CHAPTER 87

A sharp pain radiated in my heart and I touched it, begging my heart to hold still. I shouldn’t have asked her that way, maybe! should’ve made a grand gesture. Some flowers, candles, and a lovely dinner would’ve eased her into the request.

She was probably too shocked to even say yes but none of it mattered.

She didn’t want to mark me. She didn’t want to be the Luna. There was no needed fighting it.

I picked up my phone. It was a message from Azalea that pulled me out of my train of thought. Two days ago, I found out that, Mason was missing and I got a visit from the Vulture Rogue King, Ryker. The safety of the pack had been on my mind since then.

Azalea volunteered to go to my former pack since I couldn’t. Leaving the pack behind after getting such a threat would be a dangerous idea. It would leave the pack vulnerable.

//No survivors// was all Azalea’s message mentioned. I took a seat.

There was a limit to the problems I could solve. Mason being either dead or missing without a lead wasn’t something I could ever resolve. All I just wanted was for him to come back to me alive.

A knock resounded on my study’s door. For a second I thought it was Angela and I had hope but it soon occurred to me that Angela wouldn’t have to knock before entering.

“Come in,”

My new right hand, Stanley, walked into the room. He took over after Azalea left. He was a promising and brilliant warrior but I still couldn’t depend on him just like Azalea.

“Alpha, he’s ready for you,”

“I’ll be there in a minute,”

I dismissed him and turned my attention back to my phone as I prepared to give Azalea more instructions. I raised my head when I realized he wasn’t leaving.

“Do you need anything?”

“May I be permitted to talk freely Alpha?”

I wondered what that was all about. I wasn’t used to the formality from him since Azalea usually talked just as he wanted but protocols had to be followed.

“Go ahead,”

“Is it true that your father tried to sell the pack to Ryker?”

I took a deep breath. “Do I have to answer that?”

60%

+5

“The rumor is going around the pack and I thought I should know the truth even though you don’t owe me any explanation but it matters if I do since I’m the closest to you at this moment,”

I nodded. I loved his boldness. “Why don’t we go find out the truth?”

We left the house and headed to the cell room where we were holding Charles. He’s been in there since I arrested him for trespassing into the pack. The plan was simple, I would be addressing the pack at the Vow Ceremony but then, I needed the pack to be united. That was the only way they would be able to save themselves from the wrath of Ryker. For unity, they needed someone they could trust, and that someone was Charles.

“You think I’m not fit for this pack,”

I asked him. He stared at me evilly. He was probably thinking of one thousand and one ways to get rid of me.

“Because your father left a will not to let you lead this pack,”

“Good! At least you have a tangible reason for acting crazy. You think I forcefully took over this pack for just no reason,”

“You’re Darius Darkwood, you don’t need a reason to do unreasonable things,”

He had a frown plastered on his face. He looked like the worst version of himself.

“Your former Alpha sold this pack to Ryker. Ryker paid us a visit two days ago asking for his pack,”

He growled before slamming his hands on the table. “LIES! You lie, you spawn of the devil,”

“The truth is a bitter pill sometimes. Even though you hate its taste, you still have to swallow it because it’ll help you become better. My father got your father killed. I know you’re finding it hard to accept that fact because of how much you respect him but if you want to hate me, Charles, hate me for my father’s sin not for becoming the Alpha of this pack,”

He was breathing heavily and suddenly, his eyelid twitched. He looked like he was struggling not to cry.

“You’re lying. The former Alpha would never do something like that,”

He insisted.

“What would it take for you to believe? I want you to believe me right now,”

I tapped the table.

“You can’t do anything…” I raised a finger stopping him mid–sentence.

“I wasn’t talking to you,”

C

I turned to Stanley before standing up from the seat and instructed him, “Bring him along,”

The dungeon was inaccessible for another person other than Azalea and me. That was only because of the one person who lived

there.

The three of us walked in. There was no need to send Stanley back, I knew he wasn’t a member of the Resistance group.

Immediately Charles set his eyes on my pathetic and foolish father, his mouth dropped open.

“Alpha,”

“You’re alive,”

“Is that the son of my Beta?”

Before Charles could walk towards him, I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

“I’m not here for a stupid friendly reunion. I’m here for answers. Tell him what you did,”

“I owe no one an explanation for what I did. Not even you, Darius,”

“Fine! Then I guess we’ll have to revisit the torture room since you appear to enjoy being in there so much,”

He hissed. “Bastard,”

I was sure the memory of that torture room had scarred him enough.

“I did what I had to do. The pack was hopeless. Ryker would’ve made a better use of it,” he replied nonchalantly.

My father was probably the most unrepentant person I’d met in my entire life.

“Ryker would’ve killed us,” Charles yelled at him.

“He’s still going to kill you. The deed has been done,”

I turned to the two people with me. “Only four of us know the truth about him. If the pack finds out he’s alive, Ryker would somehow find out he’s alive and that would prompt the bastard to claim what it is his. If this secret gets out, you’ll lose your lives even before Ryker gets here,”

“Yes, Alpha,” Stanley replied immediately.

“You and your father are both horrible people. The apple doesn’t fall far from the family tree, does it?”

I smirked. “No, it doesn’t. Once your anger dissipates, the pack could use your help,”

“Or maybe you could use my help,” he replied through gritted teeth.

I shrugged. “Trust me, y’all death wouldn’t make me blink. I’ll take my people and we’ll fuck off from this place and attend y’all funerals later,” I stopped to make sure he understood me perfectly. “You’ve got five seconds to make up your mind,”

+5

still looked indecisive and I hated that attribute the most in a man especially one who claim to be a warrior. When it’s about life and death, one of the things I teach my men is to make a decision without thinking twice and fucking sticking to your decision till

the end of time.

“One,”

I began counting.

“Two,”

“Three,”

“Fou…”

“What do you want me to do?”