I roll over as my phone vibrates a few times, and I feel around the side table for my phone in the dim room. I grab it, the bright light annoying my eyes as I read the text from Snow.
Two groups of wolves attacked the pack last night, moments after you told us. They were trying to take Harper, but her baby saved her. It is a long story, but it seems the baby has a special gift when Harper teleported out of a room, and into Nikoli’s office. We are on lock down and the wolves are all dead. Call if you need anything. Love you.
I take a deep breath of relief that they didn’t get Harper and in the same thought I wonder why the hell they went after her in the first place. Thank god her baby has such an amazing gift, it no doubt saved her mother from being kidnapped and god knows what. I look down at Rogue as he holds a pillow by his head, his breathing deep as he sleeps. My mate. I don’t want to wake him, so I quietly get out of bed, picking up Cain’s shirt up. I go across the room, getting a pair of leggings and some underwear out of my bag before going to the bathroom. I wash down quickly and clean up before getting dressed. I put my hair up in a tight ponytail before leaving the room and quietly opening the door, before walking out.
“Hey. I was just going to wake you up,” Cain says, walking up the final steps on the stairs. I smile as I walk over to him, feeling awful at the dark bags under his eyes and how tired he looks.
“Have you been up all night?” I ask.
“With some help, we dug graves and made coffins to bury the dead tonight. I also sent three of our pack out with items from the stolen boy. One of them will make it to the castle and pass it to Erik,” he explains, and I step closer, wrapping my arms around him. He rests his head on top of mine, sighing. “I wish I could do more.”
“We all do, but we can’t. You need to sleep and I need to speak to your brothers,”
“Why? Is about you mating with Rogue? Because Callum felt the mate bond link to you and told us. We are happy for you, and would celebrate if it was different timing,” he replies and while I feel relieved about that, it isn’t what I want to talk to them about.
“If I tell you, you have to promise to get some sleep and let your brothers help me,” I say and he grumbles.
“Fine.”
“The Forest Pack were attacked last night. They wanted Harper, and sent two groups of wolves to get her. She is fine, the wolves are dead, but I want to know exactly what it is they want,” I say, leaning back so I can see his reaction.
“I know what they want, we all do now. Come on, I will show you it,” Chase says from the bottom of the stairs. I pull away from Cain to see Chase walking off and I look up at Cain.
“Go. You need to see this,” he tells me and I lean up, kissing him once before pulling back.
“Okay. Get some sleep though,” I tell him.
“Yes miss bossy boots,” he chuckles walking to his room. I run down the stairs, slipping my trainers on by the door and going outside where Chase is parked out front. He sits on a massive motorbike, the bike purring loudly as he starts it up.
“Get on then,” he tells me, nodding his head at the back of the bike. I’ve been a massive fan of bikes but I pull up my big girl pants and run down the steps, jumping onto the back of the bike, wrapping my arms around Chase’s waist which seems to make him tense up.
“Where are we going?”
“Not far,” he answers and kicks the brake off, driving us around the houses and down a dirt path that goes to the left. It starts to rain as we continue down the dirt path and get to a small house. There is nothing around the house, and it looks like it is falling apart where it stands. Chase stops us outside, knocking the break down and I get off first. Chase runs to the door with me, holding the door open as I walk inside. The inside is no better, with a wooden fire place, a red, torn and dated rug in the middle of the room and nothing else to look at. Well except for the holes in the ceiling that are dripping water onto the floor.
“I have a feeling this house isn’t what the royals want,” I question Chase who shakes the water out of his hair and grins at me.
“It is a disguise,” he says and walks over to the fireplace. He presses a secret button on top of the fireplace and there is a clicking sound. Seconds later the floor in the corner of the room slides apart and a lit up pair of stairs appears. I go to walk towards it but Chase steps in front of me, sliding a finger under my chin and lifting it so we are looking into each others eyes.
“What is in here…it is our greatest treasure. We are trusting you, don’t break our trust,” he almost demands.
“I won’t. Don’t you get it yet? I want my mates, and my life here. I will keep any secrets you want me to. I only need to see this to know what the royals are going to try and kill us for,” I say gently, and he smirks.
“You want all your mates? Huh?” he asks, stepping closer. “Why don’t you prove it then?” I go to say something, do something but he steps away and walks down the stairs without looking back at me once. Asshole. I quickly catch up with him, walking down the metal stairs and the door clicks closed above us when Chase presses something on the wall as we go down. The bottom of the stairs opens up into a big library, with bookcases on every wall, filled to the rim with books. There are four desks in the room, and right in the middle is a glowing gemstone floating inside a glass box. The gemstone glows a purple colour and I don’t have a clue what it is.
“What is it?” I ask.
“A Shifter stone,” Chase answers simply and sits on one of the desks in the room as I step close to the glass, staring at the tiny floating stone.
“What the hell is a shifter stone?”
“To be honest with you, we don’t know much about them. Our family has passed this stone down for generations and generations. We only know if you touch it, you lose your mind and your animal. We keep it in here for that reason, and because we have all been told to keep it a secret,” he explains.
“Does Nikoli have a stone too? Is that why they went for Harper to bribe him for the stone,” I muse. It would make a lot of sense.
“We suspect as much. Nikoli has a stone that glows green, and it was given to him by a wolf in his pack when he passed away. The wolf told him to keep it safe and that it is also called a Shifter stone,” he tells me.
“Why do they want the stones if they only destroy you?” I ask but of course Chase has no answer for me. It doesn’t make any sense. They must know something we don’t and there is no way I am letting them get hold of the stone.
“I don’t know but if it takes giving them the stone for the child back…we have decided to give them it. We won’t risk them killing the child,” Chase says. I nod, getting it but having a very bad feeling about handing the stone over. I force myself to look away from the stone and walk around the library. I run my fingers over the dusty books and grab one, pulling it.
“The history of the lost kind,” I read the title out-loud and chase walks over, plucking it out of my hand and putting it back.
“The books are all romances and boring stuff about nothing. This place is just a disguise, and a storage place for books for my mum,” he says. “They are her books so you might want to ask before reading them.”
“I will do. Thanks for the advice, and not being a total asshole today,” I say and he laughs, stepping into my space, my back hitting the bookcase.
“I decided something last night,” he gruffly whispers, his seductive voice making me shiver and leaving me speechless as he rests his lips near my ear. “Your other mates have made it too easy for you. If you want me, you need to earn it.”
I watch in shock as Chase smirks at me and walks away.