going on here?"

     "Do you two have some history?"

     "Chris?" Ady approached him slowly. She was mind blown. She hadn't seen Chris (much less Paige and R.Jay) in months, almost a year. But for him to be in Italy where she was the entire time and looking for the Italian wolves that have been terrorizing this city? She couldn't come up with the words fast enough. "What are you doing here?"

     Chris didn't seem threatening at all. He also seemed pretty shocked to find Ady here. He seemed to try and lower himself in front of her to appear less threatening to the others. "I could ask you the same question."

     "Don't tell me you're involved with the Viscosoes." She frowned. "When did this happen? I didn't even know you were a werewolf. Much less one of them."

     "It's happened since we met, Ady. I thought you were my mate." He glared at Loren behind her. "Clearly, I was wrong." Not to mention the fact that Chris could sense that Ady was a werewolf since they first met, but he chose to not be the person to tell her. Besides, it wasn't his place to tell.

     "Chris, this needs to stop." Ady touched his arm. Despite not knowing that he was a wolf and seemed to apart of the enemy, this was still a friend of hers. "It's pointless and unnecessary."

     "Ady, this is how wolves fight for power." He shook his head. "Why didn't I see this coming? It's good to see you."

     Dominic frowned suddenly and stared at Chris menacingly. "I recognize you. You were there when Marissa was bitten."

     Chris looked at Dominic and squinted. He then noticed Marissa on his arm, and he frowned in distaste. "You're the little bastard who was with her that day? You're still alive?"

     "Chris, you were there?" Ady frowned. Again, another WTF moment.

     He pursed his lips and shifted his gaze to Ady. "Remember that time I went on vacation for a while?" He then looked at Dominic and Marissa. "You're not getting away with this. We should have killed you the first-"

     "Stop!" Jasmine yelled and stood between them. "Christopher, you know these people. Give them a chance, and let them go."

     Chris scoffed and narrowed his eyes at Jasmine. "And I suppose you want to go with them?"

     "She can leave if she wants. You can't force her to stay," Aaron snarled, standing behind her and towering over her. She instinctively leaned into him. Chris noticed and began to growl. Aaron growled back. "She's mine."

     Chris was about to lunge, but Ady threw herself at him, causing him to stumble back in confusion. "What the hell, Ady?"

     "You wouldn't hurt me, would you, Chris?" Ady crossed her arms.

     Chris frowned. "Ady, come on. We've known each other for years. We were friends. I could never hurt you."

     "Then let us go."

     "It's not up to me," he snarled in frustration.

     "What do you mean it's not up to you?" Ady questioned, her voice filled with confusion and frustration. "You're not the one in charge?"

     Chris grit his teeth, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "I'm not. We have an Alpha. The one who started all of this. And he will not just let you go."

     "Then we'll have to find another way," Aaron growled.

     The air in the room thickened with tension as everyone exchanged glances. No one knew what to do next. It seemed that everyone was at a standstill.

     "I'll go talk to the Alpha." Dominic stepped forward. "I'll see what I can do."

     Everyone looked at him in shock. "You're just a human. He'll rip you to pieces."

     "Then I'll go as the Omega." Marissa spoke up, taking a tentative step forward. "I have the right to speak to him."

     The room went silent for a moment, as everyone processed her words. Finally, Jasmine nodded. "Yes, you do," she said softly.

     Dominic frowned. "But he kept you locked up all this time. You are not going to just walk up to him and talk to him."

     Marissa looked at him with determination. "I have to. I have to try."

     Chris nodded. "Then so be it. Come on. I'll escort her. But only her."

     Dominic grit his teeth. "Fuck that. Either I go with her, or we kill you where you stand and leave you to the cave moss." He met Chris head on, locking eyes with him. "But she is not going with you. Not alone."

     "You don't trust me?" Chris sneered.

     "The only people I trust are the people right behind me. Not. You," he growled back.

     Jasmine put a hand on Dominic's arm. "I'll go, too. You can trust me, Dominic. Chris, all three of us are going." She held her hand up as she knew Aaron was about to react. "If the Alpha sees more than one person he doesn't know, he'll flip out. Please, just let us do this." She went to him and squeezed his hand. "I'll come back. I promise."

     Chris grit his teeth silently before finally speaking up. "Fine."

     The two men escorted Marissa and Jasmine out of the cave room, down the corridor, and into the further into the depths of the cave. The air was cool and damp, the walls covered in moss and ivy. No more did it look like a random, unkept cave. There were doors that had been built, rugs that had been laid out for comfortability. Torches lit up the corridors and different rooms. 

     They passed by wolves, both in human and animal forms, some of them nodding in recognition, others giving them suspicious glances. After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at a grand door made of iron, ornately carved with wolves and moons. A guard stood outside, his posture rigid and his eyes piercing. He didn't physically look like a guard: he wore tattered clothing and dusty boots. The only thing that gave him leeway was his height and built.

     "State your business," he growled.

     Chris stepped forward, his chest puffing out. "We're here to talk to the Alpha."

     The guard raised an eyebrow, sizing them up, then glanced at Marissa. "She is not permitted. And neither is that human beside her."

     "She is the one who wishes to speak," Marissa said firmly. "I have the right as the Omega. And this human is with me."

     The guard hesitated, his eyes flickering between her, Dominic, and Jasmine. Finally, he nodded and stepped aside, revealing a small opening in the door. "Fine."

     Marissa and Jasmine exchanged glances before entering the dimly lit room. Dominic and Chris followed close behind. The room was much larger than they expected, with a high ceiling and a massive throne at the far end. A lone figure sat upon it, shrouded in shadows. He didn't seem to notice them at first, lost in his thoughts.

     As they approached, the figure finally looked up. His eyes were as red as fire, his hair as black as night. He was massive, even in his human form, towering over them all. "You dare summon me?" he growled.

     Marissa stepped forward, her shoulders back. "I am the Omega, and I have come to speak with you."

     The Alpha let out a humorless laugh. "I know who you are, Marissa. You dare challenge me? I made you what you are. I can unmake you just as easily."

     Marissa didn't flinch. "I know what you did, but that does not give you the right to keep me and my friends here against our will. We want to leave."

     The Alpha's eyes narrowed. "And why should I let you go?"

     Dominic stepped forward. "Because you built this place, and you can just as easily tear it down. If you don't let us go, we will find a way to destroy it, and you along with it."

     The Alpha chuckled darkly. "You think you can threaten me? You don't know who you are dealing with." He stood up, towering over them. "You are all mine. And I will not let you leave."

     Jasmine's voice was soft, but it held a steely determination. "You may own us, but you cannot own our wills. We will never serve you willingly."

     The Alpha's eyes flared with anger. "Now, Jasmine. You made a grave mistake bringing your friends here." He took a step closer, looming over her. "I will make you regret the day you were born."

     Marissa placed herself between the Alpha and Jasmine. "You cannot harm her," she said, her voice steady despite her fear. "She is not afraid of you, and neither am I."

     The Alpha's nostrils flared as he took another step closer. His breath was hot on Marissa's face, and his eyes burned into hers. For a moment, she thought he was going to strike her down, but then something shifted in his expression. He looked at her, really looked at her, and a strange emotion flitted across his face. It was there for only a moment, but it was unmistakable.

     "You are brave," he growled, "but you do not understand what you are dealing with." He turned away from them, back to the throne. "I could kill you all right now, and there would be no one to stop me.

     "But," he continued, his voice softening just slightly, "I have watched you. I have seen your strength, your courage. You have proven yourselves in ways that most of my pack cannot. And so," he said, his voice almost gentle, "I will give you a choice. You may leave, and I will not stop you. But if you do, you will never return. You will never see this place, or any of us, again."

     Marissa glanced at Jasmine, then back at the Alpha. "And if we choose to stay?" she asked, her voice steady.

     The Alpha's eyes narrowed. "Then you will serve me, and you will be rewarded. You will have a place here, and I will see to it that you are never harmed. But you must understand," he warned, "the price of your freedom."

     Dominic spoke up, his voice firm. "We are leaving. Staying was never an option. But we will not forget what has happened here. We will make sure that one day, someone will put an end to your reign of terror. Kidnapping people and turning them is vicious."

     The Alpha's laughter filled the room. "You think you can defeat me? You are but insects, compared to the power I wield. I've made a pack, I've made a family. And you are in no position to stop me."

     He gestured to the door, and the guard who had let them in stepped forward. "Take them to the border," he commanded. "And make sure they do not return."

     The guard nodded and motioned for them to follow him out of the throne room. As they left, Marissa glanced back one last time at the Alpha, feeling a strange mix of fear and respect. She knew that they had just made a decision that could change the course of their lives, and there was no going back. But she also knew that, whatever the future held, they would face it together.

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