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Chapter 37 – Rex
It’s been almost an hour and Diesel is still nowhere to be found.
“Something is wrong, mate needs us.” Lia said anxiously.
I tried to mind link Diesel again. “Diesel are you there? I’m worried, where are you?”
Nothing.
“Please Diesel, answer me.”
Still nothing.
Payton had checked his office and was going upstairs to our room to look for him. “Check the astronomy observatory as well.” I linked her. “Will do, stay with my father, we’ll find him.” She linked back.
Max and Zeke had slipped out of the ball room to check the perimeter for any signs of him. I linked Sam our
chief tracker. “Sam we can’t seem to find the Alpha and he’s not responding to the mind links. I need you to
track him.”
“Yes Luna, I’m on it.” He replied.
“Lucy, have a seat, I’m sure he’s okay, all this worrying can’t be good for the pups.” Alpha Knox told me.
“But what if he found Ranger and something happened?”
“Ranger is no threat to Diesel without his wolf. Even with Rex, he was never as strong as Duke. You know, my wolf Kruz, can feel his pup’s connections and Rex doesn’t have much time left. He’s almost completely faded, and Ranger has no one to blame but himself.” He told me.
“Will Ranger die if Rex dies?” I asked though I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to know the answer to that. He paused a moment. “There’s a good chance that will happen. He chose a path of envy, power and greed. Every time he had a choice, he made the wrong one. I tried to guide him, but he pushed me away. He could have accepted his brothers gift as a blessing in his pack, but he didn’t. He could have challenged my cruel brother for this pack, but he chose not to, and Diesel did. He could have helped expand the company internationally and chose not to. Diesel did and quadrupled his wealth and company shares.”
Alpha Knox looked up into my eyes. “Ranger could have accepted his mate from the Moon Goddess, but he chose to reject her, and Diesel loved her. At every step, at every turn, my boy made the wrong choice.” I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in his eyes.
“Soon you will hold two beautiful pups in your arms Lucy, the bond between you and your children will overwhelm your heart. You will love them both the same no matter how different they are. My love as a father never changed for Ranger, but my disappointment continued to grow. I prayed to the Goddess that he would finally change when he found his mate, but we both know how that worked out.” I could feel the pain in his aura. “Now, I’m afraid he’s lost forever.”
We were interrupted by Elliot who had just returned from the prison cells. “There’s no sign of him. We have an hour until the midnight run, I’m sure he’ll be back for that.” He looked over at his mate Megan who was sitting with an anxious looking Vannica. I felt a wave of nausea come over me and really needed some fresh air but
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first I might need to throw up in the ladies room.
“I’m going to the ladies room, I’ll be right back” I excused myself.
I stepped out of the ballroom and walked towards the nearest restroom. I saw Sophia sitting at the podium next to the coat check closet. “Hello Sophia.” I called out.
“Hello Luna.” She bowed.
“You haven’t by any chance seen the Alpha this evening have you?”
“It’s been over an hour since I last saw him, he told me to take a break and get something to eat.” She informed me.
I could smell Diesel’s scent coming from the closet. I knew he would not have a coat checked in, but maybe he went into scent people’s coats?
“Thank you.” I said and she resumed reading her book. She would not have noticed much with her head buried in that book. I stepped inside the closet and Diesel’s scent was strong, he had definitely been here. I also caught the familiar scent of fresh cut grass and oak. I looked around the closet and slid coats around on the racks looking for any clues.
“Mate was here.” Lia said.
The closet had four rows of coats and I continued to look around. My hands reached to the back wall behind a few coats and found some kind of lever. I pulled it expecting more lights to come on, instead, I fell forward and lost my balance when the wall unexpectedly moved and turned. I looked around, I had fallen into another
chamber and the door closed behind me.
“It’s a secret passage.” Lia said.
I tried to open the door again, but it was no use, I couldn’t find another lever or figure out how to open the passage. I tried to knock but the door seemed thick with iron.
“Mate, I could smell mate.” Lia paced.
I could too. Maybe he found the passage and followed it. I wonder if it leads to other parts of the castle? I tried to mind link Max but couldn’t, the iron and stone may have been blocking the link. The passage sloped down beneath the castle and I followed it. “Lucy, you may want to hold a flame in your hand so we can see little better down here. And if anyone tries to attack we can light their asses up!” Lia suggested.
She was right, I removed the small lighter I kept in my bra and flicked it on. A moment later I slipped the lighter back in my bra and held a ball of fire in my hand. The tunnel seemed to go deeper with a few twists and turns. We came to a fork and I wasn’t sure which tunnel to take.
“Lucy, the one to the left seems to be a little colder, which means it could lead out or into a mountain. Th one to the right is a little warmer, it could lead back to the castle or another chamber.” Lia explained to me.
She was right, but I wasn’t sure which way to go. “Which way should we go?” I asked Lia.
“If mate made it out, he would have responded to the mind link, he might still be down here.”
We took the tunnel on the right and continued walking. I listened for any sounds but heard nothing. A short while later, Lia was alert and on edge.
“What is it?” I asked her.
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“He’s here!”
“Diesel?”
“No, Ranger.”
She was right, I could smell cinnamon, apples and honey in the air. I sniffed again, there was also a metallic. rusty scent in the air. I turned the fire down to a tiny flame and tip toed ahead. I saw the opening to another chamber and listened for noise. It was quiet. I slowly peaked my head over to look. There was a cell with a single occupant, chained with silver to the wall. He looked lifeless but his heart was still beating.
“Ranger?” I called out his name.
He didn’t respond. I stepped into the room and called his name again.
“Ranger?”
“Lucy.” He whispered.
He was beaten and his face was so swollen, he was hardly recognizable. He had cuts all over his body and had clearly been tortured. The silver had made him weak and with the absence of Rex he was not able to
heal.
“Ranger what happened?” I asked.
“Lucy.” Ranger was struggling to breathe. “You … you, n–need to leave before he – he comes back, you’re not
safe here.” He managed to say.
“Who? Before who comes back?”
“Run Lucy.” Ranger couldn’t even hold his head up.
“He’s dying.” Lia whispered to me.
I looked around for keys but couldn’t find any. The flame in my hand grew into a large ball and I used it to melt the lock on the cell. I kicked the door open.
“Wha- what are you doing?” He asked me.
“Getting you out of here.” I said as I thought about what Alpha Knox had told me earlier and the sadness in his eyes for his oldest son..
“No Lucy, jus–just let me die here.” He gasped for air.
“You’re not going to die Ranger.” I said.
“I don’t have Rex … I’ve be–been injected with some kind of wolfsbane an–and night shade. My legs won’t even
work.”
“Who did this to you?” Ranger was unresponsive and slipping away quickly.
“Lucy, I can still feel Rex.” Lia said.
“Rex? Rex please, are you there?” I called out.
Ranger’s head started moving side to side. “Rex, can you hear me?”
“Lucy?” His voice called out, but his eyes darkened to a near black as Rex surfaced.
“Yes Rex, Lia and I are here.” I said.
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“I’m so glad I could see you one last time before I die.” Rex said and I felt a pain in my heart för him and for Alpha Knox.
“Rex, please, you don’t have to go. You don’t have to die. Your father loves you very much and has been worried about you.” I said.
“I’m so sorry about what this bastard did to you and to our pup. I tried to stop him, but he always blocked me out. Now that we’ve lost you, I blocked him out.” Rex said.
“I know Rex, I know you tried. It’s not your fault, please don’t let yourself die just to punish him. You were born to be a strong Alpha wolf; your pack needs you. You can choose a worthy mate and have strong pups.”
“Lucy, the Moon Goddess had us paired together.” He said.
“Maybe I was destined for a different path, I’m a unique wolf. The Moon Goddess gave me a second chance
mate.”
“I’ve always known Lucy; I knew Lia was
her for her power. Duke will take good Omething special. I didn’t tell him because I didn’t want him to use
“You know about the pups?” I asked.
“I can hear their strong heartbeats.id
you and your new pups.” He said.
“Rex, if I can forgive Ranger and move on you can. The Moon Goddess gave him a strong Alpha wolf
I
to help guide him, not to just give up on him. Don’t leave him here to die. You deserve better than this.” I said.
“My brother is lucky to have you.” Rex said as he dropped his head.
“Rex? Rex?” I called out. He opened his eyes again and the beautiful blue eyes that run in the LaRue family stared back at me.
“Lucy! Rex is back!” Ranger told me. “Rex is back!”
“I’m glad, now let’s get you out of here.” I said.
“These are silver chains, they will slow my healing, don’t touch them or they’ll burn you.” He warned me. He still didn’t know about my golden wolf, I was immune to the effects of silver and wolfsbane. He wasn’t going to be able to walk out of here and I needed to continue to look for Diesel. I would need to shift so he could ride on my back and Lia was strong enough to rip the chains out of the wall. I started taking off my shoes and gown to shift. Ranger was about to receive the shock of the century!
“Who did this to you?” I asked.
“My cousin, Alpha Titus’s Bastard!”
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