The Delta's Daughter Chapter 174

I looked at Rogue with wide eyes, those were not my feelings. To be sure, I decided to do something mean and raised my hand, slapping him hard across his face. Immediately I felt his anger and confusion and I began laughing.

‘Told you,’ Conri said smugly. I brushed my wolf off.

“I’m sorry,” I told Rogue who was holding the side of his face, “I felt your anger. We may not be able to communicate by mind link but I can feel some of your emotions.” I was still slightly chuckling at the outcome. As I told him, we may not be able to communicate but if can channel his thoughts into emotions I would be able to read him and understand him better.

It actually felt good to have some kind of connection with another wolf. Tala had marked me, and she should be able to feel me, but I could not feel her yet. Not until I marked her.

*****

TALA

During the day I tried to stay out of My father’s way, but with the new revelation that Vargr wasn’t actually my father and my wolf no longer had to submit to his commands after marking Kellen, I became a little braver, determined as ever, and more so now, to bring my father down.

Jasper was currently running a training session for our warriors and Eloise and I had been pacing the palace ever since yesterday when Teal was brought into my father’s office along with Jasper, Oliver, and Jack. We had been patiently waiting to talk with him, but now it was the next day and our curiosity and patience were wearing thin.

Something happened yesterday behind those closed doors and Jasper hadn’t had the chance to converse with us yet. I had mind-linked him last night and this morning but he told me he couldn’t talk. He even brushed off Eloise, which was rare as he took every opportunity to be close to her. So we knew it was serious and a conversation that he needed to have face to face.

We were sitting in the library in our favorite nook discussing how many people were beginning to, already, join our coup. Eloise had every single omega that worked in the palace backing any play we came up with. A few of the head maids had even told her, that members from outside the palace were rallying to go against Vargr. The main thing they worried about was his army.

“We need an outside voice,” I said, thinking about how the omega members of the kingdom could be heard. “Someone who can bring them all together, someone who can… be their voice and organize a meeting amongst them,” I said, milling my thoughts over possibilities.

“What about Mildred” El contemplated.

Mildred was not only one of my mother’s personal maids but also the head maid for the palace. She had a lot of pull in the palace as well as outside the compound. Her husband was a warrior, on the verge of retiring. “Possibly,” I replied as I thought more about the idea. “What about her husband He is a respected warrior, do you think he would be on board”

“There is a good possibility, he might. We know Mildred is with us, we can ask her about her husband.” I smiled at my friend's response, happy she was thinking along the same lines as me.

“What can we do about Kellen’s chip” I asked her.

“It would help if I had more information on the device, that way I would know more about it, not just what it does.” She paused, scrunching her face into her familiar ‘thinking’ look. We had not had a chance to try and reach out to anyone by means of telephone plus we really didn’t know who we were calling. I would need more information from Kellen before I even attempted that. We could use a radio, but again, who were we contacting We needed a signal to connect to another party Eloise had explained.

“Come on!” I suddenly exclaimed jumping to my feet as a thought occurred to me while thinking of the chips, which led me to think of my sister Shayna.

Eloise looked taken back by my sudden movements and over-excited voice. Like the best friend she is, she took the cue and stood up too. “Where are we going” She asked as we exited the library.

“To the cellar” I smiled at her and waggled my eyebrows.

She gave me a groan and an eye roll, she hated the cellars “Why You know that place creeps me out, it’s scary.” She complained, her body giving a slight quiver as she thought of the cold and unfriendly space below.

“You want answers about the chip The only place we are going to find them is in Shayna’s lab.” My father had built her lab in the old wine cellar beneath the palace floors when he became aware of her gift and potential. As far as I knew, everything should still be there.

“We aren’t allowed in there, Alpha forbid it.” She protested while biting her bottom lips out of nervousness.

“Yah well, I don’t have to listen to him anymore,” I chuckled “Besides, he didn’t command you, personally did he Just the staff I thought.”

“Well no, but…”

“Stop trying to get out of it El, we're going down,” I said with finality in my voice.

She gave a loud huff “Fine, but if there’s weird shit and dead bodies in there, I’m out.” She was absolutely serious and all I could do was laugh at her childish fear. A fear my sister had put in her head when we were much younger.

Shayna had convinced Eloise that the cellar was full of ghosts and that dead bodies had been buried under there. Ever since, El had been too scared to find out for herself if my sister's words were true or not, despite how many times Jasper and I had told her Shayna was pulling her leg.

The cellar was cold, damp smelling, and uninviting. There were several corridors down here that led to various rooms nestled under the palace’s foundation. Eloise stuck to my side like glue, jumping every now and then at the sound of nothing. Her werewolf senses were not as astute as mine, her being an omega.

Finally reaching the end of one of the corridors we found the door to my late sister’s lab. I found it a little odd that none of the doors were locked like I had assumed they would be, seeing as my father had forbidden people from entering down here I would have figured that he would have everything shut up tight. I guess he thought more highly of his commands than I gave him credit for.

Entering I closed the door behind us and fumbled on the walls to find a light switch, finally finding one and flipping it. The room came to life as ugly bright fluorescent lights flickered on.

“Mother mercy, Tala! This is something straight out of a horror book!” I chuckled at Eloise’s discomfort and looked around.

It was not as bad as she was making out. Sure there were a few glass cases with questionable things in them, some burners and a small forge in the corner, a few filing cabinets, and locked shelving. Otherwise, the lab housed several metal tables that held various items such as tongs and prongs and other equipment you would generally see in a school science lab. On the far wall was another door and my feet automatically took me there.

“Don’t open it” El gasped grasping my elbow.

“Shut up, you wimp.” I laughed at her and pulled the stiff metal door open, lights automatically flickered on this time. This seemed to be a small office with two desks a bookshelf and a small make-shift bed. “Let’s see what we can find, you take that side” I pointed to the left side of the room and I moved to start searching the right side.

We began carefully sifting through draws, cupboards, and shelves, I didn’t want to disturb too much as I had no idea if my father, Vargr, came down here anymore. After an hour of looking in the room, back to the lab, and then back in the room, Eloise and I had found nothing of consequence and were ready to give up.

We sat on the floor by the makeshift cot, in silence, both of us wondering if there was an area we had missed. I began to think maybe we should see what was behind some of the other doors when Eloise broke the silence.

“So you marked your mate, what is he like” I smiled at how casually she could ask me, my best friend may be ranked under me but our friendship superseded the expectant way my father thought we should associate with omega wolves.

I felt a little flutter throughout my body, primarily in the heart and my lower stomach when I thought of Kellen and a coy smile graced my lips. “He’s wonderful” I blushed my confession “I had no idea the pull of a mate bond could be this strong, the way you and Jasper have described it… it doesn’t compare.” El giggled at my sheepish words. “How have you guys not marked and mated” I asked truly curious because when I was close to Kellen that’s all I could think about, my wolf would send me mental images of him and I in throws of passion and I wanted that. So badly.

“I think the pull is stronger for you being an Alpha and your mate is very powerful from what Jasper has told me.” After a beat of silence, Eloise spoke up again her words now holding a sense of sorrow “Besides, Jasper can’t claim me, we both know your father and his would probably kill me.”

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat and felt tears brim my eyes for their situation “I’m sorry El,” I said quietly feeling ashamed that this was partly my fault “This is why it is important to get my mate out of here and overthrow my father. All I want is for things to work out for you two.” I threw my arm around her shoulders and brought her against me, hoping my hug was a least a little comforting to her.

“I know, it’s just… hard.” I understood her position now, more than I did two weeks ago. This had to work out, it just had to and we were running out of time. There were only 14 days of the Gladiator Game left.

“Hey, what’s that” Eloise asked, pointing to the vent on the lower half of the wall under Shayna’s desk. She scooted forward closer to the vent her finger running over the screws that held it in place. “The screws are stripped like it had been open and closed frequently.

I shuffled up next to her, seeing what she meant “Get the scissors off the desk,” I instructed.

Using the scissors we managed to remove the vent cover, and of course, I had to put my hand in there, El was too chicken shit, thinking something would grab her or there would be spiders. I felt around and stopped when my hand landed on fabric.

I pulled at the fabric that had some weight behind it, dragging it out of the opening. It was a knapsack and when we opened it, it contained 5 leather books and some drawings in a clear plastic folder.

“It’s her diary!” Eloise exclaimed upon closer inspection.

“Yeah, and the blueprints for the chips,” I whispered, still unbelieving that we had actually found something that could prove to be useful.