The Alphas Prize

Chapter 21: A plan - Part 2/2

However, he has changed since Freja's arrival; I constantly catch him sneaking around, talking about a plan with someone on the phone and how I see him glaring at Freja or me when he thinks we aren't looking tells me he is up to something.

I turned back to face Ryder. "I want to figure out who he is working with first. Calyx has a partner or partners, and I want to know who they are, especially if they had anything to do with Freja's kidnapping." I said through gritted teeth, the memory of that made my blood boil.

Ryder nodded his head. "What do you want to do?"

Freja POV:

I walked around the house, looking around to see if I was being followed, and so far, I didn't notice anything. So I cut around the side of the house and headed straight for the willow tree. As I neared the tree, I didn't see Samara but hoped she would still show.

I was up close to the tree now, and as I admired its beauty, I heard footsteps from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, and it was Samara, with a big smile on her gorgeous face.

She stopped in front of me. "Ok, I'm here, now spill." She said quickly, not wasting any time.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the other side of the tree, where we were a bit more secluded. I looked her dead in the eyes. "Calyx has a plan to kill Cain and me."

Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She continued to stand there gaping at me for a moment, then rubbed her hands down her face. "This is a joke, right?" She asked incredulously.

I shook my head. "No, it's not. I overheard him and a woman talking about it the other day in the woods. Then last night, I heard him talking about it again on the phone to someone." I was angry with Calyx and confused as to why he was doing this.

Samara stared off into the woods as she took in a deep breath of air and released it. "Ok, how can I help?"

I smiled, thankful she was willing to help me. "Well, I want to figure out who Calyx is working with, I suspect it is Eve, but I don't want to make any accusations without any proof. I need to figure out what his plan is and why he is doing this." I said, pacing around.

She pursed her lips. "I have to be honest; I'm not sure it's Eve; Calyx has always hated her and made that crystal clear numerous times. So, I wouldn't focus on just Eve, as it may be another woman, he could have others working with him too, from the sounds of things, and I think I may know why he is doing this." She looked away from me and glanced at the pond.

My brows drew together, and my curiosity peaked. "Why do you think he is doing this?"

Her shoulders slumped. "Because Calyx wants to be Alpha and be rid of Cain."

I reared back a little as I considered this. "What makes you think that?" I questioned.

She pursed her lips and was silent for a moment before clearing her throat. "Calyx had always wanted to be Alpha. When he was younger, he tried his hardest to prove to his father that he was Alpha material and was fit for the position, not Cain. As the boys got older, Cain proved to be the better fit for the position and that had fucked with Calyx's head; he had wanted to be Alpha so bad. After he realized that he would never be Alpha with Cain around, that was when he got worse and shortly after, was when Cain accused him of trying to push him over a cliff."

I blinked rapidly, a little taken aback by her words. I couldn't quite comprehend the fact that Calyx would want to kill his own brother over some stupid title. I slowly began to consider everything; it did make sense, as I have heard stories of wars starting because of someone else wanting the title of Alpha. "So, with that in mind, we just have to find out who he is working with and what the plan is."

I paced around for a moment, running everything through my head. I wished that Gunnar was here; he would help me and give me the advice that I so desperately need right now.

Samara watched me, a curious expression on her face, as she watched me spin around in circles like a madwoman. Then, finally, she put her hands on my shoulders and stopped me. "Stop! You are making me dizzy. Listen, I might be able to get close to him."

My eyes bore into hers. "What? How?" I asked quickly.

She pursed her lips. "If I can make Calyx think that I am against you and Cain, he might let me in on the plan and have me join his team to take you guys out."

I considered this for a beat. "But...what if Calyx finds out that you intend on betraying him? You will get hurt or worse." That was something I didn't want to happen; I didn't want her to get hurt.

She tilted her head and gave me a small smile. "I'll be fine, don't worry, if at any point I feel like I may be in any danger, I will get out immediately." She said, trying to reassure me, but it didn't help much.

My expression turned serious "You better! I mean it, Samara."

She chuckled lightly. "Yes, ma'am."

I rolled my eyes at her playfulness; then, something had caught our attention. We both glanced at each other and leaned against the tree, pretending that we were having a casual conversation about archery. Then, suddenly, a large man appeared from around the tree; he nodded at Samara and bowed his head to me. "Luna, there is someone here at the gate to see you." He said in a deep voice.

My brows scrunched together in confusion. "What, someone is here to see me? Who is it?" I asked.

He straightened himself, a rather unpleased look on his features. "He said he is your brother."

My eyes widened as tears began to pool around my lids, and without wasting another second, I bolted from my spot, running towards the front gate. I could hear the man behind me yelling my name, telling me to stop, but no one and nothing would stop me from seeing my big brother.

I was now mere feet from the gate, and Gunnar's large form was clear in my sights now. I picked up speed and jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

Gunnar caught me without effort and wrapped those big ass arms of his around my back, holding me tightly to him. My breathing faltered, as I couldn't believe he was here, it had felt like eons since I had seen him last, and him being here now almost felt too good to be true. I wasn't one to cry, but at this moment, I couldn't stop the few tears that streamed down my face. We finally pulled back; Gunnar gently set me down on my feet and smiled before wiping the tears from my face. I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath, attempting to calm myself.

After feeling a bit more relaxed, I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "I can't believe you are here," I said, almost unable to believe it.

He chuckled. "I know me too. I thought I would never see you again, to be honest, but I couldn't take it anymore and needed to know that you were safe, no matter the cost."

Abruptly, I heard a large bang and someone not too far in the distance growl out my name. I turned around to see Cain stomping towards us, fuming mad. Being the mad man he is, my brother grabbed ahold of me and shoved me behind him, protecting me like he always had. His muscles were tense, and his body was rigid as he prepared himself for whatever Cain would deliver.

I peeked around Gunnar and could see Cain closing in on us now. Cain's eyes were black, his jaw and fists clenched tightly, and his muscles were protruding out of his shirt, making me drool a little.

He stopped a few feet from us; his enforcers huddled together behind him. Cain glared around Gunnar at me, and a look of hurt flashed on his features before his threatening gaze went back to my brother.