Sold To The Alpha
Hated Ties That Bind Chapter 53

As the front door had slammed shut, sealing the two werewolves inside, Daniel had thrown himself at the door, trying to shoulder it open whilst Landen pulled the door handle down. Behind them, Alessia was screaming, 'Rowan? ROWAN? Can you hear me? Riley?' After a few moments, Daniel sat down on the doorstep, his breathing laboured as he rubbed his shoulder, the door unaffected by his assault. Landen paced back and forth in front of his father in agitation, 'first we lose Nate, now the Luna and Rowan?' he growled, 'we might as well go Rogue because if we go home without them, the Alpha and Gabby are going to strip us of our flesh.

Daniel glared up at his son, 'we are not going home without them Lan' he replied sternly.

Landen stared back at him incredulously, 'what do you suggest we do? Because we are not getting through that door!' he argued back.

'We'll think of something Landen' he father retorted angrily.

Alessia stepped between the father and son, her face set as she scowled at the pair of them, 'we are going to walk around until we replace a way inside' she replied evenly. 'Now pack your bickering in because you are giving me a headache! Clambering to his feet, Daniel nodded, sweeping his arm forward in a flourish, 'after you' he said, Alessia rolling her eyes as she started off around the house, her eyes searching for an entry point.

Circling the brick building, the she wolf scrutinised the windows, pulling at the protective bars on the ground floor, growling when they steadfastly held in place.

Gazing up to the windows of the second floor, she sighed, the wall was sheer and the vines, though sturdily anchored to the wall, were no where near thick enough to hold their weight.

Continuing around the building, the trio could replace no obvious entry point, the back door opened to reveal a solid cement block wall that would take significant time to breach, time that they did not have.

Reaching the front door again, Alessia kicked it angrily, 'this is ridiculous' she growled, 'it's a house! There must be a way inside' Before dropping onto the step in defeat.

Landen scuffed at the thick weeds that grew against the walls, his brow furrowed in concentration. Moving away from the pair, he bent down and moved more brush, inspecting the ground, his fingers pulling up the dirt insistently.

'What are you doing son?' Daniel called out as he sat down on the step heavily, next to the she wolf.

'I don't know' the Beta replied distractedly as he continued to walk away from them, the pair standing up and following him in bemusement.

Moving around the edge of the building, Landen kept bending down, pulling the thick vegetation away until he finally stopped giving a shout of victory.

Hurrying up to him, Daniel shouted, 'what is it? What have you found?'

The Younger Beta turned to his father, his face shining as he pulled back the weeds once more to reveal a small window. 'I had a feeling that there was a basement or underground room on the house, I couldn't replace a slab that the house was sat on when I dug down with my fingers, there were just more bricks. It made me wonder if there was a source of light, Ariana either doesn't know about the window or didn't think we would replace it.

Crouching down, Daniel inspected the window, that was free of protective iron bars. Peeking through the mud covered glass, he could barely see a foot into the room.

Using his fingers, the Beta pried at the edge of the wooden frame, digging his nails into the creases and applying pressure, wiggling gently as the old nails holding it in place began to reluctantly come loose from their housing.

Moving next to his father, Landen started to work on the opposite side, the pair rocking the old frame until with a groan of protest it fell from the wall into their awaiting hands.

Peering at the tiny entrance, Landen grimaced, 'it's going to be a tight squeeze' he mumbled as he glanced at his father's broad shoulders before wriggling his own.

'We'll get through' Daniel replied, moving around until his feet were in front of him and pushing them through the narrow gap.

Moving his body side to side, the Beta inched his way into the room, the tips of his shoes feeling underneath him for anything that could support his weight.

Grunting, Daniel wriggled side to side, wincing as the rough bricks lifted his t'shirt and rubbed against his exposed skin.

Finally, his arms lifted above his head and he slipped into the darkness, a small thump letting the other two know that he had landed on the floor.

'Are you OK Daniel?' Alessia called down in a low tone.

'Yes, it's not to bad a drop' the Beta called back, 'Lessi, you come next and I'll guide you down, then Landen.'

Nodding, Alessia settled on the floor, handing through all the rucksacks to the Beta, before pushing her feet through the hole and sliding her lithe figure into the darkness. Feeling hands on her legs, the she wolf tensed momentarily before relaxing and allowing Daniel to support her, taking her weight as he lowered her to the floor gently.

Next came Landen, the younger Beta huffing as he tried to force his bulky frame through the unforgiving space. 'Geez dad, how the hell did you fit?' the warrior groaned as his hung from the window, half inside, half out.

'I eat less cake than you' his father replied gruffly as he pulled on his son's legs, Alessia holding down his t'shirt to stop him getting hurt, Landen swearing softly as he inched his way into the building.

Suddenly halting, Landen sighed, 'uhh dad?' he called.

'What is it?' Daniel asked as he continued to try and drag his son into the room by the loops on his jeans.

'I think I'm stuck' the warrior replied.

'Please say you are joking right now?' his father grumbled exasperatedly.

Wriggling his backside, Landen laughed without humour, 'nope, definitely stuck, my shoulders are wedged.

Cursing under his breath, Daniel let his son go, taking a step backwards into the darkness as he wiped his sweaty face with his hand.

Alessia edged into the darkness, her hands outstretched as her feet scraped the floor, feeling for obstacles. Reaching the far wall unhindered, the she wolf ran her hands over the exposed brick, then down onto furniture that was placed against the wall. Her questing hands finally found a small oblong box, praying to the moon Goddess, she pushed the side and breathed a sigh of relief as it slipped open, revealing short sticks to her questing fingers.

Lifting one out, she carefully ran her finger over the edge, replaceing the rough side, running the stick along it, light flickered into creation, lighting up her face.

Moving around with the match in her hand, Alessia found a box on a shelf that held some candles, pulling one out, she lit it as she waved her hand extinguishing the match.

Light flooded the tiny room, revealing that they were in a small storage room that was piled with odd bits of furniture, empty potion bottles, a mop and bucket and three boxes that were labelled 'Dad'.

On the other wall, hung Landen's bottom half, his shoulders filling the entire window as he kicked his feet trying to get free.

Picking up some of the bottles, Alessia smelt them tentatively, pulling a face before putting them down again, digging further into the rubbish, she found an old bottle of cooking oil that had been forgotten long ago from the grime on the bottle. Picking it up, she hurried back to the window, holding it up so that Daniel could see it, 'that should work' the Beta agreed as he took it and unscrewed the lid.

'What will work? What are you doing?' Landen asked sharply.

'Lubing you up son' the Beta replied.

'Dad that sounds really wrong, I beg you never to use those words ever again in my presence' the warrior groaned.

Chuckling, Daniel squeezed some of the oil onto Landen's back, pulling at his shirt to try and get it between his son and the bricks.

'Ugh, what is that? What the hell are you pouring on me?' the youngster moaned as he sniffed before making gagging noises.

'Cooking Oil' his dad replied unfazed.

'This is a new shirt old man!' Landen growled, 'Sierra bought it for me, I am so dead' he muttered as he started to wriggle until finally his body began to inch backwards into the room.

Alessia and Daniel pulled as hard as they could, stopping only to add more oil, after ten minutes of grunts, the warrior slid through the hole with a pop and fell backwards on top of his father who shoved him off immediately, scrambling to his feet and looking at his own t'shirt in disgust.

'Your mum is going to go mad' he grumbled as he grabbed his rucksack and pulled out a clean shirt, ripping his soiled one from his body.

Mimicking his father's movements, Landen retorted, 'yeah, not so funny when its your wife who's got to be told you wrecked a shirt with cooking oil.

Walking to the door, Alessia pressed her ear to the door, turning back to the two bickering men and holding her finger to her lips, 'I can hear voice's' she hissed softly, pointing to the door.

Pulling their t'shirts, the two Beta's hurried over to the she wolf and stood beside her, listening intently to what was happening in the next room.

*****

Riley searched the hallway desperately, trying to replace something that would extinguish the flames. Spotting a vase, he grabbed it, turning and throwing the putrid water that was contained in the bottom and the flames that hissed slightly but continued their task. Spinning around frantically, the Luna rushed around trying the doors that blocked off rooms from the main entrance, rattling each door, he cursed as they wouldn't budge.

'Riley!' Rowan called out, his voice calm as he continued to back toward a far wall, 'I don't want to rush you or anything, but if you wanted to save me, sooner would be better rather than later!'

'I'm doing my best here Ro, all the damn doors are locked!' the older werewolf growled back. Taking a few steps back, he threw himself at one of the doors, bouncing off as the tell-tale creaking of splintering wood rang through the air.

Scrambling up, Riley slammed his shoulder into it again, grunting as the old hinges gave way, he and the door falling inwards to a small dusty study.

Grabbing the door, the Luna carried it easily to the fire, throwing it down over a section and stepping onto it, grabbing Rowan's outstretched hand and pulling him to his side.

Looking back at the circle of fire that had joined behind where he was stood, Rowan watched as it crept its way inward over where he had stood until the whole circle was aflame. 'Are you alright?' Riley asked shakily as he scrutinised the warrior.

Rowan nodded with a weak smile, 'yeah, got a bit hot there, but it's all good.'

Shaking his head, Riley rolled his eyes as he flicked his head, indicating that they should start moving.

Moving around the slowly dying fire, they headed toward the room that Riley had broken into earlier, stepping inside, they scoured the walls, taking in the walls lined with bookshelves. A desk stood prominently in the centre of the room, holding a small desk lamp and some books that on closer inspection seemed to be financial ledgers of some kind.

Years of dust covered the whole room, the small window barely letting in any light through the grime caked to the small glass panes.

Walking back out, they headed to the next door, pushing against it, surprised as it opened easily.

'This was locked a minute ago' Riley muttered in a low voice.

Rowan nodded, 'then this is the way to Ariana' he replied quietly, pushing the door wide and stepping over the threshold tentatively.

Fumbling his hand along the wall beside him, the warrior's questing fingers found a small switch. Flicking it, the room was bathed in light, revealing a large dining room that had a huge table that could easily seat twelve, expensive, hand carved dining chairs, placed around it. The walls were hand covered in deep oak panelling, an expensive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling above their heads.

A marble fireplace overshadowed the room, as the warrior studied it, he noticed that the deep grate was surprisingly clean compared to the rest of the room. Walking toward it, Rowan knelt, running his fingers over the crevice's between the heavy stone slabs, his brow furrowed in concentration.

'Riles' he whispered furtively, drawing the Luna's attention who immediately crouched down beside him as he traced the grove between the slabs again. 'These slabs are not held in place' the warrior muttered, 'I think they move. Fitting his fingers in the crease, Rowan pulled upwards, grunting as the stones stubbornly remained fixed in place.

Riley ran his fingers over the marble surround, feeling the contours of the ornate carvings that decorated it.

The tips of his fingers inched around the side of the mantle and paused over a tiny indent that was barely visible. Pushing his nail into the groove, he caused Rowan to stumble backwards as the grate he was inspecting silently slid downwards and then back under the flooring to reveal a small spiral staircase.

Looking up at Riley, Rowan mouthed, 'should we go down? Or wait?'

The Luna contemplated momentarily before pointing to the stairs, the warrior nodding as he sat on the edge and slid into the hole, using his feet to feet for the edge of each step as he started to climb downwards into the pitch black, Riley behind him. Down they spiralled, into darkness so deep that even their werewolf sight could not penetrate it.

Reaching the bottom, Rowan held his arm out to the Luna to let him know that there was no more stairs, Riley squeezing his arm in acknowledgement.

Reaching out blindly, the pair started to feel around them, taking hesitant steps away from each other as their hands stretched through thin air.

'I've found a wall' Riley called back softly after a few seconds.

'me too' Rowan replied, 'how many steps did you take?'

'About five' the Luna said

'Same here' the warrior replied, 'So it looks like we are in a tunnel of some sort.

Making their way back to the centre, the two men grabbed hold of each other as they turned away from the stairs and the small pinprick of light from the hole above them, walking forward blindly.

'Wait, I have an idea' Riley muttered suddenly as he started to make rustling sounds, moments later a flicker of light appeared, illuminating his face as he held up a small pocket torch.

'Where did you get that?' Rowan demanded in a low hiss

Riley chuckled, 'your wife' he replied, 'she gave it too me last time I went on a mission, clipped it to the inside of my bag saying that now I'm older I might need a bit of help with my night vision. I forgot all about it after I ripped it off and threw it in one of the side pockets while that little rat laughed at me, seems my daughter's sense of humour just saved our asses!

Rowan laughed, his low husky chuckle rolling around them, 'ah I love that woman' he mumbled to himself fondly, 'she always knows what we need.'

Keeping together, they used the torch light to look around themselves, taking in the curved stone walls that arched over their heads encasing them. Walking forward they could hear the gentle drip of water, as it landed on the slabs beneath their feet from a crack they couldn't see.

As they approached the end of the corridor, they found a small wooden door that was held in place by old iron hinges that stretched across the thick planks.

Reaching out, Rowan slowly turned the large iron ring pull and pushed the door forward.

Bright light blinded them as the door swung inward, the pair throwing up their arms in front of their eyes as they were blinded.

The pair felt a pull on their bodies from behind their navels as they stumbled unwillingly into the room, the door slamming shut behind them as a cage appeared trapping them inside.

Blinking rapidly, Rowan grabbed the bars, hissing as he quickly released them again, the silver having burned into his flesh. Looking up he was faced with the smiling face of Ariana who stood a few feet away, watching him with excitement. 'Welcome Rowan' she said softly, her eyes sparkling in happiness, 'I have really looked forward to your arrival.'