raiden

The drive leaving the pack lands was quiet. Beta Gauis was focused solely on the road ahead of him and Nara was glancing out the window, lost in her thoughts. It was only when we reached the meeting place to pick up the Red Eclipse members that the silence was finally broken.

The car began to slow down when we spotted two figures. When we got closer to them, I was able to make out their features better. One was a short woman with deep brown skin and long braids. She stood with her hands crossed over her chest and her foot tapping against the ground. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell that she was clearly annoyed.

To the side of her was a taller man. His complexion was lighter than hers — a golden tan color. He rested against a tree, staring up at nothing allowing his wavy hair to flow loosely. When they heard us approach, his head dropped, and turned to face us. His dark brown eyes, which almost appeared to be black, met my own eyes in an almost unsettling way. The look in his eyes almost made him see feral in a way — there was a hint of wildness hidden inside of them.

"About damn time," the small woman grumbles as she walks toward our car. "We were almost going to leave you."

Her hand reaches for the door, but Beta Gaius quickly locks it causing her eyes to snap to him. She raises her brow.

"The code?" Beta Gaius mirrors her raised brow.

A small smirk grows on her face as she says, "Stallion."

My brows furrow along with Nara's, but Beta Gaius accepts the answer and unlocks the door. The woman climbs inside before glancing back out the window.

"Come on!"

The man huffs but he follows suit and climbs into the back of the car also. The both of them sit on opposite sides of Nara, trapping her in the middle. Her body is tense, but she doesn't say anything.

"Nara, will you switch seats with me?" I ask her before we start moving.

She looks up at me, surprised by my question but nods nonetheless. She manages to climb out of the car and I do the same, walking to the back of the car. I open the left passenger side door and the woman scoots over, allowing me to climb inside.

"So I'm guessing you're Inez," I say to her before looking at the man. "And you're Boston?"

"What gave it away?" He asks sarcastically, glancing over at me.

Up closer, I get a clearer look at his features. The shape of them told me that he was mixed, most likely with some sort of Asian ancestry, but what I was more focused on was his canines. Most werewolves could retract their canines at will, but his were out, making me wonder if he either purposely had them out or he couldn't retract them.

His gaze breaks when Inez elbows him in the side. "Don't be an asshole. I don't want to deal with Aaila later."

Boston rolls his eyes, but he doesn't say anything else. He rests his head against the window with his arms crossed against his chest.

As we drive, Inez speaks mostly to me. It didn't take very long for me to learn that she was the siphoner while Boston was the hybrid. I try to ask what type of hybrid he is, but he just shoots me a look that screams 'none of your business'.

"Do you need something?" Beta Gaius glances back at Inez. "You keep staring."

Inez shrugs her shoulders. "Honestly, I'm trying to figure you out," Beta Gaius raises an eyebrow so she continues. "Aaila debriefed us a bit before we came on each of you and I have to say, after hearing what happened last time you left your pack, it doesn't make sense to me why you'd do it again."

Now my brows furrow in confusion. "What happened last time?"

Beta Gaius glances over at me before saying, "I was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" I repeat.

"Not just kidnapped, but experimented on as well. From what I've heard, the people you're after this time around are connected to that as well," Inez says.

"Why did you agree to come?" I ask him.

Beta Gaius sighs. "Not that it is any of your business," his eyes glance over at Inez. "But, as you've stated, the people we're after are connected to that event. They're connected to the people who harmed my mate and still are trying to do so. I can't let bad situations hold me back while knowing that. Not to mention that I am the beta of my pack — it's my job as both a beta and a mate."

"So you've moved on from it? It's not going to hold you back?" Inez presses.

Beta Gaius glances at her. "I'm fine," he tells her sternly. "I'm just ready for this to all be over," Inez just hums in acknowledgment before seeming to drop the subject. Beta Gaius turns to me. "I'm sure you can relate to that. Onyx and I are ready to move forward with our lives. We have goals and wishes that we want to work toward in the future. We don't want this to continue to dangle over us."

My mind goes to Cloud and I nod. "Yeah, I get what you mean."

The conversation drops there and I rest my head against the window. What did I want to do after this was over? Before I met Cloud, I just assumed that I'd stay within the pack and live the same, boring life, but now? There was so much more that I want to do and not just alone, but with him.

"Raiden," Nara calls out softly. I glance over at her through the mirror and she bites her lip before saying, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for everything. For you have to be involved in this and for nearly costing you your relationship with Cloud."

I shake my head. "I don't blame you, Nara. I've known you long enough to know that you're a nice person and even after everything that's happened, I still believe that."

Nara smiles at my words and nods. "Thank you, I hope everything works out between the two of you after this."

My smile drops slightly, but I quickly fix it. "Yeah, me too."

"Is everything not okay right now?" Beta Gaius asks. "Honestly, Gray and I were expecting him to come with you before we left, but he wasn't there."

I sigh at that. "I...everything's a mess right now," I admit.

"How so?"

"Where do I even start," I smile grimly. "Trust between the two of us is broken, we're barely even talking, and I feel like we're drifting away. When Cloud first came, he was distant, but not this much and I can't even say that it's only his fault because I also fucked up badly," I sigh. "Really fucking badly."

Beta Gaius doesn't say anything for a few minutes. His eyes focus on the road and he just nods.

"That's where Cloud and Gray are different. If Gray doesn't agree with something, he'll make sure you know every chance he gets. Cloud can be like that also, but he's more likely to distance himself from you. It's how he's always been, but the fact that he's still there with you means something. It means that your relationship isn't completely ruined and that you still have a chance to fix it. When you get back, sit down with him and talk. It's the only way you'll move forward, don't keep waiting or you'll continue to drift away. You're mates; you can still fix it."

I nod at his words. While they weren't what I was necessarily expecting to hear while going on this trip, they definitely made me feel a little better about everything. Maybe even a little more hopeful that Cloud and I could still mend our bond.

...

When we arrive at the Red Eclipse pack, Boston is the first out of the car. Rather than waiting with the rest of us, he immediately disappears behind a tree and shifts. His large dark brown wolf emerges from behind and takes off into the woods leaving the rest of us there.

Inez rolls her eyes at her packmate's actions and climbs out also. I follow suit just as a light brown-coated wolf approaches. They stop a little ways away and, like Boston, dart behind a tree. When they step out, however, it's no longer a wolf but a woman wearing a maroon hijab. She approaches us and nods in greeting.

"You must be the wolves Alphas Tatum and Gray sent. I am Alpha Aaila, it is nice to meet you all," Alpha Aaila greets.

"It is nice to meet you as well," Beta Gaius says with a smile. "You're correct, I'm Beta Gaius from the Dark Woods pack. This is Gamma Raiden and the soon-to-be Alpha Nara. We've come here to talk to Alexander Whitman. With your permission of course."

"Of course," Alpha Aaila nods. "If you'd follow me, I'll take you somewhere quieter so we may get Alexander and talk."

Alpha Aaila turns to go and we follow behind her. As we walk through the pack lands, the first thing I'm hit with is the vast variety of scents. There aren't just werewolf scents, but those of other supernatural creatures also. Though I can't tell what they all are, it was clear to me that this wasn't just a normal pack. The amount of diversity among the species was much higher here than what we had back in the Howling Night.

When we reach a building, Alpha Aaila lets us inside before leading us down the hall into a large, empty room. She takes a seat and her eyes cloud over as she begins to link what I assume to be Alexander.

Beside me is where Nara sits and though on the outside she looks put together, I wouldn't doubt if she was scared shitless on the inside. As if feeling my eyes on her, Nara turns to me and I try to shoot her a reassuring smile. She returns it and I see some of the tension leave her slightly.

Not long after, the door is opened revealing a blonde-haired man.

"Did you need something Alpha—" his words come to an abrupt stop when he sees Nara. Immediately his eyes narrow and he says, what in the goddess is she doing here?!"

Nara flinches at his tone and Alpha Aaila turns to Alexander.

"Do not be rude," she tells him. Her tone is calm but stern. "They've come to speak to you."

Alexander laughs dryly. "I don't want to speak to her."

"Alexander," Alpha Aaila scolds, sending him a pointed expression.

"Can I ask why you don't want to speak to her?" Beta Gaius asks Alexander. "Is it because of her father?"

Nara's frown deepens.

Alexander crosses his arms. "If you already know then why ask?"

"I don't know the details. I do know however that he's done some bad things which is why we've come to talk to you and learn what you know."

He stares at Nara. "Why not ask her? I'm sure she knows all too well."

Beta Gaius sighs. "Nara knows nothing of her father's actions. If she did, we wouldn't be here and she surely wouldn't be with us even if we did still come. We just want to know what you know."

Alexander stares at Nara for a few minutes before finally taking a seat and he lets out a sigh. "What is there to say? That man— that family is a bunch of monsters."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask.

Alexander smiles darkly. "I mean just as I said. When I went to visit her pack, her father told me he wanted to take me somewhere so we could 'bond' since I was going to be mated to his daughter. I didn't think anything of it until he took me to this building in the middle of nowhere. I thought it had been abandoned until we went inside and then I realize how wrong I was and how fucked up they were."

"What did you see?" I press.

His jaw clenches. "Creatures. Not just wolves but all types of supernaturals. They were locked in cages. Some looked like they'd die at any given second. When I asked him what they were there for, he said that he was working on creating the strongest supernatural creature. He was fucking forcing them to breed. Sick bastard."

"Did you see if they were injected with anything and was it just Alpha Demos?" Beta Gaius asks, but his voice is quieter, showing that the news affected him as well.

If what he was saying about Alpha Demos was true, then the situation was much worse than anticipated. It meant that he had goddess knows how many creatures held hostage for his sick amusement.

"I have no clue," Alexander says. "There were two sides to the building. I don't know what happened on the other side. He told me that he'd show me the next time I came and obviously that never happened."

Beta Gaius frowns and I do the same. Knowing this only makes me worry about Beta Reo even more. Was he okay? Was Alpha Demos hurting him?

The questions swarm my mind and I shakily exhale to try and calm myself down. I look at Nara whose eyes are glued to the floor, but the way her body trembles tells me that the news is hurting her more than anyone else.

Alpha Aaila and Inez both seem to be shocked as well. None of us came here today expecting to learn about that.

"Do you," Beta Gaius takes a deep breath. "Do you still remember where this building is?"