It was the thing connected to every single one of my children’s rooms, even the older ones since I had returned from Mexico.


    “It’s already on,” he said.


    “I know, I just want it right next to me in case I don’t hear it,” I replied.


    “You’re a werewolf, you will definitely hear the kids themselves from upstairs but if it will put your mind at ease, here you are my dear,” he said handing it to me.


    I smiled and a few minutester, Notting Hill was ying and everything was so calm and normal in the house, it was almost as only an hour ago,  Andrea himself hadn’t been stood only a few feet away.


    Leo’s POV


    I marched into my office where I knew ir and my head armymander, Ollie, would be waiting.


    “Thank you foring so early in the morning,” I said to them.


    ir forced a smile and nodded but Ollie just looked grave. He was a big guy, usually fearless so to see him so concerned was very unnerving. This was the effect Andrea had.


    “Any word of Martinez?” I asked.


    “Nothing at all,” ir said. “We have no idea what he’s doing, where he is or why. The usual deal.”


    “We don’t think he has left the territory but we can’t be certain,” Ollie added.


    I nodded.


    “Well, how are we supposed to work with that?!” I growled, throwing myself into my chair. “Just sit and wait for him to do something terrible?”


    At that, the office phone began to ring. It was Eduardo Siciliano, one of my deputy armymanders. I furrowed my eyebrows, his mate had given birth the previous day and as a result, he wasn’t on duty. Why would he be calling me?


    I answered the call and put it on speakerphone.


    “Yes, Eduardo, what is the matter?”


    “Alpha?” a woman’s voice asked.


    Her voice was shaky and as she paused, I heard the heaviness of her breath.


    “It’s udia Siciliano, his mate,” she continued. “I’m calling because Andrea Martinez just came to our house. He’s gone now but Eduardo is in a bad way.”


    I exchanged looks with Ollie and let out a low growl.


    “Lock the doors and windows and stay where you are,” I ordered. “I am on my way.”


    “Okay,” she replied. “Thank you, Alpha.”


    ir, Ollie and I then marched out of the office to my car and sped towards the Siciliano household. They lived just in triton but their house stood alone in the woods so unguarded by the patrols we’d stationed to protect the viges. In the car we informed the nearby men that Andrea could still be close and brought in extra protection for the viges and houses around.


    Fortunately, Eduardo and udia lived in the opposite direction to my house, where E and my children still were which was the only thing giving mefort.


    “udia it’s the Alpha,” I called as I knocked on their front door. “You can open the door.”


    Thirty secondster, she came to the door. In her arms was a tiny little baby, screaming and crying and on her face was paled and terrified.


    “Where is he?” I asked.


    “In the kitchen,” I said.


    She lead us through to where her mate sat slumped against the wall covered in blood and hardly conscious.


    udia had tried to wipe away the blood and bandage him up but he was still bleeding.


    “Ollie, help me get him up onto the table,” I ordered and we lifted his floppy body up andy him on his back on the kitchen table as he groaned.


    “Was he shot or…?” I asked.


    “No. Martinez just punched him and kicked him and-” she said before sobbing. “There was nothing any of us could do.”


    She tried to stop her tears and her baby only screamed more.


    I nodded to ir.


    “udia can I?” he asked, gesturing to the baby.


    She nodded and handed him her daughter. After a few moments offort and soft whispers from ir she began to settle whilst her mother took her father’s hand.


    “Ollie, get some warm water, antiseptic and bandages,” I ordered. “The wounds are not too deep and he will be fine but we ought to clean him up.”Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    A few minutester, we were busy tending to his cuts and bruises as he let out winced and mumbled.


    “Can you exin what happened from start to finish?” I asked udia. “I’m not sure your mate has the strength.”


    “Eduardo was in his office making calls and organising his squadrons. He was technically off duty but he couldn’t ignore what was happening in the pack. I woke when there was a knock at the door and a voice with thick Hispanic ent. I came down to see two men, one holding a gun at mate’s head. He was forced to let them inside and they began trying to bargain. Martinez wanted Eduardo to betray his Alpha in exchange for a huge amount of money and a position in his cartel. Eduardo refused so they began to threaten us. Martinez said he’d kill until heplied, starting with the men in Eduardo’s squadrons and then me and then our daughter. Eduardo still refused to give up his loyalty for you so Martinez beat him up and left saying he’d give him some time to make the right decision.”


    Ollie and I both stared for a few seconds before I was the first to curse him to the fiery pits of hell, shortly followed by Ollie.


    “Thank you both for your loyalty. Firstly for not giving in to his bribes and ckmail and secondly for having the courage to inform me,” I said once I was done. “I know he is a terrifying man and telling me could havepromised your lives. But I will ensure you are protected.”


    “Any of your people would do the same,” udia said.


    I nodded before my phone began to ring.


    “That was Luca,” I said after hanging up. “Paulo Salvatore has suffered an identical attack.”


    “So this is his n,” Ollie said. “Convert your men to his side by targetting mymanders with bribes, presumably to weaken the army before attacking.”


    “Yes. But what he’s failed to judge is the loyalty of my men,” I replied.


    “But Martinez knows the reputation of your army,” ir pointed out from the corner of the room where he had been rocking the newborn child. “He’s tried torturing information out of them with no sess before. Why would he attempt this?”


    I narrowed my eyes in thought.


    “Maybe he overestimated his own capabilities?” Ollie suggested.


    “Martinez is an intelligent man and this is so clearly destined to fail and poorly nned. Something doesn’t fit right,” ir said.


    “You have a point,” I said. “And it does seem a little indiscrete and obvious. Not usually his style, is it?”


    “The motherfucker is sending us on a wild goose chase,” Ollie said thumping the table.