26

26

"Passing through the Luna's chambers has been banned for ten years now, with imprisonment with no food or water for ten days for foreigners." Rufus had this crazy smile on his face while he spoke. Not the smile of someone whose Luna's chambers had been trespassed but of one who wanted to trap us.

"This sand could have come from anywhere! What other proof do you have that says we trespassed?" Noah asked Rufus.

Rufus grinned, "Because the sand on your feet is pink. No other sand is like that. I know because I made it so. Mixing the blood of the first trespassers into the sand to make it easier to spot."

"I didn't know that." Abby whispered in confusion.

"Guards, what are you doing? I said you should arrest the trespassers!"

"What do we do?" The word was a confused whisper, I turn toward Abby. She looked at me with panic in her eyes, I could feel all of her training disappearing before her eyes.

"Wait!" She shouted suddenly. A new fire in her eyes.

"If an Alpha and their entourage manages to make trouble while at a new pack, their alpha is not to be punished with them." She spoke hastily.

Rufus frowned.

"What? Where does that stupid statement come from?"

Abby cleared her throat, her poise nature coming back in full force now that she had everyone's attention. I felt so useless, I have no idea what to do now.

"From the international code of inter-pack relationship. You were also present at the meeting when this was agreed upon. Our alpha stays put and we serve her punishment for her."

I didn't know anything about that, but I can see Rufus did not want that to happen. If I stayed, I will still ask him about the whole thing.

"Call Martha, we need to confirm what the girl is saying." He eyes Abby up and down. Abby stared back with just as much intensity. Erin was going to love her.

"Are we going to jail?" Noah asked me in a whisper.

"M will find a way to bring us back. I trust her." Abby whispered back. Her eyes still ferociously focused on Rufus.

Martha finally arrives, causing the eye contact to break. Abby smiles in the direction of the Martha, but she keeps her own face impressive.

"Martha, is there something like not imprisoning an alpha in the inter-pack code or something?"

Martha had as much composure as Abby, but you could tell they were vastly different. You could tell she never broke composure to do little things like smiling.

"Yes there is. But the others serving the punishment will suffer twice as much. Instead of ten days, they will do twenty. With no food or water." Her voice shocked everyone at how deep it was.

Abby was the most shocked, I guess the other girl who taught her this route was no longer the one she knew.

Rufus grinned.

"Take them away."

"One more thing. For threatening to put the alpha in prison. You owe the alpha one wish, if you say no to this wish, she can take you as her prisoner." Abby spoke again.

We all turned to Martha to confirm this.

She nodded as if in serious pain.

"Good. You can use it to save us." Patrick all but jumped up and down in excitement.

I thought about it. What if I needed something else and he refuses to give me? What if it was dire to the case? Then i might lose my chance to know the answer. But what about them? They offered to come and i put them in prison? They will hate me even more.

"Do what you must." Abby whispered to me.

She had so much trust in me.

"I will like more time to think about it, it's not everyday you get this kind of thing from Rufus." I tell him.

Patrick made a noise at the back of his throat, I could tell he was holding back.

"So you won't release your people?" Rufus asked in incredulity.

"Like I said, I need more time to think about it."

"You must think you are some big shot. You are still a little girl. And you could have saved us." Patrick sneered at me.

"Arrest them."

The guards rush at them, quelling Patrick just before he lounged at me.

"Our offence is null and void if we are off his land." Abby whispered to me just before she was dragged away. I felt rotten to the core as I let them be dragged away, after all, I was with the key to their release.

I was left alone with Rufus and his men. Even Martha had gone.

"Well, show me the security footage." I say in my alpha voice.

Rufus looked like he was going to argue. Then resigned.

"Follow me."

I do follow him. A few of his guards follow us. I don't plan on making any small talk. I only mule over what Abby had told me. Did she mean breaking out if prison? I could not break them out if I was here with Rufus, certainly, he would notice his guest was long gone.

"You must agree too, seeing as you are not saying anything." Rufus chuckled.

I missed whatever he said but I have a feeling he was praising himself. He did that a lot. He is the most self centered person I ever met.

"Here we are."

Their control tower was very much similar to ours, but he still looked like he was expecting a praise from me. I don't say anything. My eyes scanning across the footages to find one that was showed Abby and the rest. I find them being dragged into the prison. The front of the prison was a blind spot but I recognized a road leading there was the silly pink sand road.

I quickly glance away. So he didn't know what I saw.

"The footage?" I ask.

He sighed before pointing at one of the workers. He in turn bowed to us both before removing all live screens, and then pulling up the old footage. The day played out as usual, nothing to see. Then suddenly, everything go black. Like it did back home.

"What happened?" I ask them. My eyes scanning every screen to catch something. Anything.

"It seems it was hacked."

Exactly like ours.

"And nobody watched it go black?"

I feared the answer.

"The thing is, everyone on duty fell asleep after eating something someone gave them."

I laugh. The same tactic. It must have taken a lot from them to plan this an execute it without either side catching them.

"I thought you bragged at the national yearly convention last year that your security was the best. Is this considered best?" I could not help the snarky tone that I used.

Rufus looked like a wounded pup.

"It was meticulously planned. This never happened before."

I sigh. And rub my temple.

"So who gave them the food that had them sleep?"

Rufus sighed even more.

"Our head of security."

"Where is he?"

"We found him in his home. He had commuted suicide."

I drag in air through my nose harshly. This was starting to sound like a broken record. Everything seems like it took at least weeks to perfect. Yet the human came only a few days ago. They were trying to kill him and then this chain of reaction happened. Only because they did not want me to take the corona. Imagine the ruckus they would cause if they found out he is my mate.

"So we are back to square one." I say aloud.

"Not really sure if this will help. But there is a hidden camera nobody knew about." One of the workers piped up.

We all turn to him.

"What do you mean hidden?"

"Before we switched to the latest cameras, we didn't move one of the old ones as a joke, just to compare both of them."

"Who is we?" I asked.

"Me and my buddy. The head of security."

"So he knew about the existence of the old camera?" The hope I felt before sank again.

"Yes. But this camera does not report live feed. It takes snapshot from the events."

"So to see whatever it captured, we need to view it's pictures correct?" I asked him.

He nods in enthusiasm.

"Okay. The camera is still in the field?" Rufus asked him.

"Yes it is."

"I need all of the guards present to help him bring it in. While the live screens should give us a visual of the whole thing. Just in case." I order.

They bow before scrambling away.

"Excuse me, I need to use the rest room. Please Rufus, keep your eyes glued to the screen. We can't afford to miss any thing." I plead.

He nods and focuses all his attention on the screen.

Now is my chance.