59

59

Jacob’s POV

There were quite a lot of things running through my mind and the last thing I wanted to do right now was to sit through this council meeting.

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration and gritted my teeth as my eyes went to the wall clock. We still had about an hour till the meeting ended and I was already tired and bored of it.

We’ve been here for a week and Ian had done a very good job resolving the issues that had been on ground. The issues with the lycanthrope ad the witches. He had managed to fish out the people who were starting the rebellion in the vampire realm and they had been punished. With death. This was going faster and smoother than I expected and I wished we would just leave this place already.

Just the few weeks I had spent in the human world and I was already used to it and eager to go back. Or maybe I eager to go back because of her.

I hadn’t been able to stop myself from thinking about her. About her safety. Ian knew it too, and even though he had reassured me that Sophia was taking care of her, and his men were keeping them safe, I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t trust any man to keep them safe. They could always be bought and swayed to betray us.

I knew I wasn’t supposed to be thinking of her like this bought I couldn’t help it. I knew I said I hated her but fuck that. I didn’t hate her. There was no point in lying to myself that I did when I knew deep down that I didn’t.

I didn’t like her, but I didn’t hate her either.

I looked at the clock once again and I frowned when I saw that we still had about forty-eight minutes till the meeting ended.

Forcing myself to be calm, I sat through the rest of the meeting in silence even though I had zoned out of most of the discussions they were having. It wasn’t like they would dare to call me out on that. They couldn’t do that. Only Ian could and he wouldn’t.

When the meeting was over, I got up to leave but Ian stopped me, gesturing me to come to him while the there’s left the room.

“Where was your head?” He demanded, raising a brow at me.

“Uh?”

“What were you thinking about since? I could tell your head wasn’t here,” he answered. “What have you been thinking about?”

“Nothing,” I answered. I wasn’t about to share my thoughts with him. Not that he’d mock me or anything but I just wasn’t ready to tell him I was worried about Jenny.

“If you’re worried about them,” he began. Of course he already knew what I was worried about. “If you’re worried about her, you shouldn’t be. I told you, there are people watching over them.

“That doesn’t mean they’re safe,” I answered flatly and left the room. I went straight to my chambers and picked up my phone only to see that I had received a voicemail.

I frowned. Who was sending me a voicemail?

I opened it and listened to it.

“There’s someone watching me. There’s someone watching me here and—and I’m scared. Please get back to me the moment you get this please. I’m scared. They’re coming for me.”

My heart skipped the moment I heard her voice. It was her. It was Jenny. Fuck. I raced out of my chamber back to the council room. Ian had gone. I raced to his room and luckily he was there. There was a loud silence ringing in my ear and my vision was occasionally turning black.

“Jacob, what is it?” Ian asked in alarm, walking briskly to me.

“Listen to this,” I snapped and played the voicemail for him. He went pale as he listened and he grabbed the phone from me, listening over and over again.

“When did she send this?” He demanded.

“I don’t know. I just received it not,” I answered “We need to leave.”

He shoved my phone in my chest and I took it quickly before it could drop. He stalked to his bed and picked up his phone, scowling furiously for something.

“Sophia hasn’t texted me,” he murmured, his voice icy. “She didn’t tell me anything. Is that all Jenny said? She didn’t mention Sophia?”

“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “What if Sophia has been harmed?”

“Sophia harmed and Jenny unharmed?” Ian asked, narrowing his eyes at me like I just said rubbish. “Come on, that’s absurd.”

“How so?” I demanded.

“Sophia and Jenny are always together. Anyone who wants to harm Sophia will harm Jenny too. And my men hasn’t told me anything yet,” he answered.

“Probably because they’re the ones that harmed Sophia,” I exploded. “How can you trust these men?!”

“They swore an oath to me!” He shot back. “I trust these men! They’re my people and they will remain my people until otherwise.”

“Your trusting nature will be the end of you,” I snapped, shaking my head in disappointment. “Whether or not you’re ready, I’m going back today. I need to make sure they’re okay!”

“What’s going on here?” Lyanna asked, barging into the room with Mike.

“What’s going on?” Mike asked, his eyes darting between my brother and I. “I detect a lot of tension here.”

I played the voicemail again for them and they became alarmed. “When did you receive this?” Mike asked, snatching the phone from my hand and listening to the voicemail again.

“I just opened my phone a few minutes ago and I saw it there,” I explained. “Talk some sense into Ian. We need to leave!”

“We can’t leave just like that!” He snapped. “I have things to sort out, all thanks t you because you didn’t do your job well!”

“Now is not the time for you both to be blaming and yelling at each other,” Mike snapped, getting between Ian and I. He turned to Lyanna who had a wistful look on her face.

“Is there a way you can check?” Mike asked. “Is there a way you can make sure they’re alright?”

She remained quiet for a while, her face going thoughtful and then she nodded. “I can only try. Is there any of their belongings here? Something that belongs to them?”

Her eyes darted from Ian to me and slowly we shook our head.

“Ugh,” she murmured, frowning. “Well you and Sophia are linked, I can try to check if she’s fine through you. I’m going to need a chalk and some candles.”

We got all she needs and she drew a huge circle in the middle of Ian’s room with the chalk. She and Ian sat in the middle and she lit some candles. She placed her hands on Ian’s bare chest and began to chant some words over and over again. The candles flared, the fire growing brighter and brighter until it dimmed all of a sudden. She stopped chanting and removed her hand from Ian’s chest.

“Sophia is fine,” she told us. I can’t tell about Jenny but I can feel that Sophia is fine. Plus if Jenny is hurt, I know Sophia would have reached out to you all.”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t leave today,” I snapped. “I insist we go today before it’s too late!”

“Fine,” Ian replied flatly. “I just have a few things to clear up before we leave. Call a council meeting.”

“We just finished one—” I began to remind him but he cut me off.

“Well you’re the one in a hurry to go back aren’t you?” He reminded me icily.

**

I was pacing around my room, trying my best to no damage something. I wanted to damage something. I wanted to beat up something or someone. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t stop hearing her voice in my mind, the why it shook and how she sounded so terrified.

I couldn’t believe Ian was being so lenient about this. I thought he would he one even in more hurry than I was but here he was taking his time to do everything. I couldn’t believe this.

I paced around the room, running my hands through my hair and then clenching my fists before I could throw a punch at the nearest thing my hands could hit.

I ran my hands over my face and rubbed. I don’t know how I’ll manage if anything had happened to her. If she had been hurt. I don’t know what il do if she had been hurt before I got there. I wanted to be there right now, making sure she was okay. I needed to be there, watching over her because I couldn’t trust the men who were watching over them.

There was a soft knock on my door and it opened. Lucian was standing there. “Your brother is waiting.”