Bab 62: Chapter 62
☆ ☆ Beta Morgana ☆ ☆
I woke up in the back of the SUV. I stretched, and blinking my eyes, I noticed the glass was steamy from our body heat. I chuckled. It reminded me of the scene from the Titanic movie, except Darius and I hadn't been intimate.
I fumbled around the back of the vehicle and found my cell phone. I checked the time; it was a little after 6:00 p.m. I scrolled through my notifications and saw that Ulfric Draven had texted me, "Please contact me at your earliest convenience."
I shook Darius, and he grumbled, "Five more minutes." I would allow it; I took the time to step outside the vehicle, and the cool air felt so lovely on my glistening skin. The chill affected my nipples and immediately made them erect. I took the time to call the Ulfric while Darius was waking up.
The phone rang a few times before he answered, "Beta Morgana, thank you for getting back to me." I responded, "Of course, Ulfric Draven, but you could have called." He added, "You both needed your rest."
I asked, "Well, how can I assist you?" He began, "I held a meeting today with the packs to update them on what you and Beta Darius discovered during your reconnaissance mission, and I also let the members know of my new plan. I would have waited for you and my brother to be present, but time is of the essence, and I felt that you both needed to rest."
He continued, "I have devised a new plan since the clan is much larger than we initially anticipated. I have selected members for a specialized team to infiltrate the grounds while the others are causing a distraction, drawing out as many bloodsuckers as possible away from the estate."
I responded, "Okay, what do you need me to do?" Ulfric Draven cleared his throat before saying, "Alpha Kayn was not pleased with this plan and asked me to talk to you about including his pack member Layla on the team." I responded, "Okay, who is on this team?"
Ulfric Draven said, "Myself and Beta Darius, Alpha Gray and you, Alpha Black and his Beta from North Carolina, Alpha Braum and his Beta from Tennesse, and Alpha Galio and his Beta from Virginia." I added, "I take it Alpha Kayn was upset that he wasn't included in this special task force?"
He replied, "Exactly, and he called me after the meeting to speak in private. Alpha Kayn claims that my plan to retrieve her will fail unless I include Layla, a member of his pack who has shown her kindness."
He added, "He claims that Kara will not trust random werewolves based on her negative experiences due to him following my father's orders when he was in control. And by not having Layla there, I would be signing her death warrant." He paused, "Then he begged me to talk to you before making a final decision."
I chuckled, "The funny thing is I had already come up with a similar plan, and I spoke to Layla about it, in an attempt to sway her loyalties back to us despite the plight at hand, instead of her siding solely with Kara."
I added, "Layla had made it clear that due to her past treatment, Kara would choose the vampire over us; I'm not sure if that remains true after they hospitalized her. I paused, "Layla agreed with my plan to sneak a small group in to try to retrieve Kara.
I paused again, "But full disclosure. Layla did say that if anyone tried to attack Kara, she would defend her to the death. She views Kara as her own and was close friends with her mother before she died in childbirth."
Ulfric Draven responded, "Thank you for your honesty, Beta Morgana. I'll take all this into consideration before getting back to Alpha Kayn with my decision." Darius crawled out of the SUV covered in sweat and waved in my direction. I said, "Your brother is awake. Do you want to speak with him?"
Ulfric Draven responded, "Not right now. I trust you to update him, and I have other matters to attend to; please travel safely and keep me updated." I replied, "Of course, Ulfric Draven." I swiftly hung up the phone and said to Darius, "Good morning, sleeping beauty." He laughed and ran his fingers through his dark curls.
"Your brother said hello and wished us safe travels.", I said. Darius pouted, "I guess that bastard didn't want to talk to his own brother." My mouth dropped as I would never speak that way about our Ulfric, but I knew the bond they shared was different, and he didn't mean it disrespectfully.
He stretched and walked around a bit before saying, "We should get back on the road; we still have another five hours, or so, ahead of us." I nodded in agreement, noting that if we only stopped for gas and one more meal, we should arrive back at Alpha Gray's pack house around midnight.
I asked, "Do you want me to drive?" Darius shook his head, "Nah, I'm feeling a lot better now that I've had food and a nice long nap." I smiled; he did look healthier, and the color had returned to his cheeks. He wasn't nearly as listless as before, either. I said, "Alright.", and tossed him the keys.
He opened the door on the passenger's side for me, ever the gentleman and I climbed in. He closed the door softly behind me before taking the driver's seat and took off heading north. I turned the radio on low for some background noise and told him about his brother's plan.
Darius nodded as I spoke but otherwise didn't comment. Finally, I asked him what he thought, and he shrugged his shoulders, "My brother is going to do what he wants in the end; there is no use speculating beforehand." I sighed, "Hmmm, then why would he ask my opinion?"
He shrugged again, "We'll. He is a man of his word; I'm sure if my brother said he would hear you out, then that's what he did. I just wouldn't rush to think your conversation swayed him one way or the other. More than likely, his mind was already made up prior to even talking to you." I nodded in understanding.
Darius changed the subject, "I know we're only an hour into our drive, but I'm starting to get hungry again; mind if we find a place to eat?" I nodded and pulled out my phone to look up nearby restaurants. I asked, "Do you want fast food or to sit down and eat?"
He responded, "I'd like to sit down. I know that it will add to our trip time, but I really hate being cooped up in this car." I agree; I could stand to stretch my legs, too. I looked around the map and found Frisch's Big Boy, a diner in the next major town on our trip. As I described the menu, I asked, "How does this sound?"
Darius patted his stomach, "Sounds good to me." Of course, I had never seen him turn down any food, so I'm sure he would have said yes to anything I recommended. He drove another fifteen minutes before we got to the diner.
We were seated promptly and handed menus by an older waitress who reeked of a freshly smoked cigarette. She looked worn and haggard and had a temperament to match. She took our order but was short with her responses. Several other tables were in the varying stages of their meals, and the food smelled good.
I asked Darius, "Do you feel like going for a run afterward?" He chuckled, "First thing when we return to your pack house, I'd be happy to." I smiled; my wolf wanted to stretch her legs, too, but Darius was wise enough to wait until we were on familiar ground. I knew better, but she longed to run free after everything.
Our food came, and we ate in silence. It was mediocre, not excellent, not terrible; it was just sustenance in its most basic form. I couldn't wait to be back home, leaving everything behind us and feeling safe once again. It was dark now, and I felt anxious, though I didn't sense any vampires near their previous assault lingered on my skin and in my mind.
I was sure Darius felt the same, though he didn't seem to show any outward signs; it wasn't in his demeanor to be anything other than relaxed and carefree. He paid for the check, and we went back to the SUV. He opened the door for me once again and then walked around to the driver's side.
As he opened the door, I heard a loud thud, and the roof of the car dented in from the creature's weight; I yelped out as Darius hurried into the vehicle and slammed the door. His door wouldn't close fully due to the damage, and I fumbled for the keys to start the car as more creatures enveloped the vehicle. They had found us.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone