Chapter 112 - LUNA'S BAGGAGE

Thompson Springs Pack was getting ready for war, and training was going in full swing under the watchful eyes of Asher. There had been some punishments just as he had promised, but overall, things were going great. There was a visible change among the pack members, but no one dared to relax. Not after Chris had called again to tell Asher to keep an eye out. No one knew what was coming, or when it was coming, so it was good to be prepared.

Asher and Alison barely had time for each other. But, despite being busy, they never forgot to update the article. It was mostly Alison because she didn't need to train with everyone else. They were going against the monarchy and the only way they at least had a chance was to involve as many people as possible. Only a shift in public opinion would guarantee success in their plight. Out of the blue, another bombshell was dropped.

Alison, having noticed that the witness statement had stopped capturing the attention of people as it did before, decided to once again take matters into her own hands. This time she didn't seek out anyone before doing it. Not that there was anyone she could talk to that was free at that hour. Even Mary couldn't get out of training.

In the wee hours of the morning, a list went viral. The familiarity with those names is what made everyone interested in the new article. In the article, Alison wrote about several people that had been reported missing some time back. These cases had already been solved with these people being found dead. No one seemed to have made a connection due to the cause of death and the locations, but Alison was claiming she had found some of the women and that the families should contact her should they want a reunion. She attached pictures she had taken recently of them to the old news reports.

I should take a job in PR, she thought as she typed up the new heading. 'Are they really dead?' Almost every picture was linked to a victim's statement, detailing their ordeals at the hands of Dr. Hann. She had already hinted that Dr. Hann kidnapped women off the streets and it had always just been word of mouth and none could prove whether she was telling the truth or not, but this was different. The internet was free for all and it was long before people were receiving calls to check for their missing family members online.

She only remembered to mention this to Asher when the family members started reaching out to her. There was nothing the man could do at that point, the damage had already been done. "Did you do this because I refused to let you join the training?" Asher could not stop himself from asking.

She couldn't believe her ears when she heard Asher. Why would he think she was that kind of person? "Do I look that shallow to you? I would not go through all this trouble just for a tantrum." Alison's temperament had gotten explosive ever since she got pregnant, even Mary didn't dare to be as playful as she used to be with her. "I don't know if you have noticed Asher, but we are outnumbered! Sure, the pack members have been training for a while, but we need a lot more people on our side."

"But those are humans. How will they help in our war? They are supposed to know about the existence of our kind. You organized a reunion without letting me know first. Do you think the pack will be comfortable with humans just walking in and out of the pack?" It was always the same excuse, humans this, humans that. She was getting frustrated.

"Would it be so bad if humans knew about the existence of werewolves? Your fears are based on things that occurred centuries ago. Times have changed, Asher" Alison could not figure out why they were so hell-bent on humans not knowing about their existence. How much danger could weak humans pose to superhumans?

"But it would be too dangerous."

"How? Where is the danger if none of you attack the visiting humans? And don't say they might see someone in their wolf form. For how long was I in this pack before I saw any of that? You have so much prejudice against humans, have any of you ever given them a chance?" Asher had no idea what to say to his angry mate. "If it were up to me, I would take a bus and visit other packs with these women to see if they have mates in other packs too. Being all upright will not do us any good."

Just to show that she was disappointed, Alison became the third wheel in Mary and Jeremy's love. But not before she added that if they went to war with how few they were there was a possibility the baby in her belly might never get the chance to see the world. She wondered just why Asher couldn't see things from her point of view. She was a human when she found out the truth and she hadn't done anything that could threaten werewolves. Why was Asher and everyone else so sure they posed a threat?

As for Asher, his rigidity was mostly out of fear. He had been taught one thing all his life, and changing a habit wasn't as easy as he was taught. What Alison wanted was something unheard of before. But it wasn't long before he gave in. He could not stand seeing his mate angry with him, so after mulling over it for a while, he sought counsel from Timothy and Jeremy. Timothy had been used to working with humans anyway, so he didn't find Alison's idea too radical. It was his wolf, however, that fueled him to make his choice faster.

With Asher finally giving the go-ahead, Alison informed the people, reaching out to her while he went to inform the pack members of the impending influx of humans into the pack. It was probably because they had gotten used to abnormal things happening in the pack that they didn't show as big of a reaction as Asher had expected.

"Are you disappointed that there will be humans in the back?" Asher had gone around asking the pack members what they thought despite him already saying yes to Alison. Most of them agreed with her, while quite a number were uncertain of what this action might cause in the long sun.

The DNA testing results were back right before the intended day of the reunion. She used the promise of reuniting with their parents to persuade them to let Jeremy do it. A lot of them were reluctant. Of course, there was a reason she had insisted on getting the tests. She planned to introduce the children too. They needed to see Dr. Hann's wonderful works firsthand.

Imagine the shock of seeing your loved one again after years of thinking they were dead and buried. Tears! There wasn't a shortage of them on the day of the reunion. Imagine thinking your loved one was dead only to see them years later, malnourished with several children by their side. Children they had been forced to bear only to be killed later. Who wouldn't feel bad for innocent children?

After a discussion with Jeremy, it was decided that they would use their current residence to host the guests. What could be more depressing than living months on end in a hospital? Most of the family members also requested to talk to Jeremy to find out more about the health conditions of their loved ones. It took Mary threatening him in order for him to exaggerate even a little.

At the end of the day, she informed them that the women needed to stay as the big boss behind the scenes might use despicable methods to try and silence them. Alison needed to paint a picture so gut-wrenching that when they went back they could not help themselves but gather others to support their cause.

Someone once said, please don't ask who, but someone once said. A woman's greatest weapon was her tears and that was Alison's weapon of choice. What could be more effective than a bunch of women crying together about an injustice? People were bound to listen, right?