“What about Juniper?” Silas asks. “Is she safe?”
I am not sure,Durant admits.I haven’t seen her for a couple of days.
“Fuck,” I swear under my breath.
“Who is she?” Cassian whispers.
“One of Silas’ close friends, and very loyal to him.”
“Is she trustworthy?” Cassian whispers to me.
I exchange a look with Alex. “Is anyone?” I ask quietly.
“Be careful,” Silas tells his younger brother. “I really don’t want you to get hurt, Durant. Aloysius is cruel. You saw what he did to me. And you have heard what he did to innocent children. He is a psychopath and won’t hesitate to hurt you.”
I will be careful,Durant promises, before hanging up.
Silence engulfs us before Cassian clears his throat. “Is your brother seriously that crazy?” he asks.
“Absolutely.”
“How do we know Maddie is still alive?” he asks.
“Well,” Alex says. “Aloysius likes to keep his image of a strong, controlled leader. He won’t just kill a child, not because he is such a good person or because he feels pity for her, but because it’s all part of the image he wants to maintain: dignified, intelligent, controlled. Granted, he is nothing like that, besides being highly intelligent. However, unlike the wolves, we can’t sense any blood relation. He will need to test her to make sure she is his. Then he will kill her.”
“And Nova and Benji?” Lori asks.
“I am not sure how he will handle it,” Silas admits. “But Aloysius doesn’t want a battle with the werewolves or lycans. He isn’t stupid, nor is he reckless. Nova and Benjamin weren’t part of his plan, so he is probably trying to figure out what to do withthem, which probably buys us some time. When he finds out that they are ranked members, their chances of getting out of this unharmed are pretty good.”
“Unless they won’t do anything reckless,” Alex adds. “So, how high are the chances that the both of them stay put?”
Benjamin staying put? The chance of it is so low, it makes my heart stop beating for a moment. He will try to save everyone, I just know it. Since he’s found his confidence, he’s also started to grow into his role as my gamma. And as such, he will want to make sure Maddie and Nova get out of the situation unharmed.
Cassian and I exchange a horrified look. “We’d better find them fast,” Cass blurts out. “Nova is definitely not going to sit idly.”
“Benjamin is there, too, which makes it even worse,” I point out.
“Oh, fuck,” Cassian groans. “Two do-gooders in one place!”
“You make it sound like that’s bad,” Julianus huffs.
“I don’t find that side of Benji a bad thing, either,” Lori argues.
Silas looks at them, shaking his head. “Both of you chose a weird moment to commit to your mates,” he mutters. “But at least this means they have something they are fighting for.”
thirty-nine
Plans
*BENJAMIN*
Every bone in my body seems to ache when I try to shift my position. There is a throbbing pain at the back of my head as if something keeps hammering against my skull from the inside. Ugh, it’s such an uncomfortable feeling, making me almost nauseous. The ground beneath my fingers feels cold. Where the fuck am I?
“Benji!” Someone shakes my shoulder. “Please wake up.”
“Lori?” I mumble.
“No, I am sorry, I am not Lori. It’s me, Nova. Benji, we have been abducted!”