Chapter 33: Pandora's box

Chapter 33: Pandora's box
Vander

After everything with Brutis, I was starting to learn to question things before believing in them blindly. Especially the things that made me angry. But I also realised that Calina’s mother had nothing to gain by lying to me. And so, I listened to her wordlessly.

“I don’t know if Calina told you this, but my husband and your father were good friends when he was still alive. In fact, they were very close. On the day Calina’s father died, it was your father who brought his body back home. Both of them were badly beaten and I first thought that your father had killed him.” She paused, looking up at me, a sympathetic look on her face. I gulped, not at all prepared for what was about to leave her mouth next.

“But it wasn’t him. Your mother killed my husband. And your father killed her.”

At this point, I was just taking blow after blow, shattering the very fabric of everything I’d known to be true. In my eyes, my mother had always been a saint. That entire ideal was what I had used to cope with her loss. And now, that entire ideal was threatened. Perhaps my father was right. Perhaps I wasn’t ready to hear the truth. Perhaps I wasn’t strong enough. But I’d already opened up Pandora’s Box.

“You’re sure of this?” I asked softly, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes.

She sighed, already crying herself and surprisingly reached out for my hand in hers. “I wish I wasn’t so sure of it. Your father was often a light-hearted man. Before that day, I’d never seen him not smile. The gloomy look on his face and the pure and utter regret that filled his eyes was so startling that I couldn’t help but believe everything he’d told me. He apologised profusely as he detailed everything that had happened. I know it’s difficult for you to believe Vander. When it happened, I couldn’t believe it myself. But that’s the truth I know from your father.”

By now we were both crying, her at recalling that terrible memory, and me at hearing all of it for the very first time. Though, there was one thing I couldn’t understand.

“Then how come Brutis told me something else, the complete opposite.”

I could see her expression change to one of annoyance. “Before Calina’s father died, he and Titus had come up with a story. His only wish to me that day, was to go along with it. And so, I did and have. It’s the story everyone has been spouting. That Titus had killed my husband to avenge his wife…”

All of this was good and well, but I just didn’t understand why. Why had my mother killed Calina’s father? And although Calina’s mother had been my key to understanding all of this madness, it was a question not even she could answer.

“I’m sorry… Mrs Devan. I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for what my father put you through. I’m sorry for what I put you through. If I’d have known, none of this would have happened. I would have been better and done better.” I said, feeling another wave of guilt hit me.

But to my surprise, she didn’t look malicious or hostile the way I had expected her to. Instead, the look she gave me was somehow even worse. It was pity.

“The person I hate most out of all of this is your father… Forgive me for saying this but, Titus is an idiot. The way he handled it from the beginning was awful. And his lies have left nothing but chaos in their wake. Then again… I can’t let him take all of the blame. I lied to Calina all this time too.”

I felt broken. Shattered even. If what Calina’s mother was saying was true, then I had a murderer for a mother. The only thing keeping me from completely giving in to the utter hopelessness I’d started to feel was the reason why. Perhaps my mother had a good reason to kill Calina’s father. A reason my father would be able to give me. Though I knew that before I could confront him with this, I needed to prove my strength to him. He’d never give me the answers I wanted without it. And so, I’d have to exercise something I wasn’t all too good at exercising. Patience. Though I dared not tell Calina’s mother about any of this. I feared I’d meet with hostility, and I’d just now regained some semblance of sympathy from her. This was tolerable for the both of us. This fragile shared relationship of trauma. I needed it to help me find Calina.

“Promise me you’ll find her… and once you do, promise me you’ll keep her safe. I know she knows how to look after herself, but she has the tendency to attract misfortune and doesn’t ask for help when she needs it.”

I looked into her pleading, tear-filled eyes. I couldn’t say no. I didn’t even have the right to. And so, I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

“I’ll let Luca know about all of this and I’ll make sure he keeps it silent. Maybe he can offer us a bit of assistance.”

“I would appreciate that Mrs Devan. Perhaps I can allow him to meet at my packgrounds along with Mason, should he prove to have any useful information for me as well.”

My words seemed to startle her.

“I thought your pack always shut its doors to hunters. My husband and Calina being the two exceptions.”

“I can make two more. For Calina.”



Mason had waited all of that time outside. I wanted to make a comment about him being a good little dog but thought it inappropriate, especially when he was clearly in his serious, professional capacity as he spoke to me.

“There have been rumours around the LHS that Alpha Brutis has been cozying up to one of the leaders of the districts. They’ve had a few meetings here and there. Unfortunately, I didn’t pry too much into the who or why. But that is what I heard so far. It was really surprising because before recently, Brutis hadn’t made much contact with the LHS. I suppose someone must have taken a liking to him or vice versa,” he said.

That was odd. There was nothing mentioned about this relationship throughout the werewolf community. And if the rumour had been circling, I would have known about it, being an influential Alpha in the community myself.

“But that’s not the most interesting thing I heard. Apparently Brutis is supposed to be on the bounty for the same reason you made it on there. Killing a hunter.”

I looked at him, completely taken by surprise.

“H-how did you know that?” I asked. Not many people knew the reason I was on that bounty board thanks to my father’s negotiating efforts with the LHS.

Mason smirked before saying, “I managed to go through our restricted archives to dig up some dirt on you. The report didn’t really make sense and so I can only conclude that it isn’t the whole truth, is it, Vander?”

He had smug look on his face, as though he’d had it all figured out. But it was immensely more complicated than he knew. And so, all I did was shrug, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of providing him with any answers. Instead, I diverted his attention back to the matter at hand.

“So, do you suspect he also made negotiations with someone in the LHS? Perhaps the same person?” I asked.

Mason shook his head, “I can’t say. Unlike you, his reports have been so heavily redacted, I could barely make out what was in there. I can say, however, that he didn’t kill just one hunter. He’s had a long history of killing members of the LHS but has received absolutely no consequences for it.”

He was damn right. I had no idea Brutis had that kind of history. He kept on parading around like some kind of virtuous God. In the werewolf community, killing hunters was not particularly frowned upon, but we tended to keep our relationship with them as peaceful as we possibly could, only attacking in self-defence. Of course there were many instances of killings on both sides, but we usually came up with negotiated agreements. What he’d said had also led me to the realisation that I didn’t know much about Brutis. No one did. All I could remember was him rising to power a while after my mother’s death, preying on the weakness of my father and climbing the ranks until he’d made his pack more powerful than any other pack we’d had in history. 

“Could you do me a favour?” I asked, we’d neared my car now and admittedly, I was grateful to be leaving this place, but fearful to be returning to my pack where Calina wouldn’t be. Mason nodded. “Try to find out who Brutis is in such good terms with in the LHS. And then once you’ve found out, you’re welcome to meet with me at my packgrounds with Luca. I trust you know how to find your way there?”