Alpha Prime: Her Retribution

Chapter Thirty Five

A faint beeping followed by a groan roused me from sleep. I raised my head, hissing at the pulsating pain in my neck but that soon disappeared as I noticed Liam moving.

"Liam?"

A groan escaped his lips and my heart did a double flip.

"Oh thank Eda! Liam you’re awake!!!"

I jumped to my feet, cupping his face. He grimaced before opening his eyes.

"Adelaide?"

"Yes, it's me." I answered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'm so sorry Lili, this is all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"Hey... it's okay, stop apologising. You did nothing wrong." He said, cupping my face.

"B-but Jacob..." I began

"Yeah, but it's not your fault, never blame yourself." He whispered, his eyes drifted down to my neck, his eyes darkened at the band aid.

"So it wasn't a pain induced nightmare." He muttered, I swallowed hard, moving my hair to hide the bandaid and sitting back down.

"It was either that or he killed you." I uttered, looking down at my hands. Silence stretched between us. "H...how did he get you?"

He sat up, wincing slightly.

"One minute I was walking down the street, enjoying a hotdog, the next minute, I was shoved into a van, had a bag over my head, the next time they removed the bag, I was face to face with Jacob and he was asking me about Adlartok."

"What did you tell him?" I inquired.

"I may or may not have cursed him out and spat in his face." He answered, smirking and chuckling at my expression.

"You really do have a death wish Liam." I chuckled.

"Well I can't let you be the only suicidal one in the family." He replied. I leaned closer to him, placing my hand on his.

"I'm so glad you're okay. You have no idea how worried I was."

He flipped our hands over so he was holding mine.

"I'm not going anyway Adelaide, I swore to you I'll always be by your side and I'm not about to break it."

I reached over and wrapped my arms around him, he hugged me back.

"I'll call Magnus, have him send a car."

"Eager to get me out of here?" He asked, teasing me.

"No, if I could have you here with me, I would, but for your safety I think it'll be better if you stay in the Consulate." I explained.

"By ‘stay in the Consulate’...." He trailed off.

"I mean you don't go out." I replied. "I know it's harsh and I'm restricting your movement but I..."

"I understand Addie, it's fine." He said, smiling. I nodded, reaching into my mind.

Magnus?

Prime?

Please send a car to Yellowstone. T-there's been an incident.

I could immediately feel his worry through the bond.

Is anything the matter Prime? Are you safe? Do you need me to mobilise an extraction team?

No, no need for that and everything is fine, just send a car. I instructed.

As you wish.

I turned my attention to Liam.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Water?"

"Geez Addie, I got beat up, I didn't die, stop worrying. You're already getting wrinkles." He said, poking my forehead. I smacked his hand away.

"You almost died Lili, I believe I am within my rights to worry, wrinkles be damned." I retorted.

"I don't think it would be possible for the Luna Prime to develop wrinkles, she's far too flawless."

We turned to see Tony leaning against the door frame, a smile on his lips.

"Tony" I greeted.

"Good morning Luna, I trust you slept well." He asked.

"In light of the circumstances, I guess so." I replied, glancing at Liam who was staring at Tony with a look of suspicion.

"Liam, this is Tony, Jacob's Beta Prime, he's the one who brought the blood I gave you." I explained.

"Blood?!" He questioned.

"Yes, apparently Jacob's blood has healing properties." I explained. He let out a snort.

"So I was right, he's a freak."

"Liam..." I whispered.

"I'd strongly advise you not to call him a freak in his presence." Tony warned.

"I'll damn well call him whatever the f**k I want to seeing that he almost killed me." Liam retorted. I let out a sigh, shaking my head.

"Tony can you please inform the doctor that Liam is awake and also inform the Alpha Prime that a car is coming to take him back to the Consulate." I instructed.

"Right away Luna." He bowed and walked away. I rolled my shoulders back, wincing as I did. My neck and shoulders were stiff and sore. Every movement made it worse.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, my neck just hurts." I replied.

"Did you get it treated?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

The doctor joined us and I watched as he examined Liam.

"So what's the verdict Doc?" He asked.

"You're almost healed, just a few deep tissue bruises but that'll go away by the end of today." He answered.

"So he can be discharged?" I inquired.

"Yes Luna."

"Thank you." I replied, he nodded, bowing and leaving.

Prime, We are within the territory. Neil's voice filled my mind. The Mont Blanc Beta Prime is here with us.

Good, he'll bring you to our location.

"Neil's here." I relayed the news to him.

We didn't have to wait long, Neil walked in holding a bag.

"Alpha Prime" He greeted, a frown crept onto his lips as he stared at Liam seated in the hospital bed. "Is anything the matter?"

I got to my feet, approaching him, a small practised smile in place.

"Yes, Liam just had a little accident but he's fine." I explained, taking the bag from him. He glanced between Liam and I, suspicion written all over his face.

"Come on Neil, I'm fine." Liam assured, hoping down from the bed.

"Right"

It was clear he didn't believe us but he was duty bound not to press further so he handed me the bag.

"I'll be outside."

He left the room, closing the door behind him.

"When did we become such terrible liars?" Liam asked, approaching me.

"I have no idea, we used to be so good at it." I replied, thinking back to the several times we lied to Uncle Pete and snuck out of Ridgeway Valley. He rifled through the bag, pulling off the hospital gown and pulling on the underwear.

"So what am I going to tell Magnus when I get back because I know for a certain, he's going to grill me."

I held out the shirt, he took it and shrugged it on, buttoning it up.

"Just tell him you came to see me, you got into an accident here and you had to spend a night in the hospital." I supplied, he pulled on his trousers.

"That could work."

Once he was done getting ready, we walked out and headed to the front desk where he signed the release papers. Neil was waiting by the car, I turned to Liam, hugging him.

"Take care of yourself."

"You too Addie. I'll call you when we get to the Consulate." He whispered, rocking me slightly.

"I really am sorry." I mumbled.

"If you apologise one more time, I'm going to shove your face into my armpit." He warned, making me wrinkle my nose, that would kill me.

I watched as he and Neil got into the car, waving as the car pulled away from the curb and out of sight.

Sighing, I wrapped my arms around my body and made my way down the road towards Jacob's cottage knowing fully well, all my plans for his death had crashed and burned. It was done... I was done.

*************** **************** *****************

By the time I got back to the cottage, I could barely lift my arm. It was heavy and the pain radiated all the way from my neck to my fingertips.

The guards bowed and opened the door. I walked in, dragging my feet up the stairs to my room. I desperately needed a shower. I stepped into my bathroom, stripping down to my skin. I made a mental note to have Delilah throw the clothes away, there were too many bad memories attached to it.

I stared at the mirror, I raised my good arm, using it to move my hair away from my neck.

Breathing through my mouth, I closed my eyes, steeling myself before lifting my leg hand and peeled the bandaid off. A cry escaped my lips, the pain dizzying. I opened my eyes and stared at the smelly messy goop that was my wound.

Oh Eda what is this?

I didn't understand why it wasn't healing, I was a lycan, I should have healed up.

I placed the small towel under the tap, letting it run under the warm water. It was a herculean task having to lift my arm up to my neck and cleaning the ooze away.

I cried out, gritting my teeth, tears welling in my eyes at the overwhelming pain. I blinked back the tears, dropping the towel into the sink. By the time I was done, I was a shaking trembling mess.

I pressed a fresh bandaid over the wound before making my way into the shower stall. I let the hot water wash over me, soaking my hair, down my back.

After the shower, I made my way back into my room, pulling on a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a shirt. I crawled into bed, ignoring the pain that wracked my body. My eyes fluttered closed and fell into a fitful sleep.

************** *************** ********************

"Ms Adelaide?"

The door creaked open and the sound of footsteps approaching reached my ear.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Prime wants to see you... he's in his office." Delilah stated softly. I sat up, wincing slightly at the pain before getting to my feet, I brushed past her, making my way out of the room, down the hall to the stairs.

I got to his office, opening the door and walking in. He was standing by the window in the conference room,.his back to me.

"I'm here."

He turned to me, a frown on his lips as he took in my appearance.

"Delilah tells me you haven't been eating." He said.

"I have no appetite." I replied.

"Starving yourself isn't going to solve anything." He stated making me sigh in response.

"Is this why you called for me?" I asked.

"I have decided on a fitting punishment for your actions." He uttered, making me raise a brow.

"Punishment? Almost killing my cousin and marking me isn’t punishment enough? You want to add more to that?"

"You are banned from leaving my lands, you will have no more communication with the consulate." He continued, ignoring my words. I surged forward, brows knitted together.

"You can't do that!!! I am an Alpha Prime, I have a duty to my continent!!" I argued.

"You should have thought of that before you did what you did. Once your cousin is all healed, I want him out of my continent. If he, so much as, steps a foot back here, I will personally kill him."

My lips parted in shock as I tried to make sense of his words.

"So you get to kill my family and go scott free but when a stray bullet hits one of your wolves, I get the harshest punishment you can think of, you really are a devil"

"And whose fault is that? I am your MATE, your Alpha! And you dare conspire with another Alpha Prime to kill me!!!" He snapped, taking a step forward.

"You're not my Alpha, you will never be my Alpha, you took EVERYTHING from me and now you want to take my continent away from me!!!" I screamed, ignoring the pulsating pain that felt like molten lava coursing through my veins.

"And your father took YOU from me!!!" He roared. "He stole my mate from me!!! He made her hate me!!!"

I shook my head, my neck stiff.

"My father didn't make me hate you Jacob, you did all that on your own." I whispered. "How can I love someone who killed my pack, kidnapped my cousin, forced me to become his Luna and is now hellbent on isolating me. Tell me Jacob, how can I love such a monster?"

He stared at me, his lips slightly parted. I swallowed hard, feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

"All these could have been avoided if you had approached the council." I whispered, glancing at him. He let out a laugh, throwing his head back as he continued.

"Approach the council?! You're f*****g hilarious Adelaide."

His laughter became tinged with hysteria, red bleeding into his black eyes, his skin pale. He looked inhumane and I found myself taking a step backwards. Before I could blink, he had moved and a box was shoved into my hands, he stood inches before me, his chest heaving as he glared at me.

"I sent letters Adelaide... to the Council, to your f*****g father, to YOU!!!" He shouted. My eyes widened and it felt as if I had been dunked in the ice waters of Greenland. I glanced at the box before looking back at him.

What?!

"And I never got any response, so tell me Adelaide, what else should a desperate lycan do to get his mate?" He whispered. My lips parted but no words came out.

"I..."

I swallowed the golf-sized lump in my throat.

"I- I never got a letter..."

He let out a humourless chuckle.

"Of course you didn’t... your father made f*****g sure of that."

The door opened and Tony walked in, his eyes darting to us.

"I can come back later..." he began, taking a step back.

"No, the Luna Prime was just leaving." Jacob said, glaring at me. I watched them walk into his inner office and I was left there standing, shocked at the revelation.

Jacob had sent letters...he had sent me letters...

I walked on auto pilot out of the conference room back to my room.

"Ms Adelaide?"

I looked up to see Delilah folding my clothes, she took one look at me and the smile slipped off her lips, she approached me.

"Are you okay?" She inquired, I could only stare at her, no words left my lips so I brushed past her and sat on my bed, the small shoe box on my lap.

"Ms Adelaide? Do you need me to get you something? Water? Food?"

I shook my head, swallowing the golf sized lump in my throat.

"I..." my voice shook. "I'm fine. You can go, it's late and I would like to sleep now."

She hesitated before nodding and getting to her feet.

"Goodnight Ms Adelaide."

She closed the door behind her. I kept the box on the bedside drawer and laid down, staring at the ceiling wishing I was back in Ridgeway Valley and away from all this mess.

************ *************** **************

Hours passed and sleep evaded me, the pain had spread to my other arm and I found myself unable to move it without crying out in pain. I gingerly turned onto my side, wincing as I did so, my eyes landed on the box.

I had sent letters...

I forced myself into a sitting position and flicked on the lamp before lifting the box and setting it on the bed in front of me. I removed the cover, there were several papers folded neatly inside.

I picked one and unfolded it.

It was addressed to The Asian Alpha Prime

Good day Alpha Prime Yichen,

I hope this letter finds you well.

It has come to my attention that Alpha Prime Charles of the European Wolves has meddled in affairs that pertains to me and his daughter, Adelaide Silverstone, who I have recently found out is to be my mate. I have made several attempts to reach out to Prime Charles to settle whatever qualms he has with no to no avail, as such I am being forced to include The Council in this matter. I implore The Council to investigate this claim.

I look forward to your favourable reply.

Yours faithfully,

Jacob Mont Blanc.

Alpha Prime,

North America.

It had been dated a year before the m******e. I kept it aside and unfolded another, it had the same contents but was sent to another Alpha Prime.

Alpha Prime Adlartok

What?!

My brows knitted together, a cold sensation rushing through me.

He knew... he knew about Jacob and I being mates and he pretended as if he didn't.

I swallowed hard and skipped through the ones addressed to the Alpha Primes until I found one addressed to my father.

Alpha Prime Charles,

I do not know what crime I have committed for you to intend to change my mate but I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it. I have not met your daughter yet but I swear on my life, I will treat her with the utmost respect, I will worship the ground she walks on, I will protect her with my life. I beg of you, please don't deprive me of the joys of having a mate.

Yours sincerely

Jacob Mont Blanc.

He had sent it a year and half before the m******e. I read several more he had written to the Primes and to my father until there were 6 letters left.

I picked the first one, unfolding it, my heart skipping at the first sentence.

My Dearest Adelaide,

Although you know me only by my name, I am your true mate. I understand that you may doubt the contents of this letter, as we have not formally met for you to ascertain the truth of my claim. If you afford me a chance to meet with you, I will gladly explain how I came to know of this information. Your questions and doubts will be addressed, and I will answer them honestly and sincerely.

Please, meet me in two days at the café near the Mont Blanc Consulate, I will be waiting.

Yours, in this life and the next

Jacob.

I swallowed hard, staring at the letter, lost for words. I picked up the second one, my hands shaking.

My Dearest Adelaide.

I suspect your father intercepted the message. I know now that it was foolish to send it through the regular mail, given his failure to respond to my previous letters. You are nearing your 18th birthday and I have no idea what plans your father has, but I intend on putting a stop to it. I don't know what transgression I committed to have him want to take you, my goddess-given mate, away from me.

I do not know if he has filled your mind with stories of my cruelty and wickedness. I assure you, I will never harm you, I promise to treat you with the utmost respect and love you deserve. You are the very essence of my being, the soul of my soul, the bone of my bones, the flesh of my flesh. Our destinies are woven together, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives discovering the depths of our love.

Yours,

Jacob.

Oh Eda...

I placed it to the side, afraid to pick up another but I continued on.

My Dearest Adelaide,

I've heard that your father has arranged a mate for you, but it's not too late. Please, I beg you, meet me tonight outside Silverstone. I will be waiting for you by the boundary, holding out hope that you will come and we can be together.

Yours,

Jacob.

I closed my eyes, I could sense the desperation in each word of the letter. I glanced at the date, he had been waiting for me at the boundary that night... he had come and had waited for me and I had no idea. The thought had me sniffing back the tears before picking up the second to the last one.

My Dearest Adelaide,

I beg your forgiveness, for I have reached the end of my rope and have no other option. The council refuses to help, your father refuses to listen, and all other means to reach you have been blocked. I am a desperate man, forced to resort to extremes in an attempt to be with the lady I love. This will be my final letter, if it reaches you, please find it in your heart to forgive me. If not, then let it serve as a warning to your Father.

I pray to Eda that we meet, either in this world or in the next if I do not survive this fight.

Yours,

Jacob.

I frowned, checking the date...

5th, September 2012

Oh my goddess…

A chill descended and embedded itself deep within me. Jacob had sent this a week before the m******e which meant my father knew he was coming... he knew and he still refused to comply with Jacob's demands. I looked down at the last letter, numb and afraid of what the letter would reveal. I picked it up and immediately noticed this one hasn't been sent, it looked like a rough draft.

A̶d̶e̶l̶a̶i̶d̶e̶,

D̶e̶a̶r̶e̶s̶t̶ Adelaide,

I don't deserve to address you as such

I̶'m̶ s̶o̶ s̶o̶r̶r̶y̶, I̶'m̶ s̶o̶ s̶o̶r̶r̶y̶, I̶'m̶ s̶o̶ s̶o̶r̶r̶y̶

It's been three days since the incident, and every moment of it has been a living hell, I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't think. I feel guilty, lost, and consumed by regret. M̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ your father was right and I am truly a monster. I don't deserve you, and I don't deserve any happiness, that is painfully clear now. I won't lie and tell you that I regret killing your father, I am terribly sorry about the others, but your death... it weighs around my neck like a noose. I'll spend the rest of my life seeking forgiveness and trying to find a way to right the wrong I have done. I can only hope there is an afterlife and you will be there, w̶a̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ f̶o̶r̶ m̶e̶.

I’m sorry, please forgive me.

The letter fell from my fingers, my ragged breathing filled the room. It felt as if my entire world had been swept off my feet and I was left utterly confused and helpless.

So many people that could have been saved... died and for what?!!!

I clasped a hand over my mouth, my shoulders shaking as I cried, my heart felt like it had been replaced with a burning ball of fire, I wanted to claw at my chest and take it out, anything to stop the pain.

"This is why I didn't want you to embark on this mission in the first place, Adelaide, it's filled with nothing but pain." Eda whispered, wrapping her arms around my body, I leaned into her, sobbing.

"But why... Why was my father so hell bent on keeping me away from Jacob? He sacrificed so many people just for me, why would he do that? No one deserved to die."

"It's alright my child..."

"No it's not."

I looked up to see Nanna Ur emerging from the darkness in the corner of the room.

"Nanna Ur" Eda warned.

"What's wrong Eda? She asked a question, you should answer it."

I pulled away from Eda, glancing from one deity to the other.

"W...what's she talking about?"

"Well you know Eda told your father to change your mate but you never knew why, so Eda, why don't you tell her?" Nanna Ur explained. I turned to Eda, swallowing hard.

"Eda?"

She looked at me before glaring at Nanna Ur.

"Since you want to air the dirty linens in public, then let's ask Nanna Ur how Jacob came to know that you were his mate."

I blinked, remembering Jacob's words in his first letter. I turned to Nanna Ur.

"D-did you tell him?"

She looked away, a guilty expression on her face which felt like a punch to my guts that had me stumbling back in shock.

"Y-you told him..."

"Adela..." She took a step towards me but I raised a hand, stopping her. The pain of the revelation was too much to bear.

"Y-you're f-fate... you knew what he would do y-yet you went ahead and told him."

Eda placed a hand on my shoulder and I flinched ignoring the increasing pain emanating from my neck as I moved away from her.

"You're not off the hook either... you two... oh my God... you two... is this all a game to you? Some sort of ego thing?!" I snapped, the tears streaming down my cheeks, chaotic emotions clogging my throat.

"People died!!! I lost everyone and everything!!! Liam lost his mum and Jacob... you made him a murderer."

A humourless laughter escaped my lips

"Adelaide please..." Eda approached me.

"No, I never ever want to see you two again. You have ruined my life and I'll never forgive you for that."

"Ade..."

"Get out." I whispered, staring at the floor. Nanna let out a sigh and disappeared, followed by Eda. I closed my eyes, sinking to the floor, clutching at my chest, sobs wracking my body. The room felt tiny, the air stale and claustrophobic. Pained gasps left my lips, everything hurt. I clutched my head, nails turning to claws that dug into my scalp.

He had sent letters...

"Please"

Since you want to air the dirty linens in public, then let's ask Nanna Ur how Jacob came to know that you were his mate

"Please stop." I cried out, wishing someone or something would take the pain away.

You are the soul of my soul, the bone of my bones, the flesh of my flesh, our destiny is intertwined together and I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together discovering the depths of our love.

Unable to take the emotional and physical pain anymore, my lips parted of their own accord and my screams pierced the calm of the night.