Chapter 84
Astor’s Pov
+25 Points
Faith’s voice, barely a whisper, had been enough to shatter the fragile peace we’ve been building. Now, standing before me, her eyes wide and a flicker of something I couldn’t quite name fear? guilt? Twisting her features, I felt a cold wave wash over me.
“Faith,” I managed, my voice rough. “Are you… are you serious?”
She just nodded, a tiny, almost imperceptible movement. And in that single nod, my world imploded. Disappointment, sharp and jagged, pierced my heart. Betrayal. That’s what it felt like. A deep, gut–wrenching betrayal.
“All this time?” I choked out, the words tasting like ash. “You’ve been talking to him? All this time, and you didn’t tell me?” The thought was a bitter pill. Had she run to him? Away from me, but to him?
Her head shook violently this time, her eyes pleading. “Astor, please. I want to explain.”
But even as she spoke, I knew. No explanation would be enough right now. The raw wound of her deception was too fresh. “Go back to the house, Faith,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “We have more urgent matters to deal with. But when we get home,” I clenched my jaw, the promise in my tone unmistakable, “I want to know everything.”
She hesitated, her gaze flicking towards the bodies, then back to me. Reluctance was etched on her face, but she finally turned and walked, her steps heavy, back towards the packhouse.
I turned my back on her, forcing myself to focus. Two children. Murdered. The weight of it pressed down on me, crushing me. I was the Alpha. My duty was to protect my pack. And I had failed. Terribly. The faces of their parents, their grief–stricken eyes… I would have to face them. Tell them their children were gone. And it happened on my watch. Someone had taken advantage of a weakness I hadn’t seen.
“George!” I barked, my Beta appearing at my side almost instantly. “Why wasn’t I told the children were missing sooner?”
George’s brow furrowed. “Alpha, from what we can tell, this happened very recently. Their bodies… they’re still warm. And no one has reported them missing yet. It’s as if they just disappeared.”
Disappeared. But Faith had seen something. She’d said she saw what happened, even though she wasn’t there. I pushed the thought away, but it lingered.
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< Chapter 84
The White Wolf…
+25 Points
I’d read the old stories. The abilities they have. It was possible. But the premonition she had earlier was right in front of everyone and that put her in danger.
My anger simmered. She was keeping secrets. And the fact that she had a deeper connection to Alpha Kyle than I’d ever imagined… it burned. It truly, deeply, pissed me off.
But beneath the anger, a small voice urged me to be patient. This time, I wouldn’t let it fester. I wouldn’t let misunderstandings dictate our lives. I wanted to hear it from her. Her side. Her truth. So, I would give her the benefit of the doubt. I would wait. For her explanation.
And as I thought of Alpha Kyle, of him being capable of such brutality… a shiver ran down my spine. There was more to this than what happened yesterday. A deeper, darker connection. And I needed to understand it, before it consumed us all.
The air hung heavy, thick with a silence that screamed louder than any battle cry. Each step the warriors took echoed the hollowness in my chest. Strapped to their backs, shrouded in white were the bodies of two children. Two tiny lives extinguished before they ever truly had a chance to bloom. My pack. My responsibility. My failure.
The familiar sight of the Pack House came into view. But today, it wasn’t a beacon of safety and belonging.
There was a crowd gathered around as we approached and a murmur rippled through them, a fearful whisper that turned into a collective gasp as they saw us.
Then, it happened. A sound that clawed its way into my soul. Two women, their faces etched with disbelief and dawning horror, broke from the throng. “No! My baby!” they shrieked, their voices raw and broken. They ran, stumbling, their eyes locked on the small forms being carried towards us. The scene was of pure,l unadulterated agony. My warriors, brave men who had faced down bloodthirsty rogues without flinching, stood frozen, their faces grim.
Tears welled in my eyes, hot. I was the Alpha, the protector. And I had failed them. I had failed these innocent children. The grief was a physical weight, pressing down on me, on all of us. The murmur of the crowd dissolved into a symphony of sobs.
Mothers clutched each other, fathers buried their faces in their hands. The raw pain radiated outwards, a suffocating blanket. I wanted to offer comfort, to speak words of solace, but my throat was tight, my mind a blank. How could I possibly mend hearts shattered beyond recognition?
Just then a figure emerged from the weeping crowd. Faith. My mate. She moved with a quiet
grace.
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< Chapter 84
+25 Points
She went straight to the grieving mothers, her own eyes glistening, but her voice was steady, clear. “We have to.prepare them,” she announced, her voice carrying across the hushed crowd. “Tonight, they will be laid to rest, as is our law.”
Orders followed, sharp and precise. To the women, she spoke of washing and anointing the bodies with herbs and oils. To the men, of digging the graves, as deep and as honoring as the earth would allow. And to all, she commanded a somber vigil, a shared prayer for peace. And the pack obeyed. They moved with a purpose, their individual grief channeled into action under her guidance. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. This was how it used to be, before… before she ran.
By pack law, our loved ones are buried under the cloak of night. Within the hour, the preparations were complete. The scent of sacred herbs filled the air, and the soft glow of torches illuminated the grounds. The two small bodies laod side–by–side, looking as if they slept, a cruel illusion that broke my heart anew.
Faith then stepped forward, not just as my mate, but as Luna. Her presence commanded attention. I watched, surprised, as she began to speak. I hadn’t thought Alice, the woman who had spent years trying to erase Faith from our lives, would ever allow her to reclaim such a role, especially now. But Faith… she had always possessed a rare gift. The ability to connect, to soothe, to lead.
She began, her voice a balm to raw nerves. “My heart aches with yours. To stand here and say I understand would be a lie. No mother should ever endure such unimaginable pain. I have never walked in your shoes and I pray I never will. But know this, you are not alone.” She paused, her gaze sweeping across the tear–streaked faces. “We are here. Every one of us. We will hold you. We will support you. And though I know these words, these actions, will never bring back your precious babies, please, let us share in your sorrow. For today, it is not just two mothers who have lost. Motherhood itself has lost.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy with truth and empathy. She had spoken with a strength I had almost forgotten. Then, it was my turn. I stepped forward, the weight of my failure still a heavy burden, but now, fueled by a burning rage.
“Whoever has done this,” I declared, my voice resonating with a cold fury, “be they rogue, beast, traitor or alpha, they will answer for this. I swear on my blood, on my honor, on the very soil of this pack, that I will hunt them down. And I will bring them to justice. For these children. For your pain. For our pack. Revenge will be ours.” The words were a promise, a vow, a roar of defiance against the darkness that had dared to strike at our heart.
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