So I lied and this is going to be another chapter in Alarik's POV
So I finally have some casting! Picture to the side is Alex Pettyfer who I see as Alarik. Jason and Allison will be coming soon in the next chapters.
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We'd made our stop and were now on our way. I'd gotten a contraption that Jason said would give him WiFi while we travelled and something that would charge his laptop in the car. I didn't ask, I just got it. I wasn't going to be playing any games, I wanted us to be as prepared as we possibly could.
He had been searching online for three hours straight by now, gathering as much information on the people we were going toward. We'd had a communication system set up in out train of cars so I could communicate with the three cars that were with us.
"It looks like we have Jennifer and Bill Klarke, and Hank Freemont. They don't live near each other, in fact the Klarkes are about an hour and a half away from Hank."
"So you're saying it's unlikely that we're going to find Allison with them?" I asked getting irritated. I really hoped this trip wouldn't be for nothing.
"We probably won't find her, no. But, if those are indeed names that she's heard, there's always a chance that they will know something. If not about Allison, then about the rest of the Klarkes and Freemonts that exist."
I heard more keys clicking as Jason searched some more.
"They have to know others. There can't just be the people that are scattered throughout the entire country. There are some abroad as well. But there's maybe ten of each, all throughout the world. There have to be more somewhere, it just seems unlikely. The rest of them have to be shielded somehow."
"And you think they're just going to tell us where the others are? If they're shielded, do you really expect it to be that easy?"
"No I don't," he said matter-of-factly. "However, you're an Alpha. I trust you know how to make people talk."
Was he really suggesting torture? Because I wasn't a huge fan of that, I'd done it before for my father, many times actually. I wasn't too keen on the idea of it. However, if these people knew something that could lead me to Allison, I would probably do anything. I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do to make sure she went back home safe.
We were both quiet for a while. I kept driving, thoughts of what I would have to do in my mind. Memories of what I'd done for my father to other people taking me over. I'd done a lot for my father, whatever he'd told me to do. I couldn't very well tell him no, and at the time I hadn't seen what had been so wrong about it. He had made it seem like a necessity.
Sometimes torture was a necessity, but not in the way he used it. It was never used to stop anything bad from happening, it wasn't used to save lives. It had been used for his own personal gain.
I'd been hiding my feelings about my father inside for quite some time now. It had been difficult to keep it up recently. It was getting to a time when I wasn't sure my father was actually fit to be the Alpha any longer. I wasn't sure that he had the best intentions for our pack. I didn't want to see them get hurt, for our pack to suffer because he is starting to slip.
He knows his days are numbered, just a year and a half left until I take over. I had started wondering if maybe it was time for me to just step up. I know my father wouldn't willingly step down, not until it's my time. That's what I was afraid of. My father was ruthless in his younger years, it's hard to believe it, but he's gotten soft. Even still, he taught me what I know and I'm not sure if I'd be able to fight my own father.
"We're about ten hours away," Jason said pulling me out of my thoughts. "We're going to have to decide who to go after first."
"How about Hank. It will probably be easier to start out with one."
"Easier to start out with one? There's twelve of us. I don't think it matters who we start out with, ten werewolves against two humans, I think we know who has the better odds."
I gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Hank Freemont."
"Okay."
More clicking on the keyboard before Jason turned the screen to face me. He pointed to a dot on the screen.
"That's where we're going. Keep on this road until I tell you to get off. I'll put the GPS on when we need it for turns."
"Sounds good."
I picked up the device that had been installed for communication between vehicles.
"We're going to Freemont first. I will drive you all to a drop off point and then we're going to drive around to scope the place out before we make a decision on how to proceed. Most likely we will be going in alone and have you scattered around for backup. Beta keep eyes on me, Gamma and Delta stay behind," I said listing off the names for each car. "Make sure you can see at least one car in front of you at all times. We don't want to get separated."
I heard the static laced words as they all gave their affirmatives.
When we got close, I followed the directions that the laptop was giving me to the address that was listed with Hank Freemont's name. As I'd said, I took the three cars with me to a store parking lot, telling them to stay there while we drove around the area of the house.
I turned onto the street and started to keep a watch out, telling Jason to do the same. I drove down the road a little slower, looking at the house as we passed. It looked like a regular house and when we took the path around the block, there wasn't anything that seemed out of place.
I went back to the parking lot and picked up the three cars with my dad's men. We drove back and I had each of them pull off stationed around the block of Hank Freemont's house. I gave them all the house number and told them to be ready in case they received any sort of message from me.
I pulled the car over in front of the house and Jason and I got out, making our way up to the front door. Â Jason stood just behind me and I could feel the tension rolling off him. It was starting to put me on edge.
I tried to shake his energy off and I knocked on the door.
After a few moments the door opened. A man poked his head around to look outside at us. He had thick dark brown hair, dull blue eyes and some stubble on his chin.
"Whatever you're selling, I don't want it." He tried to close the door but I put my hand in the way. Probably not my smartest move because he tried as hard as he could to shut the door.
I bit back the pain and cleared my throat. "We're actually here to ask you a few questions Mr. Freemont. Some very-- important questions."
I could hear the man gulp and I was pretty sure my eyes had flashed in the moment of pain and anger at the door. Alright then, I was done playing. Might as well use his fear to my advantage.
"Now, you could open the door and let my friend and I come in, or I can force the door open and we'll come in anyway."
I could see his mind turning behind his dull eyes. He was trying to think of a way out of this. He knew what I was. He was just trying to think of what to do about it. I saw the fear and defeat win out and he stepped to the side letting Jason and me through.
"What do you want?" The man spat.
I clicked my tongue and wagged my finger at the man. "Now is that any way to speak to a werewolf?"
I saw his adam's apple quiver. He knew what I was, but he wasn't comfortable with the idea, or the fact that I said the words aloud.
"You see here, Hank, I'm an Alpha. I've travelled quite a ways just to drop by your house and talk to you."
"Why?" His voice was shaking. If he thought werewolves were bad, well, an Alpha seeking him out was probably even worse.
"You see, I'm looking for someone. She was taken from me about a month ago and I've been searching for her ever since."
"I gave up that stuff. I gave up hunting," Hank shouted. He looked like he wanted to run away. I was going to have to fix that.
I tried not to show how much his words affected me. Hunting? So they were hunters then. I kept walking toward him and he kept backing up. We kept up the little dance until one more step ended with him falling back onto the couch with me looming over him.
"You see, I'm not sure if I believe you. Even if I did believe you, I'm pretty sure you know something."
"I-- I don't know anything."
I could feel the nerves washing off him. I was more sensitive than most to the emotions of those around me. It was strongest with other werewolves, but I could do just as well with humans. However, I wasn't a mind reader, I didn't know what was behind the emotion. I just knew that Hank was nervous, and having two werewolves show up on your front door would be cause for nerves.
"You do realize you can't lie to an Alpha right? We can tell when you're not telling the truth."
Another gulp from the man.
"I'm completely honest," he said quickly. "I swear, I left that life behind me. I never wanted to go back, I didn't agree with their methods."
"Who's methods for what?"
"The Organization. Sometimes they would just hunt creatures down and kill them, other times they'd capture them and run tests."
I felt the spike of fear in me. That has to be what they were doing with Allison. They had to be running "tests" on her, at least their version of tests.
"What do these tests entail?"
"All kinds of different things. They monitor speed, agility, healing ability. I hated the way they conducted them. I had always believed that not all the creatures were bad. That you were supposed to be like humans, there was just something more to you. But you're proving them right," he spat at me.
I backed up slightly at that. I'd let my anger completely run me since I stepped out of that car. I was acting like the darker parts of myself, doing whatever it took to get Allison. And in doing that, I was also proving the people he left behind, right.
I took a few more steps back and Jason stepped forward.
"Do you know where they held the people-- the werewolves?" Jason asked.
"I-- I don't know."
"He's lying," I said quietly.
Jason twitched and I knew soon he would be going off as well. I really hoped that we could just get this over with now. That Hank would tell us where we needed to go so we didn't have to make another stop to see the Klarkes.
Jason's hands clenched into fists and his eyes narrowed at the man.
"Okay, okay," Hank said throwing his hands in front of him defensively. "There's a lab of sorts about four hours from here. I'm not sure if it's the place you're looking for, but I know it's one of them."
"Where's the next closest?" I asked.
"The deserts of Arizona. They won't tell me if anything changed in the past ten years. Once you leave you're never told anything ever again. You're essentially disowned by your family as well as The Organization"
"Give us the address for the one four hours from here," I demanded as I pulled out my phone.
Hank started writing the address down. Jason looked at him for a moment before asking another question.
"Is that why we can find you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean there are barely any Freemonts listed. It's like there are only ten to twenty of you in the entire world."
"The Organization keeps their people safe. Their names are listed places, but you won't be able to find them on any internet public records. Somehow they're kept clean from there. Their children are in school, they own businesses and somehow they're untraceable. Once you leave you're kicked out of that system. I never knew there were that many in the family that quit."
"How do you find them then?"
"You don't. The most you're going to be able to find them in is paper. And they're going to be in sealed records that only high level officials will be able to get into."
"But what about fingerprints or anything like that?"
I grabbed the piece of paper from Hank's hands and turned to leave. I didn't care about this talk. I didn't care how to find the other people, I didn't need to find them. I had what I needed, at least I hoped so.
"Let's go, Jason."
I got in the car and a moment later, Jason got in and shut the door. I used the device to get in touch with the other cars and in one minute, they were all behind me.
Jason plugged in the address and we were off again. Hopefully it would be the last stop before we were on our way back home with Allison safely tucked in back.
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They may be super close. Hopefully this leads to Allison. She's gone through a lot in a month, and who knows if she can take much more. We'll have to see what Alarik does to them if he does indeed find her.
Remember to leave your comments below and to drop a vote if you liked the chapter.
Again, person to the side is my casting of Alarik, hope you enjoy.
COVERS if you were wanting to make a cover for one of (or any number of) my five stories, you might want to get on that. FRIDAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR THAT. After Friday I won't be accepting any more for the competition. You're still always free to send me anything you've done, they just won't be entered into the competition.
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