In the safe house, Dmitri still couldn't comprehend how they had found his mate, how they managed to teleport her out of the safe house. Now that he had gotten rest, the spell that gave him vision was active once again. He sat on one of the armchairs in the office of Alfonso, elbows propped on the surface of the wooden desk as Alfonso paced back and forth behind it. Caleb leaned his back against the wall across from them, cursing a storm of profanities.
"We should have known they would pull something like this," Alfonso said after stopping his annoying pacing.
"We need to head into that house, now." Dmitri clenched his fingers into fists. He couldn't bring himself to imagine what horrible things Diego could be doing to his mate. Every passing second was torture for him. He had to find her before he lost his mind.
"You should have never brought her here," Caleb said as he walked closer to Dmitri, shooting daggers at him with his eyes. "You're her mate, track her!" Dmitri ignored the desire of punching Caleb in the face over and over until his knuckles bled.
"Losing your temper isn't going to help Ludovica," Alfonso said before taking a seat on the armchair behind the desk. "We need to come up with a plan to enter that house."
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. "How on earth are we going to able to do such thing with all those guards at the entrance? If you haven't noticed twelve packs have fallen. Do you have any idea how great those numbers are? We are speaking of about one hundred pack members. We are only four."
Dmitri tilted his head to the side, as he felt a small feather-light touch that came whenever someone mind-linked with him. Ludovica?
Dmitri, oh god. I thought I couldn't communicate with you.
Are you alright? Has that bastard hurt you? As he waited for her answer, his heart clenched with pain, as if a dagger had been pushed into his heart slowly.
No. He hasn't hurt me. I'm going to try to find a way out of here. Please don't come for me. I don't want no one else getting hurt.
His eyes narrowed as he sensed the pain in her voice. You're hurt. I can sense it. What did he do to you?
Nothing that won't heal. She paused for a moment. He knows about our bond. Please, you need to leave before he finds you.
Dmitri shook his head. I will not.
We both know how he plans to break it. Please, for once do as I ask.
Dmitri inhaled deeply, finally noticing that Alfonso and Caleb were staring at him as if he had lost his mind. He knew that if Diego wanted a breeder as bad as it appeared, he would do his research. He would ask a witch how a spell as the one that bound Dmitri to Ludovica could be broken. If Diego would come for Dmitri, personally, he would lose, so he must have had a plan that didn't involve a fight.
"Dmitri?"
At Alfonso's voice, Dmitri made eye contact with him. He never thought he would be sitting in the same room with either of them, but Ludovica was his main priority at the moment. It didn't matter if he couldn't stand either of the men in the room with him.
For what Alfonso had tried to do to his mate, he wanted to torture him to the extent of forcing him to lose his mind. Both men present loved his mate, and that made him almost, almost want to kill them both.
"Ludovica connected with me. She said that she is fine, but I lost connection. We can't waste any more time." He stood up, hand on the hilt of the dagger at his waist. "I will enter that damn house on my own if I have to."
"We can't go in there without a plan. We will end up dead before we reach the front door," Alfonso said. "I know you are desperate to get her out of there, but we have to be smart. Recklessness will only result in all of us getting killed."
"The longer we wait...the higher the chances of that bastard hurting her."
Alfonso sat in silence, drumming his fingers against the surface of his desk. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Do you have a friend who is a warlock?"
"Why?"
"We are going to make a portal, so that everyone who is my ally can enter Astros."
Caleb folded his arms over his chest. "I doubt your numbers come close to Diego's pack."
Dmitri felt a grin creep into his mouth. "You might be surprised of how many half-breeds exist, how many are willing to kill for me...I also have a very powerful ally. She is the last of her kind."
"The last of her kind?" Alfonso rose to his feet.
Dmitri nodded. "Yes, she is a dragon, the last one left."
"There are weapons that can pierce the skin of a dragon. How can we be certain that Diego doesn't have one of them in his possession?"
"I will place a protection spell upon her. No weapon will be capable of hurting her."
Alfonso stared at Dmitri in disbelief. "A protection spell? You're already using most of your magic on that vision spell. Dmitri, you are not invisible. You can die if you overuse your powers."
"I'm well aware of what can happen to me if I overuse my powers."
Caleb folded his arm across his chest. "I still think this is a bad idea. Our best option is to head quietly, then strike from within."
Dmitri stared at Caleb, tightening his fingers around the hilt of his dagger. "What is truly bothering you? The fact that you do not like my plan...or is it the fact that the woman you are obsessed with doesn't love you?" With a growl Caleb stepped closer, standing right in Dmitri's face. Dmitri held his chin high, a smug smile on his face. "So, I'm correct?"
"Stop it. Even if we can't stand each other, we have to put that aside. Ludovica needs us," Alfonso said before standing in between them, hands on both their shoulders. "Fighting among ourselves will not solve anything."
"You seem so pleased, but have you stopped to think that maybe everything she feels for you is a lie?"
Dmitri narrowed his eyes. "A lie?"
"Yes, that bond to you forced her to fall for you. If she would have had a choice, she would be with me, not you."
"Believe what you want," Dmitri said. Even though he tried his best to hide the anger coursing through him, his voice gave it away. "In the end, she chose me."
"Enough." Alfonso grabbed hold of Caleb's collar. "What is wrong with you? We need to focus on finding her before it's too late."
"Alfonso!" All three men turned their heads in the direction of the door as it flung open. Joan ran inside, panting. "Ludovica, she's back."
Dmitri stormed out of the room. The moment he walked into the enormous living room, his gaze fell upon his mate as she stared around, bewilderment evident in her eyes. Caleb ran around Dmitri before engulfing her in a hug. He kissed her forehead before saying, "I was so afraid of losing you." Then, he kissed her cheek. "How is this possible? Why would Diego release you—It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here."
When Dmitri tried to get closer to his mate, Alfonso grabbed his forearm and stopped him. "Something doesn't add up. I suggest you keep your distance from her."
Dmitri clenched his hands into fists at his side, resisting the urge to pull Caleb away from his mate. All that mattered at the moment was that his mate was unharmed and back in the safe house. Ludovica pulled away from Caleb and ran to Dmitri, hugging him. He inhaled her fragrance to calm the beast within and drew her even closer.
"Do you remember anything?" asked Alfonso.
She shook her head. "No."
Joan inched closer, head bowed. "Alphas, she needs rest. Maybe once she gets some sleep, she will remember."
Alfonso nodded. "You're right. Forgive me."
Ludovica smiled. "It's fine." With a grunt, she placed a trembling hand over her temple. "I wish I could be of help, but all I remember is waking up in a cell...then the rest is all a blur."
"It's unexpected for Diego to release you..." Alfonso thought for a moment. "Technically, he had won...so, why let you go?"
"He wants Dmitri dead." Ludovica pulled away from him before staring at her trembling hands. "What if he did something to me? I'm the only one you would allow to get close to you..."
"If he would have placed a spell for you to attack him, don't you think you would have done so the second you laid eyes on him?" Alfonso paused for a moment. "But, we shouldn't take any chances. You should keep your distance and never be alone with him."
"If such spell was cast upon her, I can break it easily."
Alfonso shot Dmitri a look. "And perhaps that is exactly what he wants. Spells have backups, Dmitri. What if she does attack you when you are alone and you try to break it causing another to activate that kills her instantly?"
Dmitri was at a loss for words as he stared at his mate. "Fine. You're right." He hated it admitting it, but Alfonso was correct. For now, it was best Ludovica and he kept a safe distance from each other until they figured out what exactly was Diego planning.