Chapter 103 - LUNA'S BAGGAGE

Alison

What a waste! All my hard work had gone down the drain because stupid Martin decided to throw a tantrum. I could not help but grumble all the way back to the pack house. Getting people to clean was a way for me to go and cool down. I was looking forward to their reactions after consuming such a high dosage of laxatives, yet Martin ruined it. Jeremy had the kind that had neither scent nor taste, don't ask me why.

Nothing prepared me for what I heard when I got back. Could it be? The little elder had a mate in our pack? I could tell from the look on Asher's face that we had come to the same conclusion. "Please, let me just see her. I have waited for so long for this opportunity. I have heard that you waited for your mate too." He looked so pitiful trying to plead his case with Asher.

"Didn't you come here to cause trouble? Why should I hand over my pack member to your kind?" He was intentionally making it hard for him, wasn't he? When did Asher start playing mind games? Wasn't he supposed to be a no-nonsense man?

"I am begging you please, even if it is just a glance." Aside from omegas, what kind of wolf would beg like that? But here he was, someone in a position whose authority was almost on his knees for an Alpha.

Asher did not give him any face, instead, his voice got even louder."What? Do you want to bully my people? I will not..." I was about to speak up for Chris but he beat me to it.

"I will be on your side if you let me see..." With his head bowed to the ground, Chris did not see the evil smirk that appeared on Asher's face. It was only for a split second, but I still caught it. What a smart man, it was not as if he would bar the guy from meeting his mate if he really wanted to find her. All Chris needed to do was follow her scent, but I guess guilt did indeed cloud his mind.

He sighed as if he was going against his will before saying, "Fine, my mate will take you where you need to go." Why did he have to include me in this scheme? I watched in pity as that poor man broke into a big smile. How was he a member of the werewolf council? He looked, dare I say, cute? His eyes didn't have the craftiness Martin and the rest had.

"Come with me." It was only then that he realized there was someone else in the room, his cheeks colored in embarrassment. I pinched his cheeks. His being a member of the council still made no sense to me.

We didn't head directly to the pack hospital, even though he was from the enemy camp, I could not let him see his mate in his condition. He had bits and pieces of food in his hair, and his clothes were dirty. So, like the good person that I am, I took him to clean up a little bit because first impressions mattered.

On the way, I realized that, just like Jeremy, Chris was a quiet one. Sheep in wolf's clothing? "My mate is close by." He broke the silence before staring ahead in shock. "Why are we going to the pack hospital? Is my mate sick?" This was the first time he had spoken to me after only offering a nod every time I asked something. Not that I minded anyway, his concern for his mate, however, was a good sign.

Was his mate sick? Not exactly. "She isn't sick, it's just... I, um, it's complicated." Yeah, complicated, that was the only way I could explain it.

"What do you mean? What is wrong with her?" He was beginning to panic.

"I will explain everything to you later." I was still unsure whether I should just tell him what was going on or let him discover everything by himself. I could already see myself telling the same thing over and over to

"It is not anything dangerous, is it?" How sweet, he was worried about her.

"It depends on the way you... no, it is not dangerous." I caught myself, changing my answer when I saw how fast the color drained away from his face. "I will explain everything to you later."

It was already afternoon, the women were taking walks in the hospital garden as recommended by Jeremy. So I led him there directly. He must be applauded for his self-control, we were so close to his mate yet he was still walking calmly beside me. From what Mary had told me and how I had seen the pack members who had found their mates the day the women were brought back to the pack act, I knew there was more to Chris than met the eye.

"Don't overreact when you see her." I could not stop myself from warning him when he started picking up the pace. I could tell that my sentence had confused him, but he still nodded.

Anyone would know the moment he saw her, his lit up and the dull down immediately. The small smile that had begun forming on his face fizzled out immediately. Elvis had reacted the same way. "What is going on? Why is she like that?" He vigorously rubbed his eyes before blinking a couple of times. As if that would make his mate suddenly not pregnant. My only consolation was that he didn't immediately think of rejecting her.

"Hey! Wait for me." I was forced to run after him when he took off in the opposite direction. So much for begging to see his mate. "You don't know where you are going, stop right there." My shouting did not get the permission of the person it was supposed to, instead, several pack warriors jumped out to stop him.

Chris didn't take being stopped well. "Stop making a scene, this is not your pack! Asher will not take your behavior lightly." My threat was very effective. He stopped struggling immediately, "Let him go, I need to talk to him." The pack warriors only let go of him after receiving confirmation from him that he would not act up.

He straightened out his clothes before thanking me. "Just come with me, I need to talk to you about your mate." Something about his broken expression made me want to tell him the truth. "It is not convenient to talk here, we can use my house or Asher's other office."

"Let us just use the office. I don't think your mate will appreciate having my scent in your house." Especially not a council member's scent. I knew what he meant even though he did not add the last part. Asher's enmity with the werewolf council was a publicly known fact.

"Why are you guys in our pack, by the way?" The email had only said they would be visiting, there were no specifics given. At least that is what I saw.

What was that look in his eyes? "You know why?"

"But I don't. I have never seen any of you since I moved here and it has been years. I was a little surprised when my mate told me you guys would be visiting. I even woke up early this morning to make you people breakfast as a show of respect. Who knew you would not appreciate my effort?"

Then he laughed, yes, a loud full-blown laugh. He turned my computer screen toward me when I was about to ask him what was funny. SH.IT! I should learn to switch off my computer. ! "I... I can explain." It was my turn to panic. I had avoided using Asher's other office out of fear of being discovered by the council members but forgot about all the incriminating evidence here.

"What do you want to explain? About how you and your mate want to destroy our kind? Why are you guys so selfish? Do you know what could happen to us because of you?" I didn't interrupt him. I figured if I let him bash us some more, the guilt would hit him more once he found out the truth. "Who hurt you guys so much for you to publish such baseless rumors? The king sent us here because of your inconsiderate behavior."

"Are you done?" Screw letting him rant! "Baseless rumor? Do you know why your mate is the way she is? Surely, you don't think I part member impregnated someone mate, right?"

"Wha- what do you mean?"

I grabbed the handwritten statement that was beside him, "Read it." It wasn't a joyful matter, but when his face paled as he read, I couldn't help but smile. So much for being arrogant. His hands were shaking violently, "Don't tear it, we still need it for evidence."

"What has this got to do with my mate?" He was trying to lie to himself, he knew it and I did too.

"What do you think?"

"Is- is this true?"

"Do you think my mate and I would do such a thing out of selfishness? All the women that were at the pack hospital, your mate included, have gone through the same thing." My mate took about two years just to tell me about himself. Why would he do something like that?

"What! You are lying! Why would someone do something like that to other people?" He tried standing up, only to fall back to the seat. "This can't be true, Martin said that you guys were only causing trouble."

"Why, because we look like we have nothing to do? You know Martin hates my mate!" So simply because Martin said something it was the truth? "Asher and I found all those women by chance when we went to look for my children. According to them, there are so many that have died before them. Do you know how lucky you are to find your mate still living and breathing? Our beta wasn't as lucky, he only found a body."

"The comment was about your experience?"

"Asher and I just want justice for our little girl and all those women and children. We tried to solve this secretly but no one was willing to do it. The first article was published by mistake, but not the second comment."

He looked at me with eyes filled with pity. "I am sorry for your loss." Pity wasn't what I needed, I wanted justice. All the people involved had to pay

"And I am sorry for your mate. I can't imagine being fated to someone that works with people that did this to her." To be honest, Chris did not look like a bad person but I needed his help. If guilt tripping him was the way to go, so be it.

"Do you need my help?"