"He didn't even let me pass! My mate is already in, and he didn't let me in!" Alfa was complaining and pacing in his office. "Even when I called him Rodriguez, he corrected me, saying it's 'Alpha Rodriguez'." Alfa stopped pacing and sat on the chair. No sooner had he sat down, he got up again, and began pacing.
"I mean, who does he even think he is? He came into the picture long after any other Alpha, and now, he acts like he is our superior! Can you believe that guy?.... Ronald, I'm talking to you!"
"Alfa, please stop. You're making my ears bleed. Let me think, for crying out loud!" His beta replied.
"He didn't even let me see Aria. Can you believe him? How dare he? Had this been my father..."
"We both know if this was your father, his luna would never lose her wolf, especially by the hands of her mate!" Ronald interjected coldly.
Alfa stopped on his track and looked directly at his best friend. This man had zero filter. Here, he was dying of guilt and hatred, and Ronald was scraping his wounds open.
"Well, I'm glad that shut you up. Now I can concentrate on thinking of a solution," Ronald said, as if nothing was wrong.
Alfa knew deep down that Ronald was right. Ronald was a thinker, and he needed silence to think. His marching and complaining isn't helping them.
"I could talk to Hazelwitch and hope she helps," Ronald said, after thinking. "Or, we could simply wage war, and you and a few of us could try to somehow get to luna and stop her."
"I'm taking my chances with the witch," Alfa said. "Those rogues are ruthless, and I don't want my pack to pay for my mistakes."
Ronald smiled and walked out, phone in hand, dialing.
*****
After lunch, Arya and Rodriguez sat on the sofa in the sitting area, and he began telling her what happened;
Two weeks ago:
"I said, who gave you the right to decide on what to do with my wolf?" Arya repeated.
Alfa stood there, speechless. Arya stared at him with cold eyes. There was no love, no sympathy, and no recognition in those pitch-black eyes.
With the powers she possessed, she thought about Moonstone territory. She visualized it, believing she was there, and she stood at the border.
"I have come to meet with Alpha Rodriguez. Tell him I have a preposition for him; an offer he cannot refuse," she told the guards.
"He doesn't meet with just anyone. You can go back or die," one of the guards said.
"Tell your Alpha that I can get him Kane's head on a golden plate. I can tell him how to make that happen!"
Both guards looked at each other. One of them nodded, and soon, Rodriguez stood at the gate.
"Luna Arya Moonstone Flowerew! What a pleasant surprise," he said coldly. "My guard has told me you can get me Kane's head. How?"
"Won't you invite me in? We can sit and talk!"
"Whatever you have to say, you can say here!"
"I know how he has hurt you. He has hurt me, too. Him and his son. I want them both dead."
"Isn't his son your mate?" Rodriguez asked, puzzled. Was she playing with him? Why would she want her own mate dead?
"He's not my mate. He was Bella's mate. Never mine! Arya said it with such venom that Rodriguez flinched.
This was not the same luna that he saw that day. She was someone totally different. Even her eyes. Arya had blue eyes. The woman in front of him had black ones.
"Who are you?" Rodriguez asked. He had faced so many wolves in battle that he could tell a wolf from a totally different being. The woman in front of him wasn't a wolf, and she definitely wanted something, but what?
"Let me come in, and one thing I can promise you, you won't regret it!"
Arya was sitting in the sitting area, overlooking the luscious forest. This place had grown so much, even after all those pathetic Alphas waged wars to claim it as their own.
"You wanted to talk. Now talk!" Rodriguez said sharply.
"I hate Kane as much as you hate him. We all know Kane is the biggest monster alive. His son is no better."
"Listen, cut to the main part, will you?" It was clear that Rodriguez was losing his patience.
"They trust me, and I can get Kane and Alfa anywhere, anytime," Arya said.
"And why would you do that? Why do you want them dead?"
"Kane destroyed my life before it began. He betrothed Arya to his son, and she got her wolf, instead of me," Arya began explaining, and Rodriguez immediately noticed the way she was speaking. She definitely wasn't Arya. Who was she?
"I was upset, but Arya was happy, and that's all I wanted, until Alfa took that away from her. He put Bella in a deep hibernation just because a demon tried to strangle Arya. What was her fault? She was only trying to help her cousin! Bella being dormant gave me the opportunity to raise. I can not form a bond with Arya because it's late. She is more human and wolf than a witch!"
Rodriguez realized that the woman in front of him was a witch. So Arya was right. She really is a decendant of the Moonstone bloodline.
"He was supposed to be Arya's mate, and he betrayed her. He locked away her wolf without her knowledge, and now, he expects her to move on happily. I will show him that actions have consequences. He wanted to kick Bella aside, like a sick dog! Now I will tell him what happens when doing so awakens sometimes much more powerful. I want both father and son on their knees, begging for mercy. Kane has destroyed so many lives, I want him to feel the same pain all those people who were innocent felt."
"And what do you want from me?" Rodriguez asked, already knowing she would ask something in return. That's the catch. Someone helps you because you can give them something in return.
"You already know my great grandmother was a witch. I need to visit her alter."
"Why?"
"I'm weak. Very weak. I have to gain my strength before we can face Kane and Alfa. I have to connect with Arya, and she needs to know about my existence. Without her, I cannot do anything."
"And how will you gain strength?" Rodriguez was now curious.
"I'm a dark witch. The only way I can gain strength is by sacrificing. And for that, I need Elora's book of spells."
"Elora?"
"My great grandmother."
Rodriguez laughed, shaking his head. "You know, I don't get one thing. Most people would have hidden this detail about the sacrifice. Why are you telling it to me?"
"Because the next time we meet, I'll be Arya. I will forget every conversation we had. But I can promise you, she wants Kane dead as much as you and I. So, shall we make a deal?"