Chapter 140 What Was Never Stolen

Chapter 140 What Was Never Stolen
~ Alistair's POV ~

I kept thinking about the stranger's warning regarding the Second Seal as I drove through the entrance of Dravik Territory the following morning. My investigators had already begun searching for every record connected to the Moonbound bloodline, but we still understood very little about what we were facing.

The guards at the entrance recognized my vehicle immediately. They greeted me politely, but I still noticed the hesitation in their eyes.

Months ago, I would have ignored those looks and reminded myself that wolves had never trusted humans. Now I understood their caution far better than I once had.

Many of them remembered the choices I had made against Caelen. Many also remembered how determined I had been to keep Allene away from this place.

I could not blame them for doubting me. If our positions had been reversed, I might have done the same.

One of the younger guards stepped forward after checking my identification. His posture remained respectful despite his obvious uncertainty.

"Welcome back, Mr. Voss," he said. "Alpha Caelen is expecting you."

"Thank you," I replied. "I'll find him shortly."

He nodded and stepped aside without another word. Even that small exchange reminded me that trust returned slowly after it had been broken.

As I walked through the territory, several wolves looked in my direction before quietly returning to their work. None of them openly confronted me, but very few smiled.

I accepted every suspicious glance without complaint. I had spent years giving them reasons to distrust me.

Trying to defend my past actions would accomplish nothing. The only thing I could change now was the way I behaved moving forward.

I reached the administration building expecting to meet Caelen first. Instead, I found Allene standing outside with several volunteers after finishing another morning of humanitarian work.

She noticed me almost immediately. A warm smile appeared on her face before she walked over.

"I didn't know you were visiting today," she said. "You could have told me."

"I decided only this morning," I replied. "I didn't want to interrupt your work."

"You never interrupt it," she said. "Come with me."

We walked together toward one of the quieter gardens near the rebuilt cabin. For several minutes neither of us spoke because the silence felt comfortable instead of awkward.

"I've been thinking about something," Allene said. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything," I replied.

She slowed her steps before looking toward me. Her expression told me the question had stayed in her thoughts for a long time.

"I know a lot more about Mother's sacrifice now," she said. "I know about the Moonbound bloodline and why she hid."

She paused briefly before continuing. Her next words caught me completely by surprise.

"I don't want to talk about danger today," she said. "I want to know what she was like."

For a moment I could not answer. I realized that I had spent so many years remembering my wife as someone I had lost that I had almost forgotten how she had lived.

"What was my favorite toy?" Allene asked. "Did Mother tell me stories before bed?"

She smiled faintly while waiting for my answer. The questions were so ordinary that they hurt more than any accusation she could have made.

"You carried a small stuffed fox everywhere," I said. "You refused to sleep unless it was beside you."

She laughed softly. The sound made the memory even clearer in my mind.

"I don't remember that at all," she admitted.

"You named it Rowan," I replied. "No one knows why."

She laughed again before shaking her head. I found myself smiling without realizing it.

"What about bedtime stories?" she asked. "Did Mother have a favorite?"

"She always changed them," I answered. "She would begin with familiar stories and then invent the ending herself."

Allene listened carefully without interrupting. I could almost picture my wife sitting beside our daughter's bed all those years ago.

"She wanted every story to end with someone choosing kindness," I said. "She believed people remembered hope better than fear."

Allene lowered her eyes for a moment. When she looked back at me, they shone with quiet emotion.

"Was she happy?" she asked. "Not just before she died."

That question remained with me for several seconds before I finally answered. I searched through memories I had avoided for far too long.

"Yes," I said quietly. "She was happy."

I closed my eyes briefly as more memories returned. For the first time in years, I remembered my wife laughing instead of only remembering the day I lost her.

"She loved gardening," I continued. "She always insisted that flowers belonged outside instead of inside expensive houses."

Allene smiled while listening. I realized I was remembering details I had not spoken aloud in decades.

"She liked rainy mornings," I said. "She believed they made everything feel peaceful."

I paused again before continuing. My voice felt heavier than before.

"I spent too many years remembering her as a victim," I admitted. "I should have remembered her as the woman who filled our home with laughter."

Allene reached across the table and gently held my hand. The simple gesture said more than either of us could have expressed with words.

"Thank you for telling me," she said. "Now I know a little more about her."

"And a little more about yourself," I replied.

She nodded. "Yes."

After we finished talking, Allene returned to her work while I walked toward Caelen's office. I had planned to discuss security updates, but another conversation had become far more important.

Caelen looked up from several reports as I entered. He stood immediately before offering me a seat.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Everything is fine," I replied. "I only wanted to speak with you."

He waited quietly. I appreciated that he never rushed difficult conversations.

"I've spent months thinking about the way I treated you," I said. "I believed I was protecting Allene."

"I know," he replied.

"I was wrong," I continued. "I failed to understand what she truly needed."

Caelen remained silent. He allowed me to finish without interruption.

"You loved her when I only tried to control her future," I said. "For that, you deserve my thanks."

His expression changed immediately. Genuine surprise replaced the calm look he usually carried.

"You don't have to thank me," he said.

"I do," I replied. "Because I should have recognized her happiness long before I finally did."

The room became quiet again. Neither of us seemed eager to end the conversation.

"I still find it difficult to think of you as family," I admitted honestly. "That may take more time."

"I understand," Caelen replied.

"But if Allene chooses you," I said, "I will stop standing in your way."

For a moment Caelen simply looked at me. It was clear he had never expected those words from me.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Before either of us could continue, someone knocked firmly on the office door. One of my senior investigators entered carrying several folders and a tablet.

"We've completed another review of the locations connected to Mrs. Voss," he said. "The results require your immediate attention."

I accepted the files while he opened the first report. Every page showed photographs from different countries.

"Every remaining location connected to your wife has been broken into," he reported. "The intruders searched each site carefully."

My heartbeat quickened as I looked through the evidence. None of the buildings showed signs of ordinary theft.

"What was taken?" I asked.

The investigator met my eyes before answering.

"Nothing except documents mentioning the Second Seal."