Chapter 3 Clashing Loyalties and a Mysterious Encounter

Ryder's POV:

I was peacefully sleeping in my room when a knock on the door woke me up. I groggily got up and opened the door, finding David standing there, looking worried.

"What happened?" I asked, still half-asleep.

"Jarvis is here," he replied, his voice filled with concern.

My senses immediately sharpened, and I became fully alert. Jarvis, the werewolf king who had been relentlessly searching for the real werewolf king and queen, along with their child, had finally tracked us down.

"Where's Jessica?" I inquired, worried about the safety of my sister.

"Don't worry, she's sleeping, and Lucifer is with her," he assured me.

A wave of relief washed over me at his words. Knowing that Jessica was safe and protected by Lucifer, I felt a sense of calm.

"Let's go," I said, determined to face Jarvis. I descended the stairs and saw him waiting for us, a malevolent gleam in his eyes.

Jarvis, who had orchestrated the annihilation of the royal family, was now on a mission to find the king's remaining family members, including the blessed child who had the potential to rule the entire world.

As I approached him, he stood up and addressed me, "Roland, my friend..."

I recoiled at his attempt to embrace me. This beast had caused his own alpha to flee from his own pack house, and I harbored a deep loathing for him.

"What do you want now?" I asked, my voice filled with anger.

"I want you to use your tracking team to find our former Alpha and Luna," he replied, his voice dripping with insincerity.

"How could you even think that I would help you?" I spat out, my anger boiling over.

"You know me, Ryder. If you don't assist me, I can easily track down your sister at her college and..." His words trailed off, but the threat was clear. He was willing to harm my sister to achieve his goals.

Enraged, I grabbed him by the throat and forcefully pushed him away. I refused to allow bloodshed in our house, and above all, I couldn't bear the thought of my sister being in danger.

Once I had removed him from our presence, I retreated to my home office. Seating myself on the couch, I instructed, "Call everyone except Jessica, and make sure you leave quietly when you go to inform Lucifer."

David nodded in understanding and left to carry out the task. Soon, my brothers gathered in the office, taking their seats.

"What's going on, brother? Why did you summon us?" Lucifer inquired, curiosity etched on his face.

"Lucifer, first and foremost, you need to control your anger. Secondly, we have to attend college regularly to ensure Jessica's safety. Jarvis wants our help in locating the missing werewolf king and queen with their child. When I refused, he threatened to harm Jessica, claiming he knows where she goes to college. We must make sure Jessica is safe, so prepare yourselves. We will be going to college regularly from today," I explained, outlining the situation.

All my brothers absorbed the information, and then we dispersed to our rooms to prepare for the day ahead. Once ready, we convened in the kitchen.

"Ryder, did I hear correctly that we will be attending college regularly?" Jessica asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yes, regularly, starting today. And it's not just me, all of us will be there. Moreover, you will no longer use your bike. We will travel by car for added security," I declared, concerned for my sister's well-being.

"But why should I give up my bike? You know how much I love bike riding. How can you say I can't go on a bike!?" Jessica protested, her voice filled with frustration.

"Jessica, stop it. It's for your safety, and we're not going to argue about this," I announced firmly.

Jessica was always stubborn, pushing back against any restrictions imposed on her.

"But brother, I..."

Before she could continue, Lucifer interrupted, trying to diffuse the situation. "Hey, Jessie, you know Ryder never stops you from doing anything unless it's important."

"Fine, I'll go in the car, but I have one condition," Jessica stated, causing us all to glare at her. Whenever she imposed a condition, it was usually something significant.

"What is it?" Zachary inquired, clearly curious.

"I want to go to Elijah's Bugatti," she demanded.

"Hell no! I'm not giving my car to you. You drive so carelessly," Elijah objected.

"I don't even want to drive. You will be the one driving the car," Jessica clarified.

"But..." Elijah tried to protest, but I knew he wouldn't agree to drive Jessica.

"No 'buts.' You will take her to college in your car," I firmly declared.

Elijah shot me an angry look, but deep down, I knew he loved Jessica and would never put her in harm's way.

As we were about to leave, I noticed Jarvis staring at me with a smirk. I sensed that he was planning an attack, so I quickly initiated a mind link, instructing everyone to gather in front of Jessica. Just as Jarvis started running towards us, I shouted, "Tyson, vanish!"

Upon hearing my command, Tyson grabbed Jessica's hand and disappeared. But before Jarvis could reach us, my father's Beta, Joseph, stepped in between us.

"Stop right now, or the Moon Land King won't hesitate to kill all of you," Beta Joseph warned.

"If you want me to stop, then help me find our Alpha and Luna with their child," Jarvis taunted with a smirk on his face.

Before Beta Joseph could respond, a woman intervened. "Jarvis! Do you really think we would allow them to help you find your King and Queen just to kill their child for your own gain?"

Jarvis looked furious upon seeing the woman and stormed off without saying a word. I racked my brain, trying to figure out who this woman was. When she turned around, I suddenly recognized her. There was a sense of familiarity. Confused, I asked, "Who are you? You look so familiar."

"She is my daughter, Violet," my father's Beta replied.

"Okay, now David, check on Jessica and make sure she's okay," I instructed.

"I already checked, and she's already in college with Lucifer, waiting for us at the main gate," David informed me.

Without wasting another second, I hopped into my car and sped off towards the college. As soon as I arrived, I quickly got out and spotted Lucifer.

"Why does the air feel different today?" I asked him.

"What?" Lucifer replied, clearly confused by my question.

"Forget it. Let's head inside," I said, dismissing the strange feeling I had in the air. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I chose to ignore it for the time being.

As I made my way towards Jessica's class, I saw Lucifer attempting to stop her from jumping off a table. This behavior was completely out of character for her. I grew worried as I sensed a strange power surrounding her. I couldn't afford to wait for something to go wrong, so I gave out orders.

"Lucifer, Zachary, grab her, and everyone else, step back," I commanded, and everyone obeyed, giving Jessica some space. I approached her, looking directly into her eyes, and used my powers to regain control over her.

"That... That girl is something else, brother. We have to stop her before she destroys everything. No one has ever controlled me like this before. How is she doing it?" Jessica pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.

"Let's find that girl. Everyone, split up," I suggested, determined to locate the source of the strange power affecting Jessica. Following my instincts, I sensed the same scent again, growing stronger. It was a distinct vanilla scent, unmistakably the scent of my mate. I followed it to a nearby classroom and was certain the girl I was searching for was inside. As I entered, I saw a girl with dark black hair and violet-colored eyes. As I approached her, she looked up, and our gazes locked. Time seemed to stand still as we stared at each other, but abruptly, she fainted. Reacting swiftly, I caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Evangeline!" the girl sitting beside her exclaimed, but I couldn't afford to wait. I swiftly carried her to the infirmary.

In the infirmary, the doctor examined my mate. Turning to Tyson, I asked, "Who is this girl?"

"She's a newly admitted student. I overheard the girl who was with her mention that she's Mark Parker's sister," Tyson explained.

"Mark Parker, the football team captain?" I inquired, and Tyson nodded in confirmation.

So, that's why I sensed such an unusual power from her. I despise Mark, and now his sister turns out to be my mate. How is this even possible? Doesn't anyone know who Mark truly is? Despite my disdain for him, I can't just abandon my mate.

"Mark, you need to come to the infirmary. Ava fainted in class," I heard the girl say on the phone, urging him to come.

Let's get this over with. I have to talk to Mark about this.