Luna Lena

Chapter 26 - Postponed Desires

I cocked an eyebrow at her explanation. Why would Ryder seem interested in my experience with Casper? He must know something.

Elijah glanced back at me, gauging my reaction to Daphne's news. Once he saw I was interested, he nodded, "Alright, let's go talk to Ryder."

"I feel like that all we do now days," I grumbled, causing Elijah to chuckle at me again before the three of us exited the room.

We found Ryder outside, sitting on one of the benches that lined the pack house courtyard. He seemed mesmerized by the snow and ice that surrounded him, which I found odd, but considering he was from a pack in a rather tropical region, it made sense.

"Ryder," Elijah called out as we approached. "My sister tells me you'd like to speak with us again."

"Oh, yes!" Ryder replied as he turned his attention towards us and greeted us with his signature smile.

"Daphne and I were just talking, and she told me about some of the things that went on before the more recent incident with Dean and Archibald. She mentioned that Lena encountered a spirit named Casper, and that she believed him to be the man who tortured her while she was a prisoner in the Dark Root pack as a child," Ryder told us.

Elijah and I both nodded, "Yes, that's true. What seems to have grabbed your attention regarding the incident?" I asked.

"When I was doing my investigation in Dark Root, I came across some records about the dungeon's keeper, and his name was indeed, Casper," Ryder started.

"Wait," I interrupted, holding my hand up. "That fucker's name is actually Casper?"

I truly thought it was just a name that the asshole had made up in a cruel attempt to be funny.

Ryder chuckled, "Yes, and he is now deceased, but from my research I can confirm that he did cause harm to both you and your parents during your time in Dark Root. He was Archibald's right-hand man, other than his Beta. In fact, Casper was Archibald's younger brother. Dean killed Casper not long after he took over as Alpha, due to his father's allegations of Casper killing Dean's mother."

I gasped and brought my hand up to my lips, feeling rather dramatic, but going with my initial reaction. Were all family histories in the Dark Root pack so dark and violent? Despite all he'd done, I couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic towards Dean.

"I think Archibald may occasionally meddle with witches, and he uses their abilities to keep Casper's spirit around and use him as a bit of a spy," Ryder added.

A low growl erupted from Elijah's throat, as both the memory of our encounter with Casper and the thought of someone spying on his mate likely angered him. I reached out and grabbed Elijah's hand and gave it a soft squeeze as I forced myself to remain composed. Archibald was a sick, twisted bastard.

"What should we do?" I finally asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed by this new information.

"I know you have a friend who's a witch, and I'd suggest you continue to keep her close for both advancing your own abilities and to find a way to keep Casper's spirit out of your pack," Ryder suggested.

I nodded, but felt a bit numb inside. Would my life ever be completely normal? It was seeming a bit unlikely.

Ryder's suggestion was logical and our best bet, so I'd need to reach out to Sofia and Rhett again as soon as possible. I felt bad, taking Sofia from Rhett's rogues for any amount of time, but until my abilities were more advanced, we didn't have any better options.

"Thank you again, Ryder," Elijah spoke up, having finally calmed his wolf.

"Of course," Ryder replied, smiling at us again. "I'm here to help in any way possible. I'm sure you've figured out by now that I have a few special secrets of my own, Lena, so I understand what you're going through."