Page 48 of Twinning and Sinning

"Is all accounted for?" I shifted. Alpha Big Claw's body hovered over the three rogues that would be sent to the cells for further questioning. "Several have gas inhalation poisoning. I do not know the extent of their injuries," he shook his head in disbelief. "Tua is going to have to reach out for help and create a ward to protect the pack. They came out of nowhere, from what the scouts told me."

Banging from the cellar door echoed the room. The beta went to the far wall, hitting it with his fist and typing in a series of numbers. The door opened, and we jumped inside. "Seraphina! Please, let him talk!" Zoey was screaming.

Dax and I looked at each other while we approached the corner of the room. Seraphina had Trey pinned against the wall with her forearm, blood streaming from his nose.

"Traitor," she growled out.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Seraphina

Iwasshoveddownthe darkened stairway of the cellar. To be down here like a helpless pup was a bit annoying. I had some skills; surely, they could recall how I kicked one of Jonas' friends in the balls. Along with that, knocked a gun out of their hand. I huffed, irritated by being shoved down here. I could protect those who are down here defenseless, I suppose.

Who was I kidding, really? A human in a supernatural world. I could barely fend off the guys my father had sent to either kill me or drag me back to a loveless marriage. Feeling in control was something I craved, and right now, I certainly didn't have any control.

It was cold, a little damp; this was an after-thought type of cellar, I decided. Almost like a large hole in the ground, the dirt was packed down tight, but no actual floor was visible. Several rooms were at the far end of the cellar, primarily for bathrooms with hanging lightbulbs for light. Cots were stacked up on the side, along with blankets and bottled water. Rudimentary shelving with canned foods that a doomsday prepper would envy was stacked in another corner. They must not use this place often the way everything was set up. No organization to it at all.

Dirty and almost unlivable.

Then again, these were Werewolves, and many of them like roughing it. "We don't use this place often," Tua patted my shoulder. "Sorry, you have to be down here with us. We had just upgraded the packhouse and updating the packhouse bunker was not on the budget." Her little baby cooed while staring up at the fluorescent lighting. It was a harsh light, making me squint.

"This isn't meant for long stays, just long enough for a threat to pass. Everyone has their own bunkers in their homes, but since the celebration today, we are all here." My finger went over to the little boy's finger; it grabbed it and swayed it playfully.

"Do you have large celebrations often?" I asked.

"Just the birth of a baby or the pairing of princes mated to a human girl. Not too often," she chuckled.

Tua was so calm, and collected. The women and children looked to her and judged her reaction to the situation. Since she was now the leader, you would have to be calm and not cause panic to the pack that looked up to you. Tua gave jobs to all the women and children surrounding her, keeping them busy. The power she held while holding her newborn and the straightness of her back gave the confidence back in the room. They trusted her, her judgment, and how she perceived the situation. Could you imagine an emotional woman who just had a baby, wailing because her husband, er, mate, was outside fighting off Werebears and Werewolves? It would be straight-up insanity; this Luna business wasn't going to be easy the day I had to do it.

Once her orders are carried out, she is cooing over her baby and checking if everyone had blankets, if they are cold and food if they are hungry. Her mind was constantly linked with her husband; she mentioned the fight was going well and not to worry. I can't put my complete trust in her words. Keeping the women and children calm was the top priority. One could easily lie to keep the bunch from freaking out and causing loud noises for the intruders to find us.

My babies were out there, the first time I have been separated from them since the adoption just over a week ago. The loneliness crept in and my heart almost pained to think if something happened to one of them. What if the gas was being used outside? Would they survive it? The brief explanation Dimitri gave both Dax and me after our romp in the tub was mind-altering.

Supernaturals weren't all-powerful, there were weaknesses. Someone was taking that to their advantage. Supernaturals seemed more in tune with nature and god-like deities rather than lean on technological advances like humans. The Shifters and Witch I have met don't look like ones to go to a factory and make high-class weapons of this magnitude. The 'pinecone' contraption they bring up must be a grenade of some type. The clicking noise and the pin they pull are the only logical thing it could be. If that is the case, what if these enemies build something larger? They could dump large bombs on whole packs and tribes.

"They are running back to the packhouse now, Seraphina," Tua whispered to me. "Jonas seems to be leading the brigade. Your mates are fine. They fear they know where we are." I nodded, wringing my hands out. How did they know we were in the packhouse?

Grateful that Tua could mind-link her mate, I hope that I could do the same one day. I'm given new information about my mates' lives each day, but it is so much. Hell, I needed to know what a mate mark was just from Zoey's conversation earlier! I hated being left in the dark.

I had enough of people wanting to hide things from me. Even if it was for my own good. As wonderful, patient, and caring as my mother was, she hid things from me too. Why I was homeschooled, why I was taught to fight, and the day she planned to take me away from it all. My stomach still got sick the day I left everything behind. Even if my father was a cruel man, it was all I knew. However, not being given any warning about going didn't leave me room to question. Blindly following my mother may have been for the best.

And she did lead me blindly, with me in the dark. I didn't like it, not one bit. I lost her that day; if I could have been more prepared, things could have been different. I could have saved her. Everyone was doing it for the sake of my sanity, to not 'overwhelm' me. I feel very overwhelmed by not knowing things; thank you very much!

Gritting my teeth, the anger rose when I looked at Zoey and Trey. Zoey's eyes sparkled, looking at him, seeking the comfort of his arms. The pang of guilt resonated with my thoughts of Trey being a traitor. Could he do something so despicable to his longtime friend, now girlfriend?

Maybe I was overthinking things.

Then I saw his cell phone, the light went off as he held it up, taking pictures around the room. Zoey wasn't paying attention, too busy trying to get his attention. The light flashed again; it was aimed straight for me. Taking his phone down, he smiled and waved. An innocent picture, maybe?

What about the night I was with my boys when they were still Wolves? He took many pictures then, and not one was sent to me. This was planned all along; before any suspicions even started.

Pulling out my phone, I saw that there were still two bars on my phone signal. Trey could be sending pictures to someone right now.

Flipping my unruly hair behind me, I marched straight up to Trey, who was, of course, staring at his phone mindlessly. I ripped the phone from his hands. "Hey!" he yelled, trying to get the phone back. I pushed his chest, making him fall to the ground. By no means was I a small girl; I was as tall as him and had better fighting skills than him, no doubt.

Quickly scrolling through the camera roll, I see pictures and video of Wolves shifting, the front entrance of the Red Wolves Pack, and the warriors standing behind trees hiding, watching the rest of the pack. A zoomed-in picture of myself pulling my hair behind my ear. Many images of Dax and Dimitri holding my hand or playing with my hair. Scrolling further back into the history, pictures of me making coffee and putting books away, Trey had been watching me a very long time.

What was the connection between the Wolves and me? There were no pictures of the Wolves until I adopted two.

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