Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Gideon

"Come in, Alpha Gideon." I didn't even knock yet. I open the door and enter Alpha John's office. He has old books and scrolls all over the coffee table.

"Amelie and I had a lot to talk about last night. I was hoping to get more detail from you today. My men are working on James' tracking training in the woods today. So we should have plenty of time. I sit on one of the sofas.

John sit's across from me, "Before we get started, I have something to say. I am honored that the goddess chose you to be mated with Amelie. She deserves to be happy, and I am trusting you with that happiness. With all this family tree and bloodline crap, it's easy to lose sight of other things and put your children's happiness. My children carry a heavy burden, and so do their mates. Amelie has always had it the hardest. I knew people would talk behind my back about having a child of desire, but I knew something they didn't. All children of the Ashwood family are gifts from the goddess. My father was not upset with me when he found out. He knew it was fate. I didn't want her raised outside of this family. Her mother fought me hard, but I knew it would be for the best to keep her with me to keep her safe." John stands up and walks to the window. "The day she met him, I knew it didn't feel right. It broke all the patterns of our family. Maybe I'm biased, but she was too good for him. You're a father. What would you have done?"

My daughters are three, but if someone ever hurt them, I would lose it. "I don't think I could have held back. How did you for so long?"

He turns and leans on the windowsill, "I had faith in my daughter, and I knew how strong she was. I just had to wait to give her a safe place to come home. Your girls are still small, so they still depend on you for everything. Slowing they start being more and more independent, and you are just left there with only faith and worry."

"You don't have to worry anymore. I'll never hurt her." I love Amelie; I would do anything for her.

John walks back over to the sofa, "It's not you I am worried about. The knowledge of the Ashwood family history is limited, and those who know our family. I'm not worried about our extended family packs. They will always support us. It's the outsiders I am worried about. I know Amelie told you, but you will have an heir with the Ashwood blood and the Alois name. Considering the authority both our families hold, your heir would be a major threat to any upstart Alpha grabbing for power."

"I don't want to admit you are right or even say that no one would be so stupid. I know I can't. It's just such a hard thing to plan for when this child doesn't even exist yet." I drop my head.

John sighs, "I know how you feel. That's how I felt before James was born. It's not something that many know about Amelie doesn't remember it, but before James was born, an attempt was made on Celeste. We used to have cooks, housekeepers, and nannies in the family wing all the time. One day Celest had the girls in the living room with her, and a housekeeper brought Celeste tea. Amelie, who was 12 at the time Hope, was one. Before she could drink it, Amelie threw the tea on the housekeeper and screamed at her to get out. The guards interrogated the housekeeper; it turns out she was planted by another pack and mixed in an herb concoction that would cause Celeste to bleed and lose the baby. Amelie noticed the tea didn't smell right. She protected my heir when I couldn't." John sat back int the sofa with his hands in his lap.

"I understand. Do you think someone will come after Amelie before we conceive? I have the largest information network and the largest pack in the US. I won't let anything happen to her." I nod my head with confidence.

John looks at me for a second, "How the search for Tate going?" Shoots fired.

"It's still an ongoing investigation." This wasn't good.

"Ongoing. Does it normally take you six months to track down a fugitive? I'm not saying this to degrade you. I know you are capable; I trust you I do. I don't trust others. I think there is another pack behind all of this. I don't know how but I think Amelie was tricked into feeling Tate was her mate. I can't prove it; it's just a gut feeling. I think someone is helping Tate hide. Covering his tracks, so to say. I just don't know who or why." John unrolls a scroll. "I always knew Amelie would be a Luna. That's the fate of all Alpha daughters of Ashwood. Plus, look at all the Ashwood mates. It's always a tree. There is no deviation. The only reason her mark would be a star is if the other person was not her fated but a chosen." John stares at the parchment rolled out in front of him hope it will tell him the answer.

I look at the scroll, and I notice pack names I know well. "May I?" I gesture to flip it around so I can take a better look. "There's about 15 US packs on here that are almost as influential as Ashwood and Alois. These are the extended Ashwood lines you were talking about. I'm amazed how did I not know they were all related."

"Sorry, as I have already said, unless you are brought into the family, this stays a secret. This information affects you now. I know you have questions. These are all the family records and resources I have. If I cannot answer it, these can." John pats a book on the table.

"Why keep this all a secret?"

"Power and greed." John shorts through the books on the table and hands me one. "Our family linage used to be a well-known fact among our kind until the 14th century. The details are written here; you might need to brush up on your medieval French to read it. Here is a translated copy. Two other packs started a war with the Bois de Frene Pack to give you the cliff notes. The war prize was the Alpha's daughter Liliana. The two packs wanted to make themselves King of the werewolves and rule like humans. This angered the goddess. She sent prophets to the waring packs to warn them, but they killed the prophets. Selene revoked her blessings from them. She stripped the Alpha's and their families of their marks. They were forced to become the first Rogues and were driven mad. Following their Alphas' orders, the pack members were forced to join the Bois de Frene Pack. Since then, we have kept our linage a secret." I could tell something is worrying John.

"Is something bothering you?"

"I am confident that our Family wouldn't betray us as the goddess has a direct hand in our bloodline. No one would think of defying her; we know better. However, I feel like someone outside of our circle knows. I just have a feeling." John is resting his head on his knuckles while leaning on the arm of the sofa, deep in thought.

"How do you suggest we investigate that gut feeling? I know you Ashwood's have a divine link to the goddess, so I doubt it's just a 'gut feeling'." I lean forward. I can't help to feel the same way; too many things don't add up. "I think Tate and Karen are in on it too. Like you, I have never heard of a way to trick someone into thinking they have a mate bond."

John starts thumbing through old family records. "During the Ember Moon Festival in June, we have a private family dinner with all current living mated family members. During this dinner, we present newly mated Alphas and Lunas. I would like to present our findings during that dinner. We will need to power of our whole family. If we are being targeted, it's not just the main branch that could come under fire."

I start looking through more recent records, "I know we can figure this out. Who has the most to gain from harming you or your family?"

John stops and looks at me for a moment, "The question is more like who wouldn't get harmed with my pack's downfall? My financial dealings go beyond just werewolf-run business and investments. I have business dealings all over and sit on the board of several companies." John pulls out a large map that shows pack territories across the US. "More than half of the packs in the US would be financially crippled. Our responsibility to our kind is not to rule over them but to help them thrive. So, I think it all comes back to the age-old desire for power or jealously of power."

"Have you been in direct conflict with any other packs or Alphas?" John runs his hand through his hair.

"No. I have not, but I have rejected hundreds of business proposals and investment requests." I lean back on the sofa and look at the map and the family tree again.

"has anyone in the Ashwoods ever had a chosen mate?" Maybe we needed to look at it from a different angle.

"No. I was the closest with Ann, but we both agreed even after Amelie was born not to reject our fated mate and follow the moon goddess plan." There had to be something we were overlooking. "Let's switch gears back to Amelie. What motive would Tate have for manipulating Amelie? What did he gain?"

"He never asked for money or a position in my pack. Instead, he took her to his. He was slowly isolating her from the world. The last time I saw him, I could tell he was uncomfortable around me, and I know from his comments he was upset they didn't have any children yet. How would he know about our bloodline?" John pulls a book from the bottom of a stack.

"Maybe it wasn't Tate but Karen. Amelie said the emotional and physical abuse and control got worse once she moved in with them. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find too much about her. She is in her early to mid-fifties. Would you or your father have crossed paths with her?" I look at John, hoping he has something.