Chapter 97 by Cara Anderson

Ch. 97 Irene’s Tale

Colton’s POV

“Colton! I found something!” Mallory shouted and I immediately came running.

I hadn’t been far away, just across the hall. I knew she wanted some time alone with her parents’ ghosts, so to speak, but I was worried about her and my wolf wouldn’t let me get too far away. When she called for me, I burst into the room like my ass was on fire.

“What is it? Are you okay?” I hadn’t run that far but I still sounded breathless.

“Look at this!” She shoved a piece of paper in my face. “I found it hidden behind a childhood photo of me that Quade kept on his desk.”

My head snapped up from the piece of paper to spear her with a “WTF” look.

“Yeah, I know. Super creepy. But in the scheme of things, I think keeping my picture on his desk is low on the list of Quade’s disturbing behaviors. What do you think it means?” She scrunched her nose in that adorable way she had when she was trying to solve a particularly vexing puzzle.

“Some type of chemical equation.” She rolled her eyes at me impatiently as if to say ‘thank you Captain Obvious.” ” Let me grab my laptop and we can g*** *e it.”

I jogged from the room and returned a minute later with my laptop in hand. Lifting Mallory from the desk chair, I sat down and settled her in my lap then flipped open the computer. A quick g** **e search returned a disturbing result. Dimethylmercury, otherwise known as Quicksilver or plain old Mercury.

No wonder the word “dangerous” was written beside it. Most people knew that silver was toxic to wolves. But mercury was in such short supply that no one ever mentioned how much more deadly it was. There just wasn’t enough available to make it a viable concern.

Sure, silver could kill a wolf in high enough quantities, but we could also heal from it. Mercury in the bloodstream was a death sentence. Even more concerning, if someone found enough of it, it could be weaponized, aerosolized into a gaseous form that if released into the air, could kill hundreds if not thousands of wolves at once.

“Why would my father have this?” Mallory asked, her voice trembling as she read the words on the screen.

“I don’t know, love. This looks like a land deed.” I said, reviewing the information on the document. “From what I’ve heard, Hazelwood pack had lots of land that had been in the Alpha family for years. Maybe this was one of the parcels.”

“Do you think this is what Quade wanted? Is this why he murdered my parents?” Her voice cracked and I could feel her heartache pulsing in the bond.

“I’m not sure but we need to find out. If he knew about it and he told Miles McIntyre or anyone else for that matter, that puts us all in a very precarious situation.” I said, holding her tighter to my chest. “If anyone with questionable motives were to get their hands on this and weaponize it, they would have a pretty clear path to ruling the world of wolves.”

“We don’t even know if it’s still there. Why wouldn’t he just get rid of it if it’s so dangerous?” Mal asked.

“We will definitely need to go check it out. But this is a large plot of land and he was clearly hiding its existence. Mercury in large quantities is not easy to dispose of. Large amounts of acid would be needed and that in itself is dangerous.

“There are so many unknowns here, Mal. We have no idea how long your father knew about the mercury. Maybe he just hadn’t had time to dispose of it before Quade’s attack. We also don’t know how Quade found out, if that was even the reason for his takeover. We need answers.”

I summoned Nathan to the office to inform him of Mallory’s discovery and discuss what to do next. When he showed up with Charlie in tow, I sent Mallory a questioning look. I wasn’t sure how much we could trust Charlie or if Mal would be comfortable discussing our find in front of her. Mal gave one sharp nod of her head, telling me to proceed.

“The only person I could think to ask is Irene.” Charlie offered once we had explained the situation.

“Who is Irene?” Mallory asked her.

“She is the widow of your father’s Beta. Quade killed him to get to your parents but she still lives among the pack. Mates tell each other everything, right? If the Beta knew anything, maybe she does too.” Charlie explained.

“It’s worth a try.” Mallory agreed.

Charlie led us to a rundown cottage on the outskirts of pack’s populated territory. An old woman with long silver hair and sad, gray eyes opened the door when we knocked. As soon as her eyes landed on Mallory, her entire face transformed.

“You look just like your mother!” She exclaimed. “I heard you’d come home to Hazelwood but refused to believe it until I saw you with my own eyes. And here you are!”

“Hello!” Mallory offered the woman her hand. “I’m Mallory Edwards.”

“I know who you are. Your mother was one of my dearest friends. But I knew you as Mallory Brooks.” The woman shoved her hand aside and enveloped her in a hug with more strength than her frail arms looked capable of.

She ushered us all inside and offered us a seat in her living room while she went off to make the tea she insisted we drink. The inside of the house looked little better than the outside, tidy but in obvious need of repairs. Nathan and I exchanged a look and he nodded, an indication he would be sending someone to help the old woman with some much needed work.

Tea was served and we each took part in explaining what we had found and why it was vital we find out what Quade may have known. Irene’s wrinkled features took on a deathly pallor as she listened. It was clear the reminder of events that led to her husband’s death still haunted her.

“My Henry came home one day after traveling for the Alpha and the moment he stepped in the door I knew something was very wrong. He tried to hide it from me but the bond doesn’t lie.” She had a distant look in her eye, like she was remembering that day as if it were yesterday.

“Would you tell us what you remember?” Mallory asked softly.

“I’ll do my best. My memory isn’t what it used to be.” She blew out a deep breath, steeling herself for something obviously difficult for her to face. “Your father, Alpha Parker, had been cleaning out files in his office when he found some deeds to land tracts his father left him. He asked Henry to go take a look at them, to determine if anything profitable could be done with them.

“He only made it to the first property then came straight back home. He’d gone straight to the Alpha to report what he’d found. He knew immediately how dangerous it would be for anyone to find out. When I finally hounded him into telling me why he was so upset, he wouldn’t even say the words out loud. Insisted on whispering it to me in the bathroom with the water running.

“Henry was barely home after that. He and Parker always locked themselves in the office with their heads together, planning how to destroy the cache before anyone else could find it.

Unfortunately, Quade attacked before they could follow through.”

“Do you think Quade’s attack was a coincidence or did he know about the mercury? And if he knew, how did he find out?” I asked as soon as she finished her tale.

“He definitely knew. I’m sorry to say this to you,” she locked eyes with Mallory, “but your father’s death was brutal. Quade tortured him for days for information before finally going too far. I don’t think he meant to kill him because he hadn’t gotten what he was looking for.

“Quade was in a rage for weeks after that, tearing up the packhouse and digging up the land, looking for any clue to the location of the cache. As you can tell by the coordinates on the deed, it’s very remote. Not somewhere someone is likely to happen upon it if they don’t know where to look.”

“So what, he just finally gave up looking?” Mallory wondered.

“Not exactly.” Irene chuckled darkly. ”

He terrorized the pack, always believing someone knew something but no one did. He’d convinced himself that the Hazelwood wolves were loyal to your father, which they were. But he thought if he could make you his mate, they would trust him and reveal the secret.”

I couldn’t have stopped the growl that erupted if my life depended on it. The thought of that vile fucker anywhere near my mate sent me into a rage. I wanted to bring him back just so I could murder him all over again.

“Does the name Miles McIntyre mean anything to you?” Nathan cut in, interrupting my tantrum.

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I’ve never heard of him.”

“Thank you so much for your time, Irene. You’ve been very helpful.”

Mallory offered her a warm smile. “I know those weren’t easy memories to recall and we appreciate your openness.”

“I was happy to help, dear. Henry died defending your parents. He would have wanted me to help you any way I could.” The sadness in her eyes had returned as she spoke of her mate’s death.

We said our goodbyes with the promise of sending someone to help her with repairs. She thanked us and waved us off. The mood was somber as we all trudged back to the packhouse.

“Someone had to have overheard your father and his Beta speaking about the mercury and leaked it to Quade.” I said, breaking the silence.

“You’re probably right but I’m not sure the who matters anymore.” Mallory replied. “We need to find a way to destroy it before anyone else gets hurt. I have a feeling Miles knew exactly what Quade was looking for and hasn’t given up on finding it just because his partner died. He wants us out of the way so he can continue where Quade left off.”

That certainly seemed plausible. But without proof, we were powerless to stop him. We just had to hope Clay and Cary found something useful. Because although it helped to know what we were dealing with, we were no closer to ending this ongoing nightmare.

Later that night as we were getting ready for bed, I heard whimpers coming from the bathroom. I rushed inside to find Mallory sitting on the tile floor with her head in her hands, crying.

“Please don’t cry, little Omega. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it for you.” I pleaded, pulling her into my lap and nuzzling her neck.

“I’m just angry and frustrated, and so damn sad!” She sobbed. “I feel guilty because I loved my life growing up with Maeve. But coming here makes me realize the life I missed out on with two parents that loved me. And Quade took them away from me for nothing!

“Where did murdering my parents get him? He was nothing more than a malicious monster who terrorized innocent people in the quest for power he never realized. And now it seems Miles is trying to do the same.

“We can’t let him, Colt. We can’t let him!” She fisted her hands in my shirt and looked up at me with so much desperation in her eyes I nearly crumbled.

Instead, I picked her up off the floor and carried her to bed, cradling her in my arms and whispering promises I prayed to the Goddess I could keep.

“We won’t let him anywhere near this pack or your father’s secrets. I swear it, Mal. Trust me. My brothers and I are going to keep you and our pups safe. We’re going to keep everyone safe!”