Chapter Eighteen

CHRIS

Every Alpha had many enemies, both known and unknown so I wasn’t surprised to hear that anyone would want me dead but I was curious about what she knew. There could be someone out there who must be eyeing the throne and would do anything to bring me down, maybe someone from the rogue pack.

“Why are you telling me this? You’d be happier to hear of my death, won’t you?” I said.

“As much as I would love to be free from this crazy bond, I can’t stand and watch someone else take your life. Find out what I need to know about my father and I’ll let you know all you need to know,” she said.

I became confused, was she concerned about my safety, or was she only concerned about her father’s issue? I thought. “You should leave, I’ll look for you and discuss with you further when I find out everything about your father.”

“You know where to find me," she walked off.

I instructed the guards to lead her out of the pack safely before returning to my inner chambers to have a word with Lothar alone.

"What do you think?"

"I've known Lucy for as long as I can remember. She may be strong headed but she always knows what she is doing. She wouldn't risk it by coming here just to blab about something as serious as this, she knows something," Lothar said.

"She won't say anything until I find out everything she needs to know about her family. You were close to her father, you should know something,"

"No, I wasn't. Your father was closest to her father, I only became close after he was accused of what he did. I had a feeling that he was innocent but there was no way I could prove his innocence until he was kicked out by your father,” Lothar explained. “Her father died years later and placed her in my care.”

Everything became clearer now, her reason for hating my family was justified but what baffled me was how our parents were once close before whatever happened between them. Maybe there was a reason why Lucy and I were fated to be together after all.

Lothar had suggested that we keep our investigation a secret since it would stir an uproar amongst the elders and the real culprit whom we believed to be an elder would know of our plans. I on the other hand had a lot to discuss with Lucy, I had to convince her that I was on her side.

It wasn’t possible to sneak her into the pack without being noticed by anyone and it was taboo to be seen meddling with a rogue if they found out who she was. I had to do the sneaking out if I wanted her to be safe. I was also endangering myself by going to meet her, the rogues could find me and kill me and there was nothing anyone could do about it but that was the only possible option available.

Locating her wasn’t difficult as I thought it would be, rather it seemed like she had been waiting for me to show up.

“What do you have for me?” she asked before I got closer.

“I’m here to talk if you can just hear me out,” I pleaded.

she led me into her hut and I began to explain all that Lothar had told me to her. she was shocked as I was when I first heard it. She found it hard to believe and immediately objected to it yet I understood her. I wasn’t going to argue about anything with her.

Make her feel superior and watch her bend at will to you with time. Lothar had said to me and that was exactly what I planned to do.

“I’ve told you all that I know, It’s your turn,” I said to her. She sneered at me and stepped out of the hut, gesturing at me to walk with her white she led us into a thicker part of the woods until we got to a cliff.

“What are we doing here?” I asked in a suspicious tone.

She chuckled. “Relax, I don’t intend to throw you down here. I still need you.” A smile smoothened on my lips as I moved closer, the view at the cliff was beautiful and serene, I also sighted the pack from there too.

"This is my safe space, my father would bring me here to have a view of what my real home looked like. He taught me everything I know in combat and promised to take me back home after he cleared his name from the allegations against him. He didn't live to fulfill his promise," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

I felt sorry for her, I knew what it was like to lose a family but not one whom everyone thought to be a traitor and needed to clear his name. If he hadn't died then the truth about what happened would have been known and she would have been a free wolf. I resisted the urge to comfort her knowing how stiff she was when I tried to get close.

"I'm sorry about your father and everything you had to go through, I'll make sure I find out everything you need to know and get you reinstalled as a member of the pack."

"I'm not going back to that treacherous pack, my home is here with the rogues at least they are the only family I have now,” she snapped.

I understood how she felt, anyone would do the same if they were in her shoes but I had to let her see reasons with me. The pack wouldn’t accept her as their future Luna if she remained a rogue, I, on the other hand, could lose my leadership as Alpha if I presented no one to them as my mate. How complicated could the situation be?

“What is it that I need to know? Who wants me dead?” I asked.

“What I’m about to tell you should be between you and me, no one must know about this not even Lothar. You can’t trust anyone from now on,” she said in what seemed like a whisper. “My leader, Cade, wants you dead and he wants me to do it.”

“Are you going to?” I asked.

She huffed a sigh and teetered forward to me. “I would have done that if I wanted to but I can’t. I feel obligated to keep you safe and I hate that feeling.”

I kept mute not because I didn’t have the right words to say but because I didn’t want to ruin this first peaceful moment we shared else she would run away like she did the last time. If this was the last time I would spend a moment with her I wanted it to be worthwhile.

We both stood there savoring the serenity of the cliff, lost in our different oblivion.