He continued to watch me, the expression on his face unable to be anything other than calculating. The hopeful part of me was waiting for him to tell me where to find his daughter, whereas the realistic part of me told me to send out another team of trackers.

It started feeling as if I was carrying some sort of weight—something like a minibus, or a fallen tree—on my chest. Everything else seemed to feel strained too. Why did it feel like my future relied on what this man had to say?

“You seem wolves who do not exist. Our kind have their ways. The hierarchy of power will always be the same. Alphas. Bèta’s. Grammas. Delta’s and Omegas. You’re wrong for thinking that there are wolves who somehow do not fall into that category.”

I shook my head, starting another slow pace around the room. As much respect that I had for him, I couldn’t help but admit to myself that his skull was thick.

“If such wolves do not exist, then how do you explain the existence of your daughter?”

I turned towards him, watching the color creep onto his face as he watched me, clearly realizing that I had just pushed him into a corner.

“If such wolves do not exist, then how do you explain the skills that your late Luna possessed? Skills that no Omega should have had?”

I took a step closer as I spoke, his low growl ended up being the only thing that reminded me of the delicate situation I found myself in.

“Diana has nothing to do with this. She is dead!”

His eyes were darkening, a clear sign that he was on the verge of losing control. I didn’t doubt my ability to win in a sparring match with another Alpha, but an Alpha who had lost control was a different matter.

“Luna Diana may not be of any consequence right now, but her daughter is. Luciana is one of the many wolves I will need assistance from in order to ensure that my plan does not fail.”

“Have you considered something other than a hostile approach?”

My eyes focused on the droplets of spit that flew from his mouth. It was an unappealing sight, and yet another tell-tale sign that Alpha Lucious was losing control.

“Do you honestly think that The Resistance are just going to let us walk into their facilities? Even with my people on the inside, that would be impossible.”

My voice was factual. It was stupid of him to even suggest such a thing, but as he started shaking his head I wondered if I had misunderstood him.

“Have you considered being civil and having an actual conversation with Luciana? She is no child. She would understand the responsibility that now falls to her.”

“You say that she’s not a child, and yet she’s been playing hide and go seek with my pack for the last week?”

I allowed some of my irritation to leak into my voice, which made Alpha Lucious laugh once more. He reached up and wiped at the blood that had started to run from his nose.

“I have an inkling that you plan on killing me, Issac. I feel I should tell you to save your breath. I’m already dying. An wolf without a mate is barely a wolf at all. My daughter is being groomed to take over as Alpha.”

I felt my eyes snap towards his in a desperate attempt to see the humor in his eyes, but it turns out that he was far from joking. His face was as serious as it had been when I had first brought him here.

“An Alpha female? That’s absurd!”

I took a step towards him, once again expecting him to tell me that he was fooling with me. But those words never came. He remained as serious as ever.

“We’ve had Lunas serving by our side for centuries. They’re Alpha females.”

“No, they are not. They are Lunas. Mates of Alphas. To have a female Alpha would be breaking the very hierarchy that you claimed couldn’t be broken.”

He sat back in the chair once more, folding his hands over the growing potbelly that he was starting to sport.

“On the contrary, I’m merely trying to restructure it.”

I stared at him blankly, finding it difficult to wrap my head around the concept. A female Alpha? The mere idea of it was driving me insane.

“As I was saying, my daughter is being groomed to become Alpha. You’re not the first Alpha who has learned of this. My daughter has handled quite a few attempts on her life, and I believe she thinks that this is one too.”

I looked at him for a moment longer before turned around a pulled one of the other free chairs in the room closer. I sat down in front of Alpha Lucious, realizing that civil conversation had indeed been the key to understanding this man.

“And what if I were to guarantee your daughters safety from other Alphas until she finds her mate? All I ask in return is her co-operation.”

He shook his head before leaning forward once more. I got the distinct feeling that he somehow thought of me as stupid.

“If your Beta were here, he would tell you that no one makes a decision on behalf on an Alpha. He was right, you know? Luciana is still on our pack lands. I suggest you join your search party. You know just as well as I do that Alphas only negotiate with Alphas.”

Letting out a growl of frustration, I stood up and kicked the chair I had been sitting on to the other side of the room before making my way to the cell door. I had pulled the door open, my hand still on the doorknob, when I heard him speak to me once more.

“Oh, Alpha Vermont? A word of advice, if you’d like to take it, don’t give in to the chase.”