Chapter 90
Venus POV
The celebrations were still in full swing. Alpha Martin and Luna Marie were so happy that they were dancing throughout the time. They viera talking about their travel plans with other pack members. My father had come to join the celebrations. He was there during the ceremony as well, but la skayaa in the shadows. From the way he looked, my heart sank. He was smiling at me all the time, pride in his eyes, but on the inside, he was just carrying on
somehow.
“Chickee,” he said as he came to hug me. “I am so happy for you.”
I didn’t have words to say because my emotions formed a lump in my throat. So I just hugged him fightly.
When he pulled away, he said, “Be a good Luna. I want you to be just, unbiased and lovable.”
I nodded. “How are you?” I whispered.
He chuckled sadly. “I miss your mom more than anything in this world. It’s hard…”
I wrapped my arms around him, unable to stop my tears. “Please, just live…” I begged him. But on the inside, I knew that after all these years, he had lost the spark to live.
Suddenly, there was a small commotion at the main door of the house. I saw Nathan rushing there in all seriousness. It piqued my curiosity, and when he moved slightly to the left, I saw a wolf standing over there. His face was serious, his posture stiff as he talked to Nathan. Aaron joined him as well, and I sensed it was something important. So I also went to be with them. “What is it, Aaron?” I asked as I looked at the guard.
“Alpha, Luna,” the guard said, bowing respectfully. “We caught a woman near the eastern border. She claims she’s seeking refuge because she has some vital information. We thought it best to bring her to you.”
Aaron’s brows furrowed as he exchanged a glance with me. “At this hour?”
The guard nodded. “She said she had nowhere else to go.”
“Let’s see what this is about,” Aaron said firmly, motioning for Nathan, Eric, and me to follow him.
We left the house and walked down the driveway towards the garage. The celebration continued behind us, but my thoughts were focused on what lay ahead. Our spies brought information about the pack all the time. Some of these people were important to the pack, some were just bogus. However, it wasn’t often someone wandered into Oak Pride territory, especially uninvited. Nathan linked through mind and asked his guards to be on high alert.
When we reached the gates, the guards were standing in a semicircle, their postures tense. In the middle of them, stood a woman. She was tall, with long black hair that tumbled over her shoulders in waves. Her green eyes sparkled in the moonlight, sharp and piercing, as they scanned the group approaching her.
Her clothes were simple and travel–worn–a dark overcoat over jeans and shirt, with boots caked in dirt. Despite her disheveled appearance, she held herself with a strange confidence, as if she wasn’t intimidated by the armed guards surrounding her.
“Who are you?” Aaron asked, his voice steady but commanding. I couldn’t help myself staring at her. She seemed so confident and unafraid.
The woman turned her eyes to him and gave a small, respectful bow. “Alpha Aaron, my name is Elena,” she said smoothly, her voice carrying no fear. “I’ve traveled a long way. I seek refuge in your pack.” She put her hands in her coat’s pocket and then bowed to me.
I studied her closely, noting how she stood with her chin slightly raised. She wasn’t like most who sought shelter. There was no desperation in her tone, no pleading in her expression. Instead, she seemed calm, almost calculating. Or was I imagining all those things? There was something about her we all wanted to trust, yet the red flags fluttered.
“You were caught near the border,” Nathan said, his tone suspicious. “What were you doing there?”
“I was trying to find your pack,” Elena answered, turning her gaze to Nathan. “I’ve heard of Oak Pride. I had no intention of sneaking in, but I had no choice but to travel through the woods at night.”
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Chapter 90
“And why do you need refuge?” Aaron pressed.
hi Elena hesitated for a moment, her green eyes flickering with something unreadable. “I’ve been running,” the admitted. For ditargete once called home. I barely escaped with fny life.”
Her words caught me off guard. Fox shifters? Through my bond, I sensed Aaron’s surprise mingled with anger. I frowned, trying to gauge il Kar were true. The fox shifters were becoming a growing problem, and it wasn’t entirely unbelievable that they had targeted smaller parks. But something about Elena didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t know if I should just trust my instincts or not. I recalled my father’s words–be just Be unbiased.
Eric crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. “Why didn’t you seek refuge with another pack closer to your home?”
Elena looked at him, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something in her expression–interest, maybe, or admiration, “Because no other pack is as strong as Oak Pride,” she said simply. “And I know that you have a history with the fox shifters,” she commented, glancing at me. “Besides, I have information about their pattern of attacking, which can be very useful to you.”
Knowing about our pack’s history with the fox shifters wasn’t surprising.
Aaron tilted his head slightly, clearly weighing her words. “We’ll take you back to the pack house for questioning. If your story checks out, we’ll consider your request. But if you’re lying-”
“I understand,” Elena said, cutting him off gently. “I’ll answer any questions you have.”
Aaron nodded to the guards, signaling for them to release her. “Nathan, Eric, Venus–stay close,” he said quietly. “Take her in your car,” he instructed Nathan as we headed to our car.
As we drove back to the pack house, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that clung to me. Elena moved with quiet confidence, her head held high even though she was surrounded by wary werewolves.
When we arrived at the packhouse, Aaron led her into the sitting room, where the warm glow of the fire provided a stark contrast to the tension in the air. He gestured for her to sit, but she remained standing, her green eyes scanning the room before finally settling on him.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” Aaron said, his tone firm but patient. “Where are you from, and what happened to your pack?”
Elena clasped her hands in front of her, her face calm. “I was part of a small pack near the eastern mountains. We were peaceful, but we couldn’t defend ourselves when the fox shifters came. They worked with witches–powerful ones. They used dark magic to weaken our defenses. Most of my pack was
killed.”
I stifled a gasp.
“Why would they attack your pack?” Nathan asked, his voice skeptical. “What did they want?”
“They were looking for something,” Elena said, her voice growing softer. “The witches… they wanted an artifact my Alpha had hidden. I don’t know what it was, but they destroyed everything to get it.”
“And you just happened to escape?” Eric asked, his tone cold.
AD
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