Cayden rode the elevator into the Pack building. After opening a concealed panel, he pressed the button that led to the basement on the third floor. After entering his code, the elevator dropped in a measured way. From the exterior, the building had an unremarkable and typical appearance, and it was possible to make out all three stories. The buttons for the elevator led to the sole basement in the building, which housed stock and supply facilities. The Alpha and a select group of betas were the only ones who were aware of the two floors that were below. The elevator, which was digitally controlled by a code, was the only way to get to those two floors, which also housed the detention cells and questioning areas. These floors were off-limits to everyone else. It was also the location of his clandestine meetings.
As soon as the door opened, Max, Natasha, Jasper, Mark, Jack, and Dean, the Alphas of the Black Shadow pack and Blood River packs, were standing there waiting for him. He gave a polite nod as he greeted people as he proceeded along the tiny corridor that was well lit by the fluorescent light that was suspended above.
"What have you learned so far?" He asked.
Jasper shook his head while saying, "5 alphas are on our side."
Cayden looked at Jasper before turning his head and frowning deeply in concentration. "And what exactly motivates them to join forces with us?"
"They all have contempt for Hawk. It's about the enemy's friend is my friend's situation," Jasper explained.
Cayden asked, "Alright, but are they okay with the abolition of their secret society and the slave trade that has been conducted?"
Natasha smiled.
"Okay, now here's the catch: when I stated that the five packs are on our side, what I meant was that the alpha heirs of those packs are on our side. They are appalled by the actions that their parents did. They want to topple their dads from the alpha position, become leaders of the pack, and do away with this practice."
Cayden cocked his eyebrows in confusion.
"And how did you find them?"
"Well, operating your clubs has certain advantages; it draws in young people, and those people discuss. According to what I've heard, the Alpha heir of the Dark light pack, Damian, was irritated because his father was attempting to get another successor by impregnating his slave. Damian's reaction when I informed him about his father's actions left him speechless, as the two of them had a strained relationship.
"Good work." Cayden expressed his gratitude by saying so. "Keep gaining allies, but this time there will be no compassion. They did not offer pity to the people whom they had slaughtered, and they will not receive mercy from us either."
Max stood next to Cayden while he only nodded his head in silence.
"What exactly are your thoughts on the Alpha council and the task force at this point?" His tone was tinged with anxiety. There was no reason for the pack to engage in conflict with them. If things escalated into a war, they would require their acceptance and backing.
"Once those two scumbags, Fredrick Channing and Joel Keat, have been removed from the council, we will have no problem winning them around to our cause," Cayden stated.
"Unfortunately, the only way to deal with the crooked council members is to get rid of them all." Everyone nodded earnestly.
"We have three major targets," Cayden said as he walked up to the walls where bulletin boards were hanging, filled with photos and other documents. "The first is the slave training facility. We don't know who exactly is running it."
"But there's no getting there without an invitation, and operations like this are done by referral. I need the names and faces of the staff you can remember and anything you remember for the names of customers." Natasha said.
Mark nodded. "If we can track down the customers, we can use them to wangle an invitation. "Mark nodded.
Natasha responded, "What good will that do? It will be heavily guarded."
"You'd be shocked at what I'll be able to do with a few of our friends." Mark laughed and nodded his head. "They won't make it through the night without being put to rest."
"Good," Natasha said. "May I join you guys?"
Mark beamed and said, "Sure, but I feel you will be more of a distraction."
She chortled and said with a wink that "maybe I'll make sure that you don't become distracted."
Cayden rolled his eyes and asked with a sigh, "Can we just concentrate on the topic at hand rather than flirting?"
By the time the conference was through, they had planned a crude strategy for the elimination of a slave camp.
"Okay, Cayden, I've been keeping up with the news about the auction. Your pawn is useless," Jasper commented.
Cayden became rigid, and Natasha cast a stealthy glance in his direction.
"That depends on how you see things. Even though Hawk had disowned his daughter, we could still gain a few allies."
"Given that she is of no use to us, why not use her for our pleasure? Despite everything, she is still his blood. We deserve some respite." Besides Jasper's grin, each of the other alphas had an eager and lusty expression on their features.
Cayden attempted to rein in his rage by clenching his fists.
Cayden heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his red hair while speaking the words, "She is under my protection. This is the first and final time I will ever say this; she is innocent and is not a part of our revenge."
"She is Hawk's daughter!" Jasper shouted, his face becoming increasingly reddened with rage. "How are you able to just accept her in your pack? Let alone in your own home?"
"Because she is Jennifer's daughter," Cayden roared.
"The woman who rescued not only me but also you, Natasha, and the rest of us. Because of her, we are standing here today; we owe her our very lives."
The others, including Jasper, had pale faces as well.
"Are…are you sure?" Natasha could murmur with a hint of uncertainty. She observed as Cayden's face changed.
"Yes, I am sure; I was just too ignorant at the time to understand it."
"I'm sorry, man! I did not know," Jasper replied as he wiped his forehead with a tissue. He still broke into a cold sweat when he recalled those days of captivity.
"If you hurt Selena, you'll end up hurting yourself as well. I will kill anyone who touches her. The meeting is now over."
Cayden moved up the stairs and out of the basement before beginning the ascent to his office.
The run and the hunt in the woods the day before had been amazing, and he had witnessed her unwinding and laughing with no signs of anxiety. He longed to protect her and make sure she was content while she was with him.
"Are you officially an alcoholic now?" When Max entered the Alpha office, he spotted Cayden carrying a bottle of Glenfiddich, so he cracked a joke about it.
"Max, what are you doing here?" Cayden whispered as he looked out towards the clearing.
"I was curious to hear about your date with Selena; how was it?" Max grinned.