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23. Rooftop

IVY

I knew I should have been there. I knew I should have helped them. I knew the wicked witch was there. I knew what was happening and what was going to happen, and yet I didn't do anything. The entire time, I was at a place that I shouldn't have been. I had to make sure nothing happened to her. I wish I didn't care so much, and yet I can't help but prioritize her above anything else. The last thing I want is for her to be tangled in this mess, so I protected her without her even knowing I was there. It's for the best. The less she knows, the better. The idiot witch already got his soulmate sucked into our hellish world, I don't want the same for mine.

"Give me your report, Alonzo."

Staring at my phone's screen, I observed the background of the fifteen year old boy. He is inside an empty room, walls made of wood painted black, old, vintage decorations and furniture that have been there for years. He is currently hiding inside an empty classroom inside the castle of Queen's Garden, making sure no one else sees or hears him talking to me.

"The last people to be added were the three that you told us about. The witch and the two secular humans. It's been three days since they arrived. Nothing interesting has happened yet though."

"Good. Though to be frank, I thought there'd be chaos on their first day especially with the mouth of that Farvale boy."

Alonzo grunted. "He talks a lot. Doesn't stop."

"I'm going to assume Florencia put her cuffs on them too."

"Only the witch."

"What about Orion and Astoria?"

"Nothing. No restraints except for house arrest."

"Interesting. She does know that those two may not have the ability to shift into an animal or move things with their minds, but they aren't defenseless. Their weapons are different, but doesn't make them powerless. I've seen them. They're smart. Florencia should know it too. I'm sure she does."

"Maybe she doesn't want to waste good material on them?"

"Maybe, though it could be something else too. She's a tricky one to figure out. There's still no clues on what she may be up to?" He shook his head, making me sigh with frustration. "Okay. That's okay. We'll figure something out soon. For now, just keep me updated if anything happens. And Alonzo,"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Astoria that you're in my pack." He furrowed his eyebrows. "But only her. I'm not sure about the other one yet, and the chatter box cannot be trusted with secrets like this. He may blow our cover."

"Alright. If you're sure about it, then I'll do it."

"You can trust Astoria."

And with that, I ended the video call.

Dropping down to the uncomfortable couch of the crappy motel, I chugged down the last few drops of my whiskey as I called another pack member. "Alright. Give me some good news, Jones." His background is completely different from Alonzo's. Instead of the lifeless, quiet, and gloomy Queen's Garden, he's in a place full of people, either drinking margaritas, smoking, or gambling. Or all of the above. Oh, the lovely city of Las Vegas.

"Good news? Well, the bags under your eyes are not the size of Texas anymore. It's only half of Texas now. Congrats."

I glared at the dancing male from my screen. He's wearing a colorful, stripped buttoned up shirt and is holding a cocktail drink. "Remind me again why you're my beta."

"I make delicious pasta, and therefore I am your beta." I rolled my eyes. "Oh, and speaking of pasta, I'm about to be buried in marinara sauce! Check it out!" He switched the camera to show what is in front of him, which is indeed a massive bowl of marinara sauce. Right across from him is his date, who is one of the werewolves that we've picked up in San Francisco. "Anyway. We found three more from Pennsylvania. At first, they thought we were fucking with them and asking them for money, but once they learned that we're from the Gaia pack, they eventually went with us."