Chapter 20: The Guest

ELAINE

I was standing outside the room where the stranger from last night was being kept. Connor was busy talking to some of our pack members, while I waited patiently off to the side.

My gaze drifted to the room’s doors. The pack doctor emerged, her eyes landing on me.

That made me frown. Why was she looking at me?

“How is she?” Connor asked, drawing her attention away from me.

“Alpha, Luna,” the pack doctor greeted us. I could feel her anxiety.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping closer to her. She hesitated, glancing at Connor.

I didn’t wait for her to decide. I pulled her aside and gave her a comforting smile. “You can talk.”

“The she-wolf,” the doctor began, “she’s from the Lumia Pack.”

“Yes, we know. She told us that last night.” I smiled, relieved.

“She’s the alpha’s sister from that pack,” the pack doctor blurted out.

I blinked, surprised by her words. I quickly looked at Connor, who was already frowning. He’d heard the doctor’s revelation.

“Are you sure?” I asked, looking directly into the doctor’s eyes.

“Yes, she said she wanted to speak with you, ~only you~,” the doctor whispered.

I glanced between her and Connor, who slowly nodded. After thanking her, I knocked on the door and peeked inside.

The she-wolf had shifted back to her human form after receiving treatment.

“Hi,” I said, and she responded with a warm smile. Hearing some noise, I looked over to where the two pups were. “They seem to be doing well,” I commented, standing by the door.

Connor was right behind me, so I quickly mind-linked him.

~“Stay there. She might be scared of you.”~

Connor crossed his arms over his chest. He raised an eyebrow and shot me a glare that clearly said, don’t even think about it. But I didn’t give a damn about his opinion.

“Um, can we talk?” the she-wolf asked nervously. Her eyes were on Connor, filled with fear.

I sighed and pushed Connor out of the room.

“I’m staying,” Connor growled stubbornly.

“Back the fuck off,” I growled back. My patience was wearing thin.

“Elaine, I’m not leaving you alone in this room with a stranger, especially ~her~,” Connor argued.

~“Connor, she just gave birth, and she’s from one of our neighboring packs. What makes you think she can hurt me?”~ I mind-linked him, annoyed.

Connor stared at me, studying my face. With a scoff, he finally walked out and shut the door.

I sighed, tired. Turning back to my guest, I gave her an awkward smile.

“Sorry about that.” I waved a hand dismissively, but she was still watching the door. I understood her fear. “Would you prefer if we mind-linked?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Normally, we could only mind-link with our own pack members. If we wanted to link with someone else for privacy, they would need to give us permission, especially if they were from another pack.

“Is that okay, Luna?” she asked nervously.

“Yes, but before we do that, could I have your name?” I asked, smiling.

I needed her to trust me and explain what happened last night. It wasn’t normal for hunters to chase a wolf, not when we had a treaty.

What had happened to make them attack her?

“My name is Ava, my queen,” she murmured. I nodded and moved closer.

“May I have your hand?” I asked. She looked at it nervously.

I was still a few feet away from her, giving her some space. She knew that for the mind-link to work, I needed to touch her. Just a small touch would do.

Glancing over my shoulder, I took another step. The shackle around my wrist started to throb. The hot sensation quickly spread up my arm.

“Here,” I said, forcing a smile and extending my hand. She hesitated, but after a few seconds, she took it.

I swallowed hard and quickly mind-linked her. Once it was done, I took a few steps back. Sweat was already sliding down my forehead, and my body was trembling from the pain.

Connor was probably outside, cursing me for doing this.

~“So, could you please tell me why the hunters were chasing you?”~ I asked Ava. She lowered her head and fiddled with her sheets. ~“Ava, it’s okay. Nothing will happen here.”~

~“I’m the sister of Alpha Patrick from the Lumia Pack. I was on patrol when we heard hunters were nearby, just like any other day.”~

I nodded silently, letting her continue.

~“I don’t know if you’re aware, but hunters have been roaming the packs again.”~

What did she just say?

~“Again?”~ I asked, feeling like I was missing something crucial. ~“Hunters haven’t been around for a few years. Why would you say that?”~

Ava looked at me like I was a naive girl.

~“Hunters have been near our packs for the past two years. The only difference is that this time they dared to attack us,”~ Ava sighed.

I raised my hand, stopping her.

~“You must be mistaken,”~ I countered. Ava frowned, as if she thought I was calling her a liar.

~“No, you’re the one who’s mistaken, my queen. No offense, but it seems like you and the alpha are unaware of what’s really happening here.”~

~“The hunters have been attacking us and taking our pups for the past few months.”~

What the hell was she talking about?

~“Ava, you know we could consider your words as lies, right? We haven’t received any information about pups being kidnapped by hunters,”~ I warned her.

~“I know, but it’s the truth. If you don’t believe me, you can check our security footage.”~

I took a deep breath as a flood of questions, frustrating ones, filled my mind.

~“Believe me, the other alphas must be concealing them for a reason!”~ Ava shot back.

I clenched my fists, nodded, and turned to go. But before I could exit, I paused to glance at the adorable pups.

“Thank you for saving us,” Ava murmured out of the blue. I glanced back at her over my shoulder, offering a comforting smile. I left her to rest.

Exiting the room, I found Connor patiently waiting for me. But I was in a rush and quickly moved away, causing him to follow me at a brisk pace.

~“Sorin, get to the office NOW!”~ I mind-linked.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Connor grabbed my arm.

“Just come with me.” I took his hand, then pulled him along behind me.

No sooner had we reached the office than Sorin showed up. He seemed troubled by my abrupt summons, as he was in a meeting and hadn’t expected me to contact him so urgently.

“Luna, Alpha,” Sorin greeted, looking at us both with concern.

“I need your help, and fast,” I snapped, causing Sorin to frown. “I need the human who’s assisting us to come to our pack before we depart for the visit.”

“What? So suddenly?” Sorin looked at us, his gaze shifting between Connor, who appeared puzzled.

“The guest from the Lumia Pack is the alpha’s sister,” I clarified.

“Yes, he’s on his way,” Sorin replied, still watching us. “But why do we need the human?”

“The peace treaty between wolves and hunters has been violated because of their actions.”

This made Connor turn to me and Sorin step back.

“What?” Connor growled. “Are you sure about what you’re saying?”

“Yes, Ava told me hunters have been wandering and abducting the pack pups for the past few months.”

“That can’t be,” Sorin muttered. His face was filled with apprehension. “It doesn’t add up.”

“I’m with Sorin on this.” Connor frowned, causing me to raise an eyebrow in question. “How certain can we be?”

“The alphas of the other packs have kept it under wraps, and apparently, there’s evidence. So when the alpha arrives, he’s to be taken to the conference room for questioning,” I commanded.

“No arguments on this.”

Sorin sighed but didn’t challenge my decision. Dismissing him, I turned to Connor, who had been silent since my command.

“You realize this could lead to war, right?” Connor murmured after a moment of silence, to which I simply nodded.

I crossed my arms, walked over to the window, and looked out at the thick forest encircling the castle. I needed to cool my temper before I made a mistake.

“Call our parents,” I instructed Connor.

“Seriously?” Connor scoffed. “We should speak with the alpha of the Lumia Pack before anything else.”

“Connor!” I snapped, but he stood his ground. His gaze was intense, signaling me to tone it down.

“I’ll heed your words, but you need to curb that temper and think logically,” Connor growled, closing the gap between us. “I’m not going to war unless ~we~ have the evidence.

“Just because you claim there’s evidence doesn’t mean I’ll go along with it. Remember, you’re not the only one in charge here, my queen.

“I’m your mate, alpha, but above all, I’m your king. And as king of this pack, it’s my duty to thoroughly investigate before putting our people at risk.”

With a sigh, I rubbed my temple and nodded.

Connor was right. I couldn’t gamble without being certain. It could be perilous for everyone, and that would put me in a bad position, as I was the queen of this pack.

“Don’t screw up, Elaine,” Connor warned, growling close to my face. “Because if you do, I’ll strip you of your luna position.”

“Are you threatening me?” I turned to face him. He was so close I took a step back. Connor’s eyes were swirling with a mix that could make anyone submit—except me.

“I am, Elaine. I won’t let you jeopardize my position because of a mistake you make out of stubbornness,” Connor hissed.

“Alpha? Luna?” someone called from the other side of the door, causing both of us to snap out of our argument.

“Yes?” I responded, not taking my eyes off Connor.

“The alpha of the Lumia Pack has arrived,” the warrior informed us.

“We’ll be there in a minute,” I replied. Connor’s face showed his deep resentment for me. I couldn’t bear to be here another second without wanting to kill him.

“Let’s get the hell out of here before I murder you.”