Chapter 60. Did You See How They Reacted?
Lia
Every head turned to me.
"Lia, no…" Kai started.
"I'll submit to a memory reading," I continued, ignoring his protest. "If that's what it takes to prove my loyalty, to show I wasn't manipulated or compromised, then fine. But on one condition."
"What condition?" Vera asked warily.
"Everyone on this council submits to the same reading. We root out the real threat, the assassin who's been killing our wolves. The one who murdered Anna and Cole while I was gone. The one who's been working for the Circle all along." I looked at each council member in turn. "If I have to prove my loyalty, so does everyone else."
The silence was deafening.
"That's... unprecedented," Vera said slowly.
"So is a Luna being accused of treason for seeking help," I countered. "If we're going to survive what's coming, we need to trust each other. Completely. So let's clear the air. All of us."
"I agree," Seraphina said, pushing off the wall. "I'll submit to a reading as well. Let's end these suspicions once and for all."
One by one, council members nodded, some reluctantly, others with visible relief. Only two hesitated: Adrian and another member named Helena.
"This is a violation of our rights…" Helena protested.
"This is survival," Kai cut in, his eyes locked on her. "And if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Unless..." His voice dropped dangerously. "Unless you're the one who's been poisoning my wolves."
"How dare you…"
"The reading happens tomorrow," Vera declared, her voice brooking no argument. "All council members, the Luna, and any wolf who wishes to volunteer to clear their name. The pack shaman will conduct the readings publicly. Agreed?"
The vote was unanimous, though Helena and Adrian's affirmative votes came through gritted teeth.
After the council meeting, Kai and I walked through the pack grounds, surrounded by guards despite my protests.
"That was either brilliant or incredibly stupid," Kai said quietly.
"Probably both," I admitted. "But I'm tired of being suspected. Tired of walking on eggshells while someone in this pack tries to kill me."
"If it's Helena or Adrian…"
"It's one of them," I said with certainty. "Did you see how they reacted? Everyone else was nervous but willing. They were terrified."
We passed the two fresh graves, and I stopped, kneeling before them. Someone had left flowers, wild roses that grew in the forest.
"Anna was going to be a teacher," Kai said softly, standing behind me. "Wanted to work with the pack's young ones. And Cole... he was training to be a tracker. Best nose in his generation."
"They had futures," I whispered. "And someone took them because of me."
"Because of a zealot organization that fears change," Kai corrected. "Don't take their guilt onto yourself, Lia. You didn't poison them."
"But I'm the reason they're dead. If I wasn't here…"
"Then someone else would be dead," a voice said behind us.
We turned to find a young woman, maybe sixteen, with tear-stained cheeks. "You're Luna Lia, right?"
"Yes. I'm so sorry for your loss…"
"Don't be sorry," she interrupted. "Anna was my sister. And before she died, she told me something." She glanced around nervously, then lowered her voice. "She said she'd seen something. Someone tampering with the food stores. She was going to report it the next day, but..." Her voice cracked.
"Who?" Kai demanded. "Who did she see?"
"She didn't say. Just that it was someone with access to the kitchens. Someone no one would suspect." The girl's eyes filled with tears again. "She thought she was being paranoid. Thought maybe she'd misunderstood what she saw. But then she and Cole died, and I knew... I knew she'd been right."
"What's your name?" I asked gently.
"Sara."
"Sara, thank you for telling us. That was very brave." I stood. "Tomorrow, during the readings, we'll find out who did this. And they'll pay for what they took from you. I promise."
She nodded, tears streaming down her face, then turned and fled.
Kai's arm came around my shoulders. "Someone with access to the kitchens. That's most of the household staff and any council member."
"But someone Anna wouldn't have suspected immediately. Someone who belonged there." I thought back to my time in the pack house, trying to remember who I'd seen in the kitchens. "We need to talk to the head cook. Get a list of everyone with regular access."
"Already on it," Seraphina's voice came from behind us. She'd followed us from the council chamber. "I've been investigating since Anna and Cole died. The kitchens have seventeen regular staff members, plus council members who occasionally inspect the stores."
"Any suspects?"
"Three. All of them fit the profile, access, opportunity, and connections to families who were loyal to Marcus and Helena." She pulled out a small notebook. "Helena the council member is one. Her daughter works in the kitchens. Adrian's mate is the head cook. And there's a servant named Greta who's the niece of one of the warriors executed alongside Marcus."
"So it could be any of them," Kai said grimly. "Using family connections to access the poison and plant it."
"Or it could be multiple people working together," I added. "A cell, not a single operative. That would explain how the attacks continued even after Miriam was imprisoned."
Seraphina nodded. "That's my theory too. Which is why tomorrow's readings are crucial. If there's a conspiracy, we need to root out all the members."
A commotion at the gates interrupted us. Guards shouting, wolves shifting, the sharp scent of foreign pack drifting on the wind.
"Eastern Pack," Kai snarled, already moving toward the disturbance. "They're here."
We ran to the gates to find three Eastern Pack wolves in human form, hands raised in a gesture of peace. But surrounded by at least a dozen of our warriors, weapons drawn.
"We come under the flag of parley," the lead Eastern wolf called out. He was older, scarred, with the bearing of a warrior. "We have information for Alpha Kai and Luna Lia."