Beta's Second Chance

Hecate's Warning

Once the three werewolves finished being in the hospital, they immediately returned to the pack. Matthias ordered Rickon to announce to the pack that there would be an emergency meeting in two hours at the pack's meeting hall. Rickon went to do what he was told while the Alpha and Beta went on to Hecate's home. Upon arrival, they saw guards standing outside Hecate's house; they bowed and let their leaders enter. Once inside, they heard and saw Hecate chanting while walking around a long table that contained the corpses of the murdered rogue family.

Priestess Hecate wore a long black ceremonial black dress that was decorated handmade with tiny crystals and gems. She wore an avant-garde headpiece that covered her head and face and beaded necklaces and bracelets. The Alpha and Beta stood afar and watched as the Priestess did the ritual for the Moon Goddess to take the family's spirits in peace or for them to be reincarnated. The ritual brought back many memories for Maverick as he watched the same ritual done for Ofelia. It was a difficult time for him when she passed, but now that he was given a second opportunity at life, he hoped never to see Iris in such a position. 

Priestess Hecate suddenly stopped, as did her chanting. Even though her face was covered, it looked as if she looked at the bodies. It looked to be a while, and she then raised her arms and head up high as if she were looking at the ceiling. "What a soulless beast," she said. The Priestess then lowered her head and arms down and removed her headpiece. "Alpha, Beta, you have arrived."

"Yes, Priestess Hecate. We came to see if you have seen anything that could give us clues on who did this," said Alpha Matthias.  

"It was difficult to see who it was, but all I could see and hear was a gun and the family being slaughtered. The parents tried hard to protect their children, but whoever killed them knew what they were doing."

Matthias sighed as he looked at the family next to one another. The family probably had difficulty living in human society and not living with a pack. Werewolves become rogues for various reasons: abusive packs, packs kicking them out, running away, or the packs breaking apart. Werewolves could live in human society, but it was often difficult since they could risk compromising their identities. Humans could not only kill them, but if the human government found out, they could experiment for their purposes. Many rogues would ask or try to be a part of another pack, but not many packs would be accommodating or accepting due to suspicion and discrimination against rogues.

However, the Blood Claw Pack was one of the few packs welcoming to rogues, but Matthias and his predecessors made strict guidelines that rogues had to follow if they wanted to be a part of the pack. There were times when some rogues were turned away due to previous history that was questionable or the refusal to follow laws. Yet, the cases of that nature were few.

"I did have some other vision from the Moon Goddess, although it was unclear. More hardship and death will be ahead, and whoever did this will not stop until they get what they desire."

Matthias and Maverick looked at one another and then to the Priestess. "So, you don't know if it is a man or woman?"

Priestess Hecate shook her head. "I am sorry that I don't have enough information, Alpha."

"It is alright, Priestess. You helped us as much as you could. We will have this family buried tomorrow."

"Yes, Alpha. I almost forgot to say this, but I saw you in one of my visions, Beta Maverick. I saw that you had so much sadness in your heart that you wept tears of blood." The werewolves stilled. Hecate walked up to him, held his right hand, looked at his palm, and then to the Beta. "Be warned, Beta Maverick. You and your mate will endure many hardships in the coming time, but as long as you accept each other's hearts, you will overcome them. That will be the only way."

Maverick's eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say, but then there was a knock on the door; the door opened, and it was Rickon. "Sorry for the interruption, but I wanted to inform you that the pack has already been assembled. I guess they could feel something is wrong and arrived earlier than expected."

Matthias nodded and then looked at Hecate. "Thank you, Priestess. We will count on you with the burial and send you assistance." He motioned Maverick and Rickon to follow him. Before heading out, Maverick looked back and noticed that Hecate didn't move from her spot as she kept staring at him in an almost trance-like state. He looked forward as he got out of the house. 

The three werewolves then walked to a large building in the center of the pack's center, where the lights were lit from the inside. Once inside, there were echoes of many pack members that stood. Many were male werewolves, and a few female werewolves. Some female werewolves stayed home to care for their children since they didn't want them to create disturbances during the meeting.

When the pack members saw their leaders, they bowed and became silent as Alpha Matthias stood at the center of the stage. Maverick stood behind, as did Rickon. "My pack, I am certain you all are curious about why I asked for this emergency meeting. This could not be hidden for long, but a while ago, a rogue family was found murdered in a part of our territory." Everyone in the meeting was shocked and murmured to one another; everyone looked concerned. Matthias lifted his right hand, and everyone became silent again. "However, there was a survivor, and we hope to get more answers. Meanwhile, some guards would keep an eye out around our territory. I will also ask you all to tell your loved ones not to venture anywhere else alone until I update you on the situation. The meeting is over."

The meeting hall was filled with echoes of concerned pack members, but Maverick stood silently while in a thoughtful state of mind. Priestess Hecate's words echoed in his mind that hardships would be ahead. The Moon Goddess and Hecate tried to warn him, but he hated not knowing the hardships; he feared for the worst.