Previously on Wrath of Roma:

"Alex found his mate" He told still shocked.

"What!?" Roma gushed "That's fantastic....it's..."

He cut her off, still absorbing the information he heard over the phone.

"It's Serena Lockbourne."

They simply couldn't just catch a fucking break.

Chapter 24

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"What?" Roma asked with disbelief. She did not hear it right, it could not be right but the grim face of Sebastian said otherwise.

"But...but...She was dead...Alex confirmed she was..." Roma rambled, losing any comprehension of speech.

Sebastian shrugged emotionlessly "Don't know what went on down there" he said referring to the assassination plan on Serena Lockbourne "But, she is alive and in Colorado."

"Colorado? What the fuck is she doing there?" Roma asked taken aback.

"Alex frazzled out once he discovered who she was and the group captain had to take a call, they were not sure what to do with her once they realized who she was to Alex so they hightailed out of California with her." Sebastian said recalling the phone conversation moments ago. His brain was still processing what he heard.

"Where is Alex?" Roma asked.

"Back in Colorado as well" Sebastian said.

Both sat in silence absorbing the news.

"What do we do?" Roma whispered.

"About what?" Sebastian asked dumbly.

"Serena Lockbourne" Roma whispered.

Sebastian stared at her...really stared trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"She is Alex's mate Roma, we can't just kill her...We can't...I can't do this to Alex" Sebastian said, assuming the worst of what Roma was thinking.

Her eyes widened in shock, she involuntary sank back in her seat "That's what you though? That I could hurt Alex? That I could ask you to kill his mate?" Hurt was evident in her voice.

"No...Shit" Sebastian said in hurry "It's just the whole thing is so fucked up." He said bitterly.

They both sat in their corners, her sulking him being generally sheepish.

"Sorry" He said after a moment.

She gave a deep sigh "don't worry about it" She said tiredly.

"Listen we land in Colorado in a few hours anyways and why don't you get some sleep, our problems are not going anywhere" He said sagely.

She did not protest, her mind was mush and she was beyond tired, she quietly got up and went in to her suite and closed the door softly behind her.

Sebastian stat in his seat lost in his thoughts looking out of the window the darkness matching his mood.

***

"Hey" Roma said sleepily walking out of her suite looking at Sebastian sitting where she had left him earlier, no change in his position he had been in pensive thought looking out of that dark window.

"Hi" He said tiredly "Managed to catch some sleep?" He asked.

Roma waked over and sat in the seat opposite to him, she could see his tired face and next to him was a glass of whiskey, she was sure it was not his first one.

"I managed to grab some" Roma said yawning. She had fallen asleep despite the million things running through her head but she had woken up, she has been sleeping close to two hours though it seemed like a lot more and she only felt more fatigued.

He caught her staring at the empty glass next to his seat "Want some?" he asked.

"Yes, Vodka.Storng" She promptly responded.

He picked up the phone next to his seat and it was promptly picked up "Repeat my drink please and add one screwdriver as well..make it strong" he instructed in to the phone while looking at Roma.

"Ok, thanks" He responded and hung up.

"I was thinking" He said after a moment.

"Uh...oh" She quipped.

"Funny, really....hilarious, death by laughter it is" He responded dryly.

"Nevertheless... I believe we can use this situation to our advantage" he added.

"For someone so brooding you sure are an optimist" Roma said wryly.

He just rolled his eyes.

"Now why don't you 'humor' me and listen to what I have to say" he responded sagely.

"All ears" She said and before he could being they were interrupted by a steward carrying their drinks. He quickly put them on the small extended tables next to their seat and also put in some crackers to munch on.

"Anything else you need?" he asked politely looking at both of them.

"No we are good. Thanks" Sebastian dismissed him.

He smiled and retreated.

"So you were saying" Roma said sipping on her drink and putting the glass down and tearing the packaging of the crackers and quickly biting on to one of them. She sat back comfortably, for him to explain his viewpoint.

"Serena Lockbourne can be the key to get the American wolves in line" He began.

"How?"

"She is now the sole heir to the most influential American pack, the Lockbourne pack and with her being Alex's mate. Technically, Alex will be their new Alpha" He grinned, he was proud of what he discovered.

Roma chewed on her cracker thoughtfully and again took a sip of her vodka and sighed contently. She had to credit the Russians they were good at making weapons and vodka and not particularly in that order.

"It's technical..." she began "What makes you think the Lockbourne pack is not taken over by someone else now, what if they don't recognize her? And what makes sure they will align with her or Alex for that matter?"

"She is of Lockbourne blood, everything else apart they will have to recognize her." He said, werewolves were a sticker for hierarchy. The pack would not ignore alpha blood.

"Ideally in situations like this if she was unmated and inherited a pack, she would mate with a strong wolf to consolidate her pack, but in our case she already has a mate. She just needs to declare Alex as her alpha ergo her packs alpha."

Evelyn chewed on her lip "but why would she do that? We killed her family...heck we sent Alex to kill her" She said frustrated and gulped on her drink, the very thought gave her an headache.

"I know" Sebastian said "under ordinary circumstances I would agree, but being mates. Well you know more than me." He told her, reminding her of her rough start with Maxwell.

She rubbed her temple "Ok, what do we do?" She asked, seeing a potential in his idea.

"Just ensure they spend a lot of time together, I am sure nature and the mate bond will do the rest" He said.

"You seemed confident about this?" She asked him.

"Worked with you didn't it?" He retorted.

"Hardy..har..har" She responded and narrowed her eyes at his smug smiling face. Bastard!

She didn't take the bait though. "I don't think Alex will be happy" She said.

"People have done worst for their Queen and country my lady, spending time with one's mate is not one of them, it would do well do remind Alex of that" He said.

"He is going to hate me!" She exclaimed.

"Listen, that girl is Alex's mate, she is just not going to vanish in to thin air, it's time all of us realize it and the sooner we resolve it the better off we will be." He explained, they had to play hardball if need be.

"What makes you think the girl will listen or agree?" She asked.

"And that's where you come in" He added dramatically.

"Me?" She asked curious.

"Yes, you...it's time Evelyn Roma and Serena Lockbourne had a heart to heart.

***

Alex was high.

Alcohol was amazing...at least for as long as he was high. He did not quite remember how he ended up here of how those friendly bottles came about but he was not complaining. Sitting at the river's edge in Nick's territory he was busily getting drunk, not that he had anything else to do. There was a nagging feeling in his head that there was something important he had to do but did not quite remember what it was...Alcohol was truly wonderful...made you forget shit. If it was shit why did you want to remember it in the first place?

"Somebody is busy" A voice broke out behind him.

He turned around and squinted.

"Evelyn!" he exclaimed "Come over, I got some for you too!" He said waving the bottle in her direction.

She just rose an eyebrow and walked towards him and sat next to him.

"Well, let's get this party shall we?" he said cheerfully extending the bottle in his hand to her.

She looked at it for a moment and then took if from his and put it next to her.

"How are you doing Alex?" she asked him softly.

"You know?" he said drunk "I honestly don't know! Which means either I don't want to know or don't care. Which one do you think it is?" He asked her.

"I don't know either" She told him.

"What a sorry pair we make!" he exclaimed "We don't know shit!" he grinned.

"Amen brother" she said agreeing with him whole heartedly.

"But I do know this, it's time for you to go sleep...its way past midnight"

"Aww...you no fun" He grunted and got up and tried to wipe the dust off his jeans and stumbled

Roma held him steadily and then gently nudged him towards her house, or rather was her parents house. She wanted to keep an eye on him.

Sebastian joined her enroute "You found him"

"Yes" She said.

"Sebastian! Buddy!" Alex said cheerfully and tried to hug him awkwardly and instead ended up falling on him. "Queen bee here is ordering me to bed!" He said dramatically.

"Not a bad idea consider your state" Sebastian said drily. And put an arm under him to help him out, he was barely able to walk.

Roma and Sebastian managed to get Alex in to her house and dumped him on her couch where he promptly passed out snoring loudly.

"Lovely" Roma said, looking at the sorry state Alex was in.

"He won't be going anywhere for a while" Sebastian said, he guessed he would be like this for a while.

"What now?" he asked her. They had arrived some time earlier and Roma had immediately gone off to find Alex.

"I think it's time I had that heart to heart you proposed" Roma said.

"Now?" Sebastian said looking at the watch "it's Five AM Roma" He said trying to be reasonable.

"I want to see what we are up against, better to catch her off guard." Roma justified.

"Are you sure?" he wasn't convinced, couldn't this wait?

"Yes, want to get this out of the way" she said determined.

"Ok, you want me to come?" he asked.

"No. Stay with Alex, I will be back" She said and stepped out of the house.

There were a few outside the door she looked at someone whom she assumed was the man in charge

"Take me to her" she commanded.

"Sure ma'am, this way" the said leading the way. He didn't have to be told who 'her' was.

He led the way to a house pretty isolated and there were guards loitering around, guarding it. The guards eyes widened the moment they saw her and snapped in to attention.

She reached the door and looked at the guard who escorted her.

"She is in there ma'am" He informed her.

"Did she give you guys any trouble?" she asked the guards who had been keeping an eye on her.

"No ma'am, no trouble, she is co-operative so far" the guard said.

"Thanks, that will be all" she dismissed them and then entered the house. There was a guard inside as well, near the door. She assumed all exits were guarded he stood up the moment she entered.

"Where is she?" Evelyn asked the guard.

"In the living room ma'am, huddled on the couch" He informed.

"Is she sleeping?"

"No ma'am, last I checked she was awake" He informed her.

"ok" Roma said and moved inside the house.

The guard was unsure what to do, was it safe for her to go in alone? He followed behind her until Roma looked back and ordered "Stay"

She gave a nod and went back to his post at the door.

Roma took a deep breath and entered the living room.

Curled in to a ball on the couch she saw a blond girl, who got up and stared at her as she entered and her eyes widened in shock in recognition and she pulled her legs closer to her chin as if that would protect her somehow.

Roma took a step in and said

"Hello Serena. I am Evelyn Roma"

...