Third Person
Chance was quiet. He took a deep breath.
“What about the restraining order?” Chance asked.
“We won’t let you get arrested if you’re with us. No showing up at the pack house without us. And after I have a talk with my parents we can think about getting the order waved,” said Alex.
“I wanna help. I wanna help Chasity,” said Chance, nodding. “Yes.”
Alex and Calix grinned.
“Wait!” Said Felix. “So where is Alexi Franck and who is he to you?”
Chance laughed. He rummaged around in the inside pocket of his too-small blazer. He took out his wallet and brandished a card. He handed it to Felix. It was an ID with a picture of Chance and the name Alexi Chance Franck.
“Oh,” said Felix. “Oh, it is you! But that doesn’t make sense. Our…informant said you were awful and it seemed as though Chalice had a huge gambling dept,” said Felix, narrowing his eyes at Alexi Chance Franck.
“She did have a huge gambling dept and I did yell at her a lot. She was a wayward child. I wouldn’t say I was awful but maybe she thought so,” said the old werewolf, sighing and wiping his sunglasses on his small blazer.
“Being a parent isn’t easy,” said Chance, with a faraway look in his eyes. “She was angry because I wanted her to straighten up. She was doing drugs and being wild. I tried to get custody of Chasity and after that, she swore up and down the street I was the devil. I wasn’t able to get custody. I’m a single man and I own a casino. I probably don’t seem like a good guardian either. Chasity stayed with her mother and father till they gave her to the Luna and Alpha and there was no way I would win against them. They run the pack lands.”
Calix fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Why would Mom insist on raising Chasity if there was an alternative? Why would she subject Chasity to…” said Calix, looking at his brother, Alex.
“Subject Chasity to what?” Asked Chance.
The triplets stared at him. Felix looked furious. The middle triplet got up suddenly and stormed out of the office.
“What did I say?” Asked Chance.
Alex and Calix got up to follow Felix.
“Wait!” Said Chance. “I wanna help Chasity!” The werewolf scurried after the triplets, grabbing up a few teddy bears and a stack of letters.
Chance followed the triplet alphas to their parked car.
“Felix!” Alex called.
“I need to talk to our parents!” Felix said, getting in the driver’s seat. Alex got in the passenger seat and Calix got in the back. Chance got in next to Calix.
Felix sped off, tires screeching. They were at the pack house in no time. Felix stormed in. The Luna and former alpha were with Beta Keaton and a tearful Roxie and an annoyed-looking Moxie.
“Felix! How could you think of me as a suspect?” Cried Roxie, tugging on his sleeve.
“Roxie, I don’t have time for this. Get over it! Are you in jail? No. Good,” said Felix.
“Felix!” Said his mother.
“Mother!” Hissed Felix. “Do you know this man?”
Felix pointed to Chance who was unsuccessfully hiding behind Alex
The Luna gasped and the former alpha got angry, knitting his eyebrows together.
“What is he doing here?” Bellowed Romeo, the former alpha.
“Yes, he’s, he’s a…a stalker!” Said Luna Ronnie.
“Is he or is he not Chasity’s maternal grandfather?” Growled Felix.
Ronnie opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Romeo glared at his son.
“IS HE?!” Bellowed Felix in his Alpha voice making the whole room shake. Roxie and Moxie quickly left. Beta Keaton stood up to leave.
“Beta Keaton, stay, please,” said Luna Ronnie.
“Go!” Whispered Felix fiercely in his alpha voice.
The Beta was compelled to leave, looking back apologetically at his friends.
Calix and Alex were quietly flanking Felix.
“Let’s sit down,” said Ronnie. “Let’s compose ourselves.”
“I wanna stand,” said Felix, his tone deadly though his voice was soft.
“I’m gonna ask one more time, Mom, Dad, who is this man and what is his relation to Chasity?” Asked Felix, pointing at Chance who was shrinking against the wall.
Ronnie took a deep breath. She sat down in her armchair, hands on her lip, ankles crossed. “He is the father of Chalice and Chalice is…”
“Chasity’s mother,” answered Felix, laughing humourlessly. “He was telling the truth.”
“He was not a suitable guardian,” said Ronnie her eyes black.
“YOU WERE NOT A SUITABLE GUARDIAN!!!” Yelled Felix.
“You’re out of control!!” Bellowed the former Alpha, flashing his black eyes.
“No! No, I’m not. What is wrong with the two of you?” Asked Felix, trembling slightly.
“Ok, let’s say you didn’t want him to have custody. Did you stop him from being Chasity gifts and cards and letters? Did you?” Demanded Felix, looking at them in disbelief.
“We just wanted nothing to do to him,” said Ronnie.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” Felix said, falling into an armchair and putting his hands over his face.
“Mom,” cried Calix. “I don’t understand! Why would you do that? Chasity was little. Why didn’t you just let her have the comfort of a relative? You never liked her very much,” Calix admitted, his eyes watering. “I didn’t realise you…hated her.”
“No, no,” said Ronnie, gulping. “I do not hate Chasity. She’s not my cup of tea but…”
“What are you people saying?” Interrupted Chance, speaking for the first time.
Everyone looked at him.
“What do you mean? Are…are you…are you saying that Chasity wasn’t happy here?” Asked the older werewolf, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.
“She was a maid essentially cooking and cleaning to work off debts. Gambling and drug debts that my parents said they paid off,” Alex said sadly, looking at the floor.
“We did pay them off!” Roared Romeo. “A quarter of a million dollars worth!”
“I could have paid that!” Hissed Chance, angry for the first time, his eyes black and his face hardening like he was about to shift.
Romeo stiffened. “Your casino is..”
“I know it ain’t fancy but it makes money. I have my zombies. They do nothing but gamble. I could’ve paid that,” said Chance, panting.
“Then why didn’t Chalice go to you?” Shrieked Ronnie.
“BECAUSE SHE HATED ME!” Roared Chance, dissolving into tears. He flopped onto the couch and sobbed. Calix patted his shoulder.
“Um…uh… don’t cry Grandpa. We’ll get Chasity back! I promise. She’s everything to me. She’s my whole life! Then we’ll make sure she’s happy every single day and we’ll dust off those gifts and letters and she’ll be so excited to read them,” said Calix, smiling with tears in his eyes.
Ronnie smiled at her favourite son, the youngest and sweetest of the triplets. He had a knack for de-escalating things. Chance stopped sobbing. The old werewolf took a few deep breaths. He seemed shocked but pleasantly surprised at being called Grandpa by the youngest Alpha.
“I can see Chasity whenever I want?” Asked Chance.
“Yes, Grandpa,” said Calix sweetly.
“And she can stay with me for a bit?” Asked Chance.
Felix straightened up, resurfacing from his hands. “You can stay here for a bit to spend some time together if Chasity likes that idea but my wife doesn’t do sleepovers,” said Felix in a serious tone.
Chance looked annoyed but nodded.
“So what was it about Chance that made him an unsuitable guardian for Chasity?” Said Alex, his voice controlled but he was seething. His mother had kept Chasity as a main not a daughter and all the while, someone wanted her. Wanted to celebrate her birthday and buy her Christmas presents and treat her like a little girl not the hired help. Alex knew he and his brothers had been little jerks to Chasity growing up but they were children following the terrible example set by their parents. It had been Ronnie and Romeo’s responsibility to give Chasity a decent childhood.
Ronnie was silent.
“She thinks I killed my own daughter and her mate, Ronnie’s stepbrother,” muttered Chance.
“Prove that you didn’t!” Demanded Ronnie. Romeo folded his arms.
“Prove that YOU didn’t!” Countered Chance, placing the blame back on them.
Ronnie and Romeo sighed. Calix closed his eyes, leaning back on the couch, wanting this argument to be over and wishing he could go cuddle up with his Chasity. He sighed.
Chasity’s POV
After I yelled at Dante and refused to reveal whether I was pregnant or not, he and the human accomplice left me alone for a while without water and food. Eventually there was a knock on the door.
“Please, don’t rush the door if I open it ok! I’m trying to help you! Dante is in the next room and that’s the only way to pass to get out. Flush the napkin down the toilet when you’re done and hide the cup!”
The human. What was his name? Maurice!
“Maurice?” I whispered.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. He peaked in leaving the door ajar. He threw a rolled up napkin at me. The bundle hit me in the shoulder. It was soft though and I was too tired to dodge it. I unwrapped it. A slice of pizza!
“Water! Please! Please! Please!” I began to say.
“Ok! Ok!” He said, putting his finger to his lips. He had it already. He passed me the small paper cup.
I drank the water in one gulp and looked at him with huge eyes. He took the cup back and shut the door. He returned with a refill. I got him to refill that ridiculously tiny cup three more times so I had five tiny cupfuls.
“That’s enough,” he warned, eyeing something I couldn’t see warily.
“The pizza will make me thirsty!” I said softly.
He shrugged. I ate the slice quickly and flushed the napkin. He let me have two more cupfuls.
“You’re the best, Maurice!” I whispered. “I…I won’t let my Alphas kill you. I can make them reward you! Let’s get out of here! What do you want money…or…”
Maurice cackled softly. “If you think I can fight Dante and win, you’re touched in the head, Luna.”
I was shocked to be called Luna by him. A human.
“What do you want from me?” I asked curiously.
“I don’t know what boss wants,” he said.
“Boss is not Dante,” I said.
“Boss is Dante’s Boss too. He’s everyone’s Boss,” Maurice said.
“Boss is a werwolf,” I said.
“I don’t know. Probably,” said Maurice.
What were these people smoking?
“You don’t know what species your boss is?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.
“Boss is just a voice on the phone. And stuff happens as he dictates. He has so many people working for him. He was angry once with another one of us. I heard him on loudspeaker. He said, “Your time with us is up. Your contract has expired!” Then, the guy was shot in the head with a sniper. Clean. Fell down dead. A few minutes of us being in the next room and the body was gone. Guy’s room was cleaned up. No trace!” Said Maurice.
I thought about that. “So won’t he know you’re helping me?” I asked.
“He wouldn’t be mad about that. He ends every conversation saying “Take good care of the Luna.” I fed you and gave you water. That’s good. Boss will be happy,” Maurice said, pleased with himself.
Something about his giddy smiled reminded me of people who are in cults and how obsessed they become with the cult leader.
“Will Boss be mad at Dante?” I asked.
“No,” said Maurice.
“But he’s being mean to me,” I protested.
“Yeah, but Dante is related to Boss, somehow,” Maurice said.
I nodded. “Is Boss a man or a woman?” I asked.
“Boss is boss,” said Maurice.
Oh, good, grief.
Third Person
“Let’s assume neither our parents nor Chance killed Chasity’s parents,” said Alex with a sigh. “For the time being.”
Felix nodded. Calix smiled. The Luna opened her mouth to argue.
Alex put his palms up to signal for everyone to calm down.
Everyone was silent, looking at the eldest alpha.
“We need to work together. We need to find Chasity. No one is here is totally blameless and our focus should be Chasity!” Said Alex.
There was a knock at the front door. A hulking pack warrior opened it to reveal the P. I., Danny. He approached the three Alphas who hired him, his briefcase in hand. The alphas, their parents and older man he had never seen stared at him.
Danny addressed the room, “I have a lead in Luna Chasity’s case, Alphas.”