Chapter 95: Shocked Beyond All Reason

Chapter 95: Shocked Beyond All Reason
Beta Maxwell's POV:

"What's the reason behind your anguish?" I asked Hemming, sitting across from me.

I did wonder what caused his painful expression. It's almost as if he regrets something, but has yet to say what it was. I was leaning to the side, listening to everything he said up to that point.

Suddenly, he looked at me, studying my expression a moment before he said anything.

"There's only one thing that I regret... about being gone for as long as I have been."

"What's that exactly?" I asked, humoring him.

"It's only that I've left behind one person who meant the world to me... I only wish I didn't have to... leave," He started out by saying, pausing before continuing. "Please do not misunderstand me when I say this. I was honored that the Grand Alpha, His Royal Highness, entrusted me with such a task... To retrieve imperative information while away. I only wish I had more time with... before I had to go."

To be honest, the look on his face was quite sincere. I studied his expression. Then his demeanor. It definitely spoke volumes. That's when I noticed it. It looked like tears were starting to well in his eyes.

Could this be? Could an actual, former Alpha, a man in his position, tear up while looking at another man whom he didn't know?! I have to say... I was shocked. I was shocked beyond all reason. He was either telling the truth or making a definite attempt to get me to fall for his story. Either way, it was pretty convincing.

'Are you buying this? Is he really about to cry about someone he left behind? You don't think he had a mate, do you?' (Marx asked, a bit concerned about Hemming's reaction.)

'I'm not sure if you would cry about leaving a mate. These reactions wouldn't fit the bill for that. I think there's something more to it.' (I responded, furrowing my brows.)

"Who exactly did you leave behind?" I asked, now curious how far he was willing to take this.

At that moment, a tear actually fell from his eyes as he spoke, "My daughter. I left my one true daughter behind."

"Alright, hold on," I responded. I wasn't sure whether I understood him correctly. "What do you mean, you're one true daughter?"

"The answer is simple, really," he started to say. I furrowed my brows even more. "My mate and I had one small child... a few short months before I had to leave on this trip. My child was female. She's the only child I ever had who was my very own flesh and blood. My mate, on the other hand, had other children before we came to be together."

'Is that right? Could he have left a daughter behind after all these years? Would she not be grown by now?' (Marx asked curiously.)

'We'll get to the bottom of all he says. For now, my job is to gather information so His Highness can decide what he wants to do. There's nothing more I can do other than gather information.' (I responded, trying to remain emotionless.)

I thought about what he said for a moment, not wanting to say anything in my response just yet, still thinking about what Marx referred to. As I thought about everything I had heard so far, I recalled when we got to the Blue Moon Pack earlier in the day. The current Alpha made no mention of the former Alpha. Or how he came to be in that position, either.

Well, to be precise, we weren't there all that long before His Highness was ready to leave. I'm not sure how His Highness came to find that young woman, but I'll find out when the time is right. As for Alpha Roland, on the other hand, he's in some pretty hot water about the speculations going on at the Blue Moon Pack. On top of that, I considered him not to be all there mentally.

I'm not sure how someone like him became Alpha. He's certainly oblivious as to what goes on in his pack, unless he allows it. If Hemming was the Alpha before Roland, I wonder how the next Alpha was selected. Maybe he knew about the stuff going on. Or it happened after he was gone. No matter the reason, I know we have to get to the bottom of it. How that man ever got selected, I may never know.

"I have a question," Hemming asked, as I looked at him again. This time, he had silently allowed tears to stream down his face but remained silent through his apparent pain.

"What's your question?" I asked, sitting forward in my chair this time and placing both my hands on the front edge of the table.

"Would you mind telling me if my daughter is still there? At the Blue Moon Pack?"

"What's your daughter's name?" I asked curiously.

"Maisie. Her name is Maisie Blue," he responded, looking up from his lap this time. "Can you please tell me how my daughter's doing? She should have just turned 18 a few months ago. She's the only one I wish to know about currently."

"What about your mate, as you put it earlier?" I asked, a bit surprised. "What about her?"

"She's a grown woman. One who can fend for herself," he said with no hesitation. "She's more capable of handling things on her own than my daughter might be, as I wasn't there to see how things were when she was growing up. I simply wish to know about her status, that's all."

"I'll see what I can find out," I stated as I finally stood up to my feet. "For now, I'll let you know that you are not free to go by any means. I'm sure you must understand this. I have to verify the story you brought before us. Then, His Highness will have to decide what He is to do with that accordingly. Do you understand?"

I looked at him, and he nodded... understanding me without saying a word.

"Well then, do you have any last requests before I part?"

"I do have one request. If you're to keep me in chains, please don't place me with the other captives. I don't wish to be threatened any more than necessary. The last thing you want to do is corner a Warrior on their worst day."

'Interesting choice of words.' (Marx added.)

'Very interesting indeed.' (I thought about what he said and pondered why he'd ask that.)

"Well then, I'll see to it that you're placed in a holding cell right across from them. They can see you, yet know you're not a traitor. In a way, you're safe from their advances. Will that do?"

Why did I bother to ask him if his prison cell would be adequate, given that he was placed by the other captives? Was there something about him that I found interesting enough to want to keep him safe? Did I really believe what he had to say? Well, we'll certainly find out as I'm now heading to inform His Highness about this.