Chapter 2 Flash From The Past

I looked at him, stunned. Unable to momentarily think about what my next line of action would be.

"And the next time, you pull off a stunt like this. You won't have a family to return home to, I promise you."

He pushed my arm away from his neck and rearranged this tie. He wasn't as strong as I had made him out to be, I could easily take him down but that would happen some other time. For now, I had to play the willing wolf and do everything they asked of me.

Two hours later, I walked briskly into the large room, it was a typical, bleak coffee-stained room with dirty walls. The scent of sweat, cigarettes and musky cologne hung in the air like a chandelier, there were pictures on the wall which were some kind of modern art, and the furniture looked plain, uncomfortable, leather and black.

My eyes landed on a large man sitting in the center of the room. A long metal table with paper strewn across the surface separated me from who I assumed to be the Alpha, there was this air of authority surrounding him. He was flanked by several men quadruple my size, some I hadn't seen before in my life and that said a lot about the kind of people I was dealing with here.

Despite the sizes of a lot of these men, I could tell that many of them were level one wolves, omegas. They had no important rank and they had the largest population in the werewolf society. Their main objective was to serve the higher ranking wolves, they were foot soldiers to the trinity leadership in any pack, the Alpha, Beta, and Delta.

They were certainly higher in the hierarchy than Rogues wolves, who were wild and pack-less, there were a lot of nasty rumors about the rogues and a whole lot of them were true, they were a psychotic bunch with zero empathy and regard for life. It has been said that as a result of their broken pack bond, it is said that if a pack turns its back on any of its pack members, the effect can lead to damaging effects on the particular wolves. They were generally recruited by Alphas who had ulterior motives and my wolf nose could pick up their distinctive smell as I entered the room.

Then there were wolves like me, lone wolves who had rebelled against the Alpha and willingly left the pack to fend for themselves. There were very few of us scattered around the country, a lot of us were hiding because we were being hunted to be killed. I was one of the few who could still live a regular life, majorly because I was the first son of my father.

I took a close look at him as I approached the table, my gaze wary as it darted from face to face trying to pick up a hint or read their stoic facial expressions. The skin on his body looked like grade-three sandpaper, the consistency was unreal.

He lifted his face, smiled cynically, and pushed away his bowl of cereal as he saw me coming toward him. His face was badly burnt, the top of his head was charred and hair would probably not grow on it again.

He scratched his face, his fingers grating over his hard skin.

Francis, as I had come to know him, was in front of me leading my every step, my eyes were glued to his black coat, he had put the detonator in one of the pockets.

I went over different scenarios on how to take the device without being suspicious, but I shook my head at all my ideas.

It was too dangerous, I couldn't risk my family being blown to pieces. A small part of me didn't believe any of this but I wasn't ready to call his bluff yet, till I knew my wife and son were both safe.

These men looked like traditional wolves and they wouldn't have gone through all this stress if they could have easily blown me and my family in our sleep. There was something else they wanted from me and I didn't know if I had what they wanted. I hated being at a disadvantage, I was like a blind man who had no knowledge he was being led to the slaughterhouse. The first time I had ever been at a disadvantage in my life, it changed me forever, I still bore the scars to this day.

"Welcome to Asgard, Logan Zorander. This meeting has been long overdue, forgive me for the time I wasted in setting up this meeting. I had to make sure I took care of every little detail that needed to be reviewed, I hope you understand."

I looked at the man who spoke as he stood, he was a big tall man. I was by no means small, I weighed over two hundred pounds and stood at six feet four inches but I felt dwarfed standing in front of him.

I shook his outstretched hand as Francis pointed me to my seat. His grip was surprisingly light and friendly. I wasted no time in getting straight to the point, there was no point in frivolous nonsense, and I couldn't deal with any of it. I had already sized him up and I was a damn good judge of character, he looked like a businessman and businessmen only wanted one thing - money.

"I'm willing to double the amount you were offered to harm me and my family if you let us go. And, if you give me the name of who contracted your organization, I'll triple the amount." I started as I adjusted my tie and crossed my leg, giving him a few seconds to process what I just said.

"So, what do you say? Do we have a deal? I can get you the money in ten minutes if you decide to take me on my offer. I get my family and your smile at the bank, it is a win-win situation for everybody."

I watched the man take out a cigar from one of the many trays on the table and lit it. He took a long drag before puffing out the smoke into the air. He glanced over to where I sat, a small smile playing on his lips as his eyes roamed over my body.

I've played this game several times. He was sizing me up, trying to decide whether I meant what I said or call my bluff, I maintained eye contact and waited for him to speak. My next line of action depended on whatever decision he decided to take.

"The weather is always a bit harsh during this time of the year. I've always hated the cold, Lo."

"I can call you Lo, right? You always loved that name, everybody called you that in your high school days."

I merely shrugged unsure of what to say, I couldn't lose my cool. I was dealing with an extremely dangerous and intelligent man. They had done their homework, I had to give it to them. They were meticulous and they knew how to work discreetly. I paid top dollar to several agencies to keep my real identity hidden and to pass information if anybody came sniffing around, I've dealt with a couple of acquaintances from the past who tried to get to me but somehow the agencies had failed to pick up on this threat, my usually impenetrable security detail had been taken part, my family held captive and here I was, haggling for my life and theirs with an enemy I knew nothing about.

The name caught me off guard but I couldn't let it show. My composure would play a big part in how everything would turn out. If I let them see how close I was to losing my cool, it would be the same as an Omega wolf trying to duel with an Alpha, there was only one way it was going to end, in death.

"Do you smoke?"

He said again, interrupting my train of thought. His accent was much thicker than that of Francis. And, for the second time that morning, I cursed myself for my forgetfulness. I had spoken to these men before. I could remember the voice, it was the kind you could never forget. But, the face was difficult to place, maybe it was because theirs had gotten messed up by the fire.

"Not anymore." My smile was forced. I tugged at the collar of my shit, clearly uncomfortable. I had gotten it wrong from the start and with the deliberate, annoying long pauses, it was obvious that he was dropping subtle hints for me to remember them.

These men weren't sent by anyone, no one in this city knew of my past. No one alive did. I had made efforts to keep that part buried, I did things that made me hate myself but I was left with no choice, the horrors from my past were things I walked dead and forgotten for good. These men were from my past, a loose end I had overlooked. Their tattoos were hidden from sight and they wore gloves and scarves to cover the ones on their necks and hands. They wanted me to remain in the dark for as long as possible. I had taken out nearly every member of my old pack who came after me and the few who knew of my existence kept their mouths tightly shut and were sworn to secrecy. If someone had tried to come after me, I would have known instantly or so I believed.

He took another long drag of his cigar blowing the smoke into the air. He was deliberately mocking me, I watched him repeat the procedure over and over again till he held the dying embers of the cigar.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" I exclaimed, unable to keep my anger at bay any longer.

"Take it easy, Logan. There is no need for you to raise your voice at me. Before you spiral out of control, remember, I have your wife and son. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Antonio, everyone calls me the Alpha around here, and you've met my brother, Francis."

The names didn't sound familiar, I was still in the dark and it was becoming quite frustrating but I waited for him to continue, I had no other option, I was a pawn in his game now. He crushed the butt of his cigar as his expression suddenly grew serious.

"Do you know why you're here?" He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together.

I sighed, running my hand over my hair.

"No." My reply was curt.

Another agonizing pause followed.

"Do you remember the events that took place 15 years ago on Evangel street on the 28th of January 1992?"

The memories were beginning to fall slowly into place now.

"That was a long time ago, exactly two decades. What business do you have with the past?"

My hands were beginning to clench and unclench, as I fought to keep the memories from flooding back in but in as much as I tried, I couldn't stop myself from remembering everything that night vividly as I exhumed the ghosts of my past from the grave where I had buried the horrors of that night. I still had nightmares about it every single night despite getting the best psychological help I could. Some things never left your memory, no matter how hard you try or how many pills you shoved down your throat.

My therapist had suggested penance for my sins, she said turning myself into the authorities and serving time might help me find the peace I sought but that was a road I would never take, three days later, she was found dead in her apartment.

"After surviving that night, I spent all those long years planning my revenge against your pack. Taking out your father and a few wolves from your pack wasn't enough for me, it was only the beginning. I would only find satisfaction if there are no more Zorander wolves on the surface of the earth. Until then, I shall not rest until I am dead."

My head whipped up sharply as I registered his words. I had always thought my father had died of a stroke five years ago. I never bothered to attend the funeral despite pleas from my uncle. He had been dead to me for a long time. I could remember everything now, that fateful night flashed before my eyes, every detail, every scene, every cry coming from the burning house.

"Antonio Goretti? I thought you died in the fire?" My eyes grew wide as my headache intensified, nearly knocking me out of my chair. I stared at him incredulously, it was like I was staring at a ghost.

"I thought I did too, I thought I would never survive. The last thing I remembered before I woke up in the building next to ours was passing out from inhaling too much smoke. Somehow, my father managed to get us out of the fire and into that building, according to Francis, who was barely conscious at that point, but we paid the price for it." He said, pointing to his head.

The scars on his body served as a daily reminder of what he had gone through. Of what my father had put his entire pack through with my help. If I hadn't done his bidding and used sweet Maria as a pawn to my pack's benefit, we would never have been here. I wouldn't be pleading for the lives of the only other woman I've managed to fall in love with in the past 20 years and my little boy.

"After months in the hospital using different names, we went back to Italy and picked up what was left from the wreckage. For nearly 20 years, I waited and watched from the shadows, plotting your downfall, and finally, I have you. I was always there, just out of your reach but you couldn't tell I was there, I guess it's because you felt my family's existence was already wiped out by your father's ridiculous ego to become supreme. I want you to suffer the way I did and so help me, I intend to keep my promise."

I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off.

"I've always wondered how it was easy it was for your father to launch an attack on our home where we felt protected the most, he unlocked our defense in a matter of minutes like he had a sketch of the landscape before the attack, we hadn't even fully comprehended what was going on before he hit us hard. Either he had an inside man or someone had infiltrated our pack and was siphoning information to the enemy. It took me years before I found out about your discreet relationship with Maria. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the only son of the Alpha who sought the extermination of my pack was sharing a bed with the only daughter of my father. Everything that has happened was of your doing, you killed my family, you killed Maria. The blood of everyone I've killed in retaliation is on your hands and soon, the blood of your wife and son will be too."