The Great Eight

Chapter 55

No.

In the midst of the swirling fog that was once again clouding Riley's mind, a single thought emerged.

No. I don't want this.

The answer to a lifelong question was standing right in front of him. He'd always wanted so badly to know where he'd come from...and now he wished he still didn't know.

It felt like an eternity before he finally found his voice again.

"Y--you...tried to kill me?"

"We considered it," said Plato, heavily emphasizing that one word. "We hadn't yet made our decision when Socrates took you."

"B—but...why!?" The last word came out like a puppy's whine. "I'm your son! Why would you kill your own son!?"

"I told you, you were small and weak as a newborn. We don't have a place for weaklings in our pack." Plato's voice maintained its eerily casual tone, as if he were merely discussing the weather.

"But...I was just a baby..."

"And now you're a strong adult." Athena wagged her tail. "My son, it's good to see you!"

Riley stepped backwards. Though his mother was trying her best to look happy, her voice wasn't warm. It was a sickly sweet tone, with a hint of manipulation to it. She was staring at him as if examining a piece of meat that didn't smell quite right.

"Y--you killed Nikolai's parents..." Riley stammered.

Athena's tail stopped wagging. "Who's Nikolai?"

"He's the son of Hera and Hades—you know, those dogs that you killed!?" Riley exclaimed.

"Oh." Plato's eyes widened. "We weren't aware that their child had survived."

"Why did you kill them!?" Riley demanded.

"They broke the pack law," Plato replied. "Dogs here must not mate outside of their breed. I understand the punishment must seem harsh, but laws must be upheld to maintain order. Without order, our pack would fall apart."

Riley revealed his fangs. "You sound just like the Pure!" he snarled.

"Do NOT compare us to those maniacs!!" Plato barked. His calm expression changed into a fierce glare. "We are not like them! It's true that we borrowed the idea of maintaining pure bloodlines from them, but the similarities end there. We don't kill anyone without a reason."

Plato nodded towards Altair. "And we show mercy when we can. A while ago, Altair and Vivian were exiled from this pack. They've been friends since childhood, but then their friendship evolved, if you know what I mean."

Plato turned back to Riley. "We could have killed them, but we didn't. And we could have killed you, but we didn't."

"We told Alastair and Vivian that they could come back if they killed Mogui," Athena explained. "He killed some of our dogs a while back, so we wanted revenge. But then we heard that Mogui was dead, so we told them to take out the rest of the Pure, and then find you. They have atoned for their sins and are Alphas once more."

Her voice took on the sweet tone again. "And now you can be an Alpha too! You must be lonely, since the family that raised you is gone. Now you can live with us, and make up for lost time!"

Riley stared at Plato and Athena, having lost his voice once again. He then looked to Altair, who simply sat there, continuing to hold the bloody knife in his jaws. His face was unreadable.