10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Nyx
"Speed up the process?" I repeat, absolutely lost.
He nods. "Given packs are disappearing at an alarming rate, we took it upon ourselves to seek out the potential mates of our mate-less members. That way, if they are a part of a pack that's at risk of vanishing, we can initiate them into ours before that happens. We would hate for their mate to disappear before they even got the chance to meet."
I stare at him in astonishment. "You really expect me to believe that you're some hero, vigilante savior of the Moon Goddess?"
"I never said I was a hero, sweetheart."
My jaw clenches tightly, ignoring the flutters in my stomach. "Don't call me that."
He raises his hands in surrender. "I'm just saying—we aren't as bad as you think we are."
"I find that hard to believe," I snort. "Rock, head—hello," I mutter, pointing to my skull.
"Still mad about that damn rock," he mutters to himself. "I spoke to Ezra this morning and he's going to apologize."
"I'm still mad that you kidnapped me," I say with a raised voice. "Because in case you have forgotten, I have two mates. And neither of them needed to steal me away in the middle of the night after a friend's funeral."
At least Cade has the audacity to look pained and a little bit guilty. Though, I'm not sure if that makes me feel any less annoyed at him.
"Yes, I do apologize about that."
I freeze, narrowing my eyes on him suspiciously. "Did you kill Tyler?" I ask, voice starting to shake with anger. The mug is getting dangerously close to becoming best friends with his temple, but my need for an answer stops me.
Cade's eyes widen in disbelief. "Of course not."
As I pull my arm back, ready to hurl the mug, he quickly throws his hands up, eyebrows shooting up. "We didn't kill him, Nyx. We haven't attacked anyone in your territory. Or any pack."
I pause. "Bullcrap! The timing is too suspicious to be coincidental." I launch the now-empty mug at him—because we don't waste coffee—letting out a growl as he quickly ducks out of the way. It smashes against the glass window behind him, a large crack appearing.
"Really?" he groans, glancing at the glass before turning back to look at me. "Do you know how much that will cost to repair?"
"Fuck you!"
Cade suddenly stands, hands slamming onto the desk as he looms over me. But this asshole doesn't intimidate me. I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth, and I push to my own feet, glaring him down—well, up.
The air crackles between us, his face twisted with rage at my accusation, while mine is tense with the need for retribution.
"Sit down," he growls, all playfulness gone. "And talk to me like an adult."
"You killed my friend, you psycho," I snap.
"We didn't kill your friend!" he fires back. "But I know who did."
It feels like the electricity between us suddenly redirects, entering my body with a jolt. I straighten up, face dropping as I stare at him, searching for a trace of a lie. Not finding anything, to my disappointment and relief, I slowly relent, sitting back down.
As if my simple gesture calms him, he drops back into his own seat, a smile returning to his face—psychotic prick.
"What do you mean you know who killed Tyler?" I ask quietly, all hostility vanishing from my voice.
Cade puts his hands together, as if trying to calm himself before speaking. "We were watching your territory for a few days, to gather information. We needed to figure out the right time to come in. But we weren't the only wolves there."
My heart is racing, but I'm not sure why. Part of me wants to believe him, but I don't know if I do. Still, I entertain his comment for a moment, desperate for answers. "Do you know who they are?"
"Yes," he answers without hesitation. "They are from the Seventh Circle Pack."
The name rings a bell, but I can't place where from. My brows furrow together as I slump back into my chair. "How do I believe you? You haven't really given me a reason to do so."
"Because we took you," he replies, voicing my inner thoughts.
I nod. "Tyler's death wasn't the first time we were attacked. It wasn't even the second. Or the third…" I linger off, letting him fill in the blanks.
"If a pack is unsuccessful in an attack, it's unlikely they will continue to try," Cade says calmly. "If the Shadow Pack was attacked numerous times, I can only assume multiple packs were the culprits."
"Why us then?" I ask, stunned. "Why would so many packs try to target us?"
Cade smiles, though it doesn't reach his eyes. "Because your pack is strong," he answers simply, like it's obvious .
For once, I agree with him. We are strong—one of the strongest around. But still, it doesn't make sense to me. Why would hunters and other packs target such a strong force? They would have to know that we would fight back. As if sensing my thoughts, Cade interjects.
"If you are a strong pack, then it's enough reason to believe that there are strong members."
I drop my head, looking away. "I was targeted a few times personally," I admit.
When I glance back up at him, he nods in agreement. "Hunters usually watch to gather intel. If they see someone strong, they make them a target. But I imagine that only got worse when news broke that you were now a Luna."
The pain that appears suddenly leaves me breathless. "I'm not Luna yet," I murmur sadly. "Nor will I get the chance."
I can't help but think back to all the training we did—on the open field, in the facility. If that didn't put us on someone's radar, then being on border monitoring definitely did. Because why else would we be there? Anyone with half a brain would be able to deduce that we were chosen for a reason. I guess that's why I was taken off patrol duties once it was clear that I was a target after Lex came into town. It was obvious that I was what they were looking for.
Panic hits me as I think of the other boundary monitors—thoughts immediately going to Sarah. I don't know why Alpha Daxton chose her, but now that she's Reese's mate, I'm filled with fear at the prospect of her being taken—ripped away from him after he spent so long pining for a mate.
"Do you want to know why you are here?" Cade asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
I give him a forced stern glare, trying to hide the feelings that threaten to drown me. "Enlighten me."
He smiles, pausing for a moment at my snippy reply—like he can see right through it. "Marie voiced an observation one day. After packs began vanishing and we heard the news about the hunters, she commented that it was very similar to that of the Great War."
I feel myself nodding before I can stop myself. "We thought the same."
Encouraged by my agreement, he continues. "We started researching the Great War, looking for more similarities. And do you know what we found?"
Frowning, I stare at him wordlessly. It could be anything, and I don't know where to start guessing. Taking my silence as his cue to continue, he leans back, face amused like he's about to drop the biggest gossip of the century.
"Goddess Ophelia."
I can't mask my surprise, eyebrows shooting up. "What about her?" I ask, not disclosing the fact that I also looked into her history.
"Did you know she apparently had seven children?"
Nodding again, I start to wonder where this conversation is heading. "I did, actually. What does that have to do with anything?"
Cade leans forward, holding my gaze. "She had more than one mate—that's how she was able to bear so many children."
The revelation is a shock to my system, my entire body tensing up. In all my research of the Goddess Ophelia, I never came across that particular piece of information. Cade must see the shock on my face, eyes softening. "Sound familiar?"
"Yes," I mumble. "But I'm still unsure why you thought I was your mate."
I ignore the fact that I am his mate, still refusing to believe and accept it—in every way possible. I might not want to kill him at this moment, but that doesn't mean I want to be connected to him for the rest of my life.
Cade strums his fingers on the edge of the desk. "Take a look at the photographs," he requests, tilting his head toward the black and white portraits on the wall. "What do you notice?"
I turn my head, looking at the different moon phases again. "They are all different lunar cycles," I point out confidently. "I don't understand what you are trying to hint at."
"Which phase is most displayed?"
Frowning, I scan over them again, mentally counting. I realize there's only one each of most of the phases, except for one in particular.
"A new moon," I say, looking back to face him.
Cade nods, staying silent as he waits to see if I fill in the blanks. I try to think back to my readings, all the pages I marked in the books stacked in Alpha Daxton's office.
I remember that Ophelia was apparently the reason the Great War ended. She created alliances with multiple packs—which makes sense now knowing she had more than one mate. Treaties were initiated and it was thought that she was responsible for negotiating peace after she found her mate… her first mate anyway, from…
A chill runs through my body as it dawns on me. My lips part, mouth feeling dry as I lock eyes with Cade. "This is the New Moon Pack."
"Yes," he confirms happily, a proud smile on his face. "Goddess Ophelia's main associated pack."
Thoughts whirl around in my head as I struggle to comprehend the revelation, until another horrifying thought comes to mind.
"Oh, ew!" I gasp. "Are we somehow related? That's disgusting."
Just when I think it can't get any worse, now there's a chance that I might be somehow related to Cade—and fated to him.
Oh, no.
No. No. No. No.
Cade bursts out laughing, leaning back in his chair while he tries to calm himself after my repulsed reaction. "We're not related. Chill out."
"Chill out?" I repeat, practically recoiling at the thought.
Alpha lineages are the epitome of strong bloodlines. They are passed on through the generations, moving from father to son. If he's insinuating that I'm somehow related to the Goddess Ophelia, then by logic, so is he as Alpha.
"I know what you are thinking, but no," he starts, finally managing to contain his laughter. "While I definitely believe you have familial ties to her, I do not. A few generations ago, our alpha passed without an heir, and my grandfather stepped into the role of alpha."
"Oh," I mutter, feeling relieved that the universe isn't that cruel. I'm not sure how much more I can take.
Cade taps his knuckles on the desk. "We believe history is trying to repeat itself. So, when we heard that there was a wolf out there with multiple mates, it made us believe that perhaps we were tied into it again. Especially since I've been mate-less for the past five years and it was clear that my mate was not in my pack."
"I still don't understand how you even knew about it," I mutter softly, referring to my second mate. "We never made it well-known. Only a few people know about me and Maverick."
"Because he doesn't want to take a mate?"
"How do you know that?" I ask, suspicious again. "That's not common news either." I don't know if the last part is true. When Mason disclosed it to me the night of Tyler's murder, it sounded like a big secret. Maverick doesn't speak about it, so I have no reason to believe that other packs know.
He lifts a shoulder, shrugging casually. "It's more of a common fact than you being mated to multiple alphas. Which is the other reason, I might add. Not only did you have multiple mates, but two alphas? Seems a lot like history repeating."
"I can't speak on that," I murmur. "I didn't know that Goddess Ophelia had multiple mates, or that she was a Luna. I just knew that she had negotiated peace treaties with packs and helped to end the war."
"I think there's a lot of misinformation about that time. We're lucky to have a lot of her own personal journals in our possession. We wouldn't have found the information without them," he answers, making me nod. Mrs. Lyons said the same about the misinformation, and from my readings, I could see that. When word was only passed from mouth to mouth, things were bound to be lost in translation. Plus, people like to stir the pot. They would have enjoyed spreading false information, making history seem far more exciting than it was. Though I can't say I agree—if what Cade is saying is true, it was very full on, even without the dramatization.
I'm overwhelmed by it all if I'm being honest. I don't feel ready for any of the responsibilities that come with being Luna. But I swore I would try, to give it my best shot. Knowing I had people like Luna Grace and Luna Eve by my side to assist, I figured I had a chance at being decent. But this… this is too much. I'm only twenty-one. Half the time I forget to eat unless a responsible adult reminds me. And let's not forget my talented ability to always run late. The number of times I've nearly had my head bitten off by Alpha Daxton, only being saved by my parents waking me up… how can I be confident to protect not one, not even two… but three packs? I can barely get myself out of bed some mornings.
"So, you apparently knew about Maverick's thoughts on the mate situation?" I ask, circling back.
Cade nods. "Even if we don't personally know every alpha and their pack, we know of them. Given it's one of our duties to find our mate and Luna, it was well known—or at least thought—between the alphas that Maverick had no desire. We knew about his father's passing. It's common knowledge when an alpha dies. We keep tabs on other packs so that we know what is happening. Maverick was mate-less and made no attempt to find his Luna. It was assumed he didn't want to."
My face tightens. "Then why did your men try to kill him that night? Or at least insinuate that they were going to?"
"Because Maverick is an asshole," Cade laughs. "Ezra doesn't like him much—so I think he was just saying that in the moment. And we knew that he would try to kill us—even if he had no ties to you. His reputation precedes him as a fighter."
As much as I hate his answer, I can't help the way my mouth twitches when he refers to Maverick as an asshole. He is an asshole, but I've come to realize that it's only surface deep. But if there's one thing Maverick is known for, it's being protective of his pack. If he felt like he was in danger, he would absolutely attack without remorse.
"Did you kill him?" I ask quietly, needing to hear it for myself.
Cade shakes his head. "No, of course not. The bastard wounded Matteo, but other than that, he walked away relatively unharmed. I think he caught my men by surprise."
"Why is that?"
"Because he was trying to get to you."
A silence falls between us when he finishes speaking. I already knew this, but hearing it from someone else, just hits differently. The insinuation in his tone feeds the reassurance I need to hear that Maverick cares about me.
When Cade sees my mind start to swirl with uncertainty, he smiles. "I think you managed to get your claws into him. We made the assumption that he wouldn't try to intervene. But they saw you two together. It's why they waited until you were separated. However, I think that's the reason why Ezra called the pack off. Once they had him down, they left him unscathed. It was interesting hearing that someone had managed to bring out a different side of him."
I want to argue back and say that he's wrong—that Maverick doesn't want me. But I can't bring myself to voice it out loud. It's too painful, still remembering his words about leaving me behind and never looking back. Thankfully, Cade doesn't push further, letting me go quiet.
"Anyway," he redirects. "I expect we'll see him soon. I have no doubt that he'll be on his way with the others."
Shaking my head, I glance at him sharply. "And where does that leave us now? You said you don't share."
"I said I don't like sharing," he corrects. "So, I'm going to negotiate with them—because I have no intention of letting you go now that I've found you."