The Alpha’s Contract by Taylor West

Chapter 0172 Dane "Neah?" She falls into silence. Staring back atwith her mouth partly open. "Can we please find Jess and Jenson. I know she is dead. I just... I need to say goodbye. "You're deflecting." I mutter.

"I just need to deal with one thing at a time." She mumbles with a frown. "Please?" she adds, practically choking on the word as tears fill her blue eyes.

I link my brother, he doesn't answer immediately. Though I feel his pain through our link Jenson, where are you?' I ask again Leavealone!' Jenson!' I snap through the link Fuck off!' Don't you dare speak tolike that! Where are you?' You let them chere. You let them invade our home.' His anger through the link was rising to levels I had never felt before. Jenson, where are you?' Far away from you.' He snaps, 'You put her in danger and I can never forgive you for that!" He takes a deep breath. "I, Jenson Black, former Gamma of the Black Shadow pack, reject all ties to Black Shadow from this moment onwards." FUCKER! Aero roars I feel the breaking of our connection, just as Raven lets out a scream. She would feel it too, because he would be rejecting her as his twin too. Neah's eyes are wide as she stares at me, waiting forto speak.

"He has rejected the pack. He has left. He left and he has taken Jess's body with him." I mutter in annoyance She blinks back the tears. “What does that mean? Why would he reject the pack?" "He blamesfor Jess's death." "Where will he go?" "I don't know." My face hardens. "But he has made his choice and he can live with it.

"You are giving up on him, just like that?" She asks in shock.

"He doesn't want my help, Neah. He doesn't want his sister's help." Neah looks back to the kitchen door where we could both hear Raven sobbing. Tears that she hadn't shed in years are probably drowning her face "Go to her." Neah whispers softly. "She is your sister." I hold my hand out to her, "Are you coming? She looks up at me, a small smile, creasing her lips. "Maybe it doesn't have to be a completely bad day." She takes my hand and places it on her small bump. I could feel the movement underneath. Only slight, and more like fluterrings, but still movement. It was enough to keepfocussed and deal with Raven.

Raven, as expected, is in floods of tears. She is on the floor, gripping on to Damien like her life counted on it. He is talking to her but even I knew it was falling on deaf ears.

"Will someone tellwhat has happened?!" Klaus asks "Jenson has rejected the pack. He has broken all ties with us." I tell him "Are you serious?" "He blames me." I mutter "He should blhimself." Klaus retorts. "He was the one who insisted youdring in other Alphas. If. Roan hag never chere, Jess < ~ wouldr+have been kidnapped - You guys.would never have had to. go afterher. You would never Have ret... "He gestures to Damien and an unconscious Mallory. Content belongs to It wasn't like Klaus to sound so irritated 'I'm just saying, we are all in this together. It's not his battle alone." "Did he say something to you?” I ask, narrowing my eyes He looks away "Klaus?!" "He has been making his annoyance clear from the moment the Rogue first presented itself." "To who? "Mostly me." He folds his arms across his chest. "I tried, Dane. I tried to make him see that he started this. That if he really looked into it, he could find blanywhere. "Why didn't you cto me?" "I honestly thought I had it handled. He stopped bringing it up. I thought. maybe. he was finally starting to understand that it is out of our control. Then Jess.... I'm sorry. I screwed up. I hold a hand up to stop him talking. focussing my attention on my sobbing sister. "Has she spoken?" Damien shakes his head.

"Raven, I know you are hurting. Jenson has made his choice. You wouldn't have been able to change his mind. No one could have.” I glance back at Klaus who sighs.

She doesn't speak. Her eyes are glazed and she stares at a spot on Damien's shirt, unblinking, t, unblinking, unmoving while great big fat tears roll down her cheeks. Maybe Midnight was trying to offer scomfort, but then again, Midnight had lost her twin too. "I will take her upstairs." Damien mutters, rising to his feet with Raven cradled in his arms. "I think I will rest too." Neah murmurs, her eyes shift to Mallory though her mouth remains closed I stop her before she leaves. "Tell Nyx to drop the block."

She nods and-her eyes briefly darken.

I could feel all her emotions cfloading i in. I never thought the day would cwhere 1 wouldn' ty feel I nekmal because I didn't feelmy ma 'esSomehow, after all these yeats Searching, she was the only offre who madefeel camplete. In that second, I understood Jenson's reaction. He had gone from woman to woman until he had a mate who made him rethink everything because she was too young for him to act on it. Grief had hit him like a brick wall.

"Is she okay?" I ask Klaus about Mallory as Neah leaves.

'It was close according to Raven. He sliced her st@mach up pretty well but somehow, she didn't lose much, flesh. Raven was able to put it alls back together. It might just takea while for her to wake up." He pauses, "I ant sorry, Dane. would cto thi If I had known it is, I would have told you." Conten belongs to "I know. It's in the past. What we have now is a Rogue on the loose. And I have no idea who its next target is. Did Roan say anything about the Rogues' plans?"

He shakes his head at me. "I would say Lycans, but it went after Raven first." He shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe it is whoever is fair gbecause it doesn't seem like it's here just to piss off Damien not anymore." "No, but what else do the first two victims have in commen?” “Neah, but that doesn't explain Mallory." He gestures to the unconscious woman on the kitchen table.

"Death." Mallory mutters huskily, her eyes still closed. "He wants to bring death to everyone.” Ashburn X