Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Twenty Six

I've left a description at the end regarding the picture - a rough guide to Jack's rings. 

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Lily hadn't stopped shaking since Andrew handed her the ransom note. Her mind was churning up horrible ideas of what Yuric was doing with Poppy in his grasp. How'd she even get into his clutches? Why did Yuric go after her? She was a young werewolf and they weren't friends, so why'd he get her? What did she do?

Andrew had driven her back to the packhouse. He claimed it wouldn't be safe going back to her home, and he wanted her in his eyesight at all times. As he said in the cemetery, Lily was his only chance at getting his pack member back.

Now sitting in his office, surrounded by books, Lily was trying to drown out everyone's yelling. Apparently Andrew had his top wolves out searching for Poppy or any trace of Yuric and his rogues, but with no luck yet. In the meantime he had the other people he trusted in the room deciding what their plan should be.

"Look, when we find Yuric we can send our wolves to get him-"

"That's if we find him Laura! We have miles of forest to look through, you really think we'll find him that quickly?"

"Andrew, I'm trying to be optimistic."

Jack raised her hand but didn't bother waiting for everyone to be quiet. "Hear me out, what if we send witches in to scour the forest? We could sense if anything's wrong with the forest and go from there?"

Andrew scowled. "What good is that going to do Jack? These wolves are rogue, they won't care about some trees."

"That's my point, we could sense if there's any bonfires or something similar-"

"Why would they light a bonfire?!"

"I don't know maybe they're idiots!"

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, look, are we sure Yuric is after Lily?"

"Are you daft?" Jack scrunched up her face. "The note said, 'a flower for a flower'. Do you know anyone else who's name is a freaking flower? Or someone who's been followed by rogues for the past two weeks other than Lily?"

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "What if we sent someone into the forest that looked like Lily but wasn't? Like a doppelganger?"

Jack stared at him. "Oh that's a great idea, why didn't we think about that? Why don't we send someone that looks like Lily to the unknown location of Yuric and his rogues, into a place where a rogue knows what she looks like thanks to the escapee from the lock down, and from the attempted kidnapping on Alice-"

"Okay I get it, it won't work-"

"While we're at it, let's get them to wear a shirt that says 'I'm Lily' just to make it clear that this person is totally Lily!"

"I'm trying to think of another way!" Ryan snapped, rubbing the back of his neck. "There has to be another way instead of handing Lily over!"

Andrew crossed his arms. "And what about Poppy?"

Laura held up her phone. "I've heard nothing from her still."

"You think she can escape a compound of rogues?" Jack scoffed. "She's one wolf!"

"Hey, she might have found a way!" Laura defended. "I can't believe they have her until I see some proof!"

"There was a note on your alpha's doorstep with a bouquet of poppies, what more proof do you want, a finger in the post box?!" Jack stood from her chair, hands flayed in exasperation. Lily spotted her magic shoot to the browning plant on the shelf, now a living vibrant green with beautiful blue flowers. Green magic was now coiled around each of Jack's fingers, but they all kept bickering over Lily's head regardless.