Chapter Forty Eigh

Azalea

I don’t know how long I was out, but I have been sitting here for a while. I sat on the bed with my legs pulled close to my chest and my head resting on my legs. In my head I did not want to admit it but my whole body yearned for Liam. I do not know if I could forgive him completely but he was the one I wanted coming to my rescue right now.

There was sound on the other side of the door. I could hear the lock click and the door swung open slowly. My mouth dropped open. John stood in the doorway holding a tray of food and a bag. He walked in and placed the food and bag on the table.

“John… what…” I tried to find words. John was responsible for this? How? Why?

He chuckled. “It's not entirely what you think Miss Lea. I brought you some food. You should eat,” he said in a dark tone. He never sounded less than friendly before now.

“Liam won’t come for me. Taking me was useless.” I said quietly.

“Don’t be so sure, Miss Lea. Eat. And there are some clean clothes for you.” He walked towards the door to exit the room.

“Wait John!” I said trying to stop him. He turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. “Why me? I thought we were friends….” I said solemnly.

He smirked. “You don’t even know who you are do you?” he said before leaving through the door. I jumped from the bed, launching myself at the door. I grabbed the handle hoping to catch him off guard and pull the door open. I was not fast enough as the lock clicked as I desperately tried to yank it open. Sobs erupted from me. I fell to my knees in front of the door.

-

I could not be sure exactly how long it had been since I was brought here. I refused to eat, only drinking small bits of water from the bathroom sink. John came in every so often bringing fresh food. He did not talk to me or pester me to eat. Sometimes he would dim the light if he thought I was asleep.

I lay on the bed curled in a ball. When I was not sleeping, I lay here sobbing. It felt like I had been here for days. I felt like the longer time went on, the less likely it was going to be that Liam was coming to my rescue. He had to know I was gone by now right?

The door opened quietly. I lay still with my eyes closed trying to stop my sobbing. Someone approached the bed behind me. I felt a large hand on my side. It gently rubbed me. I held completely still.

“Eat something, little flower,” he whispered. I recognized the voice. “Eat something and I will explain everything.” My eyes widened in realization. I turned my head to look over my shoulder and sure enough Kol was standing behind me.

“Kol?” I croaked.

“Eat something and when I come back, I will tell you everything,” he said and left the room. I sat up, my head pounding a little. Looking at the table, there was yet another fresh tray of food. If I ate something, I could get some answers so what did I have to lose?

I got up to go sit at the small table. I felt weak and my limbs were heavy. On the tray was a bottle of water and a bottle of juice, an apple, a small sandwich and a bowl of macaroni and cheese. I opened the bottle of juice taking a small sip. The cool sweetness coated my mouth making me feel a bit better. I managed to eat about 3 bites of the sandwich and half the macaroni before I started to feel sick. I washed everything down with the water and juice, knowing that I was dehydrated.

As if on cue, the door opened the moment I pushed the tray away from me. John stood in the doorway.

“Good. Now you should go clean up and I will take you to him,” he said. He grabbed the tray and replaced it with a bag of clothes. “Everything you need to shower is in the bathroom. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

With that he left the room. Now that I had eaten, my headache had lessened. I knew it had been at least a couple days since I showered or changed so I did as I was told. Grabbing the bag of clothes, I went to the bathroom.

Once I figured out how to turn on the shower, I washed quickly. I tenderly attended to the back of my head that was still sore from whatever I had been hit with. Getting out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel before grabbing the bag I was given. I opened the bag. Inside were a pair of leggings, a flowy top, some undergarments, a sweater, and some toiletries. Having no other choice than to put my other clothes back on, I dressed quickly and wrapped my hair up in the towel. I brushed my teeth and put some lotion on. Now that I was clean, I was feeling a little better. I let my now only damp hair down from the towel and brushed it out gently, so I didn’t pull where the healing cut was. I pulled my long locks into a bun on my head and exited the bathroom. I sat on the bed waiting for John or Kol to return.

Liam

It had been 3 days since Azalea was taken and we had no idea where she was. I was going out of my mind and Gavin was more anxious than I was.

I paced the floor of my office thinking. Where could Azalea be? What was happening to her? I could feel her fear and sadness through our link, but I was not feeling any pain. I hoped that meant she was not being harmed. A knock came at the door.

“What!” I yelled turning to the door. Lily stood in the doorway with a hard look on her face.

“Liam, Declan asked to speak to you. He said it can’t wait any longer.”

“Fine.” I said. I should have spoken with him days ago when Azalea was first taken but I have been putting it off trying to search for my mate.

The door opened all the way and Declan came in followed by Damien and Lily. I sat down at my desk motioning for him to sit down. Declan and Lily sat down with Damien standing behind Lily.

There was a tense silence before he began. “I don’t know where Azalea was taken, but I do suspect I know who has her.”

“We already know who has her. That John guy who has been stalking her at the Inn for more than a year now!” I shot at him.

“Don’t be so sure. I think this hunter was only a means to an end,” he replied calmly.

“Means to what end? Who has her then?” I said angrily. Damien growled.

“Damien, it is okay. If someone took Lily, you would be acting the same. Liam, I believe your cousin has Azalea.”

“My cousin? I do not have any cousins. One of my father’s brothers died shortly after he became Alpha, my uncle’s mate was not capable of bearing children and my mother’s sister has never found her mate!”

“That is not entirely true,” he said, still very calm. “Yes, your father’s brother did die but we don’t know exactly when. And, you do not know the circumstances. Your uncle almost died trying to claim the title of Alpha from your father. You have a cousin that is about your age. He was born only a couple months before you,” he explained.

“I don’t remember having a cousin, surely I would remember that,” I interrupted.

“You probably haven't seen him since you were about 3 years old. At that time, your uncle and father started having issues. Your uncle was always jealous of your father. He did not think your father deserved the title of Alpha even though he was the first born. Arguably, your uncle showed much greater potential for the position growing up. He shifted early, he found his mate early, he was even stronger than your father for a while.

But your father was first born so he was given the title of Alpha. When you were about 5 years old, the animosity finally started coming to a head. Your uncle had spent less time at the pack house and training but was plotting against your father in secret. When your father found out, he put a stop to everything but there was some fall out.”

“I don’t understand how this relates to Azalea,” I said confused.

“Azalea’s parents were part of your uncle’s plan. He had a small sect of werewolves following him and supporting his overthrow of your father. Some of these wolves came from other pacts and integrated into ours. Azalea’s father found his mate in a different pack. She was the daughter of the current Alpha in her pack. Her twin brother was to take the Alpha position, so she agreed to come to our pack to be with her mate.”

“Wait a minute, Azalea is of Alpha blood?”

“Yes, she is. And it makes sense that she would be the mate of an Alpha. Her family is said to have incredible power. Because her father was an avid supporter of your uncle, her mother never got to make many friends within the pack. Your uncle and his followers stuck together and were very secretive. Many of them also refrained from having pups so that they would have less weak spots to be exploited when it came time for their coup. But Azalea’s mother was of Alpha blood and that allowed her to become pregnant more easily. Azalea was born shortly after you and your cousin. Her father and your uncle made an agreement that their children would become Alpha and Luna when the time came.”

“They can’t do that! What were they going to do about their mates?” I said appalled.

“Who knows. This was an arranged marriage for strength and power. As you know, Azalea’s parents died when your uncle tried to take the pack from your father. Because of the circumstances surrounding their death and no one in the pack being close with Azalea’s parents except the other defectors, no one could take in Azalea. I tried desperately to find her guardians. We could not take her in. You know that my mate is human, and our pups were more than she could handle at the time. Your father and mother reluctantly took responsibility for her. But we both know they were not happy about it. I think your father’s greatest fear was that she would be your mate.”

“So, what happened to my cousin and my uncle?”

“Your uncle was hurt and ran away to become a rogue. I can only assume he took your cousin with him. Your uncle’s mate was killed in the fall out so I cannot imagine he survived long,” Declan finished.

“So, you think my cousin has taken Azalea?” He nodded his head.

“I think he is going to try to mate her, mark her and take your Alpha title. I think he has taken her to draw you out and get you riled up before he proceeds.” I looked at Damien with wide eyes.

“Get my uncle now!” I linked him. Damien immediately left the room earning a confused look from his father and Lily.

“Thank you, Declan. I appreciate your candor. There is something I need to attend to immediately. If you could excuse us,” I said standing and motioning for the door. “Lily, can you stay for a moment?”

Declan stood to leave. “Your father misplaced his malice at his brother for years towards that girl. But do try to understand, he never wanted to fight his brother.” With that he left my office.

As soon as the door shut, Lily piped up. “Liam, what will happen if she is mated by another wolf before you have marked her? You already have a permanent link!”

“I don’t know. Damien is getting my uncle now. I will have to tell him what happened. We have to get to Azalea before he can mark her.”