Chapter 28
MALIK VLADIMIR
Malik was on the phone to Marcellus before he could even make it out of the forest.
“I need you to do me a favour,” the words rushed out of his mouth as he ran back to the pack house. “I need you to send your best warriors to my pack.”
“Sure, but why?” Marcellus asked. “Did something happen? I can spare more than two if you need them.”
“Let’s bump it up to three. Just to be on the safe side,” he muttered as he jogged up the stairs and made a beeline for his room.
“You need to tell me what’s going on, Malik. Is it your father?” Marcellus’ voice dropped several octaves toward the end. “Did he escape? Are you in danger?”
“Not me, my mate,” Malik couldn’t help but groan as he stepped foot in his room and slammed the door shut behind him, giving himself some privacy. After his father had mysteriously left on that so-called emergency – or rather, his own son had locked him up – everyone in the pack was looking at him strange. He wasn’t quite sure if it was his terrible excuse or perhaps the strange, erratic way that he was behaving now, but he was the centre of everyone’s attention and he hated it.
How was he supposed to stop the uprising of an evil deity if everyone kept watching him?
“Your mate?” Marcellus asked, surprised by his answer. “Okay, I’m confused here now. Tell me what’s going on here, Malik.”
“Trinity came here yesterday. I don’t think she told her parents but that’s besides the point,” he began explaining as he rushed around the room, locating her bag and filling it with everything that she had brought with her as well as the shirt of his which she had worn to bed last night. “I ended up telling her everything. She was shocked, but she stayed. I haven’t told any of the pack what she is to me but it’s pretty obvious. Anyway, this group of merry men cornered me earlier and basically threatened Trinity if I didn’t tell them where dad really is.”
“I’ve already sent out three warriors,” Marcellus spoke through gritted teeth. “They’re in wolf form so it shouldn’t take too long. Have her drive or have some of your warriors drive her toward the pack and the warriors will meet and take over.”
“I don’t trust anyone here,” he denied. “I’ll just have to drive her myself.”
“Drive who where?” Trinity called out from the entrance of the room. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, a curious expression on her face. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Thanks so much, Mars! I have to go now but I’ll give you a call later,” Malik rushed to end the call just as he finished packing away the last of her belongings. “We’re the ones that are going somewhere,” he smiled as he turned to face his mate. “We’re going to the Lupum Griseo pack.”
Trinity frowned at that. “What’s going on?”
“A lot but don’t you worry about it,” the smile remained in place even though that was far from how he felt right now.
“Now I’m definitely going to worry about it,” Trinity scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to move.
“We really haven’t got time for this, Trin,” Malik groaned as he grabbed her bag in one hand and wound the other arm around her waist, quickly turning her around. “I’ll explain once we get in the car, okay?”
“Why can’t you just tell me now?” she asked as he led her out of the room and down the hallway which led to the stairs.
“There’s too many ears here,” he murmured under his breath even though wolves would still be able to hear him with their supernatural hearing. If he wasn’t in such a rush to get her to safety, he could have explained in his room without the fear of anyone overhearing, but he simply didn’t have time for that.
Malik wasn’t sure if the threat from Peter and Griffin was empty or not but when it came to his mate, he refused to take any risks. She was far too precious for that. And if her being safe meant that she would be mad at him, then so be it. He would make up for it as soon as all of this was over but now, he just needed her to be safe. That was all that mattered to him.
“I was hoping I could stay here for a few more days,” Trinity frowned as they came to a stop in front of his car.
“Please just get in the car, okay?” the words rushed out of his mouth as he pushed her bag into the trunk and slammed it closed. He quickly rushed around the sides of the vehicle and wrapped his arms around in her. “Sorry,” he murmured into the crook of her neck. “As much as I would love for you to stay here, you’re just not safe here.”
“What’s going on? I’m not safe?” Trinity asked, pulling away from him slightly to look at him.
“Some of my dad’s minions threatened you because I wouldn’t tell them what’s really going on with dad,” he dropped his voice, barely above a whisper which he fed directly into her ear. “I don’t know what they’re capable of or if the threat is empty, but I’m just not willing to take the risk. No when it comes to you.”
“I understand,” she sighed, leaning into him once again. “I don’t like it but I understand. I would be the same way if our positions were switched.”
“I would never wish for our positions to be switched,” he murmured the words against her forehead. “My poor heart wouldn’t be able to take it if you were in my position right now. All I would do is worry.”
“Then you must know how I feel.”
“I do,” he sighed and pressed another kiss to her forehead before pulling away. They had lingered around the pack for far too long now. “I want you to come back once all of this is over, and you can stay for as long as you want.”
“I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me,” Trinity smiled softly as she moved around the front of the car to the passenger’s side.
“Well, I hope you’re fine with staying forever then,” he grinned and opened his door. It was just too bad that he hadn’t done that sooner as when it slammed shut a second later, missing his by less than an inch, he was forced to yelp and take a step back.
“Where are you off to, Alpha?” Peter sneered with Griffin by his side, the both of them with matching expressions. He wasn’t surprised to see them both together but he was surprised to find more than half the pack stood behind them; watching. Some held similar expressions as Peter and Griffin but most looked like they were here to find out what was going on, with even more piling out of the pack house to watch. “I was hoping you and your mate would stick around after our little chat earlier.”
“I actually got this idea after our little chat earlier,” Malik sneered back, sparing a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Trinity was in the car already. “Now if you don’t mind, my mate and I have to get going.”
“Well, this aligns perfectly with what we want to ask you,” Griffin piped up like the little lapdog he was.
“What did you want to ask me?” Malik couldn’t help but snap at the two wolves despite knowing that there were hundreds of pairs of eyes on him right now. “Whatever it is, please make it quick.”
“I bet you are,” Peter snickered. “Since you’re so short of time, I’ll make it quick. I, Peter Drae, challenge you, Alpha Malik Vladimir for the position of Alpha of the Apo to Chaos pack.”
“What did you just say?” Malik growled as he swivelled around to face them, unbelieving of what he had just heard. “You dare to challenge me for my position as Alpha?”
“With your father mysteriously gone, what better opportunity than now?” Peter grinned and shrugged, looking awfully happy with himself. “Why? Worried than an Alpha like you won’t be able to beat a regular wolf like me?”
Malik opened his mouth to protest but Trinity beat him to.
“Just ignore him,” she called out to him. “We have to get going. Come on.”
Any other time, Malik would have agreed with his mate as he was more of a pacifist – ignoring the past few weeks when his whole world had literally been turned upside down – but not now. Not when so much was at stake here.
Just like his father when Clayton challenged him in front of the whole pack, Malik had no choice but to accept.
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Layla Knight
27.08.2021