TWO DAYS LATER


    Thinking all ns woulde easily as they were all gathered together, however, the reverse was the case. It was even more difficult to agree with all that was said, especially since it was thest day.


    Still, there was no attacker in sight, and it didn’t seem like anything was going to happen. It was almost noon, and Arabe, Thalia, Elisha, Janice, and Annalise were in the meeting room.


    Some members were on guard, watching for any activity to report to those inside. However, Sandro, Arabe didn’t know where he had gone. He said nothing to her and left the house.


    “He should be here; at least, he’s the alpha, and many of these people can listen to him,” Elisha said, eyeing the other members in the room, acting as if they were bothered by the current situation.


    “They listen to Be, too,” Thalia said. “She should say something to them.”


    Say something? Arabe didn’t know exactly what she was going to say. They weren’t the phoenixes, and even though Orga and the rest were present, they weren’t them. She hadn’t addressed a pack filled with werewolves before, and she wondered if they were going to listen to her.


    “They will,” Thalia said, gripping her hand and squeezing lightly. “They will surely listen to you.”


    Arabe breathed out, ncing around before her gaze settled on Thalia. “What do I say?”


    “Anything. You’re the queen here, Arabe. I believe you should know a lot of things to say.”


    “Queens don’t know everything. They get stuck too sometimes and require help,” she mumbled.


    “Unfortunately, Sandro isn’t here,” Thalia pointed out.


    He wasn’t, and Arabe nodded to herself.


    Arabe stood to her feet, breathing out for the second time, letting her gaze wander around the room before speaking. “I know everyone is curious about what’s happening right now, and I am certain the alpha is bringing good news to us. However, we need to be cooperative; we need to help one another to win what ising. I know it isn’t an easy feat, but we will scale through.”


    There was silence in the hall, making Arabe wonder if they were really listening to her or not. But that didn’t stop her from speaking further.


    As she continued, discussing the positions to be held, the ringing of her phone interrupted her. She frowned, staring at the name that shed on the screen-an unknown number.


    “Excuse me,” she said, picking up the phone.


    “Can you take over?” she asked Thalia, who nodded.


    “Sure,” Thalia stood to her feet while Arabe excused herself. Stepping towards the corner, she swiped at the phone. “Hello?”


    “Leave the pack house ande directly to the address I am going to send to you, or I shall kill him without thinking twice.”


    “Don’t listen to him, Be!”


    Arabe stilled, cold sweat breaking out on her skin. The first voice was Paolo, and the second was definitely Sandro.


    “Sandro?” she asked to be sure.


    “He won’t be saying much to you, and if I were you, I would leave where I am currently without saying a word to anyone. I can hear everything that is being said and can see everyone’s movement,” Paolo said.Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Arabe wanted to call his bluff, but he continued.


    “You are by the corner, child. You recently excused yourself to speak, and the dead boy’s sister is the one speaking now.”


    The dead boy’s sister? Anger swirled within Arabe, and her grip tightened on her phone. “What do you want from me, Paolo?”


    “I want everything you can offer, Arabe Collins. You have an hour to get to the location I am going to send to you. Otherwise, you’ll not just lose the whole of the members you are seeing right now; you’ll be losing your babies father.” Paolo hung up, and Arabe stared at the nk screen for the longest time.


    She shuddered, letting out a staggering breath. Sandro was in trouble. Was that the reason he hadn’t called? Maybe. Paolo holding him hostage would prevent him from doing that.


    Arabe stepped towards the table again, and Thalia paused in all that she had been saying to gaze at her. “Who was that?” she asked.


    “No one you should bother about,” Arabe mumbled.


    Thalia frowned, watching as she sat back down and stood up again. “You look pale, Be. Are you certain there’s nothing going on?”


    “Nothing is going on,” Arabe repeated, this time firm. She hoped Thalia would stop questioning her.


    She stood to her feet again, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. “Take over until either I or Sandro return.”


    “Now, you are acting really strange,” Thalia muttered, but Arabe said nothing.


    Arabe wanted to tell Thalia all that was going on. She wanted to confide in her and ask for her help with Sandro. She wanted Thalia to wrap her arms around her,


    reassuring her that nothing would happen.


    However, she had been warned. Paolo had told her not to say anything, and she was being watched. “I’ll be fine,” Arabe said before stepping out of the meeting hall.


    She entered the nearest car she saw- a Ford-driving out of the De Luca’s Vi. Dialing Sandro’s number repeatedly as she drove, but she received no response. She had never had a reason to call him until now.


    Her heart thumped, and her hands clenched the steering wheel tightly until her knuckles turned white. Her mind wandered as she imagined Sandro ending up like ze.


    “No, he would not,” she whispered, shaking her head. The first person she had cared about had died in her arms, and now the second person was being held hostage.


    What exactly would she tell her children? She wondered. They would definitely see her as useless despite all her cool powers.


    Arabe stepped on the elerator. The time was ticking faster. She had been driving for thirty minutes and was barely close to where she was heading.


    “Please fight as much as you can, Sandro,” she said.


    She wished she had said the same for ze. Perhaps it would have kept him alive. Or maybe not, as he was destined to die.


    Now, she was in a position to help Sandro. She only hoped he wouldn’t be dead before she got there.