Alpha Ryland

Chapter 25

"Good afternoon." Zax says with a smile. He stands up from his chair and walks to the both of us with an outreached hand. I shake it first, followed by Ryland. They keep contact for longer than expected, staring at each other. Do they know each other, or know of one another? "Please, sit," He tells us with a new, strained smile.

We sit down at a corner of the room with a sofa. He takes a seat in front and crosses his legs with his hands on his knees. "So, I doubt Beta Jarack had talked to you much about the situation at hand here." He slightly frowns, "I was worried of the disappearance of our most treasured company's heiress. Tell me, where were you?"

His silverfish grey eyes draw me into him. His perfect face makes him look twenty years younger than he is. He is late thirties, early forties or so. I can see why he is considered a lady's man. I open my mouth to speak, but I don't know why any words aren't coming out. My Alpha for some reason gives off this weird energy that makes me want to be around him. Our age difference is so big, but he looks so young with his smile. Ryland touches my leg and stares at Zax, "she found her mate and wanted to be away from home for a while."

Zax looks at him and slightly frowns, then smiles when he looks back at me, "is that so? We could have allowed you to leave the pack to stay with your new one if you wanted. What is the pack name you are wanting to transfer over to?"
I look at Ryland and he says, "rogues. We wish to be let alone."

Zax doesn't look happy, "Rogues? The ones we are trying to get rid of in this place, you are trying to be?" He shakes his head and smiles again, "alright. We will start filing you under rogues and take you off the company's list of inheritors. You can't run a company from a different pack." My heart drops. Is this even allowed?

"Did you talk to my parents about dropping me? Isn't it their decision?" I ask him. I know I'm way out of line to be talking to him about this, but I don't know what else to do other than sit back and let it happen.

"Not yet. We will get into contact with them soon. For the meantime, you can stay here until they arrive. If they are too busy, we can make arrangements over the phone." He smiles with the response, as if he is enjoying taking my company away from me.

Ryland frowns, "I know what you're doing." Zax frowns at him, hard, for a moment before speaking up, "and what would that be?"

"You don't want her with me." Ryland says as a matter-of-fact.

Zax smirks, "I'd never take an L away from her A." He glances at my confused face and smirks even more, "especially when that L doesn't even know who she is. Do you ever wonder if she wants to be in that kind of life with you? Sneaky A..."

Ryland stands up, "At least I'm not tossing her away like you did with all the women you have used through the years in power. Tell me, where is your L? Surely you cannot survive without her. She's still here, isn't she?"

Zax frowns and stands up with care. "We will discuss this at a later time."

Ryland shakes his head, "no. We are going to talk. Now." Zax crosses his arms and they glare at each other for a long time. Neither one of them are wanting to be the first to look away or even blink. I try to sink into my chair and get away from this situation. Luckily for me, Beta Jarack comes into the room with a stumble and crosses his arms at the sight of the two men fighting about God knows what.

Zax looks at his Beta and then back to Ryland, "We are going to have a private discussion. Jarack, make sure nobody hears us."

Jarack nods and takes a seat by me while the two guys leave the room. I'm left with the drunk Beta and I wonder if I have any better choice in the matter. Stay with the drunk guy, or with the two testosterone-filled men fighting either verbally or physically in the other room. I stand up to walk to the door the two men left at, just wanting to be by Ryland. Even if it puts me into trouble, I feel safer just being by him.

Jarack walks up behind me and asks where I'm going, "it is not safe where they are going. Please stay in here. I can provide you better company if you wish?" I turn around, thinking about his offer. I could request to see Sae or even Terrance. Terrance would be a better conversationalist and could tell me what is going on here. As I look at Jarack, he puts something up to my mouth and nose, holding my head in place with his other hand.

I breathe in from pure shock, then get dizzy as foreign chemicals fill my nose, trachea, and lungs. The smell is unnaturally sweet and sickly. "I'm sorry, Maura." I close my eyes and feel extremely weak. I'm guided down to the floor and feel my life being drained. My life goes dark for an unknown amount of time.

I don't wake up until the chemicals of the chloroform wear off. When I do, I'm on an uncomfortable bed. My eyes open to barely anything. The room is just as dark as my shut eyes. I look around and see lights from the other end of the room. I get off the bed and my bare feet touch the cold ground. I see a toilet next to the bed, next to a sink. I walk to the light but get stopped by something in my path. Bars. I'm in a jail cell. The bars are invisible unless I touch them. When I touch them, they light up with the color blue. I try to move them, but it is impossible. They key to open the cell is a fingerprint scanner. I look around the room now that it is illuminating blue from the bars I'm holding. On the wall next to my bed are numbers. It is a timestamp for something. I don't know what it means, or what is going to happen when it turns that time of 23:05. Is it an event or person that is going to come here? Either way, I'm not eager to find out right now.

I look outside of the cells to see an empty one in front of me. To the left of that one is also nobody. I look to the right and see a woman, about mid to late thirties, sitting down on her bed. Her room is illuminating purple without her touching the bars. She has something touching the bars at all times as a makeshift lamp for her. I can tell she has been here for a while. That must have been the light I saw when I woke up.

I cry out to her, but she only glances at me with darkness surrounding her face. From being away from the bars, she is only a shadow of a figure. Her head goes back down and I stop calling for her. I decide to take time to calm down and sit on my bed. I lay down after a while of nothing, and decide to sleep. That is the only thing I can do.

***

I've only been in this dark cell for a few hours and already am screaming to be let free. I️ never knew my Alpha was this insane! I️ scream for what feels for thirty minutes until my throat hurts. I️ probably won't be given any water, so I️ need to be smart about this. I️ had screamed out Ryland's name, for he is the only one I️ trust by my side.

I know that screaming is futile. I've learned about the jail section of the pack house. No sound escapes from here, and all mate connections are lost. We are totally encapsulated and stuck here at the mercy of the guards.

When I️ have a moment of silence, I️ look around at my surroundings. My cell is very small with a little blanket and pillow on the ground and an open toilet and sink. Bars line the only open wall that I'm sitting next to. When I️ look outside my cell, I️ see an empty cell in front of me and to the left of it. To the right of them, there is a cell with a woman in it. She seems to be frustrated and glares at me when I️ look at her. She must hate me after listening to me scream for a long time.

I️ try to get her attention, but she just scoffs at me. She doesn't look too healthy or clean and it makes me wonder how long she's been here. "Hello?" I️ ask out into the darkness. She doesn't reply to me. Instead, she walks to the back of her cell and to her spot on the floor that has her pillow and blanket. She lies down and turns away from me. I️ can take a hint. I️ decide to do the same as her and sleep again.

She's probably been in here longer than me, so I️ should learn the ropes for now before Ryland comes to save me. That's what he's going to do, right? I️ am his new mate, so he'd do anything to save me. Or at least that's what I️ was told mates do for each other. Maybe he will complete his quest alone and wait for me to return. I️ hope he comes to get me, because right now isn't looking so hot. Ryland said he'd do anything for me, so I can only hope he is going to be smart about this.