Two Halves of a Whole

Chapter 23

“That was the Alpha Todd Dalton,” Lugos said after he had left. “Is he really her grandfather?” He looked at Tilly to confirm it.

“It would make sense if he was but only Beverly could confirm it. Even Eva was not aware of who her father was,” Sattira’s mom told them.

“How did you manage to hide who you were from Sattira for all these years? You run the top assassins group in the world,” Lugos asked her.

“It wasn’t like she was aware any of that existed so it was far easier than you might think,” Tilly told him. “It wasn’t like she was looking for secrets because we were as honest as we could be and careful how we worded everything.”

Lugos noticed Sattira yawning next to him, struggling to stay awake so she didn’t miss out on anything.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Lugos said as he scooped her up in his arms and started walking towards her room.

“I can walk,” Sattira weakly tried to protest as they traveled to the alpha floor.

Sattira felt as though someone was following them but dismissed it as just being overly tired. “What about the plan for tonight?” She mumbled as he put her into the large bed.

“I think we can manage without you,” Lugos said as he kissed her good night, making sure her shoes were out of the way in case she got up before he made it back. “I will join you once we have taken care of everything.”

He knew that she was still getting use to the energy drain from getting her wolf and had been pushing herself with her magic and with everything she learned about her parents it was all just too much. He would be back before she missed him or at least that was what he told his wolf, who was terribly unhappy about leaving her. Maybe even more so than usual but he figured it was because of Rob and the upcoming jail break attempt. He told his wolf they could sit for a moment before going to change and get ready for their plan to catch the Gamma’s son.

Just after shift change at the holding cells a form dressed in black walked up to the entrance into the pack prison with the four accomplices that were not on duty guarding the prisoners.

They had come up with a backup plan in case the codes had been changed but he was hoping it wouldn’t come to that as there was greater chance of someone noticing them and the Alpha or his weak son finding out. How any wolf could disgrace the pack by protecting a monster that never should have existed, he just couldn’t believe it. He had been so upset. His parents had helped smuggle in the group that was going to rid them of her but the patrol his parents had sent away from the area had been sent back by Beta William and they didn’t find out in time to prevent a few of them from being killed.

He could understand the young alpha being taken with her looks and wanting to get some pleasure from the girl but as an alpha he should have sensed that she wasn’t pure, unless he was too weak to notice. Even so, once they realized what she was they should have killed her and thanked his parents. Instead they threw them in a cell. After all the generations of his family that served this pack how dare they.

He used the code to open the first steel reinforced door. To his relief it clicked as the lock disengaged and swung open to allow them all in. Shelly rushed to the bars at the front of her cell, being careful not to touch the silver coated metal.

“Oh, thank the goddess,” she breathed. She looked worn down from the way the silver had caused her wolf to suffer.

“I came as soon as I could,” he said as he rushed to unlock her cell before gathering her in his arms. His wolf cried out in need of his mate.

He turned to find the cells they had put his parents in and released them next. The wolves with him searched the rest of the cells expectantly but finding no one else turned to look at Shelly expectantly.

“Is she the future Luna?” One of the wolves he had fooled into helping him asked.

“We can explain everything once we are out of here and some place safe,” he said as he went back towards the exit. Wolves hated being anywhere they could easily be trapped and as there was only one way in or out they could easily be trapped here.

He entered the code into the door expecting the familiar click of the lock mechanism disengaging.

Nothing.

He tried again, he must have done something wrong.

Again nothing.

He turned back to the group that was standing behind him looking at him expectantly. His Father moved past him and tried entering an unlock code.

Suddenly he noticed a seeping sound, almost like… gas seeping out of a canister. Realization hit him too late.

“Gas..” he managed to say lightly before everything went dark as he and the others in the room slumped to the floor unconscious.

Inside the control room Alpha Stephan and Luna Lilly watched the security screens as the guard who agreed to betray them sat handcuffed to a chair.

Tilly and her husband, Fred, came over the speaker in the room, “their lookout has been apprehended and we are bringing her in.”

“We will meet you in the cells,” The Alpha watched as the Beta couple and his son waited outside the door to the cells for the all clear, letting them know that the gas had cleared enough for them to safely enter. He hit the intercom button when the monitor went green, “all clear. We will be down in a moment.”

The couple uncuffed the guard from the chair and secured his hands behind him for the short walk to the cells. He seemed to except his fate and didn’t put up a fight as he was led to a cell.

“How could you treat your future Luna this way,” he finally asked when Lugos removed the cuffs from his wrists. His voice was full of defeat and sorrow.

Lugos paused at the entrance to the cell and turned quickly. Confusion was clear on his face. “Do what to my Luna? What are you talking about?”

“Rob told us how you locked up the future Luna down here. I didn’t want to believe it until I saw her locked up here,” he said as he watched them place Shelly back in her cell and closed the door.

“You actually believed that she was my Luna? I would never have put her in a cell like a common criminal if she had been my mate. She is here because she tried to kill my mate. She is a monster.” Lugos didn’t mean to say it but the accusations were so upsetting that he didn’t realize what he had said until he heard his mother gasp.

The look of horror on the guards face almost made Lugos feel bad until his wolf reminded him that had Shelly been released there was no telling what she would have done to their mate.

“Sattira is your mate?” Luna Lilly excitedly interrupted his thoughts.

“Yes, I didn’t want to push her with everything being so new to her. She is already overwhelmed with everything else going on,” he sighed tiredly as he turned away from the now closed cell to deal with his parents.

“Although I can understand your reasoning, son, I am very disappointed that you didn’t trust us enough to tell us,” his father said, the hurt in his tone making Lugos feel guilty.

“The urge to protect her from everything is just so overwhelming. I didn’t want to push her too soon and I was afraid if I told too many people the whole pack would find out.” They were walking up the stairs past the other landing where Julie and her friends were being held. He still had to deal with them as well, he thought to himself.

“Well, we need to get her enrolled into the right classes at Yale to help her to be prepared for taking over as Luna,” his father told him .

“I already handled it. They are not aware that she is my mate but they know she will be a Luna so all her classes are set up,” Lugos put his father’s mind at ease by telling him this. The closer to the start of school the harder it was to secure a spot in the highly sought after classes.

“I should assign a guard to help protect her,” his father said. “The future of our line depends upon her and with Eric Dire still out there we need to protect her.”

“Yes, father, I am very aware of this. It is part of why I have not been letting her out of my sight.” Lugos was a little irritated by his father’s need to take over. This was HIS mate and he would keep her safe.

“Hunny, I am sure he knows how important his mate is. He learned all about how to appreciate his mate from watching you,” his mother said, ever the peace keeping Luna that she was.

“I need to get back to her if you no longer need me,” Lugos told his parents and already knowing the answer headed back to his mate leaving his parents to talk over what they had learned with their Beta Couple. He didn’t notice when Tilly and Fred left and this shocked him as he was not use to missing such details.

When he finally got to Sattira’s room he turned the knob quietly, as he was sure she must be asleep as he had left her not long ago.

“If your mother had listened to me and married the man I picked for her she would still be alive. All she had to do was reject that mate of hers,” the way this woman said mate like it was a dirty word irritated Lugos but he was so shocked at finding someone else in the room with his mate he couldn’t find his voice to say something.

“If she had rejected her mate, Beverly, I would never have been born,” Sattira snapped back.

“You need to go home with me and I can find you a powerful match worthy of your heritage,” Beverly screamed at her.

“LIKE HELL SHE WILL!” Lugos felt his wolf growling in his mind fighting to take control and teach this woman a lesson.

“And what is this? Another mutt? Haven’t you taken enough from me!” Beverly redirected her attention to Lugos.

Sattira felt the older woman gathering her magic and throw it at Lugos. Sattira cried out in fear. She could somehow feel the intent of Beverly’s magic. This woman intended to remove the werewolf she saw as an obstacle standing in the open doorway openly defying her permanently. Somehow fear for her mate drove Sattira’s own magic to shield him. As Beverly was readying another attempt at ending the creature growling and preparing to lunge at her Alpha Stephan entered the hallway.

“What is the meaning of this!” Out of habit Alpha Stephan had released his aura and as the weight of it hit Lugos’ wolf it startled him just enough to interrupt his attack.

Beverly looked at the alpha with open hatred. “I suppose you encouraged that mutt to pursue my granddaughter. Just like a mutt to ruin her chances of finding a fitting match.”

“I believe you have forgotten your place, Beverly. You are a guest in MY home. I believe it is time for you to leave,” Alpha Stephan told her in a firm voice just as a group of warriors entered the halls with Tilly and Fred.

“I will be taking my granddaughter with me,” Beverly said as she turned to Sattira. “Pack your things. Actually, on second thought, I doubt you have anything worth packing. We will get you clothing more fitting your position.” The older woman scrunched her face in distaste as she looked over Sattira as if her clothes were somehow unfit to be worn and reached out to grab the younger woman as if she would drag her out after her.

“I am not going anywhere with you,” Sattira told her as she pulled herself out of the older woman’s reach.

“Beverly, get away from my Daughter,” Tilly said in a voice that was deadly calm as it promised a world of pain to the woman she viewed as a threat to the child she raised.

“You know she is my blood, that makes her mine to do with as I please,” Beverly insisted.

“You tried this before, Beverly, and it cost you your daughter. I believe the Alpha told you to leave. If you don’t pack your bags and go now I will have to take you into custody and notify the rest of the Council that you broke the treaty agreement,” Fred warned her.

“This isn’t over with,” Beverly said as she started to leave. “The Covens will never let this stand.”