Avenging The Triplet Alphas
Chapter 40

Loki's

POV

I was used to being placed in tight spots. The kind that gets you killed faster than you can blink. My mind had been going over different new scenarios in my head on how this would end and none of the options assured me. During one summer many years ago spent in the middle of the forest with my uncle was when I understood the power of leverage and patience, it was there, and then I had it all figured out. My plan for coming here was a calmer and safer one, one that needed patience to execute and that was a virtue my brothers solely lacked which was why I would be our spokesperson.

A loved one is a powerful leverage to hold against someone and in all honesty, Ethan and Arielle held all the cards, but they wouldn't know what hit them. I've met men like Ethan before, done deals with them and they were all the same. Tough, harsh, and brutal, these were men who placed themselves before anything except their loved ones.

The idea of using our child against Arielle had been a stroke of a masterclass, something they would never expect. There are times when you have to listen to your instincts and times when you have to do what needs to be done no matter what. I made a small fortune competing at arm wrestling events when I was in high school. I often skipped classes to visit the local pub a couple of streets away, there wasn't anything new I hadn't read beforehand anyways. During my visits there, I had never lost any match, it didn't matter how large the other guy's arm was. No matter how much pressure he exerted, the back of my hand never hit the deck for once. My trick was to lean in and position my body over my arm keeping my body and arm close together then dragging my opponent's body towards me as I pulled their arm down.

Simple but effective. Smartness over strength.

The two packs had sheer force and weren't particularly equally matched as my pack would eventually crush them but a face-off would result in so many dead bodies littered from state to state. From the moment I saw the man standing outside, I immediately realized their folly. They were making a mistake by thinking they were the only competitors in the game when in fact there was another competitor - The Van Tyson's.

The harsh weather didn't do much to hide the tension hanging in the air. I briefly glanced at my watch before lighting my cigarette, it was nearly time.

"If you don't mind, please follow me as I lead you to the dining room where Alpha Ethan and his fiancée would be joining you three for breakfast." The man as he plastered that fake smile on his face.

"You don't smell like an Omega wolf," I began. "You must hold a position of importance in this pack. Who are you?"

"I'm the Beta to Ethan, Klaus." He replied before turning back and heading into the house through the front door. I shared a nod with my brothers before we joined in and the small entourage that had accompanied him entered behind us.

I had already predicted the outcome of the meeting, there were so many ways it could all go wrong but I chose not to dwell on that. I needed to remain focused, or else we wouldn't make it out of here alive like Elijah had predicted last night.

My hand automatically went to my gun as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I was a rather old-fashioned man but I needed something effective and a gun with bullets laced with wolfsbane might just do the trick fast enough for us to transform. "Easy with the gun. I don't think you'd need it while you're here." A deep voice said as the footsteps became louder.

I turned towards the stairs to see Ethan walking down towards us. I quickly scanned the area behind him to see if he brought company but it looked like he came down alone. My senses were on high alert, I had to be on the lookout in case something went wrong. He looked like a man on a mission. Just as I predicted.

"Is there's reason you couldn't play the perfect host and welcome us in yourself? You're not supposed to be so hostile during the first meeting now, are you?!" I asked, gauging his demeanor as I took in his guarded stance, watching as his fingers hovered a few centimeters above his waistline. My best assumption was that he had a weapon concealed in his suit jacket.

"I'm not going to guess, I'm not going to assume, I'm going to tell you the truth. Your presence here has nothing to do with love or longing, it has to do with your bruised ego. It took me a while but I thought about it over, over and over again and I knew I was right. Genes don't lie much after all, Loki Van Tyson."

He had done his homework, I had to give him that. It was usually difficult for people to differentiate between the three of us in person but he did it at his first guess. The glee in his eyes told me he was certain of who I was. He had every right to look pleased with himself. There was no way he would look so smug if he didn't know who he was speaking with.

"Why haven't you killed us already? If you've carried out your homework then you have already figured out our actual motive for being here." I deduced that the only reason he was here alone was that he wanted to size us up in person himself before Arielle joined us. Else, I was very much certain that we would have been dead by now.

"That would mean denying myself the pleasure of killing you all myself if it came to that. Sending my soldiers to do what I should do myself wasn't an option I wasn't comfortable with."

I watched in silence as he descended the stairs. Maybe this would be our opportunity to speak with him alone before Arielle joined in.

Divide and conquer was our watchword and the game plan we would stick with, the earlier we started, the faster we would wrap this up.

"Your Beta made mention of breakfast," I began, taking a long drag of my cigarette. "I haven't even since lunch yesterday, I'm famished."

I had already predicted the outcome of the meeting, there were so many ways it could all go wrong but I chose not to dwell on that. I needed to remain focused, or else we wouldn't make it out of here alive like Elijah had predicted last night. Ethan nodded, "The dining room is to my left." He gestured. "Please, if you don't mind."

I nodded and followed after him, falling in step next to him.

"Was it necessary to have all these guards present?" I asked, a knowing smile playing on my lips. "It seems rather foolish to do anything in your home, wouldn't you agree with me?"

"I don't leave anything to chance, Loki." Ethan nodded to the servants who pushed the doors to the dining room open as soon as they saw us approaching. "I like to cover all possible angles, I'd hate to be blindsided by a very avoidable mistake." "Tell me, what other precautions have you taken?" I urged him on, eager to keep him talking. It was all part of the plan.

"If the phone was manufactured during the past years, then it has a GPS tracker built in it. The phone was manufactured in one of your high-tech labs and I'm positive it has one. It was one of the protocols put in place after the innovations came into the country. I've got a guy who can track the GPS chips and possibly link it to an address. If you think you're insured coming here, you should have a rethink."

I heartily accepted a glass of whiskey from the beautiful waitress as she sent an inviting smile my way immediately we made our way inside the room.

"If you think we need backup, you're sorely mistaken. I can handle myself and my brothers can do the same as well, you've got to give us a lot more credit, don't you think? Moreover, you have a lot on your plate already and we came here to talk and discuss our terms." I replied, taking a sip from the glass.

"Arielle isn't here yet," Ethan said, as he drummed his fingers on the table. "I propose we have breakfast first before we get into business."

"What would you do for love, Ethan?" I asked, dropping the glass cup on the table as I sat up upright.

"I'm willing to go the extra mile if that is what it takes," Ethan replied, staring intently at me.

"And I'm certain that this transcends to those you love as well, you'd do anything to make them happy, to keep them safe, to want them back if it comes down to that."

Ethan remained silent and I took it as my cue to continue.

"You understand why we're here then. Arielle belongs to us and we're here to bring her home. I understand she has a son now, our son and we're grateful for your help this past year but it's time she returns and we'll pay you for your worries, of course." "If you thought you would waltz in here and take Arielle away from me, you've wasted your time. Arielle isn't going anywhere and in case you missed it at first, she's going to be my wife and my mate."

It was just as I had expected. He was never going to budge.

There was only one option left and I was ready to proceed with the next step.