In The Pack

Chapter 9

The door slamming again pulled me out of my uncomfortable sleep and I sat up, rubbing my eyes and waiting to see who would be coming down those stairs.  The man from before came into sight first and I rose to my feet and met his stare with one of my own. 

          The man that followed behind him was almost his opposite.  He had sandy blonde hair and a medium tan.  He was only a few inches shorter than the leader here with much less muscle, but what he had was toned and lean.  What stopped me were his eyes. 

          We stared at each other in shock as we recognized each other.  The eyes were a dead giveaway, being exactly the same.   His eyes became angry as he noticed my naked state, the blood and bite marks on my neck and the fact that I was in a cell. 

          “What’s the meaning of this, Derek?” he asked, aiming all his fury at the man standing beside him.

          Derek smiled peacefully back at him.  “I found your daughter for you, Jeremy.  You should be thanking me.”  Jeremy stared at him distrustfully and he continued.  “Just give me that necklace and you and your daughter will be on your way.”

          Derek and I watched as the pieces all clicked together in his mind.  Betrayal flashed before he buried it deep behind the fury that rose back to the surface.  “How dare you!” he growled.  “You’re supposed to be my friend!”

          “All I want is the necklace, Jeremy,” Derek said calmly.  “Give it to me and you can both go home.”

          Jeremy turned to study me.  He looked me over from head to toe and I saw the desperation enter his eyes.  I decided I should step in before he did something really stupid, like giving Derek the necklace.

          “He’s not going to give you the necklace, Derek.  Not for a daughter he doesn’t even know.  Your plan isn’t going to work, I already told you that,” I snarled angrily, injecting all my alpha into my voice. 

          Jeremy stared at me in shock, while Derek just smiled.  “You may be an alpha by training but not by birthright, darling.  Don’t try to use it on me.”

          I glared at him and then turned to Jeremy and said, “Don’t give him the necklace, Jeremy.  It’ll do more harm than good and you know it.”  I tried to convey with my eyes that I had a plan without being obvious. 

          He looked back and forth between me and Derek.  Then he sighed regretfully.  “I can’t believe I trusted you.  I’ve been searching for my daughter for years, but that kind of power would be deadly in your hands and I cannot give it to you.  Not even for the life of my daughter.”  He stared Derek in the eyes and I could tell that the words pained him.

          Derek sized him up and growled menacingly.  “Then you can watch while we torture your daughter until you come to your senses.  I’ll let you think about it for the night and we’ll begin in the morning.”  He gave a signal and four men came forward and shoved my dad into the cell across from mine.

          “I look forward to tomorrow,” Derek told me with a malicious sneer, before leading his men back upstairs. 

          When they were gone, I sighed, putting my hands on top of my head and looking at the ceiling.  “Thank god he gave me until morning,” I whispered.

          “What’s your name?” Jeremy asked and I looked over to see him standing at his door, his hands wrapped around the bars and staring at me.

          “My name is Layla.  Do you know where we are?” I asked.

          He nodded.  “We’re on Lucas Road, about two miles away from the nearest town.”