CHAPTER TWELVE
Kyle
"So, what's the plan?" Cade asked.
It was late. I rubbed my neck, feeling the slight tension that had set into my shoulders.
"I don't know."
"You're too involved." I wanted to argue but I kept my mouth shut. We both knew he was right.
If this didn't involve Crystal, I would have already been formulating a plan to extract our pack member from the property. I would use the Keeper as a bargaining tool. To swap the Keeper for our werewolf.
But this wasn't just any situation that I could handle as the alpha. This involved the life of my mate. Every scenario I ran through my mind, I was already weighing up every possible outcome and none of them could be executed without the risk to Crystal's life. It made me second-guess my instinct.
I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to figure out how to proceed. I'd never encountered this before and wasn't sure how to fix it.
"You're right," I said, feeling despondent.
"Don't take it too hard," Cade said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I would be a mess if it was Scar."
The difference was they had mated, they had a connection that I didn't have with Crystal yet. I knew who she was and I cared about her but I didn't have the same level of caring that would control my world.
It was hard to believe that the stress I was feeling would be so much worse if I had actually mated with her.
"But I need to have a clear head to be able to make the right decision," I said.
Cade dropped his hand from my shoulder.
"There will never be a right decision," he argued. He leaned over the map we had of the area where the Keepers were staying. "There will always be a risk."
I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I was tired and going around in circles.
"Do you think they'll do a swap?" he asked. His eyes were fixed on the map. He was probably doing the same thing I had for the last few hours, going over every scenario and trying to calculate the risk.
"It's hard to say," I answered while rubbing my brow. "They're not like us."
Cade gave me a questioning look.
"It's hard to explain. They don't seem to have that emotional attachment that I think will be necessary for Flynn to be our bargaining tool. We could be wasting our time and Crystal could be dead already."
"We have people watching the property," he reminded me. "They would have seen or heard something."
It didn't give me a lot of reassurance.
"Even the birthmark. They have the same but they don't have mates like we do."
"Really?"
I nodded.
"That's weird. I wonder why?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I have no idea. With everything we've learned so far and with the similarities, you'd think they do but when I asked him about it he brushed it off with disgust."
Cade's jaw tightened. How he felt about my sister was evident in the way he acted around her. I could see every choice he made, he made with the welfare of my sister in the forefront of his mind. It was so engrained it was almost subconscious. So for Flynn to do that went against how we were brought up and Cade didn't like it at all. Making light of what we held so dear wasn't a way to win friends among us.
"He seemed to be very rigorous in his belief and priority. It's almost military style but I still get the feeling that he seemed a bit brainwashed. I think they're all like that."
Flynn's words echoed in my mind. We don't have mates, we're not like you. After he called us mutts it was clear we were not liked at all.
"This isn't going to be any run-of-the-mill operation." Cade watched me solemnly as I told him my fears. "Compared to this, the war against Victor was a walk in the park."
We had only ever fought against our kind. This was the first time as far as any of us could remember we would be going up against a foe that was so much more powerful than we were. We were the underdogs and the outcome wasn't looking good.
We had no idea what the retaliation would be for taking Flynn. They might already be planning their attack. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to rein in my fear. I had to believe we could overcome this.
"We can do this," Cade said, pulling me back to the present. I wasn't the only one who knew it wasn't looking good for us. "We have to get Crystal out and return Flynn to them."
Despite my dislike for the Keeper, he hadn't given me a reason to end his life. Besides, he was more valuable alive.
"He might still be worth a swap to the Keepers."
"You think so?" he asked.
I nodded. "There aren't that many of them here and despite their way of existence I think they would still consider him a soldier worth fighting for. To replace him would take a lot of time and energy."
Keri and Blake had left earlier, leaving Curtis to help. We still had to maintain some sort of cover and we couldn't have a load of werewolves missing school. They would be back tomorrow afternoon.
Scarlett and Cade had remained with me. When Cade had suggested she go back home while he stayed with me to help, she had told him in no uncertain terms it wasn't an option.
I smiled at the fierceness my sister displayed. Our bond, even with so many years missing, was becoming stronger every day. There were moments when she was around I knew how lucky I was to have her in my life.
Claire wants to see you, one of my guards mind-linked me.
I was tired and not in the mood. The anger I felt at Claire's deception was still a raw wound that hadn't healed. But even with time, I didn't know if I could forgive what she'd done, even if she'd done it with Crystal's welfare in mind.
"I have to go see someone," I told Cade.
"Go and get some sleep. We can pick up again in the morning." He nodded before I left. Maybe a little shuteye would help clear our minds, although I wasn't feeling that hopeful.
I walked out of the house and down the compound. There wasn't much activity. It was late and most of the pack was asleep. A few guards walked the perimeter of the compound, keeping watch.
Outside the room Claire was in, I stopped to greet the guard. He opened the door and I entered the room. Physical exhaustion was setting in but my curiosity had gotten the better of me. Maybe Claire was ready to reveal Crystal's secret.
"Hello, Kyle," Claire said from the rocking chair on the one side of her room. She looked tired and was dressed in a nightgown with a blanket covering her lap.
It was hard to look at this old lady and not feel she was in some way responsible for the situation Crystal was in. I stood open-legged with my arms crossed as I nodded my head in brief acknowledgement of her.
"What do you want?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
"I heard rumors about the man you captured earlier today."
It wasn't exactly a secret but few people knew what he truly was.
"And?" I prompted, feeling my patience evaporate. I didn't have the time and energy to spend it on an old woman who had tried to keep my mate from me.
"Well, it's just I wanted to know if it's true. Is he a Keeper?" she asked.
I frowned slightly. She seemed really interested in it. Why? Did she know he'd been the one to save Crystal from the rogue? Or was it something more than that?
"Why are you so interested?" I asked, watching her carefully for any clues to what she was thinking.
"I need to know if it's true," she insisted. It was then I noticed she looked more than just tired. There was a fear in her eyes that I had never seen before.
Crystal
Thankfully Hayden was too involved with the taking of Flynn to worry about my dressing. Which was a relief. And I had already decided that if he did ask about my wound again I would lie and tell him someone else had already helped me with it.
I was running out of time and so was Dean. The Keepers were all busy trying to locate Flynn. If there was ever a time to try to escape, it would be now. But I was scared.
I had been brought up in a pack and knew how to defend myself to some extent. I also had a secret strength I had discovered when the changes had started after I had turned sixteen. Luckily I had discovered it before it had been noticed. It had been as simple as breaking the handle off on the door to my room. It had been unexpected and I hadn't shared it with my adoptive parents. I knew what powers werewolves were supposed to have and no females had the strength that I possessed before mating. My strength had grown. I was probably stronger than most werewolves, how strong I wasn't sure. I had never used it against anyone before for fear they would discover I was different.
I wondered if Flynn had told them anything yet. Did Kyle know I was here? I had so many questions and no answers. I reminded myself I had to concentrate on the important task of getting myself and Dean out of the property while the Keepers were too distracted.
It was either today or the next. If I couldn't get away, they would discover what I was and then I would be as good as dead.
My hands were shaking and I took a deep breath to calm myself. It was dark and I had no idea what time it was. Hayden had left the property with a handful of Keepers. I had no idea where they'd gone.
With so many Keepers missing, this left me with fewer Keepers to avoid as I tried to flee. I had no idea how I was going to get Dean out of here. He was pretty drugged up, so I just hoped he wouldn't be able to fully recall how he had been saved.
It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was all I had. I was also unarmed. I hadn't been able to find any real weapon so I had decided to fill one of my last syringes with some wolfsbane. Not only did it suppress my werewolf traits, it also weakened my strength as well. I hoped in a larger dose it would be enough to either knock one of them out or at least make them a lot weaker.
I was tired, but there was no time to sleep. I would have to try and pull this off while the other Keepers slept. If I didn't do it tonight I had no way of knowing if there would even be a chance tomorrow. What if all the Keepers returned and then I would have more of them to worry about?
I had also discovered a small side gate at the bottom of the property that was locked. I believed I was strong enough to break it despite my strength being weakened.
I felt the panic rise up in me and I stood up. I began to pace, formulating in my mind what I was going to do and how. I kept going through the plan in my mind again and again before I realized that no matter how many times I did, I would not be able to foresee every event that would unfold tonight.
We might get caught and then I would be resigned to my fate. But if we didn't, I could get Dean out of here and back to the pack.
I stopped. I hadn't thought past getting Dean home. The discovery of the Keepers didn't change the fact my existence was a danger I couldn't inflict on the pack. My path, despite all the recent events, still lay somewhere else where I would not be discovered.
An unwanted image of Kyle appeared in my mind. It made me feel guilty for what I had put him through. It was difficult not to remember how his eyes found mine and the shiver of awareness it sent through me. Inside somewhere, my instinct screamed for him: Mine.
Would he understand my actions if he knew the truth? Maybe. It didn't matter. I wasn't going to chance anything. If I stayed and the Keepers discovered me then I would put the pack in danger. I was out of options.
I pushed the thought of Kyle from my mind. I couldn't think of him now. My concentration could not be swayed by my emotions.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder, preparing to leave. Before I allowed the fear to take over and keep me confined to my room, I pushed the door open.
The passageway was dimly lit as I began to creep slowly in the direction of the staircase. The house was quiet and my ears strained to hear any noise that would signal a nearby Keeper.
I descended the stairs without encountering anyone. By the back door to the house I hid my backpack and took out the syringe filled with wolfsbane. If a Keeper caught me in the house I could still come up with some believable lie as to why I was wandering around so late at night. But with a backpack, my plan would be obvious.
My heart was thumping hard in my chest as I slowly made my way to the study. Dean wasn't being guarded but the door would be locked. I hoped the key would be in the study.
I stopped outside the study. The door was closed but there was no light. I eased the handle down and pushed the door open. I didn't dare switch on the light for fear it would give me away so I used the moonlight that entered through the window to try and find the keys.
Fear and panic set in when I couldn't find them. I scanned the desk and there was nothing. Damn it.
I began to feel the fear set in. What was I going to do now?
Keep calm, I told myself. Take a deep breath. I followed my instruction, filling my lungs with a long breath before releasing it.
My only option was to break the door. It might make a noise but I had no choice. As quietly as I could I made my way to the room where Dean was being kept. The closer I got to the point of no return, the more I began to feel overwhelmed. If I was discovered freeing a rogue, I was toast.
I waited for a few moments outside the door to make sure there were no Keepers inside the room but it was quiet. I looked down the passage before I tried to open the door. It was locked. It took a heavy push to break the lock and the door opened.
I stilled, waiting to hear for any Keepers, but there was nothing.
Dean was lying on the bed. I didn't waste any time. We had to move before we were discovered.
"What?" Dean said when I began to shake him awake. I gave him a small dose of the wolfsbane to weaken his werewolf scent. It would help with our escape.
"Quiet. We need to go," I whispered to him. He sat up but I had to help him to his feet.
"Can you do this?" I asked him as I put my arm around his waist to keep him steady.
He put his hand to his head and he nodded slowly.
"I need you to walk as quickly as you can." His blank eyes met mine. Then he nodded again, his response delayed.
This was going to be harder than I had first anticipated.
"You have to be quiet," I reminded him. It was like I was talking to a child. I had no idea if he remembered the situation he was in and the last thing I needed was him giving us away by accident.
"Yes…quiet," he said.
He was larger than me but I could take his extra weight as he leaned into me. He put one foot in front of the door.
"What are you doing?"
The sudden voice without warning sent my heart slamming into my chest as I lifted my eyes and found Harrison in the doorway effectively blocking off the only exit out of the room.
Crap.