Chapter 177
The morning sun came through the window, but I didn’t feel the warmth.
Before I could even open my eyes, my hand moved across the bed. I reached out to the other side of the mattress, expecting to feel warm skin. I expected to feel Astor’s strong back or his arm.
But my hand touched nothing.
I opened my eyes. The space beside me was empty.
Astor didn’t come home last night.
A sharp pain hit my chest and it felt like someone had punched me in the gut. My wolf let out a low, sad whine in my head. She was heartbroken.
I pulled the cold blanket up to my chin. I felt tears burning my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I’m not weak and most importantly somethings wrong with him.
I had to believe it was true. If I believed that Astor truly hated me, I would fall apart. And I could not fall apart. I have a pack to save.
Just then, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. The sound was loud in the quiet room.
I picked it up. It was Liam.
I answered it quickly. “Liam? Are you okay? Did you make it to the Shadow Moon Pack?”
“I’m here,” Liam said. His voice sounded strange. He sounded out of breath, like he had been running or hiding.
“What is it?” I asked, gripping the phone tight.
“I started asking questions as soon as I got here,” Liam said. “I went to the borders. I talked
to some of the lower–ranked wolves. Faith… there was no attack.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Annabella said she came to the Eternal Pack because Kyle attacked the Shadow Moon Pack, right?” Liam asked.
“Yes,” I said. “She said her dad sent her away for safety while they rebuilt.”
“It’s a lie,” Liam said firmly. “Kyle never touched this pack. There are no ruined buildings. There are no injured wolves. The pack is perfectly fine. It has been peaceful here for months.”
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My blood ran cold.
“She lied,” I whispered. “The only reason she came to this pack was to be near Astor.”
“Exactly,” Liam said. “But this place… it is weird.”
“Weird how?” I asked.
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“It is very secretive,” Liam explained. “The guards are nervous. They don’t let anyone get close to the Alpha’s house. There is a strange energy in the air here. It feels heavy and dark, just at our Pack.”
He paused for a second.
“I need to stay here longer,” he said. “I need to find out what they are hiding. I feel like the answer to alpha Astor’s behavior is hidden somewhere in this pack.”
“Stay as long as you need. But be careful, Liam. If they are lying about the attack, they might be dangerous.”
“I’ll watch my back and call you when I know more.”
The line went dead.
I put the phone down. My hands were shaking. Annabelle was a liar. That much was confirmed. But I needed to know more about her family. I needed to know what kind of people I was dealing with.
I picked up the phone again but I hesitated for a moment, then I dialed a number I didn’t use very often.
It rang three times. Then, a bright, happy voice answered.
“Faith! My darling!”
It was my biological mother.
I felt a sudden wave of awkwardness.
We haven’t talked much since I left I’ve only probably talked to her about five times. She was trying really hard to be a mom.
“Hi… mom,” I said. The word still felt a little strange on my tongue, but it also felt nice.
“I am so happy you called” she said. Her voice was full of genuine joy. “I missed hearing your voice. How are you doing? Are you back home?”
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I sat down on the edge of the bed. Her affection was overwhelming, but in a good way.
“I’m okay,” I lied. “I missed you too.”
25 Points.
“That makes my day,” she said warmly. “But I have I question, what is happening at the Shadow Moon Pack?” I know my mom and her brother I don’t have the best kind of relationship but I don’t know if they’ve fixed it or not at the end of the day I actually been she’s the only person who can help me understand what’s going on.
The happy tone in her voice vanished instantly. “Why are you asking about them?”
“Because Annabelle is here,” I said. “. She has been living here for two months.”
“What?” my mother gasped. “Annabelle is there? With you?”
“Yes,” I said. “Why? Is that bad?”
“Faith, listen to me,” my mother said. Her voice was suddenly very serious and urgent. “You need to be careful. You need to stay away from that girl.”
“Why?” I asked again. “She is just a bratty girl, isn’t she?”
“No,” my mother said. “She is not just a brat. She is dangerous. And her father… my brother… he’s worse.”
I held my breath. “How.”
“I haven’t talked to my brother in a really long time,” she admitted. “The last time I went to their pack, I suspected that there was something wasn’t right there.”
“Why?”
“There was a strange energy there. It wasn’t like a normal werewolf pack. It felt felt dark and creepy.”
My heart started to pound. That’s exactly what Liam said and that’s exactly what I feel here.
“Mom,” I said, my voice trembling. “I think they brought that energy here. The Eternal Pack feels the same way. Astor is acting like a zombie. Everyone is acting strange.”
My mother made a scared sound.
“I suspect that my brother is doing much worse than Kyle did but I don’t understand why they chose the Eternal pack.” she said and I’m honestly just as confused because I didn’t think they were issues between Astor and my uncle.
But whatever it is I’m going to stop them. I’ve dealt with my own brother so my uncle is just
Chapter 177
irrelevant in comparison.
