Chapter 102: Jared’s surprise
Aira’s POV
The moon was full tonight, strangely full. It also appeared bigger than usual, and I loved it. Something about the sight brought such a soothing sensation through my body.
It is such a shame that such a cool and serene night was going to end in such massive bloodshed.
The guards Arnold had sent to the location have given us positive feedback. There were no signs of any suspicious movement, and at exactly 8:30 they had caught sight of Jared. Part of me wanted to order them to use a sniper and take him out immediately, but I had to consider Alex’s feelings in all of this.
I knew he wanted to be present to witness the death of the man he once called his best friend.
All the guards, both Louis’s and ours, were out in the courtyard arming themselves to the teeth. They were also loading up the trucks with all sorts of weapons. One would think that we were going in for war, but no. This was all for just one man.
“Do we really need all of this? I think ten armed men would be enough,” I tell Alex, who instantly shakes his head in refusal.
“You saw Jared fight the other day; he was a one-man army. He is fast, and he is insanely strong. We need to counter his attacks with an even bigger army, no matter how fast or strong he was. He was just one man,” Alex explained, and I didn’t say anything after that.
I walked up to one of the guards and told them to hand me a bulletproof vest. His eyebrows nearly touch his hairline, but he doesn’t dare question. I also help myself to a gun, a pack full of bullets and grenades.
“What do you think you are doing?” Alex demands, walking up to us. I shoot him a look that says what I am doing should be obvious.
“I am arming myself obviously,” I tell him, and he frowns disapprovingly.
“You are not coming with us,” he says, and that is when I angle my body to face him entirely. Something in me snaps, and that sensation returns. The dark mists begin to evaporate from my body as I take a step forward.
And to everyone’s surprise, he takes a step back.
The great alpha Alexander was scared.
Good. He should be.
“I would like to see you stop me,” I say in a voice that didn’t sound like mine in anyway. From the corner of my eye I saw the guards whisper amongst themselves.
Alex’s jaw clenches, and the fear in his eyes transforms to anger, but it dims back down in a second. He takes a deep breath, and his countenance calms down. “It’s not safe, Aira.”
“Have you forgotten the last time you said those words to me? That it won’t be safe if I come with you?” I ask him, and that is when he sighs in defeat.
“Fine. But you better stay by my side at all times; if things start to get messy, stay behind me no matter what. I can’t be fighting for my life and yours as well. One of us will surely die, and it will most likely be me,” Alex says, and I shake my head in disbelief.
“No one other than Jared is dying tonight. He can’t take on all of this on his own,” I say, then take his hand in mine. “We have won, Alex.”
It is clear that he didn’t believe my words, but he didn’t say anything to counter me; he knew that nothing he said could change my mind.
My attention shifts to the stairs, and my eyes fall on Carla descending them. She walks up to me and embraces me in a warm hug.
I hug her back in a second, sinking my nose into her nape and engulfing her sweet scent. It was strange that I didn’t even know how much I needed this hug.
Carla’s voice is low, but her words and conviction are strong when she says, “Please come back home. This baby can’t grow up without a father and aunt.”
My grip on her tightens, and I say, “I promise I will be back.”
“What about me?” Alex asks as we pull away. Carla and I burst out laughing.
“Yes, he needs his uncle too,” Carla says with a slight roll of her eyes. It lightens my heart to see her smiling after everything. No matter how small it was.
Carla waves us all goodbye as we get into our very trucks. I stay in the back seat with a few guards while Alex takes the front passenger seat. The guard fired up the engine along with the rest of them, and soon we were driving down to the location.
It takes us fifteen minutes to arrive there. The trucks slow down and park in an alley nearby. Alex gets out with the rest of the guards. He comes up to the door and looks at me almost pleadingly.
“There’s one more thing I forgot to mention: if we go in there and this turns out to be some kind of trap. I am going to create a path, and you will run. And please don’t look back again,” he says, referring to that day at the cemetery where I couldn’t just abandon him.
“You know that isn’t possible. If things go sideways, then we would all die together. It is as simple as that,” I say with finality.
“Remember you made a promise to a child.” He states, and those words strike a nerve in me, rendering me speechless. “You can’t go back on your word, understand?” he asks, and even though I hesitate, I still nod in understanding.
Alex leans in and places a long, loving kiss on my forehead; when he pulls away, he places his head on mine. “God, I love you so much,” he whispers, and something about the way he said that made me believe that he meant every word.
“I love you too.”
When we finally pull away, we join the rest of the guards. Alex addresses them, “Alright, listen up! The person we are about to face is no ordinary wolf or lycan. He is a beast. Teared countless wolves to shred with his bare hands. Which is why I order you all not to go into close contact with him. Immobilize him with your weapons, but do not kill him!” He pauses, then turns off the safety of his gun. “He is mine to kill. Do you all understand?!”
“Yes, alpha!” the men roar out in unison.
“Let’s light up the place then,” Alex says, and it was as though they had planned out their formation because they all took their places ahead, behind, and both of our sides. “Stay by Aira’s left; cover her at all costs,” Alex said to Arnold.
He nods in obedience and says, “I will protect her with my life.”
We marched into the factory, and I had to say that everywhere was rather dimly lit. The air was damp, and most of the machines were covered in thick layers of dust. Alex made a hand signal that told a fraction of the guards to split us and search the parameter.
We went deeper into the facility, and my eyes traveled in every direction in search for any sign of Jared. Something did not feel right.
We come to what appears to be the center of the factory, and the men that had split from us joined in as well.
“There is no one here, Alpha,” one of the men says just before something drops on his face.
My heart froze at the sight of it.
Blood.
Our heads tilted upwards, and my hand slapped over my gaping mouth at the sight above us.
Two severed heads were lifted up in the air.
The heads of Louis and a woman who I assume to be Caitlyn. There was a note pinned to the middle of Louis’s head.
NICE TRY.
“Bloody bastard!” Alex curses beneath his breath.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.
“Now that is not nice, now is it?”
Every ounce of blood in my body froze at the sound of that voice. Our heads snapped up to the balcony overseeing the entire factory to find the man whom we had been searching for.
Jared.
And the weapon in his hands caused all the color on my body to drain.
A bazooka.
And it was aimed at all of us.
Was he mad? He was going to bring this entire place to the ground!
He clicks his tongue and tilts his head to the side; madness in his eyes remains evident. “But then again, you have never been a nice person.” His eyes shift to me, and a shudder goes down my spine. “Hello, Aira.”
“Go to hell,” I see, and he lets out a menacing chuckle.
“I fear that is going to be you, dear. Don’t worry, I will send Carla your regards.”
The second those words leave his lips, something in me snaps, but it was too late for me to react. What happened next was all a blur; all I heard was Alex scream my name before a deafening explosion filled the earth.
And then, it all went dark.