Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Gideon

"We still don't have any suspects. Does anyone come to mind?” I ask Alpha John and Logan as we sit in my office. Amelie's Luna ceremony is tonight under the crescent moon. We have over 350 guests, and almost all are Alphas and Lunas from all over the US. One of these so-called guests tried to harm my mate and my heir.

"It's hard to say, but I don't feel it's one of the bigger packs as most are related to Amelie. They also wouldn't try to grab power like this. I do think whichever pack targeted Celeste 18 years ago is the same pack who tried to harm Amelie and my grandson." John is standing and pacing the length of my office.

"I think Tate and that witch of a she-wolf have something to do with this. At least they are part of the plot." Alpha Logan growls as he sits with his arms folded on the sofa.

"Logan's right. It only makes sense they are somehow involved. I think Tate tried to get Amelie pregnant, but since they didn't know our family background, it failed." John looked at me with rage in his eyes. Just thinking about what happened to his daughter set him off. I hated the fact that someone else touched her under false pretenses. Truthfully, I hated that someone else had what was mine. I know it's wrong to think that way since I had a mate before. It's the mate bond making me possessive.

"Right, you told me before. No Ashwood is a mistake, they are born by the divine grace of the moon goddess herself. John, you are the only Ashwood Alpha in 150 years to have two daughters, and you had no siblings. You have one Aunt who was mated to the Koray Pack. So, in line of succession, if you didn't have an heir and your daughters didn't have mates, your pack would be taken over by the Koray. You don't think it's them?" I still had my doubts about it not being family.

"My cousin Flynn Kory and Uncle Robert have only ever protected our family and my Aunt Marilyn. Plus, they have the largest pack in New York. Without them, we would not be half as wealthy as we are. Their investment firm is used by all our family and many other packs. If anything, I would think they would also be a target. Flynn's son Harlow is 18 and has yet to find his mate. There is no motive." I couldn't refute his assessment.

I sit back in my chair, throw my head back, and pinch the bridge of my nose. "So, we are looking for a none related small, power-hungry pack. You realize that's hundreds of Alphas, right." I groan in frustration, "What was the name of the maid that got caught poisoning Celeste?" It was our only lead.

John stiffens. "Jema Green. She refused to talk and ended up killing herself in the cell. We couldn't trace her background because she gave us a false name. All of her identification was also fake. We think she was in her mid-50's when she died. We believe she was an herbalist, and she was working for someone. We just didn't know who?" I could hear the frustration in John's voice.

"Whoever she was covering for, she was willing to die to protect them. That's not blind loyalty to an Alpha. I think she did it to protect her family." Logan leans back on the sofa and crosses his arms as he thinks back.

I run my hands down my face in frustration. "We are missing so many pieces to figure this out!" I slam my fist on my desk. "We had a dead maid from 18 years ago who we have no solid background on. We have Tate and Karen, who we believe somehow tricked Amelie into thinking Tate was her mate. We have no idea how that could even be done. They have somehow disappeared without a trace after escaping from Alpha Mason and the Timber Wolf Pack. We have the same herb, Blue Cohosh, showing up at the cocktail party that was used on Celeste. The herb grows wild and is a native plant, so we cannot even track it. We have a shaky theory that whichever pack is trying to do this is trying to covertly take over by forcing a chosen mate bond with either Amelie, Hope, or my daughters." I stand up. I feel like I am going to explode. "This has to be an Alpha family for it to be going on for this long, and they are not related to the Ashwoods. Again, this leaves hundreds of smaller pack Alphas. We need more!"

John comes over and puts his hand on my shoulder. "We have more now than we did before. We know that you and your pack are also a target."

I look at him, and I'm shocked I didn't think about my pack being a target. I have been so focused on my family, "what are you thinking?" I ask.

Logan chimes in, "after your mate Mandy died and before you met Amelie did you have anyone trying to," He pauses. "Climb into your bed?"

I plop down on the sofa across from Logan. For a hothead, he was surprisingly insightful. "There have been dozens who have tried, and many of them Alphas' daughter. The same treatment James and Riley get, honestly."

John sits across from me next to Logan. "Logan is right. I think you were a target a long time ago, but you wouldn't have noticed. It became apparent after Amelie was targeted last night. Who are the first women who come to mind?"

I sit back and think. Honestly, I ignored all their advances and focused on my daughters. I sit and think, desperate to remember anyone that stands out. It hits me: "Von Jericho and her group of Alpha and Beta daughters that have joined my pack. Von, in particular, challenged Amelie's Luna authority. I dismissed it as a girl with a hopeless crush and let Amelie handle it. There are about ten of them in the group. We will investigate each one and their birth packs."

"Jericho from Blue Crescent Pack," John snarls. "This may be bigger than we thought. I will need to contact my Aunt Marilyn. Brian Jericho almost went to war with the Koray pack after my aunt found her mate. Brian Jericho was in love with Marilyn, or at least said he was. More like he was in love with the benefits of being mated to her. I know he wasn't the only one hoping to be her mate. I tried to protect Amelie and Hope from that, but I guess I failed." John's head is in his hands.

"It's our first real lead." I sit back on the sofa. "This whole conspiracy feels straight out of a soap opera rather than real life. That is saying a lot coming from me." This was so unreal and complicated. We still didn't have the complete picture. Yes, Blue Crescent was a smaller pack, and the Alpha Family has a horrible reputation, but are they smart enough and patient enough to play the long game like this?

Logan leans over and slaps my knee to get my attention, "Gideon, don't overthink it. You have been an investigator and fighter all your life. What is your gut telling you?"

"My gut says that they will strike again. I just don't know how. It also says to investigate all my pack members from the last 40 years that have ties to Blue Crescent Pack. I also want to rip Alpha Nox Jericho and his father apart. I know they are involved somehow. I also want to kick Von Jericho out of my pack along with all her friends."

"I agree they will strike again soon, but if we act too rashly, they will know we are on to them, and we could be blindsided. Keep your enemies close don't make any moves against Von. We need a spy in her group. You say the women in her group want power, that's the carrot if someone will take it. If they don't turn on her, there is always the stick." I was shocked to hear this coming from John. "As far as Alpha Nox goes, he's a young and cocky Alpha. Let Logan get in his head." John nudges Logan.

Logan has a devilish grin on his face. "He's only been an Alpha for three years. He fits the age range to target both Amelie and Hope. He was properly aiming for Hope, but she found her mate before he could make a move. Does he have an heir yet? Is his mated fated or chosen?"

I stand up and walk back over to my desk and open my laptop. We keep basic birth, death, and mate records on all packs. It's part of my Alpha Council duties. But we only have newer records, nothing before 1990, as we are still working on adding those records. My father didn't see the need to do it; he liked the feel of paper. When I took over, I started changing that, but it's a large project. I type in Nox Jericho and pull up his file. "OK, Nox Jericho, 28, has a chosen mate named Lacy Newman. They only mated five months ago she has not conceived a child yet. Her fated mate was killed in a Rogue attack nine months ago. He died a few days after James' ceremony." I look up from my laptop at John and Logan, and both are staring at me, waiting for more.

"Newman, that last name sounds familiar. What about her?" John asks.