The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 97: Chapter 97
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NOAH
“Where the fuck do you keep going off to?” Logan hissed as I stepped back into the cellar.
The stench of sewer water and blood hit me hard, singeing my nostrils. The heavy steel door slammed shut behind me, rattling the bars on the cells. All were empty, except one.
Olivia sat in a chair. Calm down, I haven’t tortured her again. I let one of the guards handle it. Milania. She was one of our best warriors, trained at Auburn Academy and graduated top of her class before returning to lead as an Elite. I’d been taking breaks from interrogating Olivia, and every time I left, Milania stepped in. Still, Olivia refused to talk. Now she looked half-dead. Slumped in the chair, back arched unnaturally, neck hanging like it could barely hold her head up. Her arms dangled at her sides, blood dripping down her fingertips.
“How’s it going in here?”
“She’s singing like a bird,” Logan said, boredom thick in his voice. It had been wearing him down for days. I tried coercion on day one, tried to tear the truth from her mind, but her wolf, strong and defiant, shielded her. Olivia herself was weak, still not healed from our earlier fight. Because of the imbalance, her wolf had the upper hand, guarding her thoughts. Even when I ordered it to step aside, I couldn’t pierce the mental barrier. It felt like someone had built a wall around her memories. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or just the state she was in that kept me out.
I’d tried five times since then. Each time: nothing. Even now, with her body barely holding on, and her wolf cowering at the back of her mind, I still couldn’t get in.
I stepped forward, fingers wrapping around her throat. I traced the dip between her collarbones and called Onyx forward. We pushed, probed, and crept into every corner of her mind.
But…
The three of us stood around her. Logan leaned against the cellar door, arms crossed, wearing a that’s all you got? expression that made me want to break his nose. Why the hell did I come back down here? Milania stood like a soldier, eyes sharp, awaiting orders. But she couldn’t push Olivia much further without killing her, and there was information in that head that I needed.
Information that could save the one person I actually gave a damn about. Olivia couldn’t die. Not yet. Not until she told me what was wrong with Maddie.
“Wake her up,” I muttered and stepped aside. Milania’s hand sliced through the air like a whip, landing hard across Olivia’s cheek.
“Ahh, you bitch,” Olivia groaned, her voice dry and cracking. There it was. Wakey, wakey.
Time to spill your guts, or lose them. I’d tried everything. Torture. Coercion. Bribery. Threats. Her parents’ lives didn’t seem to mean much to her, maybe she called my bluff.
Short of dragging them down here and ripping their nails off in front of her, I had nothing left.
“Watch it,” Onyx growled in the back of my mind.
“You know I’d never.”
“I know. But it’d be nice if you could get those fucking images out of our head.” Logan had given me an idea the other day.
“Tell her you’ll give her one last fuck if she cooperates. Or better yet, tell her you love her, make the bitch think you’re choosing her. You know it’ll work.” And he was right. It probably would.
But the thought of those words leaving my mouth… The aftertaste made me sick. I’d felt it since the second he said it. Disgust like acid in my throat. That wasn’t happening. I had one move left.
It came to me earlier today when I stepped away.
“On Madeline’s birthday,” I started, voice cool, casual. “When you guys locked her in the food cellar… what was the plan there?” A slow, cracked smile spread across her face, exposing bloodstained teeth. Her lips split further, dry and chapped.
“That was just for fun,” she rasped. I chuckled, shoulders shaking with it.
“Nothing you do is ever just for fun.”
“You were,” she said, and looked up at me through hooded eyes.
“Come on, Liv. What was it, huh?” I eased into it, softening my posture, relaxing my voice. Banter had always been her weakness. “You just wanted to get me there?”
“That was just a perk.”
“You didn’t think I’d come?”
She scoffed. “Of course I did.” The ghost of her misconceptions danced in her glimmering eyes, and she flicked her eyes over my face. “Maybe I just expected a little more hospitality when you did.”
If I could slip into her mind and just peek around in there to see what the fuck was unscrewed, I would in a heartbeat. She kidnapped Maddie, hit her over the head, and tossed her in the food cellar. Hit her over the head…
Maddie recalled someone behind her, and then a searing pain across the side of her head when a blunt object came at her. Three holes—that’s what she said. Three equally big dents, spaced equally far apart.
“You hit her over the head with a hammer and locked her in the cellar. Surely you didn’t expect me to be swooning.”
“A hammer?” she chuckled.
Three holes. What the fuck kind of weapon inflicts that damage? A deep, guttural groan peeled from her chapped lips. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.
“She said she saw me?” No. I nodded.“Fucking bitch.” It was barely a sound; her voice was raspy and poisonous.
“Cut the shit. You ambushed her when she was about to leave, calling Tilly’s birthday bluff.”
“That’s not true.”
“You came up behind her, beat her with a hammer, dragged her into the cellar—I’m guessing Landon helped with that part—and then you waited.”
“No—”
“You’ll be tried for treason. The Alpha will have you and your family shunned, and you’ll go off to live as rogues.”
“No more Noah,” Logan chimed in. “But I’m sure you could spy on him from the borderline—until you’re killed, that is.”
“It’s not—” she started.
“We have Maddie’s statement. Bringing you here was a courtesy, me giving one last futile attempt to spare you, but you’re still lying. You’re still clamoring on to the fabricated lie you created, instead of helping me help you. That’s on you.” I turned around. “We’re done here.”
“Maddie’s a fucking liar!” My shoulders shook from laughter when I turned to face her.
“She’s got nothing to gain from that.”
“Except for you.”
“Stop. You’re done, and I’ll be bringing your parents in for the hearing—”
“It wasn’t me that hit her!”
“ENOUGH!” My growl shook the bars, and Miliana stepped back while Olivia pressed herself into the chair.
“Where the fuck do you keep going off to?” Logan hissed as I stepped back into the cellar.
The stench of sewer water and blood hit me hard, singeing my nostrils. The heavy steel door slammed shut behind me, rattling the bars on the cells. All were empty, except one.
Olivia sat in a chair. Calm down, I haven’t tortured her again. I let one of the guards handle it. Milania. She was one of our best warriors, trained at Auburn Academy and graduated top of her class before returning to lead as an Elite. I’d been taking breaks from interrogating Olivia, and every time I left, Milania stepped in. Still, Olivia refused to talk. Now she looked half-dead. Slumped in the chair, back arched unnaturally, neck hanging like it could barely hold her head up. Her arms dangled at her sides, blood dripping down her fingertips.
“How’s it going in here?”
“She’s singing like a bird,” Logan said, boredom thick in his voice. It had been wearing him down for days. I tried coercion on day one, tried to tear the truth from her mind, but her wolf, strong and defiant, shielded her. Olivia herself was weak, still not healed from our earlier fight. Because of the imbalance, her wolf had the upper hand, guarding her thoughts. Even when I ordered it to step aside, I couldn’t pierce the mental barrier. It felt like someone had built a wall around her memories. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or just the state she was in that kept me out.
I’d tried five times since then. Each time: nothing. Even now, with her body barely holding on, and her wolf cowering at the back of her mind, I still couldn’t get in.
I stepped forward, fingers wrapping around her throat. I traced the dip between her collarbones and called Onyx forward. We pushed, probed, and crept into every corner of her mind.
But…
The three of us stood around her. Logan leaned against the cellar door, arms crossed, wearing a that’s all you got? expression that made me want to break his nose. Why the hell did I come back down here? Milania stood like a soldier, eyes sharp, awaiting orders. But she couldn’t push Olivia much further without killing her, and there was information in that head that I needed.
Information that could save the one person I actually gave a damn about. Olivia couldn’t die. Not yet. Not until she told me what was wrong with Maddie.
“Wake her up,” I muttered and stepped aside. Milania’s hand sliced through the air like a whip, landing hard across Olivia’s cheek.
“Ahh, you bitch,” Olivia groaned, her voice dry and cracking. There it was. Wakey, wakey.
Time to spill your guts, or lose them. I’d tried everything. Torture. Coercion. Bribery. Threats. Her parents’ lives didn’t seem to mean much to her, maybe she called my bluff.
Short of dragging them down here and ripping their nails off in front of her, I had nothing left.
“Watch it,” Onyx growled in the back of my mind.
“You know I’d never.”
“I know. But it’d be nice if you could get those fucking images out of our head.” Logan had given me an idea the other day.
“Tell her you’ll give her one last fuck if she cooperates. Or better yet, tell her you love her, make the bitch think you’re choosing her. You know it’ll work.” And he was right. It probably would.
But the thought of those words leaving my mouth… The aftertaste made me sick. I’d felt it since the second he said it. Disgust like acid in my throat. That wasn’t happening. I had one move left.
It came to me earlier today when I stepped away.
“On Madeline’s birthday,” I started, voice cool, casual. “When you guys locked her in the food cellar… what was the plan there?” A slow, cracked smile spread across her face, exposing bloodstained teeth. Her lips split further, dry and chapped.
“That was just for fun,” she rasped. I chuckled, shoulders shaking with it.
“Nothing you do is ever just for fun.”
“You were,” she said, and looked up at me through hooded eyes.
“Come on, Liv. What was it, huh?” I eased into it, softening my posture, relaxing my voice. Banter had always been her weakness. “You just wanted to get me there?”
“That was just a perk.”
“You didn’t think I’d come?”
She scoffed. “Of course I did.” The ghost of her misconceptions danced in her glimmering eyes, and she flicked her eyes over my face. “Maybe I just expected a little more hospitality when you did.”
If I could slip into her mind and just peek around in there to see what the fuck was unscrewed, I would in a heartbeat. She kidnapped Maddie, hit her over the head, and tossed her in the food cellar. Hit her over the head…
Maddie recalled someone behind her, and then a searing pain across the side of her head when a blunt object came at her. Three holes—that’s what she said. Three equally big dents, spaced equally far apart.
“You hit her over the head with a hammer and locked her in the cellar. Surely you didn’t expect me to be swooning.”
“A hammer?” she chuckled.
Three holes. What the fuck kind of weapon inflicts that damage? A deep, guttural groan peeled from her chapped lips. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.
“She said she saw me?” No. I nodded.“Fucking bitch.” It was barely a sound; her voice was raspy and poisonous.
“Cut the shit. You ambushed her when she was about to leave, calling Tilly’s birthday bluff.”
“That’s not true.”
“You came up behind her, beat her with a hammer, dragged her into the cellar—I’m guessing Landon helped with that part—and then you waited.”
“No—”
“You’ll be tried for treason. The Alpha will have you and your family shunned, and you’ll go off to live as rogues.”
“No more Noah,” Logan chimed in. “But I’m sure you could spy on him from the borderline—until you’re killed, that is.”
“It’s not—” she started.
“We have Maddie’s statement. Bringing you here was a courtesy, me giving one last futile attempt to spare you, but you’re still lying. You’re still clamoring on to the fabricated lie you created, instead of helping me help you. That’s on you.” I turned around. “We’re done here.”
“Maddie’s a fucking liar!” My shoulders shook from laughter when I turned to face her.
“She’s got nothing to gain from that.”
“Except for you.”
“Stop. You’re done, and I’ll be bringing your parents in for the hearing—”
“It wasn’t me that hit her!”
“ENOUGH!” My growl shook the bars, and Miliana stepped back while Olivia pressed herself into the chair.
End of The Alpha's Gamble Chapter 97. Continue reading Chapter 98 or return to The Alpha's Gamble book page.