Anger of the Devil

20. Shouts and whispers

Lena was ripping through pages as she tried to find something worth finding. Books about her family were spread across the bed, but none of them seemed to have any information she hadn’t heard before. The building frustration inside of her finally culminated as she flung a book against the wall while she gave out a loud shout. 

    “Lena?”

She quickly turned to look at Cody, who was standing in the doorway. He looked slightly scared and Lena fastly lost her anger as she looked at her brother. 

    “I’m so sorry, Teddy, I didn’t mean to scare you!”

She got up and walked to her brother. She embraced him before she spoke again. 

    “Are you okay? Did anything happen?”

Cody shook his head as he gave her a small smile. 

    “No, I just heard you cursing through the walls so I wanted to see if you were okay. You seem upset?”

Lena breathed deeply as she relaxed a bit. 

    “I’m okay. At least now that you are here.”

She hugged him once more and he hugged her back, but he soon pushed her back a bit.

    “You can tell me if something’s wrong, you know? I want to know if something is hurting you.”

The plea in his voice was clear, and Lena contemplated whether or not she should tell him anything. She eventually settled on being truthful in a vague way. 

    “Things are looking a little grim, but we’re working on it. We even have a clue, and Nadia told me you helped. Speaking of which, is the magic she put inside of you working?”

Lena didn’t want to linger on the matter more than necessary, so she had changed the topic. Cody shrugged as he answered. 

    “I don’t know. Nothing has happened, but it hasn’t been that long. I’ve had nights and days without anything happening before. But maybe.”

The last part was definitely for her benefit, but she chose to accept it as he had accepted her redirection. Lena smiled and got up before she walked over to her bed and cleared it from all the books. 

    “What do you say about you staying here tonight? I could use some cuddles from my  baby brother to remind me that there is some warmth and good in this world. I can even read to you?”

Cody smiled and nodded as he stepped closer and got up in bed. They soon settled in as Lena started to read from a book about knights and dragons. 

…

Cody had been asleep for around twenty minutes, but Lena was still as awake as she was before. Her head was filled with thoughts about her ancestors, the dìonadair, the Harlows, Logan… She had tried to find some peace in Cody’s steady breathing, but it didn’t help her enough to relax entirely. She tried closing her eyes, but after five more minutes she eventually sighed and slowly got up. She quietly got up, found some warmer clothes, and walked out of the bedroom. She then proceeded to walk out of the small apartment that she and Cody shared. Outside sat Jess playing on her phone. The blackhaired girl looked up and raised an eyebrow as she saw Lena. 

    “Girl, what are you up to?”

Lena huffed a laugh as she crossed her arms. 

    “Nothing, I just need a walk. There’s someone I need to see.”

Jess got up and mirrored Lena’s stance but with more attitude. 

    “Last time you did that you made half the people at this place hate your guts. Maybe you should take a break from seeking out problems.”

Lena shook her head as she smiled. 

    “Trust me, this is not me being defiant or unreliable. All this drama has just got me thinking, and I want to visit the mansion cells. I think I need some closure.”

Jess still looked sharp, but she soon pouted like she did when she accepted something that she wasn’t thrilled about. 

    “Alright… You want me to come?”

Lena shook her head as she smiled. 

    “No, that won’t be necessary. This will be both fast and safe. But could you maybe be inside in case Cody gets a nightmare?”

Jess sighed and nodded. Lena then mouthed a ‘thank you’ before she went her way.

The mansion was mostly quiet. Those who were awake were patrolling or staying in their rooms. The fear of what was lurking kept people up, but very few actually wanted to walk around unless they had to - especially after dark. Lena had only met a couple of people while walking to the mansion cells, but none had stopped her. Though the mansion cells were cells as the name suggested, they never held anyone who were of true concern. In fact, whereas the outdoor cells required a special keycard that only a select few had, these cells were guarded by one or two normal wolves. Those with a higher station could always get in. Lena soon approached the guard, a young man, and he quickly opened the door for her. She smiled.

    “I’m looking for Sophie Barry?”

The young guard smiled and pointed. 

    “Third door to your left.”

Lena nodded as she passed him. She made her way down the hallway and soon stood in front of the door. She grabbed the door handle but paused. She hadn’t seen Sophie since the day that the Red Cross Crows had attacked, and though she wanted to see her, Lena started to feel anxious. She took in a deep breath to muster up some courage before she forced herself to open the door. 

The light was dim inside, so Lena couldn’t see very well. She stepped inside and rubbed her eyes to make them adjust. She then saw a figure lying on a small bed. 

    “Sophie?”

The figure stirred and whined a bit before turning over, but just as their eyes met, Sophie almost jumped up. 

    “Lena?”

Lena took in a deep breath before she slowly made her way towards Sophie. She had gotten used to the darker room by then, and she started to take in the place. It was quite big and looked like a normal, although minimalistic, bedroom. The only real difference was the bars that seperated Lena from Sophie. 

Lena found an armchair and placed herself in it. When she had settled in, she looked at Sophie. The blonde woman looked frail and thin, and at that moment she looked scared. 

    “It’s okay, Sophie, I’m not here to harm you.”

Sophie looked at her hands as she sniffled. 

    “I… I’m not afraid of you hurting me. I’m afraid of what you’re here to tell me.” 

Lena furrowed her brows a bit. 

    “Tell you? What do you mean?”

Sophie rocked her head from side to side as she kept her eyes on her hands. 

    “Why would you be here if not to tell me something terrible has happened?”

Lena watched as the tears started to flow down on Sophie’s cheeks. She’s afraid for her child. She thinks I’m here to give her the news that he’s dead. The thought actually made Lena more sad than before. No one had gotten any news about the infant boy, but that wasn’t exactly a good thing either. 

    “I’m here to tell you that I get why you did what you did. I’m here to tell you that I don’t judge you, and I’m here to tell you that I’m sorry that we let what happened to you happen.”

Sophie looked up, the surprise in her eyes as clear as the day. 

    “But I drugged you? I led your mate and my Alpha into a trap. I’m the reason why we might lose this war.”

Sophie choked up and put her hand on her mouth as she started to sob. Lena watched as she felt the sadness reach her too. 

    “I know.”

Sophie cried for some time before she finally gathered herself enough to speak again. 

    “Have you… heard anything about…”

Lena donned a pained expression as she shook her head. 

    “No. But there’s still hope.”

Lena wasn’t sure whether she actually believed that, but she put all the confidence she had left in her into that statement as she said it. Sophie didn’t do much other than nodding. They sat like that for a while, but soon Lena felt like it was time to leave.

    “I need to get back, Soph. Sleep well.”

She got up from the chair and was about to leave when she heard Sophie behind her. 

    “Will you tell me if you get any news about Adrian? Will you tell me if you get any news about my baby?”

Lena smiled and nodded. 

    “I will. I promise.”

She then left the cell as she internally prayed that that news would be positive. 

Lena was almost back at her room when a weird chill traveled down her spine. It was so sudden that she couldn’t help audibly gasping. She stopped as she looked around. Something inside her had started to stir as if someone was watching her. After having scanned the place, Lena tried to shake off the feeling as she continued, but just as she moved again, the shiver came bacjḱ with an even greater force and she heard a whisper. 

“Lena…”

Lena turned around with great speed as she looked for whomever the voice belonged to. No one. Then it came back, this time clearer and Lena could almost feel the blood disappear from her face. 

    ”Can you hear me, my love?”

She hadn’t recognized the voice at first, but she did now; it was Logan and it sounded as if he was mind linking. She frantically turned to see if she could find any movement, but there was none. 

    “Stop moving around like that, beautiful, you’ll lose your balance and we can’t have that can we. You would hurt that pretty little head of yours, and I do like it pretty.”

There was something malicious and taunting in his tone. Lena grew desperate as she started to search every corner and potential hiding spot, but there was nothing to be found.

    “Where the hell are you?!”

Her voice echoed the desperation she felt as she almost shouted into the emptied corridor. 

    "Oh I’m right here, my love. Right by your side.”

Lena could hear her own breathing as fear crept up on her. How the hell did he get through our guards?Lena began to trip on the spot as she tried to calm herself.

    “If you’re by my side then why don’t you come out of your hiding instead of being a f*****g coward?”

She tried to sound badass, but the tremble in her voice deceived her. She then heard a low chuckle.

    “Let’s say it’s more of a mental placement right now. But I can see you, and I can’t even begin to describe how sexy fear looks on you. I can’t wait to see that look on you when I have you to myself very soon.”

Lena’s heart was pounding at a rapid pace. She was about to panic when she remembered what she, Jake, and Nathan had discussed earlier; they needed to rely on each other. She needed to rely on others. 

    “Guards! Anyone!”

The chuckle in her head grew louder, but she kept screaming for help, and soon faces appeared. A young man and a young woman, both fighter wolves from the Lake Maroon Pack, looked at her with concern.

    “What is it, Luna?”

Lena tried to calm herself as she spoke. 

    “He’s here. He’s mind linking me.”

The two wolves looked even more puzzled, but before anyone of them could speak, Jess appeared.

    “Bloody hell, Lena, what the hell is happening.”

Lena swallowed hard as she forced herself to say his name. 

    “Logan. Logan is here.”