Star-Crossed Enemies ✔️

Chapter 24

"I'm not sure." she says grabbing a tablet and taking a seat on one of the couches as she searches trough the files. "There is not much about it but there is a report about a fail of capture of wolf child. It says here she was seen escaping with a woman, 5"4, brown hair. They couldn't identify her beyond that."

"Why did the hunters wanted to capture the child?" I ask her confused

"It could be multiple reasons. Maybe they wanted her to train her as a hunter and infiltrate her in a pack later on, or maybe they wanted to experiment on her. They have several videos here of experiments on werewolves and their reaction to our weapons."

"And you still call us the monsters." I comment in disgust.

She was about to reply when Christine stepped in ready to tell the story I asked her to.

"Alright so, there aren't many reports of what happened exactly that day so I can only tell you the facts." she says frustrated. I could tell she wasn't happy about not having the full story.

"Better than nothing." I encourage her

"The attack happened 15 years ago on August 13th, 2007. There are no clear reports of how they got in but a group of hunters, approximately 15 of them, infiltrated the pack and caused one the bloodiest attack we had on pack since 1897. 41 wolves died, some butchered in their homes, women, children, elderly, they got to them when they were sleeping in their homes, in the dark of night. Others died in the attack on the palace, a guard saw them and raised the alarm. Probably saved a lot of lives in doing so. But in the mist of the attack, the Ricci family was targeted and slaughtered. Their 4-year-old daughter Tatiana Ricci disappeared and was presumed captured and dead after her blood was found on the scene."

"Why was the Ricci family targeted?"

"Nobody knows. Nathaniel Ricci was a member of nobility, his family had advised the kings and queens of our pack for centuries. He was politically savvy and was said to have the ear of the king. Nothing happened in the kingdom without a Ricci knowing about it."

"So by taking them out they managed to destabilize the kingdom in a single strike." I comment "Who stepped in after them?"

"The Morgan's." she replies "They've been around for a while but nowhere as politically savvy as the Ricci's, or with the influence they possessed. They took advantage of the gap to pull in their ranks and climb the social ladder."

"Interesting." My mind was racing with the information. I turn to Hayley, trying to piece together the pieces of the puzzle. "The wolf child that the hunters failed to capture. Do they say who it was? A name, anything?"

"No, only that she was signed for capture but managed to escape. Why?"

I turn to Chris again.

"Was there anybody else reported missing or presumed captured? A woman perhaps? 5"4? Brown hair?"

"I...." Chris searches through the papers with focus "Yes! Amelia Dubois! She was the Ricci's family personal guard. She was tasked in protecting the family that night. Her blood was found in the room where Tatiana Ricci slept and was presumed captured. It was theorized that they were both taken at the same time."

"You can't think..." Hayley says following my train of thought.

"That she managed to fight of her attacker and disappeared with the child? That is exactly what I am thinking."

"Then why would she disappear? Why not return to the pack?"

"Maybe she thought it would be safe. But why would anyone target the girl specifically? She was just a child."

"I think I know the answer to that question." Christine says with her eyes open wild. "The king. King Dante that is. He was supposed to mate with her. There are stories that say that the two of them were inseparable as children. That is why he has never mated. Because she was his mate, and he vowed never to mate with another."

"Okay, now we are just throwing theories around." Hayley says "The only family that even gained something with the Ricci's death were the Morgan's and they have no affiliation with hunters whatsoever." she says after looking them up on her tablet.

"Well...it's no secret that Annabelle Morgan wants to be Queen." Chris says uncomfortable "Her father has been insinuating as much for years, but the King never caved."

"What do we know about the Morgan's? More specifically the father?" I ask Hayley

"Harry Morgan. Born in a pack near Mexico, transferred here with his mate, Flora Morgan, when he gained more footing in the political field. Has a daughter Annabelle Morgan, 24. Unmated. He's the king advisor and head of council since Nathaniel Ricci's death. He has no suspicious money movements in his account, at least not on the surface, but if you want I could dig deeper. see what I can dig up."

"Please do." I request

"The king will want to be notified of our discoveries." Christine says reluctant "If what you're implying is true than he will want to know."

"Not until we have more than just theories." I tell her "There is no point in having him relieve painful memories, unless of absolute certainty."

If the King really did consider Tatiana Ricci his mate, and still does to this day, there is no way of knowing how he will react to what we found.

"On that note, I don't want anyone knowing of this until I'm ready to disclose it to the King. This stays between the three of us, no one else."

Both of them agree.

If what we were thinking was true, then this goes beyond anything we could have imagined. It could possibly destabilize the pack in ways we hadn't foreseen before.

One more chapter done and our team just got a lead on TWO suspects! And in the mid time they stumbled across a conspiracy more than a decade years old!

Do you think Julius should tell the King immediately or he did well in keeping it a secret for now? Tell me your thoughts!

Don't forget!

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