Natalia’s P. O. V
It didn’t take long for me to get to the hotel. Once there, I walked in through the revolving door and went to the front desk.
“Hi.”
The lady behind the desk looked up from her computer. When she saw me, she sat up straighter and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Good evening, welcome to The Jewel Hotel. How may I help you?”
“My friend is waiting for me in room 343, on the fifth floor. She gave me a keycard.”
She checked her computer then nodded, “Yes, she did call saying she’s expecting a friend. The elevator’s down the hall after the lobby, you can just go on ahead.”
I thanked her and made my way to the elevator then up to the fifth floor. I counted the number of rooms in my head, till I reached hers. Standing before room 343, I adjusted my bag and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
I unlocked the door and walked inside.
The room wasn’t anything outrageous, but it was spacious for a single guest, with a nice sized bed and wardrobe, along with a table and two chairs in a corner. The curtains had been drawn closed, keeping our silhouettes hidden from the outside world.
“Thank you for waiting.” I told Kirstin, who was standing by one of the chairs.
She nodded, and appeared to take a gulp before responding, “It’s okay. It gave me some time to get used to the sounds here. And I did just pop up unannounced.”
“That reminds me,” I fished my phone out of my pocket, “I need to get your phone number, so we can communicate better. Danny was quite adamant about it.”
She laughed, taking my phone and putting her number in it, “Yeah, he gave me a hard time about it when I asked for his help to meet you. I hope he didn’t bother you too much?”
I shook my head, “He wasn’t bad, just… peculiar. How do you know him anyway? I doubt that he’s a Werewolf.”
She called her number with my phone, then ended the call and handed it back to me, “No, he’s not. I guess I always just assumed he was a human. We were childhood friends. He was always a loner, and a bit odd. We lost contact for a few years, but I had his number so I called him when I needed to find you.”
I placed my bag on the table and took a seat, and she did the same, “How does he do that anyway? Find me?”
She shrugged, “It’s like a superpower of his or something. He was undefeated whenever we played hide-and-seek with our other friends, before he left the state.”
“Why’d he leave?”
Another shrug, “He never told anyone why, and I guess we were too young to ever really get it anyway. His family just up and left one day.”
Kirstin’s words did nothing to allude to why he was the way he was now. A bit of strangeness and an unexplained move in his childhood didn’t explain why I felt so primally uncomfortable with him.
I glanced at Kirstin, her arranging the documents and photos she’d come with. I wasn’t at the point where I could share concerns I had about him with her, I didn’t want that information coming back to bite me later.
I took my own documents out of my bag. I’d left the ones pertaining to our territory at home, and instead brought the plan timeline with me, along with signatures from the Alphas that had agreed to be our allies once we were established.
“Shall we begin?”
I launched into the progress made on my end, “We’ve gained three more members willing to join us. One of them is currently getting the territory of our pack ready for us to officially register it and accept members. The timeline for development is five to eight months, but it’s already been over two months and there’s been a lot of progress made.”
I showed her the signatures, “We’ve visited five of the packs from the list you gave me. So far, all of them have agreed to ally with us and give their aid when we need it. We plan to visit at least two more before school starts again next semester. If we keep this pace up, we’ll have covered half of the twenty-one packs that are still active from the list you gave me by the end of spring break. By the time June ninth rolls around, we’ll officially register our pack and territory and those packs will ally us immediately.”
She nodded, then cocked her head, “Why June ninth? Is there something special about that date?’
My lips twisted into a smile, and I could almost taste my own bitterness, “It’s the anniversary of my rejection and escape from that hell.”
“Oh…”
Silence passed, the thought of Callum popping up. Because of him, I had a ticking clock over my head. The concept of the clock alone annoyed me – why did the ridiculous requirement of mating exist for Werewolves? I wasn’t a hundred percent sure of it applying to me, but so far, everything else from both sides of my biology seemed to apply to me, so I couldn’t take the chance.
I shook my head and continued, “Once we create our pack, Phase Two of the plan begins. We’ll need to find members fast, as well as ally several strong packs. That, coupled with us attending the winter Mate Ball next year and making a good impression will get the attention of the Lightwood Pack. They won’t be able to resist sabotaging such a promising new pack, and you’ll be there to nudge them in our direction.”
She sat there for a few seconds, digesting my words.
“Will you be able to do that?” I asked after a while.
Her lips spread into a smile that I could only describe as sadistic, “I’m sorry, I spaced out thinking about how I can get them to do what you want.”
“From the look on your face, I don’t think it’ll be that hard for you.”
Her smile widened, pride adding to the sadism, “It seems I have a talent for stirring up trouble among them.”
I laughed, leaning forward, “Oh, do tell.”
With pride and a sense of self satisfaction, she told me of the chaos that had ensued after Callum and Kylie’s cheating had been revealed, and how she’d been able to use the issue to get a shoe in with Brittany. She narrated the misfortune that had befallen Callum in the wake Brittany’s wrath, and his willingness to do whatever Kirstin suggested – and she emphasised on the importance of only suggesting things to him, as to not agitate his newfound personal agency – after coming to the realisation of his role as a puppet in the lives of those around him.
“He’s by far the most innocent of everyone there.” It was clear that she pitied him, “Poor thing doesn’t even know what goes on most of the time. And he’s supposed to be the second most powerful one in our generation. For now, he doesn’t know about much of what I need from him. I’ve got him copying official documents from the main work house and letting me into the building once in a while to snoop around.”
From everything she was saying, she had a knack for not just magnifying problems among them, but also capitalising on their weaknesses and chaos. I was impressed, no wonder she was proud of herself.
“As for the actual dirt on them, I decided to start with Brittany.” She opened a file, full of documents and pictures, “I’ve been sticking close to her and she’s been singing like a bird. She’s taken me to so many of her rendezvous and I’ve met everyone she sleeps with. I’ve been able to gather information on all of them. One of them even agreed to leave proof of his escapades with her, and that’s how I was able to get Callum to find out about her cheating.”
She spread out the documents and pictures, all of guys that were involved with Brittany, “Of her current regulars, two are humans, one is a Psychic, one is a Vampire that she swears only comes into the state to be with her, and four are Werewolves. Out of the Werewolves, one is our age and is a regular member of the Lightwood Pack, another is also from the pack, but is older and has a mate and three pups, one is from a powerful neighbouring pack, and the last is a Rogue.”
I raised a brow, “Really? A Rogue? Not a Lone Wolf?”
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She nodded, “I was surprised too. I wasn’t expecting her to be so sloppy with who she chooses, but she is. According to what he told me, he was sent by a Rogue Pack to get an in with the pack and she took an interest with him. He figured it was a good opportunity to keep someone so connected to the higher ups of the Lightwood Pack close, so he went for it. And get this, they’re the Rogue Pack that killed Leah Adams and Connor Howling.”
My eyes widened, “Are you sure?”
The loss of the former Beta-to-be and his mate had been something that had rocked the entire pack, and even upset Clark. Not upset in the sense of mourning, but of having lost two gifted Werewolves and useful assets. And Brittany was sleeping with one of the culprits.
I almost didn’t believe she could be so callous.
She nodded and picked out a document and an accompanying picture of a guy, “His name is Derek, he’s twenty-six years old and he belongs to the Blood River Rogue Pack. They want to take control of the area and do as they wish, so the Lightwood Pack is in their way. Derek has a specific bone to pick with Brittany though. A few years ago, his family somehow managed to get his little sister, Dani, to join the Lightwood Pack for a better life. Just a few months after she joined, Brittany saw the necklace Dani’s parents had given her as a keepsake and demanded that she give it to her cause it was pretty. When Dani refused, Brittany screamed and accused her of stealing the necklace. Even though the necklace was hers, Dani got in trouble, and she almost died from the beating. When it was over, Brittany happily took the necklace off Dani’s neck and left her there.”
The story had me recalling a time when I’d been instructed to clean up a dangerous amount of blood. Worry for whoever the blood belonged to had crossed my mind, but I’d been too grateful that it wasn’t my own that time around to give it much thought.
Kirstin’s face was twisted in disgust as she told the story, “After she gathered enough strength, Dani severed her ties to the pack and limped her way back home. Their entire family has dibs on Brittany’s head when their Rogue Pack finally attacks.”
I snorted, “Would be unfortunate if they lost their chance after we’re through with the Lightwoods. I’m surprised he told you all this, isn’t his mission supposed to be a secret?”
“The only thing he told me of his own free will was the story of what happened with his sister. Everything pertaining to his Rogue Pack and the fact that he and his family belong to one was only said when I used my gift on him.”
I nodded, looking over his file. Everything she’d told me was written down, along with information about when he infiltrated the pack and his other activities outside of sleeping with Brittany. My murderous intent was reserved for Clark, so Derek exacting his own revenge on Brittany had no bearings on my end goal.
Kirstin held up another bunch of papers, this time pertaining to Kylie, “As for Kylie, she’s not the only one in her family that’s been doing messed up shit. According to Brittany, her dad is the nephew of the aunt who is the second cousin of the Queen Regent. So, Kylie herself is the third cousin, once removed, to the current King. And the Queen Regent married into the monarchy, so all in all, the Adams’ family ties to the Royal Werewolves are pretty loose. Their relationship, if you could call it that, to the Royal Werewolves is one of the main reasons for their standing in the Lightwood Pack. The other reason is because the Adams have a… cleaning business of sorts. They basically take care of Werewolves the Lightwoods want dead, and they have several active cases they’re working on.”
She pulled out a paper with a list of names, “These are the names Kylie knew of and dictated when I used my gift on her. The ones with an ‘x’ marked next to them are the ones she knows for sure have been eliminated, while the ones with question marks are the ones that she doesn’t know about their current status, and the one just written without anything is definitely still alive. I don’t have access to the files yet, but I should be able to find them if I snoop around in the Adams’ part of the work house, or in their home.”
I scanned the names.
My name hadn’t made it to the list, but Timothy’s was definitely there. And from the looks of it, he was the only one that was definitely still alive.
I put the paper down and she continued.
“Kylie is generally mousey, feeble minded and panic-prone. And she hates taking accountability. So it’s no surprise that she got away with killing someone a year or so ago. She slept with a teacher for a better grade back in her junior year. Unfortunately, that teacher had a mate in the pack who happened to be friends with her mom. For months, she was so on edge about her mom’s friend finding out and ousting her to her parents and the rest of her pack. She couldn’t take the fear and anxiety to the point that by the time her mom’s friend did find out and confronted her about it, Kylie threw a fit then snapped and murdered her a few hours after the confrontation. Kylie dragged her body to the forest then called her dad and told him that they’d been attacked. She even made up this elaborate story about how the Rogues that attacked them had forced them to fight each other, and that her mom’s friend had willingly, lovingly let herself be killed. And since she’s been daddy’s little princess since her sister died, he believed every word and had it covered up. A week later, the teacher she slept with and his son left the pack.”
I blinked at the story. Kylie hardly ever abused me with nobody else around, but she was always ruthless in front of others, keeping up appearances for everyone. I had no doubt that something as potentially life-upending as sleeping with a mated Werewolf would make her go insane.
“I’m surprised she didn’t take that approach to dealing with her cheating with Callum. But then again, you can’t just get away with murder when it comes to the higher ups and their families.” She mused, “Anyway, I’ve got her confession, along with others she spoke about recorded on my phone, and I transferred them to the flash drive for you to have them.”
She gathered the papers back up and pushed the flash drive towards me, “There’s some more stuff, but not much else to talk about in particular. Once I’ve verified that I have everything on Kylie and Brittany, I’ll move on to Harry and Callum.”
I regarded her evenly. Just saying Harry’s name had brought a look of pain to her face for a split second.
“Kirstin.”
She looked up from the papers she’d been arranging, “Yes?”
“Will you be able to do this?”
“Of course. I’ve made great progress and I’m sure I’ll be able to gather a truckload of dirt on them by Phase Two.”
“Your progress has been impressive and I appreciate your hard work, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Will you be able to handle him?”
She was quiet for a second, then shifted in her seat, “I can get information on Harry.”
“You might not need to get information just on him. He will be the next Alpha of the Lightwood Pack. He’ll be the best person to stay close to and milk for information on the pack’s practices as a whole.”
She looked away, then rethought it and looked back at me again.
I folded my hands under my chin, “You may even need to seduce him.”
Blood crept into her face.
“Will you be able to do that? If you have to bed him and use him, will you be able to keep your wits about you?”
Her face was completely red, and she was looking away again, at everything but me, desperate to leave this conversation.
I didn’t let up.
Finally, she sighed, “I don’t know… His presence still affects me sometimes and I don’t know how to get over him…”
“Accept his rejection.”
She looked at me sharply.
I leaned forward, maintaining my gaze with her frenzied expression, “Accept his rejection. Then, because the attraction between mates never really fades, because he’s a petulant child that always wants what he can’t have, and because you’ll be infinitely more attractive to him if you prove that you don’t need him, he’ll want you so much more.”
Her expression became progressively more heartbroken as I continued.
“And you’ll use that. You’ll use your irresistibility to him to get closer to him, to find out everything we need. You don’t have to sleep with him, of course, but you’ll manipulate him in a way that will make him obsessed with you. And if you really do it right, you’ll be in his every waking thought and his wildest dreams.”
“Now, just imagine, he can’t take his mind off you, and it gets to the point that being with Kylie feels like torture to him. Imagine having his ear and his heart, and he follows your every whim like a puppet. Imagine what it’ll do to him when you just disappear one day. He may even take it out on poor Kylie… And just think of what it’ll do to him when, after a few months or maybe even years, he sees you again, only for you to destroy him.”
By the time I finished, tears were hanging in the corners of her eyes, and anger intermingled with her heartbreak.
I leaned back in my seat, “I know you can do it, you’re talented at wrapping them around your finger. What I want to know is if you will. Will you be able to do it if you need to? Do you even want to?”
She was looking unblinkingly at her hands. I let the silence grow as she contemplated my words and passed through all her emotions.
Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke, “Do I have a choice?”
“Of course you do. If you can get all the information without doing that, go right ahead. With your access to Callum, it might’ve even been easy, if only he hadn’t messed up his life in the pack. It might still be possible, cause he’ll be the Beta. But if I don’t have enough information to destroy his life, I’ll just have to kill him.”
“What?”
I shrugged, “Harry, Brittany, Kylie and Callum are my main targets. I promised to make each of them pay. I had no plans on killing anyone besides Clark, but if I don’t have enough information to make them pay for the rest of their lives, I’ll have to just settle on killing them.”
I could see her protectiveness rising, and it was clear in her voice when she spoke, “What about Callum? I haven’t looked into him yet, but I can almost guarantee that there won’t be much on him. How will you punish him then?”
Without taking my eyes off her, I rested my cheek on my hand and crossed my legs, “I’ll have to handle him differently. Either I’ll have the Lightwood Pack find out that he was the one that helped get critical information while he’s still with them, so they can brutalize him themselves, or I’ll kidnap and torture him myself.”
The horrified look she was giving me didn’t stop her from challenging further, “Even if you do that, he’ll recover. He won’t be paying for the rest of his life with that.”
“Then I’ll kill him.”
She paused.
“What?” I challenged back, “Were you thinking I’d go easy on him? Just because he doesn’t have any dirty laundry? Were you hoping you could use whatever softness you found in my heart for Callum to lessen Harry’s punishment?”
“I…”
I laughed, a wicked sound that filled the room, “If that’s the case, you obviously don’t know me very well. My retribution will not be mitigated by anything or anyone. You don’t have to do anything cruel if you don’t want to, but I will.”
I leaned forward, and without realising, she leaned back, “And I dare you to stop me.”