Chapter 102

102 The Talk Caleb I woke up early in the morning and discussed some things with Luke via the mind

link. After the discussion, I got ready to go to the hospital. I did not tell Luke about the state of the

military. He wasn‘t going to leave the house that day, so I decided I would allow him a few hours to enjoy

his peace of mind with Tia before dropping the bomb about the state of our military. While I was getting

ready to head out, Kimberly frowned at me. “Did your brother not just return?” she asked me, thinking I

was off to perform Alpha duties. For a woman that wanted to be Luna, by all means, she did not seem to

like the whole Alpha thing. I began to laugh. I shook my head and arranged the collar of my shirt, looking

at her.

“No, Baby. I am not resuming as Alpha. I promised father I would spend some time with him at the

hospital today, and I want to give him a piece of uplifting news about Luke‘s return. His soul needs it.” I

said, and she smiled at me. She went to check Emma in the crib and then walked to me to kiss me on

the cheek.

“Thank goddess, your brother is back; Tia will return to being her old self. I really miss her. I had to start

hanging with my mother because I did not want to be in her space.” Kimberly confessed, and I laughed. I

grabbed her close and kissed her. Taking in her scent, I kissed her neck where my mark should be

resting, and she moaned. “Marry him. I want us to be a proper family.” I pleaded with her just as I do

every morning, hoping that she would say yes and we could move forward one day. She moved away

from me. i

“You promised you won‘t trouble me about this, Caleb,” she said. I zipped my lips with my finger, and the

gesture made her laugh. I kissed her and left the room.

I got to the hospital in a rush. There was a peaceful protest along the road leading to the mansion and in

the city‘s heart, making it hard to manoeuvre. People were carrying plaque cards with all sorts of terrible

things written on them. They lamented how we do not care for them and want them to starve to death.

Some requested Luke to address them after they had been told he was kidnapped. People were just

unreasonable. This event was long overdue. Woodclaw city was broke; they depended on Eastwood.

While I looked at their angry, demanding faces, I was disgusted and angry. The Moons risked their lives

times without number to make sure they were happy and safe, yet this was how they decided to pay us.

By protesting and making us out to be monsters.

My father sat on the couch in my mother‘s hospital room, reading a book. I now knew where Luke got his

dedication from. He obviously got it from my father. My father looked up at me and smiled, then looked at

my mother.

“How are you?” he asked me, and I‘nodded. I went to sit next to him and looked at my mother. I knew

better than to ask if there was any improvement. I knew that would be insensitive of me to ask, and I did

not want to do something that would be insensitive. My mother lay quietly there as if she did not have a

care. She looked clean and cared for, but she had lost the little weight she had on, and I wondered when

my father would accept her fate and pull the plug. He keeps saying wolves can‘t die like this, but he

forgets she had silver in her system.

“If only she was this peaceful when she was awake,” my father said, and I smiled and looked at

her.

“If she was peaceful at all,” I corrected, and we both chuckled. “I know I sound like a crazy man, but I

want her to wake up. I know if I hold on long enough, the goddess will wake her up,” he said, and I

looked at him. His eyes were red, and I knew he lingered there not out of love but because he wanted

closure. He wanted her to wake up and tell him all that Monica said was not true. He wanted her to

explain why she lied to him and deceived him. He wanted to understand why and I could not blame him

for it. The things Monica had said were shocking to anyone. Being married to another man‘s wife

unknowingly is wrong. I hoped she would wake up and answer all the questions swimming in his mind.

My father needed closure, and the only person that could give that to him was my mother.

“Luke is home,” I said, and his expression was shocked and relieved. He deserved some good news. His

face lit up immediately, and he was so happy. “When did he return?” he finally asked.

“Late last night. He seized a private jet. They also came with a prisoner who has revealed Luis Moon‘s

identity and can help trace out their underground pack.” I said, and my father was elated. He could not

hide the relief and gratitude he was feeling. We had hunted this bastard blindly, and now we have a

break. I understood his joy. “That must have been difficult for him to accomplish,” he said, and I sighed.

“Father, I need to tell you something,” I said, deciding to open up about our military to him. He was in

shock by the time was I through.

“What do we do, Caleb? Does Luke know?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“Does Tia know?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“We need to think of something to do fast. I know the money is gone, but we cannot afford to lose our

military support.” my father pointed out and sighed.

“I know, father, but we only have Woodclaw city, Eastwood, Neev, Bravadome, Rain city and Garland.

The rest have pulled out due to rumours, lack of funds and underfunding. It occurred within these three

weeks,” I said, and my father ran his fingers through his hair.

“Why underfund them?” He asked, and I sighed.

“We needed to buy weapons to prepare for any surprise from Luis,” I said, and he began to laugh from

frustration.

“You will need people to carry those weapons and use them against our enemy,” he said and looked at

me.

“Now that your brother is back, I think you should discuss regaining the military support with him. I am

sure the two of you will come up with something innovative.” He said, and I nodded.

“How are Kimberly and your daughter?” he asked me, and I told him they were fine.

“Push for the marriage some more.” He advised me, and I smiled.

We sat in the hospital room in silence. Soon I got up to leave. He did not stop me, but his mood seemed

a bit better now that he knew Luke was back and he was alive and well.

“Will you be coming back in the evening?” he asked, and I nodded.

“I think you should go home and get some rest, father,” I told him and shook his head.

“Now that I suspect someone tried to kill her to cover up, I cannot leave so they can finish what they

started, and that brat is long gone,” he said, referring to Monica, and I sighed. It was low of Monica to

leave the way she did. Even if she wasn‘t being treated well, she owed it to her mother to remain by her

side until they finally pulled the plug, but she just ran away.

My father cleared his throat and looked at me. It was apparent he wanted to say something that had

pondered on his mind for a while now.

“Did you ever suspect that maybe Monica was lying?” he asked. I wondered why Monica would lie about

something of that magnitude. I knew my father‘s mind and heart were still trying to process it, and the

possibility it was a lie made it bearable.

“I guess we will never know until she wakes up,” I told my father, and he sighed. He was obviously

worried about Monica‘s revelation,

“I will return in the evening.

“I promised him and left. Kimberly had told me she would be staying over with her parents, so I did not

need to rush back home. On the other hand, Luke told me he won‘t be going anywhere, and I heard the

two of them going at it when I passed their room. There was nothing to do at home, so I knew I would

definitely return.

I went straight to the headquarters to be sure they secured the prisoner. He was our wild card. Getting to

the headquarters, Kirk met me at the door just as he had met Tia and me every day until four days ago

when Tia decided to stay home and leave all the work to me. I did not blame her because I knew she

was not in the right frame of mind to make certain decisions. Luke‘s return will put her at her best. “What

have we learned from the prisoner,” I asked Kirk.

“I do not trust him because he answered all our questions with ease, but following what he says, he

claims Luis Moon‘s pack is based in Tetra, a small settlement not too far from Cleeve. It isn‘t really a big

place,” Kirk explained, and I sighed.

I planned on discussing this further with Luke and Tia, so we will know what to do next. Tia had mapped

out a good defence plan; it was time to see if we could flip it into offence. Destabilising his pack would

not neutralise the threat because I knew he was gaining momentum, but it was an excellent place to

start. Once he knows we are on to him, he would make mistakes trying to fade back into the shadows.

When people overthink, they end up making mistakes. I intended to count on him being extra careful so

he would make mistakes that would help us catch him. He had plagued my family long enough. I was

also searching for Regan. I wasn‘t sure if my mother was poisoned or not, but threatening me and my

daughter was going too far. I plan on killing him most painfully for even thinking it. The moment I finished

at the headquarters. I headed back to the hospital. I missed Kim and Emma, and the thought of them not

spending the night at the mansion made me decide to stay over at the hospital. Tia and Luke needed

privacy because there was a lot of work to do once ihey stepped out of their room. My father was eating

on the couch when I arrived, and to my surprise, he kept food for me. I used to think my father did not

love me until now. He had a peculiar way of showing he cared, but he did. He cares for me deeply. I now

understood his ways and had to commend him for it. It wasn‘t easy being strict and loving at the same

time. Finding that balance was always close

to impossible, making him appear mean most of the time. i “Thank you,” I said, sitting next to him and

taking the food from him.

“Had a rough day?” He asked, and I nodded, then sighed. Opening the food, I asked him where it came

from, and he began to laugh. “Anywhere but the mansion,” he said, and we laughed. Two poisoning in

the same place was no joke. I wasn‘t taking any chances. “How is Luke?” He asked, and I smiled at my

father. “Indoors with his wife?” I said, and my father laughed. “Who would have thought Luke would fall

completely for that girl. Their relationship really surprised me.” My father said, and the thought was

mutual. “Father,” I asked him, and he looked at me, ” you could have assumed the Alpha position in the

meantime; why did you ask me to step up?” I asked, and he laughed and tussled my hair the way he

used to when I was a child. “It is not often you prepare a jet for transport, Caleb. Luke might do it, but not

you. You like hanging around.” he said, and my eyes widened at the realisation. “I knew you were

planning to go and look for your brother, and I suspected Tia too. So I bumped you up and told the

mansion security not to let her out if she tried to leave. I do not know what happened to your brother, but

I could not lose you and Tia. It would have been too much for my soul to bear.” he said, and I smiled at

him. He looked at my mother where she lay, and I knew his heart was broken. “Have you decided ?” I

asked him, and he sighed. “Still thinking about it. I want to catch that bastard before I let her go,” he said,

and I knew he was pained to his soul. It was hard to believe, but he loved her. “I am running an

investigation to find the bastard,” he said, and I was doing the same too but kept it to myself.

It wasn‘t long after our discussion that my mother gasped for air. She was awake.