Vengeance

CHAPTER FOUR

The name caught me off guard but I couldn't let it show. My composure would play a big part in

how everything would turn out. If I let them see how close I was to losing my cool, it would be

the same as an Omega wolf trying to duel with an Alpha, there was only one way it was going to

end, in death.

"Do you smoke?"

He said again, interrupting my train of thought. His accent was much thicker than that of

Francis. And, for the second time that morning, I cursed myself for my forgetfulness. I had

spoken to these men before. I could remember the voice, it was the kind you could never forget.

But, the face was difficult to place, maybe it was because theirs had gotten messed up by the

fire.

"Not anymore." My smile was forced. I tugged at the collar of my s**t, clearly uncomfortable. I

had gotten it wrong from the start and with the deliberate, annoying long pauses, it was obvious

that he was dropping subtle hints for me to remember them.

These men weren't sent by anyone, no one in this city knew of my past. No one alive did. I had

made efforts to keep that part buried, I did things that made me hate myself but I was left with

no choice, the horrors from my past were things I walked dead and forgotten for good. These

men were from my past, a loose end I had overlooked. Their tattoos were hidden from sight and

they wore gloves and scarves to cover the ones on their necks and hands. They wanted me to

remain in the dark for as long as possible. I had taken out nearly every member of my old pack

who came after me and the few who knew of my existence kept their mouths tightly shut and

were sworn to secrecy. If someone had tried to come after me, I would have known instantly or

so I believed.

He took another long drag of his cigar blowing the smoke into the air. He was deliberately

mocking me, I watched him repeat the procedure over and over again till he held the dying

embers of the cigar.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" I exclaimed, unable to keep my anger at bay any

longer.

"Take it easy, Logan. There is no need for you to raise your voice at me. Before you spiral out of

control, remember, I have your wife and son. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Antonio,

everyone calls me the Alpha around here, and you've met my brother, Francis."

The names didn't sound familiar, I was still in the dark and it was becoming quite frustrating but I

waited for him to continue, I had no other option, I was a pawn in his game now. He crushed the

butt of his cigar as his expression suddenly grew serious.

"Do you know why you're here?" He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together.

I sighed, running my hand over my hair.

"No." My reply was curt.

Another agonizing pause followed.

"Do you remember the events that took place 15 years ago on Evangel street on the 28th of

January 1992?"

The memories were beginning to fall slowly into place now.

"That was a long time ago, exactly two decades. What business do you have with the past?"

My hands were beginning to clench and unclench, as I fought to keep the memories from

flooding back in but in as much as I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from remembering everything

that night vividly as I exhumed the ghosts of my past from the grave where I had buried the

horrors of that night. I still had nightmares about it every single night despite getting the best

psychological help I could. Some things never left your memory, no matter how hard you try or

how many pills you shoved down your throat.

My therapist had suggested penance for my sins, she said turning myself into the authorities

and serving time might help me find the peace I sought but that was a road I would never take,

three days later, she was found dead in her apartment.

"After surviving that night, I spent all those long years planning my revenge against your pack.

Taking out your father and a few wolves from your pack wasn't enough for me, it was only the

beginning. I would only find satisfaction if there are no more Zorander wolves on the surface of

the earth. Until then, I shall not rest until I am dead.”

My head whipped up sharply as I registered his words. I had always thought my father had died

of a stroke five years ago. I never bothered to attend the funeral despite pleas from my uncle.

He had been dead to me for a long time. I could remember everything now, that fateful night

flashed before my eyes, every detail, every scene, every cry coming from the burning house.

"Antonio Goretti? I thought you died in the fire?" My eyes grew wide as my headache intensified,

nearly knocking me out of my chair. I stared at him incredulously, it was like I was staring at a

ghost.

"I thought I did too, I thought I would never survive. The last thing I remembered before I woke

up in the building next to ours was passing out from inhaling too much smoke. Somehow, my

father managed to get us out of the fire and into that building, according to Francis, who was

barely conscious at that point, but we paid the price for it.” He said, pointing to his head.

The scars on his body served as a daily reminder of what he had gone through. Of what my

father had put his entire pack through with my help. If I hadn’t done his bidding and used sweet

Maria as a pawn to my pack’s benefit, we would never have been here. I wouldn’t be pleading

for the lives of the only other woman I’ve managed to fall in love with in the past 20 years and

my little boy.

"After months in the hospital using different names, we went back to Italy and picked up what

was left from the wreckage. For nearly 20 years, I waited and watched from the shadows,

plotting your downfall, and finally, I have you. I was always there, just out of your reach but you

couldn’t tell I was there, I guess it’s because you felt my family’s existence was already wiped

out by your father’s ridiculous ego to become supreme. I want you to suffer the way I did and so

help me, I intend to keep my promise.”

I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off.

“I’ve always wondered how it was easy it was for your father to launch an attack on our home

where we felt protected the most, he unlocked our defense in a matter of minutes like he had a

sketch of the landscape before the attack, we hadn’t even fully comprehended what was going

on before he hit us hard. Either he had an inside man or someone had infiltrated our pack and

was siphoning information to the enemy. It took me years before I found out about your discreet

relationship with Maria. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the only son of the Alpha who

sought the extermination of my pack was sharing a bed with the only daughter of my father.

Everything that has happened was of your doing, you killed my family, you killed Maria. The

blood of everyone I’ve killed in retaliation is on your hands and soon, the blood of your wife and

son will be too.”

in five minutes if I planned to get to school early and rehearse my lines. My friends would tease

me endlessly if they ever found out that the notorious playboy, Logan Zorander was rehearsing

pickup lines. But, they wouldn’t understand, it was beyond trying to get a girl into bed, his

reputation and stance as the next Alpha of the famed Zorander pack depended on the success

of this mission.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” I yelled out, so he would be able to hear me. I took one last long look at

my mirror, I cleaned up to the best of my abilities and I was confident of getting this over the

line. Very few girls could resist my charm on the first try but they eventually succumbed.

I shook off the jitters as I made my way downstairs. But it was hard to ignore. When you’ve

spent all of your life trying to get your father to acknowledge your presence and efforts, you

would grab anything he throws your way with both hands no matter how small it might seem at

that moment.

My father was a very powerful man, authority exuded him and he dominated every room which

he walked into, even other alphas recognized his authority despite being of the same rank as he

was. I had become used to the nervousness he made me feel anytime he walked into a room

where I was present, I’m used to mixing up my words anytime he speaks to me directly and not

through a third party.

Imagine my surprise when he vehemently refused the advice from his Beta and gave me this

task along with his blessings and a command to make the family name proud. That was the

proudest moment of my life yet, getting my father to acknowledge me. I silently vowed not to fail

him no matter the circumstance.

***

The air smelt nice despite the sleety rain that fell impartially on the cars in the parking lot and on

the high-rise building in front of me. St. Jude's High School was founded in 1948 by a group of

British expatriates, to provide education of equivalent standard to that obtains in the United

Kingdom before it eventually switched to the curriculum used in the United States a few decades later. I shivered as I wrapped my arms around my waist, I wasn’t feeling cold, I never

did. I had just always hated the cold weather, it made me feel nauseous now and then. I

fervently prayed that this year would be an exception. I brought out a cigarette from my

backpack and lit one. Smoking was prohibited on the school grounds, but I had a habit of

breaking school rules and since I couldn't get kicked out of school due to my status as Alpha

Raymond’s son, I was pretty much allowed to do whatever I pleased. Besides, my father was

the largest donor to the school, he always had been.

I took a long drag of my cigarette as I watched her alight from the car. I quickly brought out my

phone and stared at the picture on the screen, it was a bit blurry but it was her quite alright. I

swiped to a much clearer one and took in every inch of her face.

I lifted my head at the same time a limousine stopped a few meters away from where I parked. I

instantly recognized it. The limousine was part of the Goretti family signature, you would rarely

see a Goretti in anything else. I watched as three teenagers alighted from the car, almost

immediately, the boys took off, leaving just her standing there momentarily.

For a few seconds, my mouth hung open before I recovered and snapped them shut as fast as I

could. She was way beyond what I had been expecting, the pictures on my phone didn’t do her

justice.

I wondered why I hadn’t seen her before or heard anything about her from my notorious friends.

I had heard all about her brother’s reputation but never about her. I could understand why

daughters of powerful alphas were protected even more than the firstborn sons of the alphas. If

she had stayed under the radar for this long, it was because everyone feared crossing her in

order not to incur the wrath of her father.

There were very few families ranked about the Goretti’s in the entire country and mine was

amongst the selected few.

I wasn’t any ordinary wolf, I was the next alpha of the biggest wolf pack in the city and I feared

no one.