Chapter 137: Chapter 136

Chapter 47 To Help Or Not

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.“–Ernest Hemingway

Neron

“I do not understand, Alpha Anthony. Our packs teamed up before when Kiya and Phoebe were first kidnapped, and our mission was successful. Now, why you’re turning down my help?”

“Things have changed, Alpha Neron,” His cold baritone voice induced fresh bouts of concern from me. Nonchalantly, Anthony leans back in his chair, staring me down with sharp scrutiny as if I’ve insulted his family. We’ve been cordial with one another for a while, and this is the first he’s rejected my offer of aid. “Garnet Moon has the jurisdiction over this investigation. Kiya is my pack member, therefore making it my responsibility to find her.”

“My member and I wish to aid in the investigation as well.” I retort, gripping the arms of my seat. Onyx listens, yet is unruly at the absence of our mate. It knocks me out of focus, sporadically. “We have an alliance and I feel it is beneficial for us to team up once again, since we have a common goal; to recover Kiya safely. I mean no insult, but you don’t know what you’re up against.”

“I do. Don’t underestimate me.” He advised. “However, I am questioning whether our alliance is worth the

trouble.”

The moon peeks from the corner of the window, a sliver of light splicing through the office. It is now nighttime. Kwame, Raina, and I have resided on Anthony’s lands since our departure from the crash site.. Kiya’s disappearance has created an ocean of immense shock, not just with her friends, but with her pack. I’m worried sick about her. Based on the rumblings I’ve heard within these walls; she’s admired by everyone. Even

the children.

Garnet Moon is a family. If one hurts, they all hurt. That made the impact of the abduction that much harder on those expecting her return. Her friends have become closed off and her parents are an absolute mess.

The last thing they’d want are my comforting words..

In my hands, I held onto the portrait I made for her. It is as perfect as when I packaged it. By the miracle of my Moon Goddess, it survived the crash. My heart did a flutter when I found it nestled in a bush against a rock. The undead rogues never found it and apparently, neither did her friends. Part of me danced with joy to see my gift to her intact, but knowing I cannot see her reaction made the ache in my heart throb harder.

Settling it next to my seat now, I face another dilemma. Alpha Anthony is rejecting our help for reasons unknown to me. As his persistence raged on, Onyx grows infuriated from being barred from helping to find his other half. He wanted to jump out and give Anthony a piece of his mind, so keeping his anger in check tested my willpower.

And I share some of his anger, but not enough to attack.

“This sudden questioning of our alliance is quite abrupt, don’t you think?” I probed, eyeing my fellow Alpha carefully. An idea of why buzzes in my head, but I needed confirmation. “Why?”

“Simple. I don’t trust you, Neron. Or rather, I’m not sure if I can.” Sitting up, he folded his hands on his desk. “As more and more of your packs barbarities against my sister come to light, I’m questioning if I made the right choice forming this alliance.”

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“But, there’s more you aren’t telling me.”

“Hoo!”

I almost forgot about the bundle of feathers shuffling in my lap. Diana hadn’t left my side since I’ve left the crash site. She’s like a cute, feathery boomerang. I scratch her tiny head, relishing in her soft hoots of pleasure. Even now, as the tension is thick as butter in Anthony’s office, she continues to support me.

My fellow Alpha arched an eyebrow, his close–set hazel eyes landing on the unusual addition in his office.

“Did you really have to bring that thing in here with you?”

“Diana is not a thing; she’s Kiya’s pet.” I corrected, fondly poking her beak. “And I’m sure she misses her immensely. You wouldn’t push her out, would you?”

“Hmm. Kiya never told me she had a pet, let alone an owl. How peculiar for it to be comfortable around its natural predators, but that’s besides the point.” He sighs, rubbing his temple to soothe an incoming headache. “I’ve spoken with Jacqueline and the others, and they’ve filled me in on what had happened. I know you’re aware that a pack’s actions reflect on their Alpha, right?”

Unfortunately, I am aware of this. An Alpha’s leadership is the hallmark of their pack’s progression and structure. Like a mentor to students, the leader helps guide them on the right path. Not only that, the actions of the Alpha also reflect on them as an individual. If a pack flourishes, the Alpha is praised for being the one to bring them to that state. Outstanding leaders produce greater people. A strong pack equals a strong leader. Sadly, the packs that have fallen to ruin have their name tarnished and their Alpha as weak.

“The Zircon Moon pack has proven to be unreliable, thus making you untrustworthy by extension. No one has learned from the mistakes they’ve made and are easily swayed by extraneous forces, so it seems. If we were to Join again to save Kiya, I cannot say with confidence that your pack will give their best effort.”

“Then don’t worry about them.”

He arches an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You have every right to be skeptical, as I am too.” It’s a terrible thing for an Alpha to admit that he or she doesn’t trust the very people they’ve sworn to protect. Growing up, Zircon Moon was a symbol of pride. My pride. I’ve held my home to the greatest regard and couldn’t say enough good things about it. Now, as I open my eyes more to what I’ve turned an ignorant eye to, there isn’t much to be proud of.

It’s disgraceful.

“That’s not a good thing, Neron. If you can’t trust your people to go to battle for you, then who can you

trust?”

“My Betas and my Gammas.” A foreign feeling bubbled in my chest as I spoke. I don’t know if I should call it pride, but its warmth rushed through my body. “Can I ask you a question, Anthony?”

He nods.

“Do you regret sending Kiya to my lands?”

Anthony’s eyebrows arch at the unexpected question with a sharp intake of breath. His expression contorted as his hazel eyes hardened like steel, regarding me with a look full of scrutiny. On the desk, his fingers.

47 To Help Dr Not

switched slightly before hiding away under the cherry wood. I waited for his answer while Diana shuffled in my lap.

“Sending my sister to your lands was never for your benefit. My family promised to protect her from harm, always. As the years went on, I’ve watched Kiya blossom into a force to be reckoned with. But there was constantly something holding her back from her true potential. Mom, Dad, and I believed a time will come for her to confront her demons in order for her to heal well because no matter what we do, Zircon Moon continued to hover over her like a dark cloud. Kiya is a warrior, but she is always fighting. Sometimes, even the mightiest of all fighters grow weary. While her primary purpose was to train your warriors, it was also so she can break her chains permanently and finally be free.”

A tired exhale escaped from Anthony’s lips. Slumping shoulders, permeating sadness, and the loss of light in his eyes gave way to how he’s truly feels. Guilt. Anthony holds the look of a remorseful man with the weight of the world trapping him between a rock and a hard place. His palm brushed his hair back, revealing more of his regret.

“I regret sending her. If I hadn’t, she’d still be here. I acted selfishly; in my desire for her to break loose from her demons, I’ve chained her tighter to them. And now, she’s gone.” His sorrowful eyes gazed at the shining moon through his window as if he’s praying for our goddess‘ forgiveness. “I just wanted the pain in her eyes to disappear. But you don’t send a soldier with PTSD back to the battlefield.”

“There is nothing wrong with what you did, Anthony.” I reassured, feeling his guilt twinning with mine, despite being so different. “You did what you thought was best at the time.”

“And look where that got her. Your ex–girlfriend tried to kill her twice, and a crazed psychopath nearly killed. my family to abduct her. I feel like this is my i

“If it counts for something, Kiya’s presence had a good effect on my lands.”

Anthony rolled his eyes. “You’re saying that because she is your mate.”

“It’s not just that.” I shook my head. “She was the karma we all needed. For too long, we’ve alluded ourselves to think nothing would harm us; that our actions won’t affect our future. We’ve buried that part of our history for so long, and it is only now that we’re forced to open our eyes and confront it. To own up to what we did. I admit, some of us need more work than others. Kiya is my mate, but she’s also a lesson I needed to be taught a long time ago. If she hadn’t kicked my ass, I’d still be the same idiot as before.”

“You still are kind of.” Onyx quipped. I’ve never put a mental block up so fast.

Sharp knocks from behind me echoed in the air, taking our attention from the conversation. With a blunt ‘Come in‘ from Anthony. Miss Phoebe walked in with a grim look on her face. An air of mystery trails her in the office, pricking at my skin. It’s not bothersome, but it still gives me the child.

The last of my hopes laid with her as she is the only one, I believe, can locate Kiya with magic.

“Phoebe. Any news?” Anthony asked.

The heavy sigh she gave made my fear spike. “Osiris got smarter this time. I’ve conjured up all the spells and rituals from my book to locate Kiya, but I’m met with metaphysical blocks time after time. Imagine running and suddenly crashing into an unexpected tree. If my sentiments are correct, he is using the magic of corrupt witches to insure their location is untraceable. He is not letting anyone find Kiya.”

Chapter 47 – To Help Or Not

“Corrupt witches?” I asked her. “What do they have to do with this?”

“Just like in every species, there are a select few who stray from the rules. Phoebe began. “Motivated by greed, lust, and who knows what else, they’ll do whatever it takes to get what they want. Here, witches who use corrupt magic are the ones who will ally themselves with darkness. While Osiris is not a witch, it’s most likely he promised them something in return of their servitude. Unfortunately, when Kiya and I were kidnapped, I’ve witnessed their immorality with my own eyes. They don’t care about anyone except themselves. I’m sure Goddess Hecate has forsaken them as her children.”

Disbelief rocks through my body at the idea of Osiris gaining unlikely allies to keep Kiya hidden away like possession. Witches, Cerberus; who the hell else is there?! My faith slowly deflates, but I cannot let it die.

Giving up is not an option, nor will it ever be an option.

I won’t stop until I find her.

Anthony hummed in thought, resting his chin on his fist. “Your friend, Endo, used a special locator spell last time to uncover your location. Could we try that again since we have Raina here?”

“It’s a perilous ritual, even without the blocks to take into consideration. The blocks these witches used to cloud Kiya’s location are incredibly strong, and it most likely came from the effort of multiple corrupt witches. Using that ritual again will put Raina’s life in danger again. Given the barriers put in place, I will not take that risk on her life. There is a lot at stake now; not just Kiya’s safety.”

Raina would die for Kiya, that I know for sure. However, Valerian would never agree to a second chance at the ritual, given how he was against it the first time. His wife could’ve gotten seriously hurt.

“What can you do now, Phoebe?”

The witch rubbed her temples, her eyes fluttering close. “I can come up with a new ritual to try out. It’ll take some time to gather materials needed, but if I can break through the metaphysical blocks, then it leads us that much closer to discovering where both she and Osiris are. I can have it made by the morning.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thank you, Phoebe. You’re dismissed.”

A thought suddenly struck, buzzing about like an angry hornet. As Phoebe got up to leave, I called her out. “Wait, Miss Phoebe. There is something I need to ask you.”

Her amethyst eyes peered into my soul, silently beckoning me to ask what is on my mind.

“What do you think Osiris wants with Kiya?”

“Something bad.” She points to my lap. “But, cute owl. Keep her around. She is something special.” With that, she left the office, leaving us Alphas alone. Diana cooed softly, nuzzling her small head into my stomach. My hand naturally found its way to her colorless feathers again, caressing them softly.

“Okay, Neron.” Anthony spoke again. “We’re up against an enemy unlike any other. Call your Beta Female and Gamma in here; I want to speak to them as well.”

Five minutes later, Raina and Kwame arrived are seated next to me. Kwame has his infamous calm and collected air around him while Raina is the complete opposite. Triggered by her worry, her leg bounces at her seat. Anthony measured them both in silence, his eyes searching for faults in their resolve. He’s looking for a reason not to trust them.

Chapter 47 – To Help für Reun

I’m partially offended.

“You want to help find Kiya?”

Both of them nodded, Raina more vigorously.

“Your Alpha said that he trusts you and your partners the most. Can you say, in confidence, I can trust you

both as well?”

“Yes.” Kwame answered confidently. “Under your discretion, we can work with your Beta and Gamma as we uncover additional information that’ll lead us to Kiya’s rescue.”

“We want her back, and we’ll do whatever it takes.” Raina added on, her leg slowing its bounce. Diana leaned over and rubbed her wing on her arm, taking the woman by surprise. Smiling softly, Raina petted her. Anthony regarded all of us with a heavy look before focusing on me.

“Very well. You’re welcome to the investigation.

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