Chapter 19
Calum and the rest of the pack had been working tirelessly to find out where Ali was. It had been too long since her abduction and Michael had warned them that it wouldn’t take much longer for her pregnancy to be very clear to all. To a nightwalker, she would start to smell like a shifter because of the growing fetus. That gave them all a timeline to get her and the baby back. It had to be done soon or the fate of the pack was going to be sealed.
The Alpha wanted her back for his own reasons, and none of them had to do with losing power. He just wanted Ali back in his arms. She was the woman that he loved, and she was his mate. He didn’t feel whole without her, even though he’d gone most of his life without her. Now that Calum and Ali had been together, his body yearned for her, no matter where he was.
Michael was becoming worried as well. He was the oldest and never in his lifetime had the pack been in so much trouble. It was a mess, and he blamed Abott, who had become something of a pariah in the village. No one wanted to be associated with him after the stunt he’d pulled.
The old man was keeping a close eye on the eldest of the brothers, and he hoped that there would be a defining moment where he would get to prove his worth again. He was worried that his character was heavily flawed, and he was going to have to find that out by some sort of betrayal.
Abott started leaving the village late at night and returning under secrecy a couple of hours later. Everyone else was so worried about the pack and what could happen if Ali wasn’t found, but Abott didn’t seem to worry about it. He had as much to lose as everyone else, but he couldn’t be bothered. That little tidbit of information bothered Michael because it made him wonder what the man was up to. He was sure he was up to no good.
Finally, unable to prove anything, but unable to get the thoughts out of his mind, Michael went to Calum with his suspicions.
“What are you saying, Michael?”
“I’m saying that I think he’s about to betray us all.”
“To whom?”
Michael just looked at Calum and made him say it out loud because he didn’t want to. The betrayal to Cal was real, but the betrayal to his pack and his kind would be unforgiveable.
“Do you really think that he’s working with the nightwalkers?”
Michael didn’t want to believe it was true, but he felt like it was. There was no way that he was up to any good. He was doing wrong, but Michael wasn’t sure how wrong it was. Cal didn’t want to believe it either, but it was easier for him to imagine it. He’d known Abott his whole life and he knew what he was about. The man was about chaos and himself. Calum just needed to figure out what angle he was coming from. How was he going to betray them without betraying himself?
“I do.”
“Then we need to call a meeting.”
“We need more than suspicions. We need proof.”
Cal agreed. They couldn’t accuse someone of such a thing and not have proof to back it up.
“I will keep an eye on him.”
“Get Fredrick involved. He has a pure heart and follows you.”
Calum had always felt that way, but now, he liked the reassurance. Too many of his brothers were behind Abott not too long ago, and he had come to a place where it was hard for him to trust any of them at this point. There were too many variables that could change it.
“That’s good to know. I’ve had a bad feeling for days. Something is coming.”
Michael nodded accordingly. He felt the same way. “It is coming, Calum, and we have to be ready. We need Ali back here in the village so that we can take care of her and make sure that baby stays safe.”
Cal knew that much. He wanted her back badly, but he also wanted to catch Abott if he really was working with the enemy. That couldn’t be left to pass unchecked. That was not something that they could slide on. He had to have proof and then justice would be swift as it was meted out.
* * *
The older brother was,in fact, working with the nightwalkers, but he wasn’t trying to destroy the baby. He never mentioned it once, knowing what the consequences would be. What he was focused on was getting Calum out of the way. He was going to lure Calum out and make sure that a few other people were with them. Those left would be safe in the village, and the girl could be taken back. She wasn’t part of the deal he’d made with Trenton, but now he knew where Ali was, and he was going to be the savior of the pack. He was going to get rid of his brother once and for all and take the lead like he should have done years ago.
Trenton didn’t like the plan that was being hatched though. Neither side was being honest, and both wanted something else out of the situation. Trenton not only wanted the Alpha and a few of his loyalist friends, but he wanted to snuff them all out. He hadn’t decided if he was going to leave the one in front of him alive or not. Maybe he would honor that part of the agreement, but he would be the king of nothing. The vampire smiled to himself as he thought that.
“It has to be closer to the village. Your kind can move too fast and get away. Then you’ll be exposed. Let us in at the back gate of his house. All you have to do is leave the gate open, and we’ll do the rest.”
Abott was a lot of things, but he wasn’t as stupid as his ego made him look. He knew there was a chance that the vampires could get in, but there was nothing else that could be done. He’d given them the location, and he was still thinking that if Trenton got Calum with a promise of peace, that it would be enough to stop him from going back on his word.
“And you will not enter the village beyond his house?”
Trenton shook his head in agreement, but the smile on his face bothered Abott.
“Then I will bring him and his associates there for a meeting at nine tomorrow night. You will do what needs to be done for peace and leave.”
“Of course. Our kind have been fighting for too long. We should have teamed up a while ago and made the lower race heel to us. We have the power, and yet we’re the ones in hiding. It’s going to be a new day.”
Abott wasn’t sure about all of that, but he did know that he was sick of fighting the nightwalkers. They’d been doing it before he was born, and every moment had been filled with the readiness that came with having those sorts of enemies.
The two shook on it, and for a second, Abott could see an image of terror and destruction flash into his mind from the devious vampire. It was a link that had been made with the touch, and he pulled his hand back. Abott was going to have to make sure that he had his own people closest to him out of there tomorrow night. Maybe they would take a night run before it all went down. He knew then that the man wanted to destroy everyone. He’d just made a deal with the devil.
Abott went back to the village and looked around. He could see it in his mind still, everything burning and the sound of screams all around him. Abott should have gone to the elders and Calum and confessed. Then they would be able to use it to their advantage and take the vamps out for good. But he was worried about what that treason would mean to his health and decided against it after thinking about it a little bit.
No, the oldest brother had dug his own grave, and now he was going to have to lie in it, knowing that he’d dug so many more at the same time. Abott’s betrayal was now complete, and he just had to sit back and let it all happen without him doing one thing more.
