Chapter 96
Astor’s Pov…
The Australian sun beat down, deep inside Alpha Matthew’s hidden home. It wasn’t a fancy place, just a simple, strong house built into the side of a rocky hill. It was surrounded by the harsh beauty of the outbacks. No one knew I was here. No one knew my father and Alpha
Matthew were once as close as brothers.
I even made sure to cover every step, every trail and I didn’t even tell my mate where I was going.
Alpha Matthew sat across from me, his face lined with age but his eyes sharp, like a hawk watching its prey. He’d offered me a glass of water, but it sat untouched. My hands were shaking too much to hold it steady.
“I knew this day would come, Astor,” he said, his voice low and steady, pulling me from my swirling, anxious thoughts. “Our past is coming back to haunt us.”
My throat felt tight, dry. “Then tell me,” I managed to rasp out, the words barely a whisper. ” Is Kyle really the heir of the Fallen pack?” Every part of me, every fiber of my being, wanted him to say no. To tell me it was a mistake on my part.
Alpha Matthew’s steady gaze never moved from my face. “Yes,” he stated, the single word a hammer blow to my chest, stealing the air from my lungs.
A cold dread spread through me, making my skin prickle. “But how?” I whispered, my voice barely there. “No one survived. The Fallen pack was wiped out. Everyone died.”
nobody doesn’t know about the Fallen pack and least of all me because our pack was involved in that m******e.
He leaned forward slightly, his next words softer, almost gentle, but no less impactful. “The Luna. She was never found. And she was pregnant.”
I already knew that but people claimed that she may have thrown herself in the lake to avoid being brutally murdered.
“There’s more,” Alpha Matthew continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper, as if the very walls themselves had ears. “The previous Alpha of the Crescent pack, he was mated and married to a woman who wasn’t his true mate. Everyone knew that. It was an open secret. But there were always whispers, rumors. That he had found his true mate, but kept her a secret. Hidden away. A mistress. No one knew who she was, where she came from. It was all very carefully hidden.”
< Chapter 96
I stared at him, trying to piece everything together.
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“The biggest shock,” he went on, his eyes growing distant as he recalled the past, “was when he named his step–son as his heir. Not his own blood, not even a child from his official mate, but a boy who wasn’t truly his. This was kept a deep secret, hidden from most of the pack, especially the lower ranks who only knew the official story.”
My head was spinning, like a top losing control. A step–son as heir? It was unheard of but it explains why I couldn’t find out the reason why he was named the alpha of the Crescent pack since he had no blood relation with the previous Alpha.
“But here’s the crucial part, Astor,” Alpha Matthew said, his eyes drilling into mine again, bringing me back to the present, to the harsh reality. “The few people who did meet his mistress, the ones who were close enough to know, they described her. Exactly. Like the Luna of the Fallen pack.”
The puzzle pieces slammed together in my mind, forming a picture of terrifying clarity.
“He wants revenge,” I breathed out, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. My hands clenched into fists, my body rigid with the shock of it all. “Kyle, he wants revenge for his family. For the Fallen pack.”
So this was not just about my mate but it was bigger than that.
Alpha Matthew nodded slowly, a grim acceptance on his face that only deepened the lines around his mouth. “And he has every right to take it.” He paused, then his expression hardened, becoming cold and stark. ” what happened was terrible and it shaped our history forever but his father was simply not a victim, Astor. He is becoming the exact same monster as his father. Worse, perhaps.”
“We all know why the Fallen pack had to be destroyed” Alpha Matthew asked, his voice now taking on a stern, almost angry edge. “They were not innocent. They were evil beings. Obsessed with black magic. They took help from dark witches, killed other werewolves, used them for their dark rituals, their bloodthirsty experiments.”
I shook my head, my chest aching. “But… you destroyed a whole pack! Innocent kids, Matthew! What about them?” The thought of children being massacred, it was barbaric, unforgivable.
The worst part is that my own father was a part of it.
Alpha Matthew’s gaze sharpened, piercing through my indignation, through my righteous anger. “Don’t judge, Astor, unless you have been in that position. Unless you have faced such darkness and seen it threaten everything you hold dear. Unless you have watched it devour those you love.” He leaned back in his chair, a heavy sigh escaping him, laced with years of
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burden. “And now, look at what is happening to the Crescent pack. They have resorted to the exact same ways as the Fallen pack. History is repeating itself, Astor, but with your people now on the other side of the blade.”
He looked away for a moment, his jaw tight, before finally meeting my eyes again. His gaze held a deep, unshakeable sorrow. “Werewolves are being massacred in large numbers. From different packs. Not just Crescent wolves. Pups are being kidnapped, Astor. Tiny, innocent pups. For God knows what twisted, evil purpose. And women… women are being raped and forced to breed creatures. With the help of witches. Dark magic, just like the Fallen pack.”
My daughter.
“My daughter,” I said, the words a strained whisper, a strangled plea that barely made it past my lips. “He has my daughter, Matthew. God knows what he has done to her. What he is doing to her right now!” The fear, cold and sharp as a knife, clawed at my chest, tearing at my insides. I imagined her innocent face, her bright, trusting eyes, now twisted by terror, by pain. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.
“I have to find her,” I told him, my voice gaining a desperate urgency, a raw, primal need. “I have to find my daughter. And we have to stop Kyle.”
Alpha Matthew watched me, his face etched with a profound sorrow, a knowing sadness that chilled me to the bone. “Astor,” he said, his voice grave, heavy with grim truth, “I hope with all my heart
you find your daughter alive. Truly, I do.” He paused, letting the grim reality of his words sink in, allowing the silence to stretch and weigh us down. “But when it comes to stopping Kyle… to stopping a monster like him, you will have to become a monster yourself, Astor. You will have to be willing to destroy and m******e the whole Crescent pack. Every last one of them, if that’s what it takes. And you will have to live with that decision, Astor. Every single day for the rest of your life.”
