Their Secret Obsession (A Reverse Harem)

Chase's POV

As we moved through the wreckage, I fell into step behind Knox and Adam, the tension thick in the air.

"Thank you," I heard Kane say quietly.

"For what?" Knox asked tersely.

"Seriously, can we not just bang their heads together and make them kiss and make up?" I asked Adam through mindlink. His chuckle echoed off the tunnel walls as we moved towards Lottie's room.

"For trusting me. For putting our differences aside." Kane replied, his shoulders stiffening as if bracing for a blow that hadn't come yet. This was getting irritating; their mate and my sister were missing, and the two of them were more concerned with their own pride. "We don't have time for grudges." Knox glanced at Kane, his expression softening just a fraction.

"Agreed." I growled as Liam leaned toward me.

"You shouldn't have threatened Alpha Leigh with the Sparrow brothers. We have no authority over their beef," he whispered.

"Not now," I shook my head, gritting my teeth tightly. It was clear Kane had overheard and couldn't help but ask,

"Chase, what exactly do the Sparrow brothers do?"

"They handle problems. Permanently." I met Kane's gaze briefly before looking straight at their father, who eyed me nervously. Leigh swallowed hard, clearly understanding the implication- as he should. Authority or not, Leigh had every reason to be afraid.

We followed their father down a narrow hallway lined with faded tapestries. He stopped in front of an unremarkable section of wall and pressed a hidden latch. With a soft groan, a panel slid open, revealing a dark passageway.

"These are the tunnels," he admitted quietly. "That way leads to Lottie's room. The other way, most likely the way they took her."

"How far do they go?" I peered into the darkness.

"Far enough," he answered. "They lead out beyond the pack's territory."

"Why keep them a secret?" Knox demanded as he stepped forward.

"For emergencies," Leigh answered defensively. "In case we needed an escape route."

"Or a way to smuggle people in and out without being seen," I scoffed, Adam's aura of suspicion confirming he felt the same. Something was off.noveldrama

Leigh didn't respond. Not that I needed him to. Knox pushed past us, entering the tunnel without hesitation.

"We don't have time for this. Let's go." Knox ordered, his mission clear-to get our sister back. And that was a mission I could get behind. I shoved Leigh forward, ignoring his request to stay behind. We followed Knox into the passageway, the door closing with a soft click behind us. The air was damp, cold, and smelled of rot. Only the light from Liam's phone pierced the suffocating darkness.

As we walked, I couldn't shake the unease settling in my gut.

"Father," Kane asked, breaking the silence. "If you weren't involved, why didn't you tell us about this sooner?"

"I didn't think it was necessary." He sighed.

"Not necessary?" Knox echoed incredulously. "Lottie's missing, and you withheld crucial information."

"I didn't know she was missing until you attacked me," Leigh shot back.

"You've lied to us at every turn," Kane proclaimed, frustration seeping into his voice. "About the tunnels, about Anthony..."

"I did what I thought was best." He stopped walking, turning to face us.

"For who?" I demanded. "Because it certainly wasn't for your sons or our sister."

"Enough," Liam interrupted sharply. "We can sort out your family drama later. Right now, we need to focus."

"Fine." I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. But deep down, I had already decided Leigh's fate. If his sons didn't kill him, I would. We continued in tense silence until Liam spoke up.

"Do you hear that?" We paused, straining to listen. Faint echoes drifted through the tunnel-a distant sound of water, maybe voices.

"Which way?" Knox asked. His eyes glowed faintly, his body on edge, ready to strike.

"This way, I can smell him," I pointed ahead. The scent was unmistakable-sulfur, blood, and that heavy, oppressive energy that only came from something demonic. Astaroth was close. "Who?" Adam asked, his eyes meeting mine briefly before they dropped, but it was too late. I'd already spotted the dread in them. He knew what was coming.

"Evil," I muttered under my breath. My heart pounded in my chest-a mix of fear and hope. As we moved forward, the sounds grew louder. A distant hum of voices, water trickling somewhere deeper in the tunnels, and that unmistakable sense of evil creeping closer. Were we getting closer to Lottie, or was this just another trap?

Suddenly, Leigh grabbed my arm.

"Wait," he whispered, his voice shaking, desperation seeping into his tone.

"What now?" I frowned, already imagining the ways I could make his death slow and painful if this was another lie. "There are traps ahead," he warned, his eyes wide with fear.

"Convenient," Knox muttered.

"Can you disarm them?" I asked, growing bored of his little games. I was done with his excuses.

"I think so," he nodded slowly. But I didn't trust him. He was stalling, or worse, leading us straight into another betrayal.

"Then do it," I urged.

He moved ahead cautiously,

examining the walls and floor.

Watching him, a pang of conflicting

emotions hit me. Part of me still

wanted to believe he was on our

side, but his track record didn't

exactly inspire confidence.

"Chase," Liam whispered. "Do you trust him?"

I glanced at Liam, noting his sudden shift in demeanour, his usual cockiness replaced with grim focus.

"Not entirely. But we don't have much choice." I nodded, gripping the hilt of the knife I'd hidden in the waistband of Lottie's sweatpants-just in case.

"I've disabled the first one." Leigh motioned for us to follow. We proceeded cautiously, the tension thickening with each step.

"Why would you set traps in your own tunnels?" Liam asked, his distrust mirroring my own.

"To protect against enemies," Leigh replied, his tone too casual, too rehearsed.

"Or to keep secrets hidden," Knox muttered under his breath. His eyes narrowed as the tension in the air shifted again. I caught the scent of deceit, his jaw tightening as he glanced between Leigh and the rest of us. "Are you the only one who knows of the traps, or can Kane and Knox help disarm them?" I asked, baiting him discreetly.

"Only me," Leigh laughed, the sound

hollow and out of place. "Sorry, boys.

Seems you have to keep me

around a little while longer." I shared

a glance with Knox. Leigh's laughter grated on my nerves. Both of us agreed that there was no happy ending for him in this-he just didn't realise it yet.