All Chapters of The Alpha's Fated Encounter: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

“I overheard them talk about this,” she said, her voice high and panicky. The room went silent as people turned toward us to listen.Ignoring them, I put my hands on Abi’s shoulders. “What are you talking about?”Abi took a deep, steadying breath and spoke as Nico stepped up beside me. “When they had me, I remember hearing some of the guards talking. They were eating and playing cards at a table. They were… I think, they were talking about some kind of poison that could stop shifters from being able to shift. I’d almost forgotten about it until right now.”The room went deathly quiet. The implications of what she’d said reverberated across the minds of everyone in attendance. The thought that the royals could poison us and prevent us from shifting into our animals or prevent us from changing back to humans was a huge revelation. Everyone looked fairly terrified of the prospect. I understood how they felt—I’d only been able to shift for a couple of weeks, and I couldn’t imagine not bei

I’d never even thought of them using this on her mother. Maddy had been hopeful that her birth mom had somehow gotten away, but I’d had a more realistic view. If they had synthesized something, why wouldn’t they use it on a shifter they already had in captivity? It’s what I would have done if were a sociopathic nutjob like Viola.Maddy’s fists began to shake, and her lips peeled back, revealing her teeth. Her anger started to boil up from within her. I could sense her rage and power building. It was emanating out from her body. I spared a glance at Tiago. The old alpha was looking at me with wide, surprised eyes. He frowned, and I could see his fingers and shoulders start to tremble. He bowed his head in instinctive subservience to Maddy. My own reaction came slower, probably because I was her mate, but an innate fear welled up inside me that I couldn’t hold back any longer. It was the kind of fear a child had when they knew a parent was mad at them, that same anxiety you got when you

Sebastian flopped onto the couch and crossed his arms. He sat that way for several seconds, not saying a word. I looked at Nico. He was staring at Sebastian, one eyebrow raised. The expression on Nico’s face told me he knew that any second, Sebastian would spill whatever he was holding in.A solid ten seconds later, Sebastian huffed a sigh and, without looking at us, said, “I’m not going.”Nico looked surprised, but all I felt was a sense of relief. I’d actually been expecting this. I had to bite my lip to keep the knowing smile from spreading across my face.“Why aren’t you going?” Nico asked.Sebastian shrugged and sat forward. “I’m not comfortable leaving Abi here all alone. I don’t think that she’s in a good enough place for us all to abandon her again and run off on another crazy mission. I’ll stay behind and watch out for her.” He shook his head and gave Nico a serious look. “If something else major happened while we were gone, I don’t think she’d survive it… mentally, I mean.”

He nodded. “Big black sedan sitting in a driveway about three miles up the road. As soon as I turned onto your road, they followed. I think they pulled into a pull-off a hundred or so yards from the gate.”“Well, that’s not what we planned, but maybe it’ll work out better. You said you only saw one car?” I asked.“Yup.”I looked at the others. “Okay, let’s go. If we leave now, they won’t have a chance to call for a second pursuit vehicle. Move.”The next several seconds were spent in a frenzy. Bags were shoved in the matching white van. It was the work van we used at my shop, and it looked almost exactly the same as the one Javi had brought. I slid in behind the wheel, then leaned out the window and called out to Javi. “Stay safe and keep those fuckers off our tail.”Javi gave a thumbs up, got into his own van, and started down the drive. I followed and waved to the guard at the gate. It only took a few seconds for me to see the car Javi had been talking about. It sat high up in an ol

It took a couple of hours and a lot of searching on the internet, but eventually, we found a company that would rent us equipment without being certified. None of us had the certification, but living so close to the ocean, Felipe, Sebastian, and I had all learned the ins and outs. We knew enough to show Tiago and Maddy. We weren’t diving deep, but we were going into a cave system. I didn’t mention it, but the look in Felipe’s eyes reminded me how dangerous that was. More scuba divers died while diving in caves than in any other way. We’d have to be very careful. I didn’t want us to drown. That would be a ridiculous end to such a dramatic journey.“Okay,” Felipe said. “I’ve got a boat rented. We can pick it up at seven tomorrow morning.”“Great. I’ll message the diving place and let them know we’ll be there to pick up the stuff on the way there,” I said.“Cool. I’m gonna make dinner,” Sebastian said, heading to the kitchen. “We bought frozen pizzas. Is everyone good with that?”“Not us