Chapter 54 Echoes of Murder
We spent the rest of the day in emergency meetings. Planning. Strategizing. Preparing for a threat we couldn’t fully see yet.
Sienna laid out everything they knew. Names. Faces. Three wolves from Shadowcrest Pack. All with ties to organized crime. All dangerous.
“Victor Kane. Pack enforcer. Did the actual killing. Thomas Reed. Arranged the accident. Made sure it looked legitimate. And Diana Cross. She coordinated everything. Covered their tracks.”
I stared at their photos. Memorized every feature. These people had killed my parents. Destroyed my family. Left me alone.
“Where are they now?” Lycian asked. Voice cold. Deadly.
“Kane is in Shadowcrest territory. Reed moved to the Midwest. Different pack. Diana disappeared two years ago. No one knows where.” Sienna pulled up more documents. “But our sources say they’re aware of Elowen. Know she’s Luna. They’ve been watching her rise through the pack.”
“So they might strike,” Thaddeus said. “Eliminate the daughter like they did the parents.”
“Possibly. Or they might use her. Blackmail. Leverage. These wolves are criminals. They think strategically.” Sienna looked at me. “You need to be prepared for anything.”
“I’m done being prepared. I’m done waiting for attacks.” My voice was harder than I’d ever heard it. “We go after them. Find them. End this.”
“That’s not how pack law works,” one council member said. “We can’t just hunt wolves in other territories. That’s an act of war.”
“They murdered humans. My parents. That transcends pack law.” I stood. “I want justice. Real justice. Not bureaucracy.”
“Elowen has a point,” Thaddeus said. Surprising everyone. “These wolves committed murder. The humankind. That makes it a human crime too. We can involve human authorities.”
“Human authorities can’t touch wolves. You know that.” Sienna shook her head. “The second they try to arrest a wolf, the pack will protect them. It’ll get messy.”
“Then we make it a Council matter,” Lycian said. “Bring formal charges. Demand they be turned over for trial.”
“That takes months. Maybe years.” I couldn’t wait that long. Couldn’t sit around knowing my parents’ killers walked free. “There has to be another way.”
The room went quiet. Everyone thinking. Looking for options that didn’t exist.
Finally, Damien spoke. He’d been silent until now. Listening.
“What if we don’t go through official channels? What if we just find them? Gather evidence. Force them to confess. Then bring that to the Council.” He looked around the table. “Not legal. But effective.”
“That’s vigilante justice,” the council member protested. “We’re not criminals.”
“No. But they are.” Damien’s expression was serious. “And sometimes you fight criminals with their own tactics.”
Thaddeus considered this. Long and hard. “It’s risky. If we’re caught acting outside the pack law, it weakens our position. Makes us look unstable.”
“But if we succeed, we bring justice to wolves who’ve avoided it for years. We show that murder has consequences.” Lycian looked at his father. “I’m willing to take that risk.”
“So am I,” I said immediately.
“And me,” Damien added.
Cade nodded from his corner. “Count me in.”
Thaddeus looked at each of us. Then sighed. “This conversation never happened. Officially, you’re all on vacation. Taking time away from the pack business. What you do during that vacation is your concern.”
It was permission. Carefully worded. Deniable. But permission nonetheless.
“We start with Reed,” Sienna said. Pulling up his file. “He’s the weakest link. Most likely to crack under pressure. Get him to talk. He’ll give up the others.”
“Where exactly is he?” Lycian asked.
“Crescent Moon Pack. Iowa. Small pack. Rural. Reed works as their accountant. Keeps his head down. Lives quietly.”
“Then we go to Iowa. Find Reed. Make him talk.” I looked at Lycian. “When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow. Give us time to prepare. Plan the approach.” He took my hand. “But tonight, you rest. You’ve had enough shock for one day.”
The meeting ended. People filed out. Making plans. Preparing.
Lycian drove me home in silence. I stared out the window. Mind spinning with everything I’d learned.
My parents. Murdered. The word kept echoing. Murder. Not an accident. Murder.
“Talk to me,” Lycian said quietly. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking about my dad. How he tried to do the right thing. Expose criminals. And they killed him for it.” My voice cracked. “He was a good person. He didn’t deserve that.”
“No. He didn’t. Neither did your mother.” Lycian’s hand found mine. “But you’re going to make it right. Going to get justice for them.”
“What if we can’t? What if Reed doesn’t talk? What if we never find Diana?”
“Then we keep trying. Keep fighting. Until we succeed.” His grip tightened. “I promise you. We won’t stop until they pay for what they did.”
At home, Aunt Clara was waiting. She took one look at my face and knew something was wrong.
“What happened?”
I told her everything. About my parents. The murder. The wolves responsible.
She went pale. Sat down hard. “Your father. He told me he was working on something important. Something dangerous. I begged him to stop. To just let it go.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “He said he couldn’t. That too many people were being hurt. He had to do something.”
“You knew?” I couldn’t believe it. “You knew he was investigating criminals?”
“I knew he was involved in something risky. But not specifics. He protected me from the details.” She wiped her eyes. “After they died, I wondered. Suspected. But I had no proof. And I had you to take care of. So I stayed quiet.”
I hugged her. Tight. “You did keep me safe. You gave up everything for me. Raised me alone.”
“And I’d do it again. Without hesitation.” She pulled back. Looked at me. “But now you’re going after them. The ones who killed your parents. Aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful. These people are dangerous.” Her voice shook. “I can’t lose you too.”
“You won’t. I promise.”
That night, Lycian and I lay in bed. Not sleeping. Just holding each other.
“Six months ago, I was just a scholarship student,” I said quietly. “Worried about grades and rent. Now I’m planning to hunt down murderers.”
“Six months ago, I was just going through motions. Playing the role of future Alpha. Then you spilled champagne on me and everything changed.”
“Even with all the drama? The danger?”
“Especially because of those things.” His arms tightened. “Because they showed me who you really are. Strong. Brave.” He kissed my hair. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We fell asleep eventually. The bond wrapped around us. Warm. Constant. Safe.
But my dreams were dark. Filled with faces I didn’t recognize. Voices I couldn’t place. And my parents. Young. Alive. Telling me to be careful.
I woke at dawn. Lycian was already up. Packing bags.
“Ready for Iowa?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
We left after breakfast. Drove for hours. Damien and Cade followed in a separate car.
The Crescent Moon Pack territory was beautiful. Rolling hills. Farmland. Peaceful.
We checked into a motel outside pack lands.
“Reed works at the pack office,” Cade said. “Nine to five. Predictable.”
“So we approach him after work,” Lycian said.
“You sure you want to be there?” he asked me.
“No. I need to see his face.” I checked my phone. “We have an hour.”
At five exactly, Thomas Reed walked out. Middle aged. Forgettable.
Not like a murderer.
He pulled into a gas station.
This was our chance.
They approached. Reed saw them. Froze.
Then he ran.
They chased him. Cade caught him first. Tackled him behind the station.
I got out of the car. Walked over slowly. My heart pounding.
“Thomas Reed,” Lycian said. “We need to talk. About a murder you helped commit fifteen years ago.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes. You do.” I stepped forward. “You killed my parents. John and Mary Hale.”
Recognition flashed in his eyes.
“They’ll kill me if I talk.”
“We’ll kill you if you don’t,” Damien said.
Finally, he broke.
“It was Diana. She ordered it. Said your father had evidence.”
“So you murdered him. And my mother.”
“We cut the brake lines.” No remorse. “Your mother wasn’t supposed to be there.”
Rage flooded through me.
Lycian’s hand on my shoulder stopped me.
“Where’s Diana now?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She disappeared after Marcus died.”
“You matter enough to confess to murder,” Cade said, recording.
“My parents had a kid too. Me.” I stood. “You’re done.”
We left him there. Cade called local authorities.
In the car, driving away, I felt strange. Empty. I had answers. They didn’t feel like a victory.
Just sadness. For what was lost. For parents, I’d never get back.
Lycian took my hand. “One down. Two to go.”
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
My blood went cold.
I opened it anyway.
Well done finding Reed. But he’s just a pawn. I’m the queen. And I’m coming for you. Soon. Very soon.
Love, Diana