“I don’t need permission to be in New York since I’m a Lone Wolf,” he pointed out.
“You can come and go into the city as you please, but this is private property. Now,” he straightened his shoulders. “You need to leave, or I’ll call security.”
“You’re going to call them anyway,” he said confidently. “I’ll wait.”
The man looked dumbfounded when Ransom shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. Slowly, he reached for the phone, picked it up and murmured into the receiver, nodding as he listened to whatever the other person on the line said.
It only took about two minutes before the elevator dinged and the door opened. Ransom definitely expected the two burly Lycan meatheads in suits who marched out the door menacingly. But he did not expect the third man who stepped in from behind them.
“What do you want?”
Dark green eyes pierced right into him. Even though he was no longer Alpha, there was no doubt of Grant Anderson’s power and authority.
“I want to talk to Isabelle.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to her?” His voice was menacing and would have sent a less dominant Lycan cowering. But Ransom was Alpha, too, even if he didn’t hold the ruling status of one. “I’m not just talking about letting the mages kidnap Evan,” he added. “But also leaving her pregnant and alone!”
The words made Ransom flinch internally, but he couldn’t show fear now. “I realize that, sir. And I don’t deserve her or to even see her right now. So, could you please just tell her I said goodbye.”
That stunned Anderson into silence for about five seconds. “Goodbye?”
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to get my son back,” he stated. “Even if I have to tear the entire world apart. Even if I have to die trying.” Turning on his heel, he strode out the door. He wasn’t sure what to do now, exactly, but he had a few ideas.
“Wait.”
Ransom froze, pivoting slowly. He watched as Grant Anderson stepped out of the building and slowly advanced toward him. “What do you want?”
“Your mother,” the former Alpha began, “wasn’t being truthful to you. I know you’ve spent your life believing her, but I wasn’t the one who sent Grayson Charles to prison. He was conspiring with the mages, and he was caught red-handed.”
His chest tightened. “I know that, now. My mother said as much.” It stung that she had lied to him all this time. He would have preferred the truth, even at a young age, so at least he could have understood better why everyone seemed to hate them.
Anderson’s dark brows drew together. “For what it’s worth, I was told you and your mother were taken to a safe house and that you would be provided for. Your father’s Beta, who became Alpha after he went to Siberia, said as much. If I was at fault for anything, it was believing him. I’m sorry for what you and Caroline had to go through.”
Ransom’s lips tightened, then relaxed. “Then you have to believe me: I didn’t know she was working with the mages. I want to help defeat them.” He looked back at the rest of the MC. “We want to help.” They all nodded in agreement.
Anderson sized him up, those piercing eyes looking him up and down. “All right. If you want to help, then wait here.” He strode back inside. Moments later, he came back out. “I hope you guys are ready.”
Before he could ask what it was they should be ready for, the air shimmered around them, and the hairs on his arm stood on end. Daric Jonasson appeared a few feet away.
“Thanks for coming, now let’s go to HQ,” Anderson said to the warlock. “Ready?” he asked Ransom and his men.
“All right.”
Daric instructed them all to stay close together and make sure they were all linked by holding their hands. Moments later, they were in the garage of the Guardian Initiative’s headquarters in the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Oh God.” Axle doubled over, dry-heaving.
“You’ll get used to it,” Snake said sympathetically.
They all filed into the elevator, and Daric pressed the button for their destination. Ransom already knew where they were headed—the top floor. But tonight, the Guardian Initiative’s command center looked nothing like it did when he first came here. The energy was more frenetic, and the whole place was buzzing with activity.
Anderson nodded to the conference room in the corner. Indistinct figures moved from behind the frosted glass. “Looks like not everyone’s here yet, which is what I was hoping for.”
They crossed the room, and it was so busy that no one paid them any mind. Before they entered, Anderson turned to Ransom. “I’m no longer Alpha here. Lucas is in charge, and you can bet he’s going to have objections to having you join us. I do, too, but as a father, I know you’ll do everything in your power to get Evan back. But I’ll stand by my son’s decision, since he’s in charge.”
He nodded. “You guys stay out here first,” he told Hardy and the others. “I don’t want any blowback on you.”
“Whatever you say when you enter that room will matter,” Anderson advised. “Choose your words carefully.” With that, the former Alpha entered the room, and he followed him inside.
“Papa.” Lucas looked somber. “There’s something you need to know. The mages—” The air in the conference room turned cold and thick as molasses. “What are you doing here?” Mismatched eyes flashed like fire.
“Alpha, I came here to—”
“Ransom?”
His heart slammed into his chest. He had expected everyone else in the room to be here—the Alpha, Cross, Julianna, Duncan, Frankie Muccino, Mika Westbrooke, and people he assumed were members of her team, but not Isabelle. His mouth dried up all of a sudden. “Isabelle.” Had it only been hours since he’d seen her? It felt like a million years. But there she was, looking so
