Chapter 52 Dying Man

~Anna~

“Thank you,” I said to the Omega as she laid down two glasses of mango juice and a tray of treats. She smiled at me then left the two of us alone on the balcony of my mother’s study. Much like the library, there were shelves of books here too, except that it didn’t feel as stuffy.

It was a hot mid-afternoon, and Alpha Emery was seated across the round table from me. I took a sip of the juice, savoring the cold that ran down my throat. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke.

“Here,” he said, handing me the necklace. “Have you seen what’s under the cap?”

I took it from him and checked what was under. I stared at the shaped “A” on the glass.

“A?” I asked, confused.

Emery softly smiled.

“Your mother -,” he began, then cleared his throat before adding, “- was wolf-less.”

I gulped at the juice, almost choking on it.

“Easy, dear. I know it’s almost impossible, but it does happen on our kind,” he said, chuckling. “She was amazingly unique in so many ways.”

“She was wolf-less?” I asked. I could’ve been hearing things. Two wolf-less werewolves in succession?

The odds are astronomical!

“Yes, she was. But it didn’t matter. I loved her far before I knew she was my mate,” he replied. “Would you like to hear the story of how we met?”

I nodded, choosing a brownie.

“Hmm… are brownies your favorite?” he asked.

“Don’t get comfortable,” I answered coldly. I was yet to wrap my head around this whole thing.

“Arabella loved them. She used to have them almost every day when she was pregnant,” he said, with a tone of sadness in his voice.

I shouldn’t sympathize with this man. However, he had nothing to gain from lying.

“They’re my favorite,” I said quietly as I nibbled on it. When was the last time I had one – I couldn’t tell anymore, it’d been so long!

“It wasn’t exactly romantic, how we met. As a young boy, I was already attracted to her. She was lively and kind, and she always had a smile on her that everyone around her admired, including me. I always saw her as a butterfly – a free spirit, she was. Ella was four years older than me, and so you can imagine how nervous I was when she was about to turn eighteen. I didn’t know what I would do. What if she was mated to someone else? What was I going to do if she fell in love with someone else? As a young boy, I couldn’t tell her my feelings – not because I was afraid of rejection. I think I was more afraid… that she would misunderstand my feelings as that of a child’s.”

He reached for a brownie and finished it in three bites. Then he drank a quarter of his juice.

“What happened when she didn’t shift?”

“She was… shocked. We all were. I could still remember how upset she was, standing in the middle of everyone, holding back the tears and forcing a smile. I was worried then, worried that my father, your grandfather –“ he said, glancing at me as he emphasized the word, then adding, “- will banish her.”

“Did he?”

Alpha Emery smiled.

“No. He walked up to her and announced to the pack that we have a new healer.”

“Healer?” Could this explain my blood?

He leaned closer to the table and I did the same.

“You have to promise me not to tell anyone outside of our pack. This is a secret known only to us. Can I trust you with it, Bella?”

I nodded, dubious that he was trusting me, a stranger… Uhm… lost daughter with a pack secret two hours after he dropped this bomb on my true roots.

“In our pack, there have been eighteen werewolves who were born without wolves,” he said.

I slowly pulled back until my back hit the backrest as I looked at him dubiously. Everyone knew those like me were… rare. So rare in fact that most believe we were just a story. Born millennia apart that there was almost no known fact about us. Stories even say that in the olden times, we used to be killed, because we had no use in war.

“It’s true. The pack records prove it. Your great, great grandmother was a wolf-less Luna. And although they have no werewolf, they are gifts by the Goddess. Your grandfather told me they were healers, the most powerful there is,” he explained.

“That’s… impossible. They can’t even heal themselves because they don’t have a wolf. How can they be healers?” This could be a set-up.

Does he know about my blood? Is this what he’s after?

“It’s their blood,” he said, then drank more juice. He leaned back and sighed. He seemed to be growing more tired by the minute.

“Do you know the story of the witches, dear?” he asked as he closed his eyes.

It was one of the stories Father shared while he was drinking.

“They used to be humans but their jealousy for the werewolves drove them to search for power. The Goddess’s twin, pleased by their hatred, granted them power. She was jealous of her sister since the werewolves only knew to look up to the Moon. She was in the Goddess’ shadow, the New Moon, the phase where nights are darkest and werewolves are at their weakest,” I answered. It was a well-known story, often told as bedtime stories to children.

Alpha Emery inhaled deeply and loudly exhaled.

“My father said the witches only knew to destroy, and so the werewolves, who can only heal themselves, had to watch their own kin succumb to the witches’ power. Our kind had enough. The first Alpha prayed to the Goddess to save his people. It is said that he prayed as he held his deceased Luna who was carrying their child.”

He fell quiet after, his chest heaving slowly.

Was he asleep?

As if on cue, his chin dropped. I waved a hand on his face. He really was asleep!

“He’s been doing that more often,” someone said behind me that I jumped on my feet. He looked to be at the same age as Alpha Emery, with a similar build and the same tired smile. Dark blue eyes stared back at me; too dark it could easily be mistaken as black. His aged face tired, and his peculiar eyes kind.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I-It’s alright. Who- Who are you?”

“David Nate. The beta of the Black Mist Pack,” he said, smiling. “Could you…”

“Uh... sure,” I said, awkwardly stepping to the side. He crouched to his knees beside Alpha Emery, checking the pulse on his wrist.

“Is he…”

“He’s asleep,” he said. Standing, he positioned himself to carry Alpha Emery.

“It’s me, old friend,” he said when the Alpha stirred then went limp again. Beta David carried him inside the room and spotted the bed.

“Be a dear and lift the sheets, will you?” he asked.

I did as I was told, and he laid Alpha Emery down before covering him with the comforter. When I looked at him, he had his eyes closed – probably talking to someone in a mind-link. I waited for him to finish before I asked, “What’s… Uhm… What happened to him?”

Beta David sighed. “He doesn’t want you to find out, but I think it’s better if you know. You were taken here against your will. I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

I nodded.

“First, I would like to apologize for kidnapping you and hurting your friend. We don’t know how he is since you were our mission, but when we left him, he was still breathing.”

“You expect me to take that as consolation?” I spat.

“If it’s any consolation at all, yes. I won’t justify our actions, but we don’t kill for no reason. Second, I understand that you want to get away from here as soon as possible. But I hope you will stay with him for now.”

“With my kidnapper? A stranger who claims to be my father?” I said, my voice a little higher. “Sure. No big deal,” I added in a sarcastic tone.

He sighed. “He is your true father. I understand it’s a lot to take but this is your pack, Bella. You are an Alpha’s daughter… and his sole successor.”

“If I’m his daughter then why have I never known? Why was I born and raised in another pack by MY father?” I said in a hushed scream. Growing up, I watched other kids my age get called by their mothers. I watched how they were pampered. Most times, I’d visit Mother’s grave just to talk to her, to make me feel better, or to simply cry.

The graveyard was a quiet place, and hardly anyone ever went there – it was where I met Flynn, the Alpha’s son. He was rarely seen around the playground, and the grown-ups said he was sick. Turned out, he was just the same as me – sneaking into the graveyard to meet with a deceased parent. I loved my father, but I wished I knew more about her…

“He thought he lost you. We all did,” he said quietly. “That day, when your father felt the bond broke, he believed he lost his wife and child. He was never the same after that. Eighteen years… he sought vengeance. Then for the next two years, we waited… waited for you to return to the White Lake pack. We couldn’t send spies, and you were never seen outside the pack territories or anywhere near the boundaries. Twenty years… and I never saw him as happy as he did when he saw you. Thank you, Anna Bella. You brought my friend back.”

He knew I was his daughter when they attacked? But he…

“What happened, exactly? How did I end up in the White Lake Pack? How did you know I was leaving the Red Claw Pack?” It couldn’t have been a coincidence… unless they were waiting for it.

He scooted to a bedpost and leaned over it. “Will it change your mind if you knew?”

“Depends. I feel like I’m having an identity crisis, and this is supposed to be for middle-aged people,” I said, shrugging.

Beta David chuckled then sighed. “If you really must know.”

He threw me a tired glance. “Twenty years ago, three of the biggest and strongest allied packs attacked. They claimed that we were abusing the children and that your father was abusing our Luna. It wasn’t a rescue. It was a massacre. And their claims – their claims are just as ridiculous as their reasons behind it. I can’t tell you what exactly happened that night, only your father knows since he was with her. ‘She betrayed me,’ was all he said. Goddess knows he loves her still.”

“I-I don’t understand,” I mumbled.

“She ran away with them,” he said tiredly. “I will never know why. Your father has never talked about it. He didn’t give up on her, on you. He searched for her nonstop, Anna Bella. He kept searching until the day the bond broke. After that, he was never the same. They took everything from him, and soon, the pack weakened and was forgotten.”

“Father and Alpha Fraser would never attack a pack on baseless accusations!

“Alpha Fraser of the White Lake Pack, Alpha Lynall of the Red Claw Pack, and Alpha Tyler of the Blue Moon Pack. Ranked as the fourth-strongest pack, the second, and the third… from our times. Now they’re the top three and our pack is history,” he replied. “At least your father and I lived long enough to watch them die. Think what you want of Fraser and your father. They kept this fact hidden from you since you were born – what does that say about them?”

“Is that why you killed them?” I said slowly, my nails digging into my palms. “I was there. I remember that scar. I remember the blood. I remember everything that happened like it was yesterday. What am I doing here anyway? You said I was on a mission. Why? What do you want from me? To fill my head with these stories… these lies?” I questioned, my voice getting higher, but I didn’t care. “What do you want from me!”

Alpha Emery groaned. I covered my mouth while Beta David opened his eyes.

“It’s me, old friend,” he said. “It’s just me.”

The Alpha turned to his side, still asleep.

“Our mission was to kidnap the Luna of the Red Claw Pack, who goes by the name Anna Bella Fiora. We were to hold you hostage until the plan was executed. Don’t concern yourself with it. Your father and I will take care of it. With you being the Alpha’s lost daughter, this changes everything.”

He stood to close the doors that led to the balcony. With his back to me, he continued.

“Over the years, our pack has lost many. Some in attacks, some left only to die. My wife… left. Our pack was no longer safe to raise a child. Before I could find them, my wife died on the same day. She was pregnant with our daughter.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. He raised a hand to his face as he breathed deeply.

“My daughter… Marianne, she would’ve been five by now. Emery and I lived for the pack. Even after getting revenge, it did nothing to satiate the pain. We still lost everything. But you’re here now.”

He turned around and looked me in the eye.

“Emery is dying. His wolf has weakened. If you want to leave, you have my word that you can walk out that door and drive the car parked right outside and no one will stop you. But if you have, even the slightest bit of pity, please stay with him. I don’t think he has a long time left.”

I looked away and eyed Alpha Emery – my maternal father. Was all that I had thought about my father, all this time, a lie? Who I believed I was – was a lie?

“Please think about it,” said Beta David as he headed for the door.

Who am I?