Forty Four

By dawn the fire had been put out but all that remained was rubble and the charred and ashened carcasses of vehicles and warped metal frames. Luckily no one had been in the building at the time of the fire so there were no casualties but nothing was salvageable. The scent of burnt wood and chemicals still hung on the air as the rubble smouldered against the pale grey light of the morning.

Warriors, scouts and guards had been moving about the packhouse and grounds in a flurry as wolves made their way through the land looking for clues to where the Mad Alpha was or better yet, finding him.

The news of Kade's death had hit the back like a sledgehammer. It had knocked the spirit out of the pack as everyone silently processed that one of their own was gone. Daniel had refused to speak about it and didn't let his mind dwell on the fact his best friend was gone. The guilt never lifted though but rather pressed down on his chest like a phantom weight, pressing on his lungs until it felt like he couldn't breathe.

There was a burning question that begged to be answered. How had the Mad Alpha known where to find Kade and Ian? The knowledge of their whereabouts hadn't been widely shared which begged the question of how had the Mad Alpha found out?

Did they have someone on the inside working against them?

Daniel hadn’t slept even with Eva tangled in the sheets beside him. Neither of them had spoken through the night despite neither of them finding solace in the arms of sleep. How could they when grief was bleeding from every pore and hiding in every shadow. At some point, Daniel had left the bed to shower, dress and make his way to his office. He had been avoiding going into his friend’s room or searching for a number to call Kade’s sister and Dagmar. If he told them then it would be real, Kade would be gone.

He sat in silence, staring at nothing in particular as his brain tried to process what happened over the recent weeks. It was easy to say ‘just get on with it’ but doing it was a million times harder when there were no leads. This Mad Alpha was a ghost. No one had seen him in twenty five years. He was able to strike from the shadows with deadly force before disappearing like a phantom with no clues and no witnesses who could provide anything of use. He had resources as well and the ability to manipulate people to do his bidding.

A knock on the door broke Daniel’s dark thoughts, his tired eyes shifting to the door as it opened to reveal his father.

“You look like shit.” Slade observed as he sat down opposite his son. “What are you doing in here?”

“Putting off looking for Dagmar’s number.” Daniel muttered, grabbing his packet of cigarettes.

A mournful silence settled as Daniel lit his cigarette and leaned back in his chair, letting the grey blue smoke rise like soft whisps. The undercurrent of anger coursing in his veins was slowly building like the flames of a wildfire. Soon it would be raging out of control if he didn’t keep his wits about him. It was tempting to let it consume him but with no culprit to take it out on, Daniel would simply lash out recklessly.

“Some of the elders from Silver Moon have been in touch.” Slade finally broke the silence. “Some of them remembered that Michael wasn’t originally from Silver Moon.”

“So?” Daniel raised an eyebrow.

“He met his mate, the Alpha of the pack at some diplomatic gig they used to do back then.” Slade carried on. “Being that she was an Alpha and he didn’t hold a significant rank in his current pack, he moved to Silver Moon. However, word has it he came from a big family.”

“Dad, this is a nice history lesson and all but why are you telling me?”

“Because, if you were run out of your pack for being a crazy tyrant, where would you go?” Slade retorted. “Back to your family with your tail between your legs.”

“But everyone thinks he’s dead.” Daniel pointed out, sighing in frustration.

“Yeah well, what if they were wrong?” The ex-Alpha pointed out, pushing himself out of his seat. “He was from the Night Stalker pack in County Tyrone. Give their Alpha a call, I’m sure she’ll be more than willing to help.”

---

Dawn had already risen but Bethan hadn’t slept.

Pale grey light poured in through the gaps in the curtains, leaving slivers of light around the darkened room. The scent of spring rain and smoke clung to the air as it blew in past the open window, an unpleasant combination that left a chemical taste on the she-wolf's tongue and made her throat burn. Besides that, everything was still. Even Bethan remained motionless as she sat at the end of the bed, her red puffy eyes unblinking. Chocolate brown orbs were dull from exhaustion, pain and guilt and her head throbbed from the tears shed and constant fear she had been living in since she could remember.

The news about the Hellhound Beta being killed had reached her just as it reached the pack around her. The shockwave it had caused within the community had surged through the pack like a river bursting its banks and tearing through everything in its path. It had left a path of devastation and grief. Naturally, everyone had been stunned but Bethan had been far from surprised. She had been dreading this moment for a long time.

A soft knock on the door pulled Bethan reluctantly from her though, turning her head to watch as her brother opened the bedroom door without her permission, his dark brown eyes landing on almost immediately. Despite her older brother having the same warm brown coloured eyes as Bethan, there was nothing warm in those eyes as they bore into her.

"Eva is going to be talking to you about the night of the attack." Ethan spoke as he shut the door behind him.

"Why?" Bethan asked.

"Probably to see what else you can remember." Ethan replied, slowly wandering around the room.

"But I told them everything."

Bethan shuddered when Ethan's eyes landed on her again, the predatory gaze making her blood run cold. Before she could even move, the blonde male was on her, fingers twisting into her hair and yanking her head back. Her scalp screamed as Ethan pulled her from the bed and forced her to knees with such force that Bethan knew she'd have bruises and possibly carpet burn. Despite the searing pain that made her stomach twist, she made no sound. She had learnt by now that if she cried or screamed or begged, Ethan would just become angrier and take it out on her.

"Well this time make sure she believes you." Ethan hissed in her ear, his eyes pitch black as his wolf threatened to take over. "If you had done a better job last time I wouldn't have had to kill the beta myself."

"I-I'm sorry, I tried!" Bethan whimpered, gasping as her brother twisted her hair more, her scalp smarting in protest.

Bethan knew this would impress her brother but the sharp punch to her gut still made her flinch, doubling over onto the floor as Ethan pushed her away, growling angrily.

"I should have killed you like the rest of them. You're so pathetic! Why our whore of a mother kept you is beyond me." Ethan snarled before ceasing his pacing.

Ethan finally calmed, a heavy breath leaving him as if all the rage he had been exhibiting was suddenly released. Bethan remained where she was on the floor as the switch in Ethan flipped and he composed himself once more. The mask was pulled over his features so seamlessly that sometimes Bethan truly believed that this was who her brother was. He smiled cheerily and appeared open and caring. But his sister knew that his eyes were void of any emotion. He was a psychopath just like their father.

"This will all be over soon." Ethan finally spoke as he tidied his hair in the mirror then smoothed the front of his shirt down. "You just need to do your part and try not to fuck anything else up."

"Yes, Ethan." Bethan whispered, keeping her eyes down.

"Good girl. Now clean yourself up. You look disgusting and it's an embarrassment." Ethan muttered before leaving Bethan alone in her room, trembling.