The Defiant Luna
Chapter 45

The phone did not ring for 4 hours, it was an agonizing wait, where Nathan and Jackson and two of his warriors were all just sitting around or pacing around the hotel suite Jackson had for himself.

The other two warriors he had posted to watch the Martinez women, who knew if they were going to be targeted next. It was clear that someone had been watching them and tracking them,

, likely just waiting for the

perfect opportunity to strike. Those that were watching would have seen Stephen walking with Suzy. She could be the next target no one really knew.

Nathan had put a call in to the pack, spoke with Ethan and his mother and father, to inform them of what was going on. Made sure that both Jay-la’s family and Stephen’s family were alerted to the situation at hand. He had stated he wanted Ethan and a full elite warrior team on his parents’ jet out here. He’d sent it back directly after arriving, knowing that his was here for use.

He had also alerted Ethan and his father to the concerns of Jay-la being a potential threat to his own men, if her affliction was activated. He knew that the more men he sent in to get her out, when they found her. The more chances there were of setting off her flight and fight mode.

Those that were coming to their Luna and Gamma’s aid needed to be prepped in advance about her condition. The way to handle her.

His father had said he would make sure it was all sorted out, to stop worrying about it, just focus on the situation itself, he and Ethan would sort everything out on their end and send a full unit asap.

Those men were all currently still in the air on their way here, would arrive later, near 4am, even later if there was a headwind. He knew they were all coming directly to the hotel from the air strip, that it would take an hour for them to get the men together get out to his private air strip and take off. The flight time was also 5 hours, not a short time

It was just past lam when that phone rang, it was sitting on the coffee table in front of Jackson, as Nathan had been prowling around the suite unable to sit still, as much as Havoc was stalking around inside his mind swishing his tail furiously. Their not knowing where she was or even being able to feel her, or that ache in his chest to say he was away from her either.

Which likely meant that she wasn’t all that far away, a few hours by car at most. She was likely still unconscious but still close enough not to enact that ache inside his chest that depicted how far away she was from him. Though thankfully still untouched. They would feel that regardless of her state of unconsciousness.

Anyone touching her was going to die. He knew that he would never stop hunting even when he got her back, if one SOB got away he would hunt them to the ends of the earth to kill them, there would be no mercy for anyone hurting his Mate. Hell just taking her from him was a clear death sentence in both his and Havoc’s book.

He stopped pacing as Jackson reached out and touched the green glowing accept button, “Speak.” He and Havoc snarled into the room, they couldn’t contain their anger at the loss of their Mate, to whoever this person was, and they wanted them to know they were angry as well.

“Baby don’t snarl at us like that, we might just hang up and make you wait some more.” A sickly-sweet female voice practically purred down the line, with full amusement.

He saw Jackson’s eyes move right towards him, as they both recognised that voice. “Sophia?” he asked, more than shocked

“That’s a much better tone for me and who else would it be, baby? I finally got that little w***e, to punish, I can now rid you of her easily.”

“Don’t you dare touch her, Sophia.” He grated out.

“Hmm, then place nice baby and give me exactly what I want.”

Nathan glared right at that phone. Jay-la was no w***e and if anyone could be called that, it was Sophia herself. How on this earth had that b***h managed to get Jay-la and Stephen? She wasn’t that smart, just a gold digging w***e of a she-wolf, one he hadn’t seen or heard of in years for that matter. Didn’t bloody care about either.

He had to take a deep breath in, to try and stay calm and not roar at her down the line “What do you want?” he finally managed to get words out.

“I want you back, baby. My alpha is willing to trade me for her, so we can be together once again, like we should be as the Goddess saw fit, but he wants a replacement for me.

You don’t need some chosen w***e just because she had pups for you, then stole you from me.”

Jackson was on him in a flash, all wolfen speed to clamp a hand over his mouth as tightly as he could, mind-linked right to him, ‘Don’t yell at her. She has Jay-la and Stephen, she could kill them. You need to play along. At least until we know where they are, stay your beast, listen to me, you both know I am right. It’s a deadly game we have to play, but play it, we must.’

It was not an easy thing to do, staying his beast or himself for that matter, they did not want anything to do with their ex, not ever again, didn’t care what had happened to her, after she had left the pack that day. Likely just made her way back to her home pack and returned to her father’s care.

“Sophia.” It was Jackson. “It’s good to hear your voice, my Luna, our pack has missed you.” his voice was smooth and didn’t hold any anger or resentment, almost sounded loving. Nathan realised.

“Who are you?” Sophia’s tone changed, annoyance showing that she was speaking to someone else.

“My apologies for not introducing myself, it’s Jackson your Beta, my Luna.”

“Then shut it Beta, I do not wish to speak with you. I only want to talk to my Mate.”

Nathan saw Jackson glare at the phone and then look right at him, pointedly. Nathan knew what that look was, contain yourself and your beast was the look. Then he finally let go of him.

“A trade you say?” Nathan asked carefully.

“Yes, a Luna for a w***e, he will treat her just like what she is, punish her every day for what she did to us, I assure you of that.”

“Where are you Sophia?..’ll come and get you.”

“Really? Just like that. Hmm, what assurance do I have you’ll come with a smile on your face for me? You were mad at me the last time you saw me.”

“I was.” He nodded more than mad shed been lucky to keep her head attached to her body. “I have missed you as much as you have me.” He stated felt bile rise up in his throat at having to say those words barely kept it down ” What assurance would you like Soph?” he asked though there was a slight edge to his voice, and he got glared at by Jackson, a warning look, his anger was showing a little. It was hard to play nice with this woman who had taken Jay-la from him.

“Hmm,” there was a pause for a long minute before she spoke again. “I’m going to call you back in a little while and you’re going to tell me everything I want to hear. I’ll make sure she’s there to hear it, our conversation. Let that chosen mate of yours know that she is nothing to you. That you only want me. That will work for me, I think. I want to see her all broken and devastated like she should be. That will work for me, and baby?”

“Yes?” he muttered.

“I don’t want to see or smell any of your men, not your Beta, or any of those four warriors I know you have with you.”

Havoc was snarling inside his mind, they were not happy, and they were certainly not going to do that. “I want to speak with her, know she is alright.”

Heard her laugh now “I’ll call you back baby, when the little w***e wakes up. Love you.” and then the line clicked closed

“Stay calm.” Jackson stated right away.

It was the last thing he wanted to do, wanted to rip apart this room and unleash Havoc on the world right this minute.

“I know it’s hard,” he put a hand on him “But you have to stay calm, till she calls back, you have to be calm and do as she says, or we’ll not be able to find out where Jay-la is.

We need her to want you to go there. She could just hand Jay-la over to that Alpha and not care at all. We don’t want that. Need to make her want you to be there for the trade.”

Nathan could see the logic in it, knew it was what needed to happen. “I can’t do what she wants, Jackson. I won’t bloody tell her I love her and want her. I won’t tell her any of that, not with Jay-la right there listening to it. We can’t. It’l destroy her, bring about everything she’s always worried and feared about where I am concerned. Bring all that right back to the surface, she’ll never trust me again, it’ll ruin us and we’re finally together.” He shook his head.

“Jay-la loves you, Kora loves Havoc, they will never believe it.” Jackson told him, knew he was trying to reassure him.

“You and I don’t know just what Sophia will say to her, will tell Jay-la, who knows what sick and twisted things are inside her mind, to hurt Jay-la, it’s clear she knows who she was, remembers her from the pack.”

“Stephen is with her, he knows you love her, he will remind her of that. Tell her it’s not true if he senses any doubt or fear from Jay-la. You are going to have to play the game, to find out where they are. Really play the game, Nathan.”

“I don’t know if I can, Jackson.” He stated as he sank down on the couch, “say those things she wants to hear me say, contain myself or Havoc, for that matter, to say them.

“I’ll likely be the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do, but you will do it, for Jay-la. We just need to make sure we are there for the trade itself. That is the best plan.”

He stood once more unable to sit, needed to be on the move or doing something, he knew this was all Jackson’s Beta training shining through, this is what the man did.

Plan for the worse case scenario, likely his brain had been ticking the whole time. Since they had heard Sophia’s voice come down the line, they all knew how cruel and vindictive she could be.

If they were in the pack, Jackson would have a whole team of people around him right now and they would all be plotting and planning an assault of some sort, the best way to retrieve what was theirs.

It had to be Jackson, Havoc was not level headed enough him.

“You and I don’t know just what Sophia will say to her, will tell Jay-la, who knows what sick and twisted things are inside her mind, to hurt Jay-la, it’s clear she knows who she was, remembers her from the pack.”

“Stephen is with her, he knows you love her, he will remind her of that. Tell her it’s not true if he senses any doubt or fear from Jay-la. You are going to have to play the game, to find out where they are. Really play the game, Nathan.”

“I don’t know if I can, Jackson.” He stated as he sank down on the couch, “say those things she wants to hear me say, contain myself or Havoc, for that matter, to say them.

“It’ll likely be the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do, but you will do it, for Jay-la. We just need to make sure we are there for the trade itself. That is the best plan.”

He stood once more unable to sit, needed to be on the move or doing something, he knew this was all Jackson’s Beta training shining through, this is what the man did.

Plan for the worse case scenario, likely his brain had been ticking the whole time.

Since they had heard Sophia’s voice

come down the line, they all knew how cruel and vindictive she could be.

If they were in the pack, Jackson would have a whole team of people around him right now and they would all be plotting and planning an assault of some sort, the best way to retrieve what was theirs.

It had to be Jackson, Havoc was not level headed enough about threats to his pack and he certainly wasn’t going to be level headed about a threat to his Mate and this was exactly that. They had heard what Sophia had said, punish every day, treated like the w***e she was.

Havoc had actually gone quiet inside his mind with Jackson’s words, he wasn’t even stalking around inside his mind right this minute. His beast was standing still and keeping his thoughts all to himself. Likely not a good thing

“Havoc?’ he enquired.

TIl kill her, all that dare to touch my Mates.’ His beast told him, sounded awfully calm to Nathan, though he understood that it was not a threat, it was full certainty.

That was what his beast was going to do, rip out of him and kill any and all that dared to be involved in their Mates k********g.

‘Can you contain yourself through a conversation like we need to have?’ he asked Havoc, Nathan didn’t really know if he could pull it off himself. He doubted his beast could, they hated Sophia. Loved Jay-la. He also knew that Sophia was going to make him say every hideous love word there was to her, with Jay-la right there in full earshot of the phone, to hear every word he had to say.

‘Kora will know it’s a plan. For us to get to them, she is smart, knows I love her, that I will never give her up.’

‘I know Kora has pure faith in you. But Jay-la’s fears from our past, the way we just abandoned her once before for Sophia, way down deep Havoc, is likely still in there somewhere. Could rise up.’ That was his true worry, she seemed to have forgiven him but he knew she would never forget it. He had hurt her a lot and this could bring them back to square one. He didn’t want that. But realised this could do that to her, ruin them all over again.

‘Trust our Mate’s.’ Havoc huffed

“It’s not her I don’t trust Havoc, it’s her fear I worry about.’

‘Trust her, like I trust Kora. They both love us, they will both know it’s a plan to get them back, nothing more.

Nathan didn’t know if that would be the case. Years of fear of Sophia wanting to harm her, harm the children. Now it was Sophia who had her, out there somewhere drugged and locked up, wanted to trade herself for Jay-la, to some Alpha, could well be Sophia’s new Mate, likely found a mate that was as cruel as she was herself and this was her way out of that bond, if he wasn’t willing to sever ties with her.

She’d likely seen that battle between them, realised that Jay-la had children to him, thought he had taken her as a chosen mate just to get his children back to him. Knew she had been his goddess gifted, Jay-la had been inside the pack not his Mate so just presumed he’d chosen her. It was the only thing he could think of as to why she was calling Jay-la his chosen mate.

“Nathan?” Jackson interrupted his thoughts.

“Havoc is extremely calm.”

“The calm before the storm.” Jackson sighed, they all knew what his beast was like.

Nathan was in agreement with that statement, his beast hed never seen so calm, likely it was not a calm. But a deadly calm. It was unlikely that anyone was going to survive his beast, there was no telling what he would do or how he would respond. He’d been very different since being Mated to Kora. Not only did she calm him completely, he also loved Jay-la herself. His beast loved both of them the same, they were both his as far as he was concerned