Traded

Chapter 86

Her voice echoes through my mind, the way the hits hammered into her already sickly flesh sends a murderous shudder through my spine. The bile rises faster than I expect as I turn my head to the side and try to swallow it down, welcoming the burn. A tiny sacrifice for the pain she is suffering.

My lycan, who should be roaring in anger, is instead withering in agony, angered by not only her distance from us but the choice that lays in our hands. Not that it is much of a choice. There is no choosing between Colette and our species. Because there is only one option and only will ever be one option for as long as I live.

I have always been an alpha first, putting my pack, my kind above everything else, everyone else. But this time I am choosing her, not for me, but for them. Without her, they don’t have an alpha. They have a shell of a man playing a part I would no longer have a passion for. Colette is the soul of me. Without her, there is no werewolf or lycan kind.

I stand and rush from the room, no longer willing to wait and play these stupid useless games. No longer do I care about their reasoning behind why they are doing this and what they truly want. Because for once, what everyone else wants doesn’t matter. It’s what I want that matters. And I want my damn mate.

“Merikh,” I hear Hayes call out before his frantic footsteps echo in the silence behind me. “Merikh! Where are you going? We need to discuss this.”

I spin on my heel, a sneer on my lips, as anger takes over my body.

“There is nothing to discuss.” I grit out. He frowns and shakes his head.

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

“I am going to retrieve Colette.” I say, enunciating every word just to make sure there is no misinterpreting my intentions. “No amount of discussion or trying to convince me to think of the pack will change my mind.”

His brow knit together in confusion, and a hint of surprise flutters over his features before he scoffs.

“Did you seriously think I was coming to talk you out of going for her?” He asks, offended by my tone, not that his offensive is any of my concern since I am the alpha.

“What else would we possibly have to discuss, Hayes?” I ask.

“Well, for starters, how it’s a blatant fucking trap that will end with you getting killed before you even have the fucking chance to see Colette again?” He growls out.

He makes a solid point, so I pause, dragging my hands through my hair, feeling utterly helpless.

“I just–I can’t stay here and do nothing, Hayes. Colette is out there, being tortured and I’m here, doing what exactly?” I ask him, trying and failing to keep my emotions in check.

“We are trying to locate her and plan a way in to get her.” He reminds me and I roll my eyes.

“We don’t need to locate her any longer. They told us where they are.” I say, even though I know what he means.

They could be lying about where they are, and they most certainly are leading me in to a trap. I may be overwhelmed and desperate, but it doesn’t make me an idiot, it just makes me dangerous and predictable. What I need is to be dangerous and unpredictable to them.

“Merikh,” He sighs and shakes his head. “Brother Colette needs you sane, not drunk of murderous rage and a spark of hope.”

“What would you have me do?” I ask him, feeling defeated.

“Leandra may know a better way,” he says, and I can see the conflict in his eyes, but there is also a hint of determination.

“She needs to be a part of our community,” I remind him, and he nods.

“If you would give me time to discuss things with her, we can make that happen. But what we need is time, not a lot, but enough to formulate something.”

“Like what?” I scoff, and he glares at me.

“Something better than running out the fucking door like an upset teen and rushing toward danger without any thought.” He says.

I chuckle dryly, knowing he is right and hating every damn second of it. Colette needs me, but she needs me not just for a fight, but for my wit and cunning skills. I am not the Alpha of Death just for my ability to kill, but for my precision and execution of my moves. This is a game of chess now.

They make a move, and I now must make mine.

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lingers and when he sees us he turns the volume to max and hits play.

A soft whisper of a voice, her voice.

“Forget me,” she says.

My skin tingles and my mouth goes dry at her words. Does she truly think I would ever be able to forget a force like her? She came into my life like a soft breeze and but the second she was in; she picked up speed and whipped up a hurricane in me. There is no forgetting someone who can do

that.

“Hayes, you need to go speak with Leandra and bring her out here.” I say, snapping into alpha mode.

“Caspian, if you don’t mind, please go get Johannes,” I ask him.

“Johannes is here and accounted for.” His voice says as he saunters in and leans against the wall. “You all look like you are ready to make a move.”

“Something like that,” Hayes says as he walks out of the room to fetch Leandra.

“What do you need from me, alpha?” Johannes asks, arching a brow. His usual cocky, annoying demeanor is replaced with one of respect, or rather more respect than normal.

His nose scrunches up and he stands upright, spinning around as he sniffs the air, his vampire senses in full gear, as he rummages around until he finds the box. He lifts it, inspecting the blood and inhaling it with a shudder before he zeros in on me, a question in his eyes.

“Colette’s,” I tell him and he frowns, placing the box down.

“They offered a ransom then?” he asks.

“Something to that effect.” I mutter, pointing

10

the television. “They sent a torture tape and forced her to tell me where she is.”

He looks surprised, his head tilting to the side as he hums in thought. Then he walks over and takes a seat, propping his feet up on the couch in a comfortable position.

“And you invited me to watch the show?” He asks, “If I were still human, I might ask for popcorn for the entertainment.”

I growl at his shitty comment.

“I was just trying to lighten the mood.” He grumbles and rolls his eyes.

“I am going to use you to compel Leandra in order to tap into her mind and see if you can help her unlock the memories she has lost from when she was under Lily’s spell.” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

His eyebrows shoot up and he sits up immediately, leaning forward with his hands on his elbows before he barks out a dry laugh. Johannes paces away for a moment before spinning back around and nodding.

“Fine. But it doesn’t come free,” he bites out. I smirk at him, knowing he really doesn’t understand how this oath works.

“No?” I arch a cocky brow and he groans in annoyance.

“Sorry, old habits die hard.” He shrugs. “But it will be very taxing on not only me, but her.”

“This is our contingency plan. Hayes and her marking each other is the first plan, but I don’t like the idea of rushing their bond. I want them to decide, but I want you to be aware of this option before I spring it on you.”

Job

frowns and drags a hand down his face, shaking his head.

“Merikh, for this work I need to drink from her too.” He says, his eyes meeting mine as Hayes and Leandra walk into the room, both of them looking upset with the other.C0pyright © 2024 Nôv)(elDrama.Org.

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“I don’t care,” she says, rolling her shoulders back and puffing up her chest. “I will do it.”

“The hell you will. I told you I would just accept you, Lea.” Hayes says in anger, his jaw clenching as he grabs her wrist. She yanks it out of his grip and steps away from him.

“You are the one who didn’t want to do this earlier, but now there is another, easier way and suddenly now you will be my mate?” She snaps at him.

“It was your idea in the first place, but now you have all these feelings about it,” Hayes groans.

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Chapter 86

“Let’s proceed with the vampire. I refuse to let my mate accept me because he is suddenly jealous.” She says, glaring at Hayes, who throws his hands

1. up.

“It has nothing to do with jealousy, you don’t understand-” Hayes tries to explain.

“There is nothing to explain. This way is for the best. If you can’t handle it, you can leave.” She says, moving over to Johannes. Leandra yanks at her long sleeve and holds her wrist up for him. And he looks at me for permission.

Hayes pleads with me in his eyes, but ultimately it is not my decision to make, but Leandra’s.

“Leandra,” I say, needing her confirmation. She looks at me without an ounce of fear and a soft smile on her lips.

Alpha, I will be fine.” She nods and I clear my throat.

“Do it.”1 exhale.

“Biting two mates from the same family.” Johannes mutters with a smirk directed at Hayes. “Not quite a record yet,”

Hayes launches himself at him, his lycan coming out in full force as Leandra rolls and falls to the ground hard. Johannes slams into the wall, his head cracking against the drywall, splintering the plastering around it.

“Hayes!” I roar, trying to control my beta, but he is locked in as his teeth gnash and try to tear at Johannes, who is hardly keeping him at bay.

“Mine!” Hayes lycan roars before he yanks Johannes from the wall and throws him across the room. Then he bounds over to Leandra.

“Hayes, no!” I yell out, but I am too late as he sinks his teeth into her neck, marking her as his own.