Chapter 206: The Decision
Kane’s hand tightened around the phone. "I don’t need to ask who you are," Kane said, his voice dropping to a low, angry growl. "I already know."
A dark, cruel laugh came over the phone.
"Sorry about the mess in your packhouse, Alpha Kane. Nothing personal. Just business. If you want to blame someone, blame your traitor Beta for selling you out."
The line fell quiet for a brief second before the rogue leader continued in a cold, smug tone. "I have someone here with me who might interest the Alpha King. How can I contact him directly?"
Kane’s heart slammed against his chest like a sledgehammer. He gripped the phone so hard the plastic groaned under his fingers. "Where is she?" he demanded.
The man scoffed, clearly amused by Kane’s fast reaction. "Oh, you are smart, aren’t you? She is alive... at least for now."
"You bastard!" Kane spat, his teeth grinding together in pure fury. "If you touch a single hair on her head, I’ll hunt every last one of you down!"
"Listen to me carefully, Alpha Kane, because I am only going to say this once," the rogue leader sneered, ignoring Kane’s rage. "I will go straight to the point. She is not harmed in any way, and I don’t intend to. What I need is cash. Simple as that."
The man paused, letting the silence stretch before dropping his price. "I want $30 million. You will drop the full amount in unmarked crates at the old stone bridge near the northern border, and then you will leave. Once my men verify the money is all there, we will release her unharmed. But do not dare try anything fishy."
The leader’s voice turned sharp. "I believe you know we are protected by strong magic. If we realize that place is surrounded, or if you try to set a trap... we will fuck her to death. My men will each have their way with her until there is nothing left of her. Do you understand me? You have until tomorrow night to gather the money. Pass this news to Alpha King Kaden. I will call this number again tomorrow night for final instructions."
CLICK.
The line went completely dead.
Kane stood frozen in the shadowed hallway, his chest heaving as the terrifying threat echoed in his mind. Before he could even process the call, heavy footsteps thudded against the stone floor.
Logan stepped into the hallway, his sharp eyes narrowing as he saw the pale, horrified look on Kane’s face.
"Who was that?" Logan asked, his tone instantly suspicious.
Kane swallowed hard, his throat dry. He gestured down the corridor toward his private office. "Please... come with me."
They walked quickly into Kane’s office. The room was in complete ruin—chairs flipped over, bookshelves smashed, and glass shattered across the rug from the violent raid. Kane ignored the mess, walking over to the heavy wooden desk and turning to face Logan.
"That was the rogue leader," Kane said, his voice shaking slightly. "My Beta gave him my private number. He has Rebecca."
Logan’s body went rigid. "What did he say?"
"He wants money," Kane explained, his hands trembling as he rested them on the desk. "30 million dollars. He told us to drop it at the old stone bridge by the northern border tomorrow night. He swore that once they get the cash, they will release her. But he warned us that if we try to track them or set a trap, his men will... they will destroy her."
Logan cursed loudly, swinging his arm out and kicking a broken chair leg across the room. "Fuck! Fuck!"
"Logan, listen to me," Kane pleaded, taking a step forward. "If it is just money, Kaden has more than enough. Let’s just give it to them! I want Rebecca back safely. She doesn’t deserve any of this!"
Logan stopped pacing and turned to Kane, his eyes blazing with frustration. "You think the money is my problem? Sure, we can pay them that money and get Rebecca back safely! And once she is safe, we will still hunt down those bastards and tear them limb from limb! But that is not my issue, Kane!"
Logan slammed his fist onto the desk, making the broken wood creak. "My issue is that we just wiped Rebecca completely out of Kaden’s memory! He doesn’t even know Rebecca exists anymore!"
Kane closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead as the realization settled in.
"They don’t have to meet," Kane said softly, looking up at Logan. "Once she is set free at the border, I will fly her far away from here. I’ll send her to another country across the ocean. After all, she is completely innocent in all of this. Kaden won’t ever need to see her face again."
Logan stood still, his mind spinning as he weighed the options. He looked down at the floor, thinking for a long, heavy moment before letting out a defeated sigh.
"Okay..." Logan murmured, nodding his head. "We do that."
He looked back up at Kane, his expression softening slightly. "We will pay them the money just in case. But you don’t have to pay a single dime of it yourself. Kaden will pay for it. Don’t worry—I will take the entire amount directly from the royal treasury funds back home. You have already lost a lot in this raid. Let me make a call right now to have the cash loaded into trucks and brought here. Once she is released, you fly her far away... and I will track those bastards down to the ends of the earth."
Kane nodded, a heavy, exhausted breath escaping his lips. "I’m so sorry for all this, Logan. Really, I am."
Logan opened his mouth to reply, a weary hand half-raised to dismiss Kane’s apology. But before he could utter a single word, the half-broken doors of the ruined office were thrown wide open with a violent bang.
A guard rushed into the room, gasping for air, his face pale and wide-eyed with pure shock.
"Sirs! Lord Logan! Alpha!" the guard blurted out, frantically pointing back down the corridor toward the chamber. "The Alpha King is awake!"