Alpha’s Hybrid Cinderella
Chapter 69

EARLIER:

Evan no longer had Peelle at his side. He had only the counsel of werewolves whose first concern was excitedly throwing themselves into the drama, not saving Claudia. They didn't understand. This threat delivered over their radio frequency to not attack, that if they did, the enemy would slit Claudia's throat. Evan would listen to their demands, or he would lose his woman.

The others didn't understand. They had all shaken their heads and nearly laughed, as if it was some kind of joke. As if they couldn't believe the audacity of someone to try to threaten their fearsome Alpha Evan with the life of some... some no-account half-breed woman, a former slave no less.

Someone had even dared to say that aloud. In the next second, he had gone flying across the room and smashed into the wall before sliding to the floor, stunned. In no uncertain terms did Evan make his message clear: Claudia was no mere plaything, nor was she a failed bait.

The demand from the enemy had been that Evan send two additional hostages to the Wellington Federal Bank ten kilometers from the edge of the campus base. Alone. If the enemy sighted anyone else sneaking along with them, they would kill Claudia immediately. If the additional hostages brought weapons, the same result. They had thirty minutes to comply, and cooperation would prove that Evan was willing to negotiate after all. If this failed, there were no second chances. Claudia, dead.

Thirty minutes! Ten kilometers! That wasn't even enough time for anyone to argue. The heads of every family both major and minor who gathered to counsel with Evan went into an uproar - especially when the enemy revealed their hand. They didn't want just any hostages. They wanted hostages from the two most powerful families in the Scarlet pack, aside from Evan's. They already had Claudia, after all. That meant the Glilies and the Josephs were next in line.

Ken volunteered. "I'll check on Claudia while I'm there," he said calmly. "You can't go, but they'll take me. I'm the heir of the Joseph family. It's exactly what they want."

But his father disagreed. With a heavy hand on his son's shoulder and a somber look, he shook his head. "No. Better that I go. I can't put you in danger, and they'll accept me even more readily as a hostage since I'm the current Alpha."

"Dad!"

"It's my duty. In the meantime, I want you to help Alpha Evan track down and identify the ones who took Claudia. We have traitors in our midst, son. We have to sniff them out before they do something even worse. I'll go as a hostage. I know you can handle things. Tell them I'll be the one to go, quickly."

Evan had accepted. There was no time to argue. Ken, his father, frankly he didn't care. He just wanted Claudia safe.

Over the radio, the scratchy voice of the rogue answered: "Yes. We'll take the Alpha. But from the Glilies, we want the girl." Flicka?

"We're not stupid. Alphas will sacrifice themselves for the good of their families. We'll take Matthen Joseph, but from the Glilies, we want the daughter. Hurry up, if you want to make it in time and not see your half-breed slit open from throat to belly. Leave in the next minute and you might not be too late."

It was selfish to send Flicka. Evan had never cared for her, but she was a pampered daughter, not an Alpha ready to lay down her life. As the head Alpha of the entire Scarlet pack, he should be denying the enemy yet another young female hostage to terrorize... and yet...

"I'll be fine." Flicka tossed her hair over her shoulder. "It's not like it's permanent. Just figure out a plan to come save us. As a matter of fact, I'll probably figure out a way to get her out myself... ugh. This is why you should have chosen me, or at least someone who can defend herself, not..." She broke off with a dainty cough. "Anyway, you know I'm trained. We'll wait in position and then move with you when you're ready to retaliate."

There was no time to try to dissect and put together a better plan. It was miraculous enough that Flicka was being so cooperative, but in truth, she probably hadn't yet grasped the severity of the situation. This was a game to her with no real stakes, a simulation or roleplay where she would come out the princess or the hero. Things were moving so fast she couldn't whine and throw a fit.

And Evan, against his better judgment, wouldn't let her figure it out. He needed to keep Claudia alive. He needed to buy time. No matter how unheroic it made him, he had no choice.

"Go!"

***

PRESENT TIME:

I gritted my teeth. It was sickening to read the so-called Alpha Matthen Joseph's thoughts and relive his memories of what had happened earlier, but at least it gave me insight on what had happened while I was unconscious. So that was how they had done it. They were posing as additional hostages so their true role as the traitors would remain hidden. When Evan came to rescue me - all of us - they would turn on him, and then...

I couldn't let that happen. I had to get myself out of here. If I waited around until Evan came to save me, because Moon Goddess, he would do it no matter how stacked the odds and I knew it, he would get himself killed. More than ever, I wished I could mind-link so I could reach out to him and warn him before he got too close, but chances were the toxin they had dosed me with would have deadened that ability too.

Flicka and Matthen didn't stick around. I said and did nothing, not making a single sound to draw their attention. Eventually, as I hoped, they both left the room to make me stew alone. They must have thought it would intimidate me, leaving me in darkness once the heavy vault door clanged shut behind them, but darkness had never scared me. Who did they think I was? That slave's life they scorned so much had made me strong. Living in darkened huts, thrown into the basement with no light to see by, even that long night I had spent in the forest when I was young and frightened and utterly lost.

Wait. Forest?

Hazy memories flowed back and forth, clearing a little more with each pass. Forest... And a boy. My hands on his face, stroking his forehead and smiling, telling him everything would be okay. And a seed, a seed of light in me that spread and warmed my fingertips before passing into him, the boy whose face was so familiar...

I closed my eyes, absorbed the darkness, and got to work.

My wrists chafed against the zipties as I rubbed them back and forth over the armrests without stopping. I focused on them first and kept my feet steady, conserving my strength so I could pour it all into freeing my hands first. And there was pain, so much pain as the zipties rubbed and rubbed against raw skin, until too soon the slickness of warm blood smeared over the torn flesh. Werewolf healing wasn't kicking in either, so the toxin must still be at full potency inside me, but at least I was conscious and clear-headed. I would keep going. I would never stop.

The zip tie would eventually give from the repeated friction. Even if it didn't snap open completely, the added lubrication of my blood between my skin and the plastic might help me slip my hand out. Just one hand, I only needed one hand. I sawed furiously at the armrest without stopping, knowing Flicka or Matthen could return any second and put a stop to it all. I had to do this now.

I had always been strong, even if I didn't know it.

And I would prove it now.

***

"You'll come alone," the scratchy voice ordered over the radio. "No weapons, no pack, nothing. You come to us, and we'll hand over the hostages for you."

One of the other werewolves made a shocked noise. "And why would we believe that!"

"You don't have a choice. You have another thirty minutes. Remember, you come alone to negotiate."

Evan leaned in. "You know damn well there will be no negotiation."

"We'll see, won't we? We have three hostages and all we want is you. That's all, no more discussion. Your choice whether your woman and the other two live or die."

The radio cut off with a static hiss, leaving the pack in an uproar. But Even already knew what to do. He had expected this from the beginning. The enemy wanted him to bring a fight for some reason, not forcing him to abdicate or even kill himself - not directly, anyway. They wanted him to attack.

He would oblige.

"Alpha Evan!"

"All of you stay here. This is mine to handle."