Third Person's POV
On the other end of the phone, Cliff's brows furrowed deeply.
His voice carried a hint of confusion and unease, "Vanya?"
"Want to save your Luna? Bring five million dollars to trade!"
The voice on the other end was cold and resolute, exuding an undeniable sense of coercion.
Cliff's eyes narrowed, revealing a dangerous glint.
But before he could respond, the caller hung up, leaving only a busy signal echoing in his ear.
His wolf growled in his mind, and through his wolf, he could sense that Vanya was indeed in trouble.
"Alpha Cliff, what's wrong?" Melinda, sitting beside him, noticed the change in Cliff's expression keenly.
She turned her head, her eyes fixed on Cliff, her gaze filled with confusion and a hint of suspicion and inquiry, as if guessing whether the call was related to her.
Cliff almost spat out the words from between his teeth, "Back to the pack!"
His face was so dark it seemed like a storm was imminent.
The pack guard driving was taken aback by his sudden command, saying, "Alpha Cliff, we're almost at the restaurant. Didn't you say you were treating Melinda to dinner?"
"I said drive us back to the pack!" Cliff roared, his voice filled with uncontrollable anger and anxiety.
"... Yes, Alpha Cliff!" The pack guard hurriedly agreed, unconsciously stepping on the gas.
Melinda had never seen Cliff look so anxious.
In her impression, Cliff was always composed and calm.
But at this moment, he was like an enraged lion, with anxiety and anger written all over his face.
"Vanya's in trouble," Cliff seemed to be talking to himself, as if explaining to Melinda.
"What happened to Luna Vanya?" Melinda pressed, her curiosity thoroughly piqued, and her suspicion growing stronger.
She wanted to know what could make Cliff so undone. Could it be that Vanya truly held such importance in Cliff's heart?
Cliff had no time to deal with Melinda's inquiries at the moment.
His mind was racing, trying to recall the familiar voice.
He felt he had heard it before, but in this moment of desperation, he couldn't remember where he had heard it.
Theodore's POV
Derrick's eyes widened in anger, his face flushing red.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, cursing, "What the hell is this guy playing at? Thinking he can show up later than us, does he really think he's someone, can put on airs in front of us?"
I expressionlessly took out a cigarette and lit it with a lighter.
The blue flame flickered in the darkness for a few moments before I took a deep drag, and smoke slowly rose before my eyes.
I stood quietly on the abandoned car plant's ground, littered with gravel and weeds, waiting patiently.
Before long, a harsh engine roar broke the night's silence as a van sped towards us like a mad beast.
The vehicle hadn't fully stopped when it violently rocked a few times, followed by the door being abruptly pushed open.
Jasper tumbled out of the car like a beaten dog, scrambling towards Derrick and me with a flattering smile plastered on his face.
That smile, under the dim light, appeared particularly sycophantic and distorted.
He kept saying, "Alpha Derrick! Alpha Theodore, I'm really sorry, some crap came up on the road and delayed me. Please, both of you, be generous and don't take it personally."
Derrick frowned, his face full of impatience as he asked, "Where's the stuff?"
A flicker of panic flashed through Jasper's eyes, but it was quickly covered by his fake smile.
He bowed and scraped, saying, "Alpha Derrick, Alpha Theodore, here's the thing. There's this woman who, by some stroke of luck, bought the thing we've been after. In a fit of anger, I had her kidnapped, and that's what delayed me. But don't worry, I've told my men to call her mate and ask for a five-million ransom. Her mate's an Alpha, definitely rolling in dough, so five million is pocket change to him."
Listening to him, I only wanted to resolve this mess quickly and deal with other important matters.
So I coldly said, "Get this done quickly. Don't waste my time here. My patience is limited."
"Don't worry! I've already talked with Alpha Cliff. If he can't come up with the money within an hour, I'll kill his mate and his pack will be Luna-less! Then we'll see how he swaggers around."
Hearing the name "Cliff," my heart felt as if it was gripped by an invisible hand, a strong sense of unease and foreboding welling up.
My wolf in my mind began to fidget restlessly, constantly roaring in my consciousness, "I sense danger."
Without further thought, I rushed forward, clutching Jasper's collar with my hands like pincers, lifting him up, staring straight at him, and asked, "Who did you say you were dealing with?"
"Alpha Cliff, the Alpha from the Silver Moon Pack."