Chapter 202
Claire’s POV
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I wasn’t so sure about this. Yes, I wanted justice for my mother, but we already knew Darius couldn’t be trusted. I doubted he would keep his word.
Yet, Gideon seemed confident that this would work out for us. I knew he had been working hard in cleaning away the corruption from our pack. But allowing Darius back in felt like a risk that wasn’t worth taking.
We’d made an agreement though, with Gideon promising he wouldn’t move forward without my consent. I had to give it. If Gideon thought this was worth the risk, I wouldn’t stand against him. Truly, I wanted Victoria to face justice for what she had done to my mother, and to me. And to my father as well!
“Ah, you brought the misses with you,” Darius said, spotting me. “I hope you were able to convince him to accept my offer. It’s the best you are going to have.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that,” I said, annoyed to even be in the same vicinity as this vermin.
“We will free you after you confess to the King what you’ve been a part of and who is responsible,” Gideon said, giving the terms he and I had settled on.
Darius paled like he had just seen a ghost. “I will not go there. You want to send me straight into the lion’s den! I will be killed for sure!”
“We will protect you from Victoria,” Gideon said. “That was part of your terms.”
“I’m not making that trip,” Darius said.
“Not even for your freedom?” I asked. When he didn’t reply right away, I turned to Gideon. “We should just go. I knew he was a coward. We’re wasting our time here.”
I started to turn, as did Gideon, following my lead.
“Wait,” he said, and we both stopped. Slowly, we turned our heads back to him but not our bodies. We waited. He struggled, his cowardly sense of survival clearly warring with his pride. “Release me first, then I will meet you at the palace.”
“No,” I said, before Gideon could add anything else. “You talk to the King first, then we release you. Those are the only terms. we will agree to.”
Darius grumbled. Gideon and I looked at each other, then pretended like we were going to walk away again.
In the end, before Gideon and I could get too far, Darius said, “Fine. I will speak with the Alpha King. But you lot had better protect me.”
“You won’t die,” Gideon said, and that was all that he said.
Together, Gideon and I left the prison.
“We got him,” Gideon said. “With his testimony as additional evidence, there is no way that Victoria will escape justice now.”
I wasn’t so confident. “I hope so.”
He nudged me with his elbow. “Have some faith.”
I wanted to, but… “They’ve already gotten away with this for so long. It’s difficult to believe that luck won’t hold, even with all we’ve uncovered.”
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10:12 Thu, Feb 19
Chapter 202
Gideon took my hand in his. Mine fit so well, our fingers slotting together.
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“We won’t let them escape justice anymore,” Gideon said, and he sounded so damn confident that I wanted to believe him. “It’s all going to work out, Claire. I promise. I won’t let it happen any other way.”
I gave him a small smile, appreciative of him, at least. “You have an Alpha’s confidence.”
He grinned in return. “Well, I am an Alpha, don’t forget.”
“I haven’t,” I said, then blushed a little.
He just grinned wider.
We planned on our trip as soon as possible. Gideon took a few days to make sure the pack was in order, though he trusted Xavier to keep things running. Privately, the two of us argued whether or not we should bring the children.
Neither of us really wanted to be without them, but we eventually agreed things would be too dangerous with them there. Victoria might try to retaliate or something else could happen. The children were the most precious people to us, but they were also the most vulnerable.
We couldn’t leave them unprotected, however.
I spoke with Peter, “You are sure you wouldn’t mind watching them.”
“I’d be happy to,” he said. “I’ve been looking for a reason to get back to that pack.”
“You have hidden motives.”
“I have a ring in my pocket,” he said. “I’m hoping she’ll say yes. Then I could be your long–term babysitter.”
“I hope she says yes too. And not just so you can watch the children.”
Curiously, as we continued to play, I noticed that Peter wasn’t the only one who wanted to help protect the children. With the disloyal traitors having been weeded from the group, many of the staff and guards had come to know and like the children.
On our day to day, even before we announced our trip, employees would come up to us and give their praises of our kids. A few of the guards even promised to protect the children with their lives. Some staff said they would do anything to keep safe the future heirs of their beloved pack.
I was surprised but also delighted and encouraged by their responses. To know that my children were so well–received, after being certain that they would be shunned was such a relief, I felt physically lighter because of it.
This wasn’t the only strange occurrence. Those same loyal staff and guards also gave me the same offers of protection.
“We want to do what we can for our Luna.”
I blinked, surprised, but I didn’t correct them. The title felt… right.
Even if I shouldn’t have accepted it.
Soon, Gideon and I said goodbye to the children and started on our way to the royal pack. Darius, our prisoner was in a second car filled with guards trailing behind our own.
Gideon and I didn’t talk much in the car, but I was nervously bouncing my knee up and down. Gideon reached over and laced our fingers together. He lightly squeezed my hand.
“It’s going to be alright,” he promised.
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10:12 Thu, Feb 19 MO
Chapter 202
I smiled weakly at him and nodded. I wanted to believe that, but I was nervous.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“I do,” I told him.
“Then believe in me,” he said. “Believe me when I tell you we are going to make this work.”
I nodded, more confident now.
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When we reached the palace, we found it in a sort of chaos. Guards were everywhere, and they were somewhat jumpy, triple–checking our car without telling us what they were looking for.
We discovered it on our own when we went into the house.
Alpha King George was something of a mess, pacing back and forth, his clothes askew, his hair in every direction like he couldn’t stop running his fingers through it.
“What’s going on?” I asked, approaching him. “Father?”
He looked at me and some relief filled his eyes, but it only lasted a moment. “Claire. Thank the Goddess you are safe. If they had taken you too, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Taken…? Who was taken? By whom?”
“Victoria and Susanne are both missing,” George said. “I’m sure they’ve been kidnapped.”
At that very moment, Darius was being led through the front door by the guard.
He laughed at the King’s words and said, “They haven’t been kidnapped. This is all part of their plan.”
AD
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