His Savior

Next Step

~Cory~

               I finally enter my office, and everyone is waiting on me. Frankie is locked in the cells, and Justin is out with warriors, waiting for Len to come back to the pack. They will both be in the cells as well, but I need to make sure I can get to Len. Len and Frankie's punishment are already written, but I'm not quite sure what to do with Justin. Now isn't the time to worry about that, though. I need to get my mate back, and in order to do that, I have to go back home.

               "Where is she? Where's my bean?" Alpha Byron is sitting next to Luna Amara on the couch. The Luna is devastated, weeping into the Alpha's shoulder. Bryn and Lennox are standing behind the chairs that are across from me at the desk. I sigh and place both hands on the desk, leaning forward to address everyone.

               "She is at the Wild Tail Pack." I fill them in on all that I learned, and I can see Alpha Bryon getting angrier and angrier the more I speak. Luna Amara is ignoring her pain to try to keep the Alpha as calm as possible under the circumstances. "The issue is that we don't know exactly where Zahara is being held and we have no idea what we will encounter when we get there. Laslo wants me dead and he plans to keep Zahara so even if I were to give myself up, that wouldn't get her back." I sit in the chair and place my head in my hands. I take a few deep breaths, and no one says a word. I look up at everyone in the room. "We need a plan to get Zahara back and end Laslo once and for all."

               Lennox has had his head down since I walked into the office. He stands up straight and clears his throat. "There is a way. There is a way to end Laslo and get Zahara back." I nod my head to get Lennox to finish his thought. "You need to challenge him. Challenge him for your right to be Alpha of your father's pack."

               "Lennox is right, son. You have to challenge Laslo. That is going to be the best way to get Zahara back. We need to alert the council and tell them what happened tonight. They would need to oversee the challenge to make sure things happen as agreed to." Challenge Laslo.....I would need to fight Laslo. I'm not sure that I'm ready for that. What if I challenge him and I don't win? I would not only lose Zahara, but I'd also lose my father's pack.

               "You got this, Alpha." I look up at Lennox. "I have trained with you and you have to be one of the strongest Alphas I've ever known. You will be able to win against Laslo."

               "He's had Alpha training though. You and I haven't trained that long and before coming here, I'd never trained at all."

               "Trust me, Cory. You can do this."

               I look around the room, and everyone seems to agree with Lennox. I must be the only one who is worried about the possibility of losing it all. Regardless of my doubts, what choice do I have? I either do this, or I leave Zahara where she is; leave her with that bastard. I HAVE to get my mate back. I sigh and stand up. "Let's make the calls. We need to talk to the elders and I need to talk to Laslo."

~Laslo~

               Where the hell are they with Cory? Initially, I didn't care what happened to Cory or who killed him, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like ending him was my right. He tainted what was meant for me, and for that, he has to pay. I told those idiots not to kill Cory. They could attack him, beat him up, and do whatever they want as long as they didn't kill him. I already have Zahara, and Cory wasn't supposed to be far behind, yet he isn't here. I can't reach this Frankie fuck to see where he is with my stuff.

               I sigh in frustration and pace back and forth in my office. My mind goes back to the scene at the cabin. I have to figure out what to do with Nona. I know she's upset right now, but if she gives it time, she will see that this was for the best. She can still have her kids; I just need to get Zahara to have one first. I can't keep avoiding her, but I can't continue to let her attack me whenever I come around. I can't hurt her though; my heart breaks at the thought of that. I have to figure out what to do.

               My office door opens, and my mom walks in and sits on the couch. She leans back and crosses her legs, looking at me. "Those men left by the elders are awake. They are asking a lot of questions, wondering why they were out all of a sudden." I hunch my shoulders and continue my pacing. "Will you talk to them?"

               "You know I will mother. I have to make sure they don't suspect anything was off with them falling out." I huff and continue to pace.

               "What's your problem now? You have Zahara in the cabin along with your mate. You are almost where you want to be. Why are you so grouchy?" I roll my eyes and stop pacing to turn and look at her. Just as I'm about to respond, my office phone rings. I head over to answer it.

               "Alpha Laslo......" I hear heavy breathing on the phone, but no one speaks. "This is the Wild Tail Pack and I'm ALpha Laslo. What can I do for you?" More breathing and still no words. I don't have time for prank calls. I'm starting to pull the receiver away from my ear so I can hang up the phone.

              "Did you think this would work how you planned?" Who the hell is this? The voice sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. "Do you really think that you could take everything that's mine and I would do nothing? Do you still see me as a weak and wolfless person?" Fuck! It's Cory. A smile spreads across my face. I sit at the desk and place my feet on the surface. My mom looks at me, wondering what's going on. I hit the speaker button and place the receiver back.

               "You are weak and wolfless. You always have been and that will never change. I didn't take anything that belongs to you; I simple took what was always mine." My mom's eyes get big when she realizes who I'm talking to.

               "What was yours? What exactly was yours? The pack that my father ran where you and your bitch of a mother kept me a slave of? The mate that was given to me by the Moon Goddess herself?" A growl emits from my chest. He is talking really bravely, and it is going to cost him.

               "What the hell do you want?"

               "Your little bitch, Frankie.....well he won't be contacting you, obviously. As if he had any chance of getting me to you. You have my pack and my mate. I want them back." I laugh out loud. As if I would bow down to this idiot.

               "You want them back? You come and take them from my dead cold fingers."

               "That can definitely be arranged. I'm issuing a challenge to you. I win, I get my pack and my mate back. You win....well I will be dead so there's that."