Chapter 31: Ransom

Wolfgang

As soon as I got back to the mansion, I met Elder Leto. “Has the security finished examining the video footage?” I asked him.

“No, sir. But we have another issue. A report just came in; there have been sightings of rogues roaming.”

They haven’t attempted to enter, but still it is suspicious,” he continued.

Great. Not only did I have to look into the accusations against Aurora, now I had the issue of rogues to deal with.

***

I was sitting in a meeting about the rogues roaming around the pack, but my mind was on Aurora and when my beta would bring evidence that she had been falsely accused.

I kept remembering Remus’ words.

~“If you don’t love that girl, why can’t you just let her be? She is young and I’m sure soon she’ll find her mate. When that time comes, what will you do?”~

But she had found her mate; it was me.

She was a commoner, an omega wolf, a simple housemaid, while I descended from a long line of leaders.

Except, there was the possibility that she was actually royalty.

But that was just in a book. I didn’t have any ~real~ proof of that yet.

She had no strength, or other qualities to offer the pack as the luna—not like Tallulah, who was the daughter of a high-ranking alpha.

Still, she was my mate. The Moon Goddess had bestowed her upon me, and all I’d done was push her aside.

Suddenly, my gamma came running in.

“Alpha Wolfgang! The rogues have attacked the pack’s hospital. They’ve taken someone with them!”

What? How could they breach our security?

“Where is the luna? We must keep Tallulah safe!” One of the elders shouted.

Everyone started asking questions and talking over one another.

“Quiet!” I growled. Everyone went silent.

“Who did they take?” I asked Remus.

“Tallulah—” he began. But before he could continue, everyone began shouting again.

“Max, prepare a convoy,” I ordered. “We will leave at once. Remus, contact the blue moon pack and request back up. We don’t know how many of those rogues are there.”

Remus tried to speak, but the door opened again, revealing Tallulah.

“You don’t have to worry, Alpha Wolfgang. Your luna is safe,” she said.

The elders all let out a sigh in relief as she walked into the room.

“If the luna is here, who have they taken hostage?” Max asked Remus, who stood silently.

“Aurora,” Tallulah answered instead.

I stood there, shocked.

Why had they taken her?

“She lied to the rogues, and made them believe that she was the luna. They took her instead of me,” Tallulah continued.

“How did she pull that off?” Max asked.

“She pulled some tricks from her sleeve,” she said, looking me in the eye.

“Did the rogues say anything?” one of the elders asked.

“Yes. They said that if all their demands are granted, they’ll return her unharmed. Otherwise, she’ll be another murder, but not that last,” Tallulah finished.

The color drained from my face. Aurora was in danger. She had sacrificed herself for the pack.

“We must get her back,” Max said. There was no answer. The elders all looked at each other.

“She sacrificed herself to protect the pack and Luna Tallulah, we must do something to save her,” Max insisted.

I was still in shock. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“Beta Max, what that young maid did was very heroic, and we shall be eternally grateful, but…she is nothing more than a housemaid. She is of no value to us,” one of the elders said.

This snapped me out of my trance.

“What?!” I growled.

“Alpha Wolfgang, you of all people should know this. We cannot risk our warriors for the sake of a simple maid,” another elder said.

“If we don’t, they’ll kill her, and it will be sure to start a war!” Remus said.

“Not necessarily,” the elder replied. “We can let them believe she is our Luna. Once they’ve killed her, they’ll know we are too strong to negotiate.”

“I agree with the elders. What Aurora did was courageous, and I will forever be grateful to her, but we can’t risk more lives for her sake,” Tallulah said, her voice dripping with fake pity.

“Are any of you listening to yourselves? You’re willing to sacrifice a young girl just like that? And you, Wolfgang! You’re just going sit there and do nothing?” Max banged his fist on the table.

“No,” I said, “we are going to rescue her.”

“What?!” Tallulah asked incredulously.

“Alpha, this is ridiculous!” an elder shouted.

“We will not allow our fighters to go into rogue territory for the sake of a simple maid!” another said.

“Wolfgang, babe. Listen to the elders. They’re right. She means nothing to our pack. Once they kill her, they’ll know we are strong,” Tallulah said.

She grabbed my hand. “She’s just a worthless maid, babe.”

Anger flared within me. “No, she isn’t,” I spat, pulling my hands out of hers.

“Wolfgang, what are you doing?” Tallulah asked.

“Aurora is my true mate. That is the reason why she was taken. She must have shown them the mark I gave her before I left for the alpha’s summit,” I said.

The elders all looked at me in shock. Tallulah’s eyes widened as she processed what I’d just said.

“What do you mean she is your mate? Since when?” Max asked me.

“I found out the night of my birthday party. The night she was first assigned to the leader’s house,” I told him.

Tallulah came over to me and slapped me in the face.

“You ass! I’m going to make my father break all ties with you, and this shitty pack!” She ran out of the office with tears pouring down her cheeks.

I’d deserved that. I should never have made her believe I wanted to be in a relationship with her, when in reality I’d loved Aurora all along.

I loved Aurora, and now she needed my help.

“So you found your mate and kept it a secret all this time? From me? Your best friend?” Max shouted.

“And Aurora? Does she know?” Remus asked.

“Yes,” I answered, “but I forbade her from saying anything to anyone.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t let her out of your sight, even though you claimed she disgusted you?” Max asked.

I had no answer to give him.

I looked down. I couldn’t face my friend.

He was right. I couldn’t accept Aurora as my luna because of her social status, but I couldn’t reject her, either.

That’s why I’d threatened to turn her into a rogue if she told anyone, or if she left the pack.

“You’re really something, Wolfgang,” he spat.

He turned his attention to the elders. “So…what will it be? Are you still willing to sacrifice the girl? You heard your alpha clearly. The girl is the rightful luna.”

They looked at each other, and agreed to send a search party to save Aurora.

I just hope it wasn’t too late.