Chapter 68

Alpha Jaxon.

"What do you mean your breast ripper wasn’t there in the morning?" The former alpha stood, with tension gripping everyone in the room. The utterance alone from me was enough to put every single werewolf in there on high alert. That particular information was only known to me until I decided to put it out there.

"I always look at all my weapons before leaving the office and every morning when I step in." They were like my fine jewelry, which I treasured. Since recovering them from Cane, I had made sure to confirm every day that they are locked in the office cabinet.

"And the locks? Were they tampered with?" Mr. Weller asked, adjusting his specs. The man had perfect vision but always said he felt the need to wear spectacles for fun.

"No, the door was locked, and so was the cabinet. I am the only one who has the keys; not even my mate has a spare." I had spent the entire day trying to figure out how the perpetrator got in. I was tempted to have Scarlett help me solve it, but I decided to let my elders and warriors know.

“This is serious now; this means that a trusted pack member did this." The former alpha was on his feet, pacing, looking at the warriors one by one. I could see the million questions behind his judgmental eyes.

"It’s not the first time the weapons were taken,” Scarlett broke the silence and the thoughts of those present. It was obvious everyone had been submerged in thoughts of trying to figure out who did it.

"What?" It was Laura’s turn to ask as murmurs filled the room. The warriors who remained standing couldn’t stop whispering amongst themselves. I sighed, preparing myself for a scolding from the elders.

"Is this true Alpha?" Mrs. Hudson also stood, looking at me for clarification.

"It is," I simply stated, supporting my arms with my elbows on the table.

"How do you know this?" the former beta barked, his wolf coming to the surface.

"When I found Scarlett in the cabin where Cane was holding her, he had my whole collection of weapons in my duffel bag. He was going to use the breast ripper on my mate right before I broke the door." Growls could be heard in the entire space. The warriors took a defensive stance, while even those who were seated stood, except for Scarlett.

"Are you telling us now that someone from this pack gave Cane those weapons?" my father spat, his face hardening.

"Yes, someone gave Cane my weapons to torture my own mate." My stomach stirred just picturing the whole thing as Cane stood in front of Scar. She was quiet, eyes cast down on her lap; no emotions could be detected in our bond. The others gasped, others cursing loudly as their eyes shifted to my mate.

"It was Avery," Jasper chimed in.

"Could have been since she attempted to drug our Luna. But she is already dead, and yet a weapon got stolen in the alpha’s office," Thiery argued, waving his hands in the air to stress his point.

“Thiery is right; Avery was not working alone; someone else in this pack is stabbing all of us behind our backs," my father contributed, looking at Astra, who remained silent.

“Someone close to the alpha." The older woman finally broke the silence, taking her time to look at the warriors” faces.

"No, anyone could have accessed the office,” Jasper muttered. I didn’t miss Scarlett raising her head to look straight at him when he spoke.

"How could you keep quiet about something like this?" Mrs. Hudson asked, her voice rising as she addressed me.

"Astra." She turned to her fellow elder, shaking her head.

“Seems you had a clue about all this; how could you?" She stepped away from her chair, going around to where Astra was. The situation was escalating more quickly than I had anticipated.

"Calm down, woman." Mr. Gray stretched his hand, referring to Mrs. Hudson. She was like a mother bear, protecting Scarlett. Her wolf was also out, and I could feel her alertness rising to cover Scarlett from harm. That’s how much she wolves respected their Luna. They saw her as their queen mother, the direct representation of the moon goddess.

"Our Luna was betrayed by someone in this pack. She was handed over to a fucking rogue who attempted to rape her before. Avery was murdered, and everyone thought that the threat was over. Now there is another mole, killing innocent pack members. Are you fucking dumb to not know they are after our Luna since they didn’t succeed the first time?"

Mrs. Hudson was breathing fire as she spoke to Jasper’s father, standing toe to toe with him. The man didn’t take it lightly; his eyes flashed yellow, and a low growl passed between his lips.

“How dare you talk to me like that?" He ground out the words while we watched as the scene unfolded. No one dared step between them unless a real fight broke out.

"And how dare you tell me to calm down?" She raised her eyebrows, challenging him.

"Jesus Gray, leave the woman alone. Her connection to the Luna is much stronger,” my father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Father, step down." Jasper stepped behind his dad, who ignored him.

"You fucking shut up! I wasn’t talking to you. I will not be disrespected by a she-wolf, then you." I look around as everyone took in the scene. The former Beta felt that Mrs. Hudson should have addressed him calmly.

"Are you suggesting that she-wolves are beneath you?" Astra stepped in, with Laura stepping behind her.

"Are you kidding me now? This is the best meeting ever!" Thiery excitedly spoke, enjoying the show.

“Shut up!" The three women turned to him before returning their attention to the former beta, who refused to stand down.

"Just because you were once a beta and a man doesn’t mean you are above us. You are not even taking the threat to our Luna seriously." Laura was my best warrior, and standing up to a former beta even proved it.

"Are you for...?”

“Silence!" I had had enough of their banter.

“The whole pack is in danger, not me alone. An innocent werewolf almost died; who knows what will happen next?" Scarlett spoke, not moving from her seat.

"We came here to discuss a strategy about how we are going to contain the situation and catch the mole,” she continued, not lifting her eyes.

"Have you thought about the possibility of the traitor being among us, right here?" Mr. Weller contributed, and I swear my wolf singled out a heartbeat louder than the rest. Everyone turned, looking around and pondering Mr. Weller’s words.

"If he or she is here, it’s only a matter of time before I catch them, and once I do... hell will come down on earth," I rumbled, letting my wolf slip out briefly.

“That means we cannot come up with a strategy except to have everyone stay vigilant," Jasper added, wiping under his nose.

"Maybe everyone should start by asking themselves why a pack member would decide to betray his own pack," Astra spoke, then Mr. Gray added, catching my mate off guard. It seemed he had put two and two together quickly.

“That and, The Crane Power, where our Luna was a slave, branded an outcast. Could be someone from her former pack is afraid she’ll avenge now that she is mated to Alpha Jaxon and wants her dead."