Zane - Confessions of a lycan

Chapter 16

Zane

The thought of everything my baby must have gone through to think that death is easy and life is hard, made me want to go on a fu*king rampage. Tear through every single motherfu*ker who made her think that way.

But seeing her getting more comfortable in the same room as Lucien calmed me somewhat.

He was, after all, the most important person in my life after her. I loved my family, except for my a*shole of a father that is. However, they had never been as close to me as Lucien. I wished we were closer though.

Perhaps that was something that would change over time.

As I studied my wildflower, I wished I could erase the worry from her pretty face.

She gave me a weak smile while she gave me a look that exuded so much devotion that I went weak in the knees.

Not that I would show it in front of others. I have a reputation to maintain for fu*k sake. But still, I didn't deserve her.

Nevertheless, I intended to spend the rest of eternity making up for it.

Lucien got up and walked over to the desk from which he picked up a folder.

"I sat up late last night and wrote down questions that I think are important to get the answers to." Lucien began.

I looked over at Lily who had laid back down, seemingly exhausted. Sh*t, haven't I taken care of her as I should?

"Zane, concentrate. Your mate is fine." I gave him a sour look, but he just rolled his eyes at me.

"The initial questions regarding Lily's abduction, how her stepmother knew who to contact and such, we've sent over to Damien. However, there are a whole lot of question marks after yesterday's escapades." Lucien marched around the room like a general, with his hands behind his back holding the folder like it was state secrets. His indifferent mask was placed over his features yet again and the same old Luci was back after this morning's emotional outbursts.

I just crossed my arms over my chest, leaned back on my heels and listened intently.

I may be a prince, but fu*k if that ever scared the old vampire. Rather it made him pull me down on my a*s all the more often.

"First question: The first girl came out in minimal underwear. Why did Lily come out all dolled up in a modest dress? I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that Nolan went rabid after you two left the place.” Lucien said, looking at us both questioningly, waiting for an answer. Goddamn it, how could I forget that Lucien came home looking like hell yesterday?

I ran my hand through my hair, ashamed of my lack of consideration for him.

I looked at him sheepishly. “Fu*k, I'm sorry, bro. I totally forgot to ask about what happened to you.”

Lucien gave me a wry smile. “It's quite alright, Z. I understand completely. I would also forget time and space if I had such a beautiful woman to take care of." Lucien uttered with his eyes full of mischief. I couldn't hold back a smile.

When I looked at Lily, she had sunk into the couch and was blushing profusely. Which made my smile grow even bigger.

Fu*king adorable.

"I can answer that question for you, Lucien. After we were caged in some sort of basement, Nolan came in one day with several others. They were both vampires and werewolves. He stopped by my cage and pulled me out while the others did the same with the other she-wolves. I collapsed when I tried to stand up, so he carried me his private room through a dark building with no windows in the corridors. Where I was allowed to bathe, eat and sleep. The next night, he drove me in his car to where the auction was to be held. He said that he refused to let me go, but that he must exhibit me at the auction because there were men more powerful than him who made the rules. But that he had been permitted to enter and buy me in the bidding. However, he wouldn´t allow me to be exhibited like the other women. That's why I had that blue dress on and probably why Nolan got so mad." Lily explained while looking down at her hands warily.

The blood rushed through my body. The rage that that fu*king bloodsucker wanted what was mine almost consumed me.

I felt my Lycan wanting to take over, to find that bastard and tear him to shreds. That fu*king a*shole bit her!

Before I could regain control, my Lycan let out a roar so loud they probably heard it on the street below.

My fist slammed into the wall so hard it left a large dent.

With both hands leaning against the wall, I dropped my head and took deep breaths, trying to regain control.

My Lycan was fighting me.

Before I lost my inner battle, I felt two small hands on my back, stroking me up and down.

"Take it easy babe. No one's gonna take me. I'm here with you now and I'm only yours." Her hands against my bare back made sparks erupt and when she placed a chaste kiss on my back it went right down to my crotch. On top of that she called me babe for the first time. It instantly put me in a better mood.

I turned around, took her in my arms and held her tight against my body. I dug a hand into her silky hair and leaned down to breathe in her sweet scent of wildflowers. That slowly calmed my Lycan, making him purr.

"He was the one who bit you, wasn't he?" Lily nodded against my chest.

"When I get hold of him, I will kill him for ever touching you." I promised with a low growl.

Lily looked up at me with her doe eyes. "I don't want anyone to die because of me."

"Your compassion is admirable baby. But next time, maybe it won't be you who will be victimized by him, but someone else. Think of all the women he sold, exploited. Does killing him feel justified then?" I knew I came across as harsh and merciless.

She looked away from me and that sh*t hurt. However, she needed to understand that none of this would be handled with silk gloves.

"I understand, Zane. I know you're right. But it's not in my nature to punish others." She looked sad when she told me and I could't resist giving her a tender kiss. "I know, wildflower. Your pure soul and kind heart is one of the reasons I find you so irresistible. Never change. But you still have to let me do what needs to be done, okay?"

She gave me a weak smile, but it was a smile, nonetheless. "Okay Baby." There she said it again, making me endlessly satisfied.

I picked her up and laid her back down on the couch before tucking her back in under the blanket.

"Are you done with your caveman display so we can move on?" Lucien asked in his most arrogant British accent.

I gave him a growl, but the smug bastard just raised an eyebrow at me, looking perfectly relaxed.

“As I was saying, I have questions that I want answered. Thank you, Lily, for your story. I understand that it must be hard to think back on. But unfortunately, I have two follow-up questions for you.”

Lucien continued his questioning while I sat down on the couch. I lifted Lily's bare feet up in my lap, massaging them tenderly.

***

Lily

“First of all, I’m wondering if you heard anyone mention any names or places during your time in captivity?” Lucien looked at me stoically as he asked the question. But I knew he hoped I could give him answers that simplifyed everything.

It felt terrible to have to disappoint him.

"I'm sorry, Lucien. But he never mentioned any names. Just that he didn't have the power to rule. We met a werewolf or Lycan, I´m not sure, named Mark at the club though. Who was going to run the auction while Nolan bid on me.." I was interrupted by a low growl. Yep, Lycans are possessive. Check.

“It’s okay, The man you met is called Mark Bancroft. We didn’t know he was involved until last night. But my suspicion is that he is at the bottom of the hierarchy ladder. He is a young Lycan. If I remember correctly, he has studied security and computer engineering and probably know as to where the money and digital traces go. Unfortunately, it is not relevant at the moment to bring in either Nolan or Mark. As you say, they are not high enough in the hierarchy to be able to take down the whole operation if we take them out. Bringing them in for questioning would instead make the bigger players nervous and start protecting their assets even harder and changing their approach. We don't want that.” Lucien pondered deep in thought while a memory hit me.

"I do remember something else though. I remember that it took exactly 36 minutes by car from the time Nolan drove out of the garage where we were being held to the time we reached his club. I saw it in a movie once and thought maybe it was a good idea to do the same.” I said sheepishly.

I felt Zane stop massaging my feet and Lucien stopped roaming around the room and instead stared right at me.

His face lit up with excitement. "Oh my god Lily, you are a genius! This is fantastic news! This information allows us to draw a circle around the area where all the kidnapped women are being taken and held. We can set up surveillance to find out how they are being transported and who is handling the transportation. I'm so glad I could kiss you!” I felt myself smiling like a Cheshire cat. Happy that I could at least help with something in this case.

"Kiss my Mate, you British fool and you will find your eternal life forfeit." I turned to Zane, who looked ready to pounce on his best friend. Ohh Shitake mushrooms! "Ohh, shut up, you smelly dog." Zane gave a loud growl and Lucien responded by flashing his fangs, making a terrifying hissing sound. I was about to die of sheer terror when they both broke down and started laughing. "Goddamn it! You two almost gave me a heart attack". They both keep laughing as Zane reached over and gave me a light peck on the mouth. But I just glared back at him. "Forgive me my wildflower,” Zane said sweetly. "You're Impossible" I retorted, devoid of all humor. He gave me his panty-dropping smirk. "I think you like me anyway." Unfortunately, that´s true. But I wasn´t going to admit it.

***

Zane

When Lily told us that she clocked the time during the drive, we got to work quickly.

Maps were laid out and drawn with a 36-minute drive each way. While Lucien and I planned our next move, my wildflower fell asleep on the couch. Before she fell asleep, Lily mentioned that they drove slowly, and stood in a queue because of traffic.

So we knew for sure that it was inside the circle. She also told us that the environment was industrial and poor looking in the beginning. So, we have rough guesses as to where it might be.

“We start by marking out the places that might fit in the description she gave us. The next step will be to put in a team we can trust to handle tracking and monitoring,” Lucien stated. "I agree. I'll put together a list of warriors to summon while you mark potential locations." Damn, it felt good that we were finally starting to make progress in this mess. It felt like we had been treading water since we were appointed to solve this case. “Sounds good, Z. Let’s get to work.”

A couple of hours later, my mind felt brighter and my heart lighter. Everything was set in motion.

Warriors and trackers we could trust were tasked with locating the building where Lily and the other women were being held captive and, meanwhile, Damien called. He said that he and the twins, along with a small group of bodyguards, had arrived at the Blood moon pack to conduct interrogations. This has been a pretty damn good day so far if I do say so myself.

The only thing that could make it better was if I got to hold my wildflower in my arms.

She had been sleeping soundly for several hours. My poor baby needed it.

I thought about carrying her up to our bed where it was more comfortable, but I couldn’t handle having her out of my sight.

I knew I was a selfish bastard. But I was also afraid. Afraid that she would disappear if I looked away.

My chest contracted painfully at the mere thought.

Before I knew it, she began to stir. I walked over and squatted down next to her. “Good morning sleepyhead.”

She opened her blue eyes, blinking a few times. “Good morning, handsome.” She said with a little smile on her pouty lips.

“Slept well, wildflower?” “Yeah, what time is it?” She yawned.

"It’s just after 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Are you hungry? We can order something if you want?” I barely had time to finish the question before her stomach rumbled, earning me a pretty blush. “Food, it is then.”

I lifted her up into my arms and left work behind to spend the rest of the evening in the company of this lovely woman.

My second chance.