Betrayed By Love

Chapter Twelve

Hanging up the phone, as I looked at my Beta. "Are they both safe?"

"Yes, Lexi is in the room you assigned for her. She's unconscious but otherwise unharmed. The Princess is in the hospital. She's stable. Minor cuts and bruises, a concussion, and she will probably need a therapist when she wakes up."

"Good, I don't know what the king and Queen would have done to us if we had gotten there too late. Do they still want to leave her in our care until the Red River pack is taken care of?"

"Yes, alpha, they believe it's safer, and they also want to give her time. She's already gone through enough as it is. I–also believe they are a bit scared of meeting her after all this time."

"That's understandable. She can stay until it's all over. Are her accommodations ready?"

"Yes, alpha."

"Let me know when—"

The door slammed against the wall, nearly coming off its hinges.

"I–I knew I smelled you! But– but how? You disappeared.." Lexi stood there, heart racing as she hoped she wasn't going insane.

"You're alive? Really alive?" Tears formed in her eyes as she began to break down. Her brother, after years of mourning him, walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms, begging for forgiveness.

"Yes, I'm alive. I'm so sorry I put you through this. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, Lexi. I'll never disappear on you again. I promise." She cried more at his pleading voice. She let herself embrace the brother that she'd missed before her happiness was replaced with anger towards him.

"Why did you leave, you bastard?! Do you not know what we've gone through? Tell me why you disappeared on us now!" Shoving him off her, she moved to the chair, cleaning herself up as she waited for his explanation. Seeing that his sister is the same as the day he last saw her. It made him happy to know their parents' darkness hadn't reached her yet.

He made his way back to his chair, mentally preparing to shatter the illusion they'd had her under.

"Seems I have no choice. Are you sure you're truly ready to handle it?"

"I know something's going on. I can feel it. Everyone is hiding something; I can't stand all the secrets between our parents, you, and Mira. I'm exhausted from running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Please tell me everything so I can do my best to help."

"I'll start the day I disappeared. I already had a feeling our parents were hiding things from us, but I didn't know the extent of it. Not until that night—"

Six Years Ago

"Help!"

A desperate cry jolted me out of bed.

"What was that? I need to go check it out."

Quietly making my way through my house, I couldn't smell any intruders or any unusual smells that shouldn't be there.

Then what was that?

"Seth? What are you doing up?"

"Oh, hey mom. Nothing. I was heading to get some water. What are you doing up so late?"

"Helping your father with pack business as usual. He got a bit behind."

"Did you hear anything weird?"

"No, it's been a quiet night, thankfully." Her smile didn't reach her eyes as she started trying to fix my hair.

"Stop doing that. I'm going back to bed."

"Okay, goodnight, son." Her fake smile fell into the more natural smirk she always carried.

"Night, mom."

Realizing that she wasn't going to move first, I gave in going back to my room for now. As soon as I got back to my room, I covered myself in all black, making my way back to the hallway she came from. Slowly turning corners, hoping I wouldn't run into anyone. After a dreadful few minutes, I was standing in front of the basement door. Metallic sounds confirming I'm at the right place.

"Dad, always said the basement was condemned, unsafe for anyone to enter. So, why are there people in here?"

My gut is telling me to run, but I have to know what's in here. No matter what.

"Goddamn door, you better stay quiet." Steeling my nerves, I pushed the door open, each second more agonizing than the last. The metallic sounds grew louder as the stench of blood and mold overwhelmed my senses. "What the hell?"

Trying to keep my disgust to a minimum, I started breathing through my mouth, it barely made a difference. But, enough for me to continue walking halfway down the steps, crouching to peek the rest of the way into the room.

There were metal instruments everywhere, people rushing around, putting bloody items in a bunch of different little coolers. A lifeless body on a metal table in the middle of the room.

"What happened?.."

"Dr. Richards, are you almost done?"

The sound of my mom's voice caught my attention.

"Yes, Luna. All organs have been extracted. We are currently preparing them for transfer."

"Good. We can't keep our client waiting much longer. After all, he paid 3x the amount required for young organs."

"We will hurry, and prepare with care Luna."

What is happening? Selling organs? Young organs? She couldn't have? I have to get out of here before I'm seen.

Before I could even move a muscle to leave, mom's eyes shot up, meeting mine. Her eyes grew wide in complete surprise at seeing me.

"Seth? Stay there!"

Without thinking, I dashed out of the basement and out of the house. My mother was screaming for me to stop, as she screamed orders at the guards to grab me. In my gut, I knew I couldn't go back; I would never be able to leave the house again if I went back, knowing what I knew. I had to leave and find help to stop them. Our kind doesn't deserve this.

Current

"So our parents, kidnap and kill werewolves for their organs to sell? That's how they pay for everything? Blood money?.."

"Yes."

"Why? Don't we have businesses? I don't understand why they would do something like this. How could they?"

"I would have to tell you, Addy's real past for you to understand why she's done everything she has, including why she's targeting your friend Mira. It all circles back to her half-sister Queen Guinevere, Mira's birth mother."

"You're telling me Mira is—"

A mindlink from one of the guards interrupted our conversation.

"Alpha, the princess is awake, and she's freaking out."

"On my way, try your best to calm her."

"Yes, sir."

"Come with me Lexi, she's awake, and she needs you."