After a string of losses, the sign of victory in his hands was a pause to his darkness. Now, Nathaniel had a reason to pin down Frank. He was slightly shaken that if Alpha Remmington decides to contest his decision to throw the old wolf into his jail cell three stories below ground level, then Nathaniel would have the chance to unmask the mysterious Alpha.
He gazes at Lilian and sends her an affirmative nod. It didn’t take long when the Beta summoned ten wolves armed with their pistols, cocked and ready to shoot. Minutes later, Frank was handcuffed along with the wolf in charge of guarding him. Nathaniel felt grim at the oversight.
A spy. No wonder why that wolf seemed off yesterday. There was something wrong about them and yet he chose to ignore it and that mistake could lead to him losing a great deal of information.
Though he was relieved slightly and at the same time panicking. One weight lifted, only to be replaced with a heavier one. He heard the words that were spoken inside the parlor and it was all too grim. At that moment, Talon was on the brink of shifting.
The wolf stopped in front of him, that sly grin he wore made Nathaniel’s wolf boil. He had a knife hidden in his boot, it would be so easy to kill the wolf. But there was time for everything and quelling his thirst for revenge now would be a mistake.
“Morris, that face, the similarities are so uncanny, it's disturbing,” He chuckles so freely.
His father did make relations with pack Remmington and it scorched him to think that his father and Frank were business partners for a while. He had heard enough of being likened to his father appearance wise but it was a futile attempt to deny it when he too could easily see how much he reflected his father’s skin.
Nathaniel locked his jaw. “Frank Remmington, this recorder in my hand will stand as evidence for your heinous crimes committed in our pack’s land. You will be put through trial and justice will be served based on my and my council’s verdict. Once a decision will be finalized, you will be stripped of your wolfhood and remain as a criminal for the rest of your life. Further retaliation and we will reconsider your verdict, assess it and I will make sure it be ground for public execution. Death by molten silver down your throat.”
He had doubts, a lot of them. It’s so odd for Frank to surrender himself to their pack and not fight through his arrest. His willfulness was a flag too red not to ignore. Topped with that smile he was wearing, all Nathaniel wanted to do was ask him more questions. But he had already surmised that the wolf would clam its mouth if he pressed further.
It put him through a rough spot and he felt helpless knowing that.
“Death by molten silver? Come on now, Morris. There are deaths more creative than that. How about a guillotine? Timeless, classic, and a spectacular scene to watch.” The wolf speaks.
“You should really stop talking now, uncle. Please, for the sake of your children.” Talon mutters sullenly. He looked as if he was still grieving. After what was discussed inside the parlor, memories would have surfaced and come back to bite him.
“I’m sorry for trying to kill you, Talon. No, no, forgive me. I’m sorry for not trying to kill you sooner.”
The wolf continues walking, leaving the rest of them in utter silence. The hall seemed to darken as Alpha Highcliff remained shocked at the parting words his uncle left him. There was that extreme darkness around his face. So deep and heart-wrenching. He failed to understand how many wolves could be so cruel and how easy it was for them to leave the wolves around them to suffer.
He turns to his Beta.
“Lilian, proceed with caution and if you require relief, set up Blake Henderson and tell him to be in charge of guarding Frank and his daughter.”
Wolves like Blake were reliable for his knowledge of combat, sired by wolves from pack Albrich, he was one of his best fighters. A trusted wolf.
“I’ll make good of that offer, sir. I’ll take the whole day off, thank you.” The beta nods while she sneered in Talon’s direction.
Nathaniel watched silently as she strutted away. Probably for good as it look like she was about to crumble, nervously. The Beta was strong in so many aspects. But in the face of Talon Highcliff, she was flustered. Not even her husband could evoke such a state from her. Perhaps a missing eye like Talon’s equals to a woman’s kryptonite. Maybe that’s why she was acting all weird around Talon.
Once the sounds of her boots pounding the floor disappeared, Nathaniel flattens his lips and turns to Talon. He was still stuck in thinking. His brows met, lips contorted into a deep, unsettled frown. Nathaniel could almost see the storm in the Alpha brown eye.
“Well, it’s not even eight in the morning and my father has been arrested,” Francis spoke jokingly. “Why don’t we celebrate with a hefty breakfast?”
It snapped Talon from whatever trance or shock he was under. The Alpha smiled his best and nodded.
“Morris, I want to go on and process the necessary papers for my cousin’s release. Do you think everything will be settled before noon?”
Nathaniel wouldn’t have any problems letting Francis go now. His stay here was undocumented and as for his attempts to assassinate him, Nathaniel promised Selena to let him go once the old wolf was put behind bars. He wanted to honor his words for her.
“Your cousin can go. No more paperwork needed.” He answers.
Talon raises a brow. He didn’t blame him for thinking that was odd. Premeditated crimes never ended with a slap on the wrist.
“Okay,” the Alpha nods. Talon breaths heavily. “Morris, if it isn’t too late I’d like to renegotiate our understanding in terms of our pack’s safety.”
Nathaniel paused, momentarily unable to process the words he had just heard.
“Are you saying we establish a new pact?” He asks.
“Yes. I realized it was unfair of me to hastily pull out my pack from yours out of spite. I never expected the other packs to follow suit. But for everyone’s sake, I wish to revive our fathers’ agreement. And I’m selfish. My sister has already slipped through my fingers and I am no wolf to hawk over her. I feel much comfortable with the presence of your wolves in whatever pack she is staying.”
He was remorseful. Angry at something. Nathaniel felt the Alpha’s wolf, doubting and weighing every minute detail but the Alpha himself was sure. He wanted to protect his little sister, even if he had to go back on his words. Talon’s action was for Selena. For Selena after she had run away from him. There was only one fallout, one reason he could think about. Why Selena was so reluctant on going back home. Why she was there, deep in the forest alone. The Alpha has chosen his mate over his sister and maybe with the alliance, Selena would be safer, even if he wasn’t watching over her.
Nathaniel’s chest ached with pain.
‘My moon.’ He called for her in his mind.
“Of course, for Selena, for the future of our packs, your will be done, Alpha Highcliff.” Nathaniel shook Talon’s hand.
In a world filled with wolves carrying their blades made of silver, dipped in Wolfsbane, carrying it with lethal intent, a lot of things hang on maintaining the balance of a status quo. Wolves are unpredictable and for Selena to walk around in the current climate, he feared that something could happen to her.
“I’ll set up a meeting for us both in due time but for now, allow me to say thanks again. The magnitude of this event has caused me to rethink my vectors back home.” Talon grimaced.
“Yes, but spies are to be expected Alpha Highcliff. Money is a great coercer and the loyal ones waver at the right price.”
“I would have come here yesterday but right after I found the bodies of the wolves from pack San Ignacio, I’ve come to realize that some of them were my wolves’ relatives. They were spies also. Wolves that I dine with and work very close to. I needed time to resolve my problems.”
That’s why wolves in the profession of spying were masters of their profession. It takes years to assimilate and form their roots in their target packs. They were believable, becoming friends and family all the while feeding information to their home pack. Sadly, Nathaniel had encountered them too. He was forced to displace a male wolf, a spy, who had met his mate in pack Morris, had his children. And when it was discovered he was working for a small pack from across the country, he was kicked out of the pack, leaving his spouse and children behind. It was a hard thing to watch but even his mate couldn’t look at him after he used lies to build a fake life.
“It’s not an easy task to identify spies, Alpha. You’re not the only wolf who has dealt with problems like these.”
Talon shook his head, disappointed.
“It’s hard, actually. On one point, would I be overstepping my statute of limitations if I asked to stay longer, an hour or so to speak with my cousin’s mate?”
“Take all the time you need,” Nathaniel responded with a lopsided smile. “If you’ll excuse me, there are matters I need to attend to.”
He lowers his head and turns to his room.
Things were buried and done. The doubts in Nathaniel’s mind continued to brew and become bigger, louder. Despite having no sleep, a rush in his blood caused him to move, desperate to find something he didn’t know.
With Frank Remmington possibly giving fragments of the truth, he had the urge to assess the nature of his wolves, find cracks in his ruling.
There was something wrong in his pack, he just couldn’t figure out what it was.
~•°•~
“That idiotic wolf, barging in here, pretending like nothing happened. That gull of that man, seriously. I should have ripped his balls right then and there.” She groans under her breath as she walked to her home.
Lilian felt like a betrayed dog. Her emotions toyed and scorched. It’s been years since she’s seen him and yet he was still the biggest asshole she had ever encountered.
She wondered if this is how a mental crisis felt like. Nervous and barely keeping it together. To top of all of this, Grace has been given a mate, a Remmington of all wolves.
The Moon was truly cruel as it wasn’t just a wolf from pack Remmington, but someone of their flesh. This was her punishment of beating the living hell out of Francis, she was sure it.
She pushes through her door, slamming it loudly behind her.
“Get yourself together, Lilian. He’s just the guy you used to blow.”
But damn. He was the only wolf capable of giving her multiple orgasms in quick succession. To add insult to injury, he did all of that with his masterful use of his tongue and rough fingers. The only regret she’s ever had was not having him inside her. He was after all a man of values, or what he said. Value his ass. He might act prim and proper, but he was a man of sexual prowess, she knew that very much.
If only he was slightly loose with his belief.
Lilian enters her kitchen to grab a tall glass, trying to wash off her mind from her old boyfriend. She groans. He was reluctant at saying that word when they were together even when they were together for two years. What he preferred using was the term “friends with benefits”.
As she poured herself a glass of water, a wolf entered her vision. Immediately, she was more angry. After meeting her pretentious ex, now she needed to face another idiot.
“What are you doing here?” She spat. “Your post has been made, wolf. Go back and-”
Before she could finish her words, the wolf draws his pistol and fires one shot. Lilian felt the bullet lodged in her shoulder. She false down on the floor. Her head hitting the table’s edge. She felt instantly weakened. Her wolf disappeared. The beat of her heart going out of control.
This wolf.
This traitorous wolf whom she considered as a close ally was grinning down on her as he pointed a gun on her forehead.
Could he really kill her? Never had she expected a wolf like him would have the shine in his spine to act like this. But alas, he was a spy.
“You,” she hissed at the pain, breathing heavily. “How could you do this?”
The wolf shrugs.
“I’m sorry, Lilian. I’m just following orders from my Beta.”
A flash of light covered the room momentarily as Lilian’s blood carpeted the linoleum floor.
~•°•~
Bella sat beside Harrick in the car. She was more than ready for this. She had weeks to prepare for this. Much to Harrick’s disapproval, she insisted on coming. She wasn’t about to sit in her room and do nothing.
She leans onto him, pecking his cheek. It caused her to chuckle.
“My wolf, your happiness suits you so well.” Harrick chimes.
Why couldn’t have the Moon given her this man instead of his brother? It would sure make a lot of things less complicated.
“Tell me the good news, love.” She says.
Harrick nodded.
“Our informant has sent me a message. We’ve subdued one of Nathaniel’s lackeys, his Beta. Without her, things will get easier. But the one thing is, Nathaniel has his wolf back.”
Bella kisses her teeth.
“That’s not good,” She says. “Why now? Couldn’t his wolf just stayed away?”
A chuckle erupted from him.
“His wolf coming back is just a hiccup, wolf. Trust me, after we are done, they will come to fear our names again.”
~•°•~
Hey, everyone! I hope you're having an awesome day. Forgive me for the length of this chapter.
Midterms are here and I am swapped, not gonna lie. I'm pooped.
If you liked the chapter, please consider leaving a comment or voting.
Love,
Jino