Born Mine
Chapter 99

A week had gone by faster than any of us realized and the closer I got, the more worried I got. Darius was furious when he found out that Brandon was in the house and trying to kiss me and I began to wonder if I was truly making the right decision by going along with this plan. I was beginning to second-guess everything because I wasn't sure if I could handle it.

"Are you okay?" I didn't even realize Amy had walked into the room until she spoke. I was seated on the bed staring at my phone and wondering whether to text Brandon or not. "You have gone so far, you cannot give up now. Think of all the time and energy that you have dedicated to this."

"Is it worth it though?" I asked. "I am going to be on his turf and surrounded by his people. All the times I have escaped him have been close calls. What if something happens and I can't get out?"

"You will. We will be following you at a safe distance. If we sense that anything is going wrong, we will pull you out immediately. You didn't really think that Darius would let you go in alone, did you?" I flushed pink because I never thought of that. "You are one of us, Leindra, we would never leave you in a position where you couldn't defend yourself. Now, text the bastard and let us know what we are dealing with."

I nodded and with the encouragement from her words, I sent Brandon a text. He responded almost immediately and told me that I would be extracted soon. I wondered what he meant by that but I chose not to dwell on it much and I waited. We sat there for what felt like hours but nothing happened. I began to wonder if Brandon had been toying with me the entire time.

There was a knock on the door and Ian poked his head inside. It took him three days to set foot in the house after the incident with Darius. He was certain that three days was long enough for Darius to cool down but he still got punched in the face much to Amy's displeasure.

"Jared cracked the code, we have the messages."

I leaped up from the bed almost immediately and we rushed out into the living room where Darius and Jared were seated in front of an open laptop. Jared was talking to Darius and as we got closer, I realized he was telling him how to navigate it.

"There is a lot of information here, it will take days for us to go through all of it," Darius murmured. "You did a great job, Jared, well done."

.The excitement.in the room was palpable and I felt relief that we were making progress. It made me feel better about what was about to happen. There was so much chatter going on that I didn't realize when Jared grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. It wasn't until we had gotten to the door that I realized what was happening.

"Is everything alright?" I asked wondering why he had dragged me away and he nodded.

"That should keep them distracted long enough. We don't have enough time, they're waiting for us."

Awareness dawned on me and I couldn't help the feeling that crawled up my chest. It was hot and I felt like I was going to throw up. Jared was one of my closest friends and sometimes I felt closer to him than I did Ian because of how much time we spent together. He was privy to all our conversations and he knew everything.

"You're the mole," I deduced and he shrugged.

"The way I see it, you're one too. If you keep my secret then I'll keep yours. Now, are you coming or not?"

I knew I didn't have much of a choice so I allowed him to lead me out of the house. I only hoped that Darius and the others would notice my absence quickly and replace me. I was mentally grateful that I always kept the location on my phone on. The guards in front of the house said nothing as they saw me leaving with Jared. They had seen it happen so many times that they had no reason to be suspicious.

We drove for a few minutes and despite living in Lunarius all my life, I didn't know where we were going. His eyes were fixated directly on the road and I realized he must have done this a lot of times because he wasn't even checking for directions, he just kept moving.

"They're going to know that it is you," I said and Jared shrugged. "Why would you do this to them? We trusted you, I trusted you. What could they possibly have to offer?"

"Did you ever consider that maybe I just want to do this? There is no spectacular reason. I believe in what they have to offer. While we are on the subject, I need your phone."

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "I left it at home."

"Don't embarrass yourself, Leindra, I know you well enough to know that you are lying. I would much rather not have to pull over and take it off you. Give it to me, now."

I gritted my teeth and handed it to him. He did not hesitate before throwing it out the window and then he floored the gas. I realized that he had been going in circles presumably because he knew I had my phone. He drove into the woods without stopping and I realized he was taking a path I didn't recognize. He stopped the car in front of what looked like a rundown cabin and I saw Brandon walk out of the woods.

"Thank you, Jared, you have been a great help to us. The hunters thank you," Jared nodded and we got out of the car. Brandon held out his hand to me and I had to force a smile on my face as I took it. "You don't have to be scared. You are going to meet the leader of the hunters. There are five of them and not all are sold on you yet but you will convince them."

Brandon led me forward before I could say a word. I expected us to enter the cabin but we went behind instead and there were five massive wood-carved chairs. Four of them were filled with people of all ages. There were two women; one looked to be in her thirties while the other looked to be in her fifties. There were two men as well of the

same age range and the fifth chair was empty. I watched as Brandon let go of my hand and took the empty seat.

"Welcome, Leindra Turner to your trial," Brandon began. "You have officially been proven to be one of us. The things you hear are not to be repeated anywhere else, to do so will mean certain death. Do you understand?"

"I do."

He nodded and Jared returned with a chair that I was ushered into. As soon as I sat, Jared wrapped thick ropes around my hands. I fought against them but he shot me a clear, hard look- he wanted me to stop struggling. For a split second, I thought I had been caught and they were going to kill me.

"Relax, Leindra, this is protocol so you don't hurt us," Brandon said and I reluctantly allowed my shoulders to sag. "You know who we are trying to nail- Darius. We are about to assign you to a very important task. We want to pin your parents' death on Darius."

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Why?" I asked. "Why do you want to blame him if he isn't the one who did it? Shouldn't you be more focused on replaceing the actual killer?"

"You need to realize that there are more important things in life, Leindra," the younger woman said in a condescending tone. "We already know the identity of the true killer but it does not matter. Darius is the one who has to go. He is getting too powerful and he is a threat to all that we stand for."

"What do you stand for?"

Her mouth curled into a snarl. "We stand for the unity of all species under a set of rules. We want everyone to be equal. We do not wish for one pack to be greater than another, it leads to envy and strife."

"Envy and strife is wrong but murder is not," I deadpanned and she turned to Brandon as if to complain. I felt Jared clasp my shoulder in a warning but I wasn't listening to him. "Who killed my parents? I deserve to know that much."

"You deserve nothing," she spat. "You are only here out of our volition and kindness and you will do your part or you will die. You have been let into our inner sanctuary and you will not leave with our secrets in hand."

"I think everyone should calm down," Brandon's voice was clear and everyone fell silent. "Leindra is emotional because it is about her parents. She will understand in time that some things are not worth pursuing, won't you?"

His words were phrased as a question but anyone who heard it would have known it was a clear threat. It didn't matter what I had done to get here, they didn't trust me

yet and it was clear. It was obvious I needed to play my part better so I forced the fight out of my body and nodded.

"You're right, I apologize."

The younger woman was still frowning but she nodded to let me know she had

accepted my apology. I made a mental note to kill her personally when everything was

over.

Brandon smiled widely when I apologized and clasped his hands together. "Now that

we are back on the same page, let us focus on what is important which is how we are going to kill Darius Lunar."