Chapter 4 - Grey Moon
1304 Words
#musicvibe - Swallow (Until you’re gone) - Boxroom version, Takida.
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Valeria POV
My stomach was in knots as we sat down on the comfortable sofas in Tyson’s office. I didn’t really know what I was expecting, but it didn’t really seem like he had any good news.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I started looking into your father a few weeks ago.” Tyson replied. “I feel stupid for not realizing it sooner, but your father was an Alpha.”
I stared at him in confusion.
“But why didn’t we live in a pack?” I asked.
Mr Burke answered the question for me.
“My queen, your grandfather Reginald Adams was the Alpha of Grey Moon. Your father was heir to the title.”
A million questions started to swirl in my mind, and at that point, I didn’t really know what to expect. Was my father cast out? Where was my grandfather? I didn’t dare to hope that he was still alive.
“What happened?” I asked.
Mr Burke leaned forward and I was almost holding my breath in anticipation.
“Your grandfather was a good Alpha.” He began. “I was only a pup, but I still remember him. He was kind, but fair-minded. The pack was happy during his reign.
Thirty years ago, a man named Alden Smith managed to convince a substantial amount of the pack’s warriors to follow him, and with them to back him up, he challenged Reginald for the Alpha title.”
Mr Burke sighed and shook his head.
“Alpha Reginald fought well.” He whispered. “I didn’t see the fight myself, but according to rumors, Alden didn’t fight fairly. Alpha Reginald was killed.”
I stared at him, feeling like my stomach was filling with lead. It was a bit odd grieving someone I had never met before, but I still felt myself getting upset over what could have been.
“Alden took over as Alpha?” I mumbled.
Mr Burke nodded.
“It didn’t sit well with everybody, and a lot of people didn’t think that Alden deserved to be Alpha since he didn’t actually win in a fair fight against Reginald.”
I frowned.
“Is that why my father never returned there?” I asked. “He never talked about his pack.”
“When Alden took over, he wanted your dad dead.” Mr Burke replied. “It seemed as if he was the only one that really posed a threat to him. He might have won the pack, but he didn’t win everyone’s loyalty.
So the night of his first shift, your father disappeared.”
I stared at him.
“I never saw him again.” Mr Burke continued. “I always hoped that he was alive, but I had no way of knowing if he left or Alden killed him and got rid of his body.
This didn’t sit well with the rest of the pack, and Reginald’s brother Joshua started rallying people to oppose the new Alpha. A lot of people were scared, and for good reason. No one knew what happened to your father, and everyone was afraid that they or their families were going to be next. It took over a decade before they actually had the strength and courage to do something about it, and their plans started to get noticeable.
The Alpha had ears everywhere trying to quell the coming uprising against him, and once he figured out who was involved, he had his warriors gather everyone in the square in front of the packhouse.”
I held my breath at what he was going to say next. The whole story was gut wrenching, but I still clung to every word he said.
“It’s almost been seventeen years.” He whispered. “But I still remember how they ripped the children away from their parents, locked all the adults in an abandoned factory and set it on fire.”
I covered my mouth with my hands and shook my head in disbelief.
“What about the children?” I asked.
“They covered the whole thing up.” Mr Burke replied. “Alpha Alden gave a statement to the officials from the Lycan pack that was very different from what happened. Apparently he told them that the people that perished in the fire were workers that had started a new business in the factory and the fire was an accident. He even gave them a report investigating the cause of the fire, and since no one took action against the pack, I assume that the proof he provided seemed credible.”
“That’s why they didn’t kill the children in the fire.” I said. “Because children don’t work in factories. They would never have been able to explain that.”
Mr Burke nodded.
“The pack set up an orphanage for the children, gave them a roof over their heads, proper schooling and really seemed to care for them. At least, that’s what it looked like to anyone that was checking in on them.”
I frowned.
“So what was really going on?” I asked.
“The pack was sworn to secrecy.” Mr Burke replied. “The Alpha proved to everyone that he was willing to do anything to stay in power, so no one ever dared cross him again. That also meant that the children were looked down upon by the rest of the pack, since they were basically the children of traitors.”
“Why did you come here now, if it’s been going on for seventeen years?” I asked.
“I stayed in the pack, trying to protect the kids the best I could, but I also started to see a pattern. Once a kid turned eighteen, they disappeared without a trace. When I asked the Alpha about it, he said that they had decided to leave the pack and start over. I wanted to question it, but it still seemed reasonable that they didn’t want to stay in a place where they were being mistreated.
After a while, I started to get even more suspicious, but I had to be careful not to ask too many questions, or I might be the next person to mysteriously disappear.
I tried turning to the Royal council for help, but they couldn’t find any proof. The Alpha covered it up too well and both the pack members and the children were too scared to tell anyone what was going on.
I’ve come here for years, trying to make anyone listen. Most of the people in your justice department probably think that I’m a crazy old coot that has a grudge against the Alpha.”
I gave Tyson a questioning look and he smiled sheepishly.
“This is the first time I’m hearing about it.” He said. “I went to search for any trace of your father with our pack and came across Mr Burke’s statements. I asked him to come here to tell us himself.”
Mr Burke bowed slightly to Tyson and grinned at me.
“You look a bit like your father around the eyes, my queen.” He said happily. “He was a great man, and I know that he would have been a just leader for the pack if he had been given the chance.”
I smiled at his words and looked at Tyson.
“I want to see this pack for myself.” I said. “I want to know what’s really going on there.”
Tyson nodded.
“I’ll open the case.” He replied. “I guess you just took on your first case as queen.”
I grinned.
“I guess I did.”
- Writer
