Avenging The Triplet Alphas
Chapter 44

Loki's POV

"What do you think about this Book of Impossible Tasks?" I asked both of my brothers as the car made its way back to the guest house. "I've heard about something like that some time ago but I paid no heed to such mythical tales."

"I don't think any of it is true. It's probably some made-up plan of theirs to delay us until it's too late for us to realize that we're being fooled." Elijah answered, staring out the window.

I hated being here as much as I hated groveling in front of this irritable Alpha named Ethan and Arielle. But what I hated the most was being left with no other option other than this degrading route we were taking to bring her back. Nothing was stopping me from getting on the next flight home but the thought of losing my throne and the shame it would bring on all their reputation was a stain I wanted to avoid at all costs, so staying till we succeeded was the only plan we have.

"What about you, Jonathan?" I asked, "You've been quiet ever since we left the mansion. Is there anything you'd like to share with us?"

His silence was starting to get worrying. He looked like he was lost in a trance, battling with his inner thoughts.

Jonathan blinked twice, forcing his attention away from the ceiling and staring at me with thoughtful eyes. "What?"

He sounded hoarse. He had been zoned out for quite a long time.

"A penny for your thoughts, eh?" I asked again, drumming my fingers along the leather seats, eagerly awaiting his response.

"I've been thinking about the final moments of our meeting with Ethan and Arielle," Jonathan answered and I sat upright, eager to hear what he had to say.

"What about it, was there something you noticed?" I couldn't contain the excitement in my voice. I was fervently curious about if the information he had discovered would help us gain more insight into how to deal with this game we were clearly on the losing side

of.

"There was some sort of miscommunication between the two of them," Jonathan began, "It flashed between them for the briefest second before Ethan expertly masked his irritation behind his default cool appearance but not before I figured out that he wasn't on the same wavelength with Arielle."

I nodded, trying to put the pieces together. If something wasn't right between them, it meant their relationship wasn't as rock solid as they pictured it for the general public. There were cracks underneath the surface and they had to replace those cracks. "Does this have anything to do with the Book of Impossible Tasks Arielle was sounding super confident about?" I asked.

"Yes," Jonathan confirmed. "I had the feeling that Ethan was very much surprised as the rest of us when she pulled that card out of thin air. My best guess is, he didn't know anything about it beforehand hence the brief flash of irritation at Arielle taking matters into her own hands without consulting him."

Everything began to make more sense now. Ethan had remained silent throughout the entire conversation about the tasks we were supposed to carry out if we wanted her back.

My first thought was he was letting her run the show by stating her demands even though I found it odd that he would agree to such a plan but now that Jonathan had pointed out the little details we had considered as inconsequential, I saw things a lot differently this time.

"Right from the onset, Ethan had no plans of having a diplomatic talk with us, his attitude towards us was proof of that and the show of his military support had further buttressed his point." Elijah pointed out. "I believe we overestimated his intelligence or we were vastly uninformed about the kind of man he was."

I didn't believe either of it to be true, he didn't give off the aura of a man who acted on impulse. There was only one explanation for his rather strange actions.

"I believe he's being driven by his desire not to lose Arielle at any cost," I explained, trying to make them see things from my point of view. "He's a calculating man, he assesses his options before he strikes. But love can be a good or bad thing as I've always said and in this case, it might just be the end of him."

"So what do you suggest we do now?" Jonathan asked me. "If I'm to suggest a solution, I would want us to watch and see how this unfolds. There's going to be something major happening soon, but what I know is, if we make the right move when need be, Arielle will come back home with us."

"Aren't you both bothered about the challenges in this Book of Impossible tasks?" Elijah asked. "It's seeming like neither of you regards whatever it contains, what if we fail the tasks she has planned out for us? What happens then?"

Jonathan and I shared a look. If that happened, there was always another option we could take and this time, we don't need to use our son to get what we want. Ethan was all too eager to get involved already, we only had to poke him.

"If it came down to that, we would go to war," I stated. "Ethan wanted it to happen in the first place, I was on the brink of accepting his challenge before Arielle had to cut in ruin what would've been a better and more leveling option compared to being on the blindside with whatever it was Arielle was coming up with."

"If we fail to complete whatever tasks we would be facing, do you think he would still be eager to fight?" Elijah asked. He couldn't see Ethan doing anything remotely close to that especially if they end up losing.

"I'm willing to place a wager that Ethan dreams about facing us on the battlefield. He knows we wouldn't just go away especially if the outcome wasn't in our favor."

"But first, we have to wait. Patience is key in these crucial moments." Jonathan insisted and Elijah and I agreed with him.

The car came to a stop in front of the guest house and as soon as the door was opened from the outside by a guard, I made my way outside, my brothers following suit.

I checked my watch, it wasn't yet noon, there was a whole lot of time between now and whenever the first task we would be required to complete came through.

"Do you have any activity you would want to do today?" I turned to Jonathan and Elijah. "From the looks of things, it's going to be our last free day in a long time or during the entire course of our stay here."

Jonathan shook his head. "I would rather sleep the whole day, I've barely slept in days. The last time I remembered sleeping comfortably was during the last week."

"What about you, Elijah?"

"Jonathan's right, Loki. If anything, we ought to consider resting properly for the time being."

I nodded, understanding their decisions. I needed to rest as well but I was currently restless and I couldn't do anything productive in moments like this.

"I guess I'll see you both later. I think I'll just head into town and get a feel of the city. I-"

I stopped short as I saw one of my guards walking briskly toward where we stood. There was an envelope in his hands as he bore down on us.

Arielle couldn't have prepared our first task already or could she?

I turned towards my brothers and they both wore the same grim look on their faces, I figured they had the same thoughts as I did.

It wasn't that much of a surprise given the fact that they already knew of our arrival a few weeks ago, nothing was stopping her from having set down her requirements if we wanted her back. She was still as clever as she had always been but unlike before, she was fearless and she carried herself with an air of authority surrounding her.

She had undergone one of the best character development I had ever seen.

"A package arrived from the mansion," The guard began as soon as he approached us, bowing slightly. "It has the seal of the Alpha on it."

"Is there any note from the sender?" I asked, stretching my hand to receive the large envelope.

"There's none attached to it," The guard replied and the messenger completely ignored my questions about the contents of the letter."

I nodded before dismissing the guard and staring at the envelope in my hands.

"I guess there's no outing for you anymore," Elijah chuckled. "Arielle doesn't waste any time and it's perfect that way. The earlier we wrap this up, the better for everyone."

"Does anyone want to take any guesses as to what would be inside the envelope?" Jonathan asked as we made our way inside the guest house.

"Isn't it obvious already?" I replied, pushing the brass door open as I stepped into the house.

"Well, given how she's surprised me once, I wouldn't put it past her doing it again," Jonathan said as he stepped into the house as well, Elijah followed suit and slammed the door shut behind him. "There's only one way to replace out," I replied, tearing open the envelope.