Alpha Prime: Her Retribution

Chapter Eight

I stared at the hideous woman in front of me. A part of me wanted to believe she was part of some elaborate expensive joke but the other part of me knew it to be false, this woman was brimming with power and her eyes held a glint that told me she wouldn't hesitate to hand me my ass if I tried to use force on her.

Folding my arms across my chest, I jutted my chin out, staring down at her.

"Destiny huh? And what have I done to warrant a visit from you?"

"Young Alpha Prime, you have gone on a dangerous journey, looking for answers."

I furrowed my brows, frowning at her words.

"How do you know about that?" I demanded, no one knew apart from Liam and I was certain he would never divulge the information. She smiled once more.

"I am Nanna Ur, I know everything."

"Well you clearly don't because I did not go to that bastard's territory looking for answers, I went to put a bullet between his eyes." I snapped.

She let out a sigh, shaking her head, pity glistened in her eyes.

"Oh you poor child, how they have led you astray. How they have completely destroyed everything." She whispered, I furrowed my brows, staring at her.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, not understanding her riddles.

"The answers you seek are within your own blood Adelaide, Jacob and Eda are not the foes. The ones who have wronged you are closer than you think."

Anger flowed through me at the impertinence the hag was displaying. At this point, I didn't care if she was Destiny or the ruler of the universe, she had no right to come into my room, my life and try to tell me what to do.

"Jacob Mont Blanc and the moon Goddess are the only ones who wronged me. I am tired of you and your words, so I suggest you get out."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"Just like your father… so obstinate."

I stiffened at her words.

"You know my father?"

Destiny let out a laugh.

"I know everyone my dear, but your father, oh I knew him personally." She replied, a smirk on her lips.

"How?" I asked, taking a step closer to her. Her smirk grew as she looked up at me.

"I did tell you those who wronged you are closer than you think."

She turned towards the window, the tattered edges of her black cloak dragging along the floor.

"People, including your Father messed with something beyond their control, I tried to stop them, especially your Father but you know how you Silverstones are…" She trailed off, turning back to me. "Stubborn as mules."

I would have flared at the insult but her revelation left me utterly shocked. She came forward, lifting my hand and placing a gold coin on my palm.

"Wha…"

Blinding pain shot through me and a scream left my lips. My legs gave way and I crashed to the ground.

"L-let go of me!!!" I screamed, pulling at my hand but her grip was firm.

"Remember my words young Alpha Prime, if you want to know the truth, seek within your blood."

The pain got to an unbearable level, attacking my very being. I thrashed, the beast within me doing the same, snarling and growling.

"They are all dead!!!" My voice came out more as a deep inhumane growl. She paused, the pain receding before taking a step back. I curled up in a ball, cradling my burning palm.

"Not all…" She uttered, I pushed through the pain, raising my head to stare at her.

"What?"

"The one called Peter Lark… your uncle. He is your father's best friend, is he not?" She inquired, sitting on her heels next to me, a kind smile on her lips.

"Yes." I whispered, her smile widened and she leaned forward, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"There you go."

She smirked once more before disappearing leaving me still curled up on the floor. I swallowed hard, sitting up and glancing around my room.

My eyes fell to my closed fist, tentatively I opened it, expecting to see marred disfigured flesh.

"What the…"

The flesh of my palm was unblemished, instead a golden coin with a five pointed star set within a circle engraved into it. I flipped it over, examining it as I remembered her words.

The truth you seek is in your blood.

I turned my attention to the window, a frown on my lips, brows furrowed.

Just what did she mean by that?

*******************

"Adelaide…"

I blinked back into the present.

"Sorry.. what?" I asked my uncle, it had been three days since I had been visited by Nanna Ur. Three days of me mulling over her words and what they could possibly mean.

I knew the answers laid with my uncle, yet as much as I wanted to know the truth, a part of me feared I may not like the outcome.

"You've been spacing out these past few days, are you sure you're okay?" He inquired. I forced a smile, taking a bite of my omelette.

"I'm fine Uncle Pete, nothing to worry about." I assured him. He regarded me with concerned eyes before turning his attention back to his food.

"Sorry I'm late for breakfast." Liam said, walking into the breakfast nook and taking a seat.

"Good morning Dad, morning Adelaide." He greeted, making himself a cup of tea.

"Good morning Liam." Uncle Pete answered while I smiled at him, passing him the bread basket.

"I can't stay for breakfast, I have a meeting in the next town, so I'll just get something when I get there." He explained, gulping down his tea.

"Take care."

"Drive safe!!!"

Uncle Pete and I called out as he left.

"So, what are your plans for today?" He asked, setting his newspaper aside.

"Nothing really, I'm thinking of going on a walk, maybe go to the library. There's not much to do." I trailed off. We were quiet because we both knew it was true. With me being dead to the entire world, my choices of what to do with my life was limited.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this, Adelaide." He whispered, reaching out to pat my hand. I shook my head, smiling at him.

"It's fine Uncle Pete, I've had nine years to come to terms with it." I dabbed the edges of my mouth with the serviette before getting to my feet.

"I should get going, I'll see you at lunch." Bending slightly to peck his cheek, I made my way out of the kitchen. While it was true I had come to terms with the world being my prison, the only thing that had kept me hopeful had been planning the death of Jacob Mont Blanc but now, I didn't even have that to keep me occupied.

Sighing, I walked out of the pack house, the gravel crunching underneath my boots. The crisp wind blew over me, making me crinkle my nose. Even as a lycan, I always had a sensitive nose and from the air, I could tell winter was on its way.

Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I headed in the direction of the trees. Ridgeway Valley forest always brimmed with life and today was no exception. The animals, having gotten used to the presence of the werewolves and lycan, were not afraid. They darted around, a squirrel scurrying up a tree, mouth stuffed full of nuts, birds chirped as they flew by.

I stopped at a clearing, closing my eyes and taking in the sights and sounds of the forest. I bent to my knees, placing a hand on the ground, feeling life pulse beneath my palm. A fast and sudden change in the steady pulse had me opening my eyes and getting to my feet.

Something was wrong. I felt a familiar energy behind me and turned around.

"Hello Adelaide."

I glared at the deity in front of me.

"First Destiny, now you? Who is going to visit me next? Death?" I snapped.

She let out a sigh, moving closer to me.

"I wanted to come earlier and warn you of Nanna Ur's visit." She began.

"Why? She was more helpful than you have ever been." I turned to leave when she appeared in front of me.

"Nanna Ur doesn't do anything out of the goodness of her heart, she has an agenda of her own and I will advise you to be wary of her."

"Funny… she was trying to convince me of your innocence and here you are painting her black." I snapped.

"Nanna Ur will paint the devil white if it suits her plans." She replied. I looked away, swallowing hard.

"I know you Adelaide, I can see what you're planning on doing, you don't want to go down this path, some things are better left in the past, trust me."

Fury bubbled within me, a bitter laugh left my lips.

"Trust you? You want me to trust you Eda? I am not some mindless sheep that you will order around. I begged you Eda, for years!!! I begged you to make Jacob Mont Blanc pay for what he did to my family, to my pack and what did you do?" I asked. "Absolutely nothing."

"And all of a sudden, the moment…." I laughed once more at the irony. "I decided to get revenge, you show up spouting some righteous drivel. I am not interested."

I ignored her calls, storming out of the forest and away from her.

*******************

I spent the rest of the day doing everything possible to dispel the rage I felt towards Eda. The nerve of her to tell me to forgive and forget what had happened. As if the 50 poor unfortunate souls meant nothing.

By the time night drew in, my anger had ebbed away and in its place was restlessness. I laid in my bed, Nanna Ur's words swirling in my head, Peter held the answers I needed.

The clock chimed 4.00am and I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep so I slipped out of bed, shrugged on my robe and headed out of my room. The ladder creaked as I made my way down onto the main floor before walking down the stairs.

My steps echoed as I made my way across the hall, my feet taking me exactly where I wanted to go. The lights flickered from the space underneath the door told me Uncle Pete was still awake. I looked down at the coin in my hand before shoving whatever doubts I had out of my head.

I deserved to know the truth

Knocking on the door, I gently opened it and poked my head in. Uncle Pete was sat behind his table, he looked up, a small frown on his lips.

"Adelaide? What are you doing up at this time?" He inquired, I gave him a small smile, slipping into the office. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I shook my head, taking a seat on the sofa.

"No, I just couldn't sleep, so I thought I would take a walk and then I saw your office light was on." I explained, it was laughable how easy it was for me to lie these days.

"Well that makes two of us. Would you like a cup of tea, maybe some warm milk, you always did like that." He inquired, getting to his feet.

"A cup of tea sounds wonderful." I replied, smiling. He made his way over to a table where he had an electric kettle, cups and some tea bags. I watched him as he made the tea as I caressed the coin before getting to my feet and walked over to the smaller table next to the window that had several pictures arranged on it. One was of him and Aunt Rose, another was of him, aunt Rose and Liam.

I picked up one, it was a picture of Uncle Pete and my Papa on a fishing trip, they were proudly holding a large fish, grinning at the camera.

"That was a month after you were born."

I smiled at him, placing it back on the table.

"I remember how much you and Papa loved your fishing trips." I whispered.

"Once a month, Saturday night to Sunday morning."

"Two best friends doing what they loved most huh?" I inquired, making him chuckle.

"You got that right."

"You two were really close." I mumbled.

"We were."

"Then maybe you can tell me about Nanna Ur." I said, watching as his back stiffened, the muscles in his neck tensing up. I felt his heart skip a bit.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He muttered, his back still to me.

"Don't lie Uncle Pete, it doesn't suit you." I uttered, walking over to him. His wide eyes darted to me as I stood beside him, calmly taking the cup from his frozen hands, adding a teaspoon of sugar and stirring it.

"She said my father messed with something he shouldn't have messed with, unfortunately I can't ask him but you, Peter Lark, I can ask." I took a sip, ignoring how his body trembled. "So what did my father mess with?"

"Adelaide… please." He pleaded making me sigh and place the cup back on the table.

"Don't make me use my powers on you." I warned him. He closed his eyes, his brows knitted, pain etched in his expression.

"I promised your Father I would always protect you and take that secret to my grave. Please Adelaide, don't make me break a promise to my best friend."

I beat down the feeling of guilt, glaring at him.

"Don't try to manipulate me, whatever my Father did has to do with me and I have every right to know!!!" I snapped. "You will tell me Peter Lark, or I will force you to."

"This will ruin you Adelaide." He whispered, staring at me with sad eyes. I let out a humourless chuckle.

"I am already ruined Uncle Pete."

His shoulders sagged, his posture, that of a defeated person. He suddenly looked older than ever and I wondered how bad the secret was. Nevertheless I was determined to find out.

"You should sit." He instructed, gesturing to the sofa. I did as he said while he dragged a chair closer to me and flopped down on it. He parted his lips but no sound came out, his brows furrowed before shaking his head and clearing his throat.

"It was after your 9th birthday, your father and I were meant to go on our usual fishing trip. We were all packed…."

PETER LARK (FLASHBACK)

"That's all, I have a feeling we were going to catch a lot of cod this time around." I commented. I glanced over at Charles who had a frown on his lips, brows furrowed. He seemed to be in deep thought.

"Charles," I called out.

"Huh… oh yes, lots of fish." He mumbled, shutting the boot close. The past few months he had been distant. his mate, the Luna Prime had made mention of it prior and I had thought it was probably just the workload getting to him but I was beginning to suspect it was something else.

"We should get going." He continued, getting into the driver's seat. I nodded, getting into the passenger seat. He started the car and we drove away from the pack house.

"So how is Ridgeway Valley?" He had asked.

"The pack's doing well, we're having a new set of young ones graduating high school in two weeks. Mind coming over to make a speech?"

"Ofcourse, remind me in a week." He replied. I sighed, it was clear he had something worrying him.

"Is anything the matter?" I inquired. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he glanced at me but it was as if he was looking through me instead, his eyes haunted, he turned his attention back to the road just as the exit to our favourite fishing spot appeared.

My brows knitted together, glancing at him as he drove pass the dirt road.

"Uh… you missed the turn." I pointed out. He clenched his jaw, stepping on the accelerator forcing me to dig my fingers into the sides of the seat.

"By the Goddess, you're going to get us killed!!!" I yelled. He swerved into the other lane, an approaching car blared their horn in warning forcing me to take control of the wheel, steering the car to the side of the road.

"What the hell man?! You almost killed us!!" I shouted, not caring if he was my Alpha Prime at that moment. Charles' body shook, he covered his face with his hands and sobs escaped his lips.

What the..

My lips parted in shock as I stared at the man in front of me. At a loss of what to do or what to say, I stayed silent, watching him completely breakdown. The strong Alpha Prime crumbled into a man that looked worn and beaten.

"I did something terrible Pete" He confessed, placing his hands back on the steering wheel, his eyes looking straight ahead. "It h-had to be done but it haunts my waking hours. S-she haunts me, she does not let me sleep, does not give me peace."

"Who is this person?" I demanded, enraged that someone could have the temerity to cause an Alpha Prime so much pain.

"She is everything… Time, Destiny, Fate… She goes by so many names… Nanna Ur." He whispered, a defeat lacing his tone. My lips parted in shock while my brain tried to make sense of what he was saying.

"I don't understand, what would Destiny want with you? Why would she haunt you?" I inquired. He was quiet for a few seconds before looking over at me.

"I messed with something that should never be tampered with."

A feeling of foreboding washed over and I swallowed hard.

"What did you do Charles?"

"Promise me you will take what I tell you to the grave, no one must ever know. Promise me that." He demanded. I swallowed hard and nodded.

"I promise."

His shoulders sagged and he grabbed my hands.

"I went to meet Agatha."

My body went cold at the mention of the disgraced witch's name.

"You did what?! What were you thinking?!" I snapped.

"I had to Pete, it was for Adelaide's sake." He continued. Agatha had once been a respected and celebrated witch, a friend to the werewolves until she decided to dabble in the darkest of magic, going against the very thing that had given her powers; nature. After the discovery of her nefarious actions, she was ousted and fled to the Cliffs of Moher.

"You went to a dangerous witch for your daughter's sake? Do you have any idea how insane that sounds? If anything is wrong with Adelaide, you could have prayed to Eda for help!!"

He let out a frustrated growl.

"And who do you think directed me to Agatha?!"

My mouth clamped shut at that.

"Why would Eda ask you to go to Agatha for help?" I inquired "What could possibly be wrong with Adelaide?"

"Nothing is wrong with her but there was everything wrong with her mate." He uttered. I frowned.

"Her mate? Isn't it too early to know who her mate is?"

"I consulted a seer, she told me all I needed to know." He replied. It was customary for Alpha Primes to consult seers on the future of their packs and their children, so there was nothing strange in that.

"And her mate is the problem, so what did you do?" I asked. He swallowed hard, staring at the steering wheel.

"I had him changed."

My body froze, it felt as if I had been submerged in the waters of the Arctic Sea. Every single part of me couldn't comprehend what had left his mouth.

"What have you done Charles?!" I uttered, lips parted in shock.

"What had to be done!!! I would rather die than see my daughter mated to a monster from the Mont Blanc bloodline!!!"