Page 57 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Cedric

Three. Fucking. Days.

That was how long it had taken me to find a window of opportunity to leave Silvano Region. Apparently, Silvano gifting me a pet was supposed to convince me to forgo my two years of freedom.

I knew there had to be a catch. Silvano didn’t do anything without purpose.

Outright refusing him hadn’t been an option. So I’d played along and watched as he’d helped “break in” my new pet on the flight back to Silvano City. Then I’d taken what was left of the girl to my room in Silvano Tower.

And promptly put the poor girl out of her misery.

There’d been no coming back from what he’d done to her.

I’d given it a day before informing him that I’d lost my pet. He’d offered me one from his harem, but I’d told him he’d already given me enough and I had a better idea.

“I’ll just go take a human from the wolves,” I’d said. “Gives me a reason to check on how things are going in Clemente Clan and allows me to reassert my dominance down there before I take over as sovereign near the Texas border.”

Silvano had grinned. “I knew you’d be good for the job. You’re pretty much already doing it, but without the perks. We’ll fix that when you return.”

“I look forward to it,” I’d lied.

Not that he’d noticed. And why would he? The position was an honor to most. Obviously, I should be ecstatic about it.

He’d misinterpreted my delaying of the position as a need to prove myself worthy of it.

I’d used that to my advantage when providing my excuse for this visit to Clemente Clan. I knew how to think like a sovereign—that’d never been my problem. I just didn’t want to be one, something Silvano couldn’t even fathom as a possibility.

Another oversight on his part to use to my advantage.

He had no reason to assume that I wouldn’t return to him. Where else would I go?

As far as he was concerned, Silvano Region was my home. And it was… for now.

I leaned against the wall of an abandoned building near the border between Silvano Region and Clemente Clan. It was a location I knew well from my previous visits.

Only this time, I was here for myself, not for Silvano.

And that made me even more dangerous than usual—a trait most shifters would pick up based on scent.

However, the older wolf walking toward me didn’t react to it at all. He moved with a lazy confidence, his steps sure and his expression bored.

“Cedric,” he greeted.

“Jolene,” I returned.

“Did my son not heed Silvano’s warning? ”

I smiled. “I’m sure he didn’t. Both of those assholes are too arrogant to see reason.”

Jolene matched my grin. “True. I suppose it’s a good thing I’ve been part of Edon’s upbringing.”

Edon. The future Clemente Clan Alpha. Assuming the current alpha, Walter, allowed his son to take over.

“So if Silvano didn’t send you here, then why are we meeting?” Jolene continued, his perception as sharp as always. His age wasn’t a deterrent but a strength. Something his son really shouldn’t take for granted.

But I wasn’t here to discuss wolf hierarchy or society politics.

I was here to ask an old acquaintance for a favor, one he might or might not accept.

“I need information on the breeding camp up the road.” It was where moon chase candidates were kept as well, which meant Lily was there. Assuming the details Khalid had shared with me were accurate, anyway.

Jolene arched a silver brow. “Any particular reason why?”

To anyone else, I would have replied, Not one I care to share .

However, Jolene wasn’t like the others of this world. He valued honesty and old-fashioned morals. It was why I often went to him when I needed to deliver one of Silvano’s infamous messages to Alpha Walter.

Jolene didn’t approve of the new world order or how the lycans had degraded their family relationships. It made him an ally when I needed him.

And I needed his cooperation right now because there were few others in this clan that I could trust.

“I need to retrieve something that belongs to me,” I told him.

“Something or someone? ”

“Someone,” I admitted, holding his dark gaze. “My Erosita .”

His thick eyebrows met his silver hairline. “I see,” he murmured.

He didn’t ask any questions or otherwise comment, just studied me for a long moment and eventually nodded.

“You’re going to need more than information; you’re going to need help. And you’ll need it quickly, as I assume you’re here to ensure the bond remains intact.”

“Yes.” My response applied to all of the above. “She’s assigned to the moon chase.” Unless one of the lycans inside the compound decided otherwise.

They could take whomever they desired. Fuck and kill and maim. But knowing Lily, she was doing her best to keep her head down.

It took physical restraint not to break down our mental wall and check on her, but I couldn’t risk anyone picking up on our connection.

She needed to remain quiet.

Obedient.

Hidden.

Mine .

“The first moon chase is scheduled for next week,” Jolene said. “But there will be minimal participants. Walter likes to space them out for further enjoyment. The largest moon chase will take place after Edon’s coronation.”

“I’m not waiting that long,” I told him. “Every minute she’s in there is another minute she’s in danger.”

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have allowed her to be taken here.”

“Silvano didn’t give me much choice in the matter.” He would have killed Lily far faster than the lycans would. Keeping my distance from her was the only way to ensure she survived long enough for me to truly save her .

Which I intended to do now.

With or without Jolene’s assistance.

There were always other lycans I could bribe. I’d only come to this one first because of our history.

And because I suspected that he possessed a soft spot when it came to mates. He’d once been involved in a rare triad with two other lycans. Only one of them was still alive today. While she didn’t reside in Clemente Clan, I knew they still spoke to each other.

Because he had given me several messages over the years to send to her.

That’d been our working agreement—I repaid his favors by sending his encrypted notes to Claudette. I didn’t understand what game they were playing, nor did I care to figure it out.

What mattered to me was his usefulness.

And, in this case, his admiration for mate bonds.

“So what’s it going to be, Jolene?” I pushed off the wall. “Can you help me or not?”