Chapter 119 - Unreject Me

Kaya’s pov

“But what’s your plan? She isn’t going to believe you. Kathy trusts him with her eyes closed.”

Theo had a point. For her to believe, I needed proof, and to get that, I would have to think of something. I shifted on the chair, still thinking about everything I had seen and heard from him. It was more than just that. I had a feeling that he knew Fin on a more personal level, and although he was no longer alive, I didn’t like that thought.

I tried to shake off the negativity. Although he gave an overall bad vibe, I didn’t want to believe that a relative of mine could be friends with someone like Fin. Maybe Pete cut off all contact with the wolf territory after he moved to the human city. He couldn’t have known what happened after he left.

“Maybe if we could get a recording of his confession, that would help. She would be left with no choice but to accept the truth,” Theo said, interrupting my thoughts.

My lips parted as I averted my gaze towards him. “Yeah. You are right,” I said.

His forehead creased. “Is there anything else you are thinking about?” he asked, studying my face.

He must have noticed that I was distracted.

"Mmm, hmm,” I said, shifting on the chair. “He talks about Fin like he is fond of him. Like they were friends or something. I wonder if he had anything to do with the attacks.”

Theo’s frown deepened. “Are you sure you aren’t being biassed? Neither of us liked what he did to his wife, but why would he keep in touch with someone like Fin?”

I thought about it for a while. “Maybe Pete is just as twisted as him?”

“He is your uncle. He grew up in the same household as your dad. Unlike Asher and me, they had the same upbringing.”

“You just never know how things can turn out, Theo. Maybe he was pissed that my grandpa passed the pack to his younger brother. Maybe he hated my dad for finding his mate sooner than he did. Greed could change a lot of things in a person, Theo.”

He sighed. “You are right, but if he left the wolf territory, and he didn’t have any contact with any of us, how would he have known about the attacks?”

I pursed my lips. “Well, if he didn’t keep in touch with Fin. He surely didn’t contact my family, but who knows if he cut contact with the enemies?”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he is sick and twisted?” I suggested with a shrug of my shoulders. “Only a sicko would give his wife an elixir to make her barren.”

Silence followed until Theo spoke up. “Maybe you should talk to Helena and William about him. They must know something.”

I perked up. Of course. They were the closest ones to my parents. They must know something about what happened all those years ago. I quickly grabbed the phone and dialled Helena’s number. As always, she picked the phone up within a couple of rings.

“Hey, Kaya. What’s up?" She cheerfully greeted me, but I was way too stressed to respond to her with the same energy.

“Hey, Helena. I need to meet you. Like right now.”

"Oh, that sounds serious,” she said.

“Yes, it is. I don’t want to talk about it on the phone. Can you come?” I said.

Theo and I waited in the Alpha’s office for them to arrive after instructing the Omegas to lead to the office so that we could have a private conversation. The meeting room wasn’t private enough, and with Pete in the house, I wanted to take them to a place they couldn’t have access to.

When someone knocked, we thought it was them, but it was an omega informing us that Pete was looking for us.

“Hey, I was about to leave for the run. Is it safe for me to run in the territory? Will anyone attack me, thinking I'm a rogue wandering on the premises?” He asked us as soon as we peeked out of the door.

I held back my urge to smirk. Wolves who didn’t belong to the pack wouldn’t have the distinctive scent of a Black Wooder. Every wolf had a unique scent, but if they belonged to the same pack, there would be something extra that helped pack members recognise each other. Without that, everyone would know Pete was an outsider.

Wouldn’t that be a fun thing if someone attacked him? It would be hilarious if someone made a citizen’s arrest thinking he was a trespasser.

“Oh, no. they won't. I will inform the security patrol about you. Just say your name if anyone bothers you,” Theo said.

“Sure. Can’t wait to look around. I bet a lot has changed in the woods. I think I will visit the Golden Crescent’s land and just look around. I know nature must have taken over already, but those ruins hold a lot of memories.”

Memories…

Whenever I passed by those ruins, I recalled the day I lost everything. A lot of good memories were attached to the ruins, but the recollection of that horrible day overshadowed everything else. Whenever I thought about it, I found myself wondering how life could have been if we managed to defeat the invaders. At least if someone else survived with me, perhaps things would be a little different. Even on my daily runs, I steered clear of that area since, for me, the memories there spoil the entire day.

“So you intend to leave the pack’s premises during the run.” Theo’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

Pete shrugged. “I assume I won’t have trouble re-entering the pack.”

Theo nodded his head. “Sure. I will inform the security at the border, but are you sure you will be fine all by yourself in the wilderness? You have been away from the territory for quite some time.”

“Of course! I have been a lone runner for a long time. I won’t have any trouble finding my way around. My wolf is still in his prime even after so long. I made sure he never lost his fighting and navigating skills.”

“I don’t doubt you or your wolf. I can ask a couple of warriors to accompany you, though,” Theo said.

“No, I would rather run alone. That way, I can go wherever I like. I am used to being alone, anyway.”

Theo sighed. “Okay. If you say so. I hope you will be back by dinner.”

A smile spread across his face. “Sure. See you later,” he said, looking at me. “We should go for a run together sometime. I understand you kids have a lot of work, so I won’t ask you to join me right now,” he said, and walked away from the office.

I was glad he didn’t insist that we join him during the run. There was no way I would enjoy his presence, and I didn’t have to come up with a lie to cover for the meeting we were about to have with Helena and William.

***

“Do I have an uncle?” I didn’t want to beat around the bush, so I went straight to the point as soon as Helena and William arrived.

Helena looked surprised. “An uncle?”

“Yeah. Is there anyone in my family who I never met during childhood? Perhaps someone left the pack when I was too little to remember?” I said.

Helena frowned, and I could tell that she didn’t know what I was talking about.

“Pete is his name,” Theo said.

Her expression went from bewilderment to shock in an instant. Her eyes grew wide, mouth parting. Her demeanour told me she was aware of Pete's identity.

“Pete? As in Pete Robinson? Your father’s elder brother? Is he still alive?” she asked, still shocked.

An archaic smile curled on my lips. So he truly was telling the truth about being my uncle.

“Yes, he is alive, alright. We met him in the human city when we were trying to find Ethan,” Theo explained.

“I knew he was family. His aura was undeniable, but I was not sure if I should believe him. He said that he is my uncle. I guess he was telling the truth.”

Did that mean he was telling the truth the entire time? I wondered.

Helena let out a humourless laughter. “He is your father’s brother, so yeah, he is your uncle. You met him in the city?”

“Yes. We found Ethan in an orphanage, and Pete was looking into adopting a kid. That’s how we met.”

“And after feeling the aura, you all were curious,” Helena mumbled, laughing half-heartedly. “I would have been curious if I were in your shoes.”

“Yeah, I was especially intrigued when he called me Kate.”

Helena cringed. “Really? That perv had an unhealthy obsession with your mom.”

I went stiff. What?

“He was obsessed with every female in the pack. He was the worst man whore of that time,” William said, adding more to my astonishment.

“An unmated male wolf sleeping around wasn’t unheard of,” William added, casting a look at Theo. “But being the heir to the Golden Crescent, Alpha Thomas wanted him to lead a life of dignity. But Pete had other ideas.”

“You know him,” I said.

“Of course I do. The Golden Crescent and the Opal Moon were affiliated for decades. I met Pete at an event when we were very young. Benedict was very young back then. But once he hit puberty, he was also introduced to me.” William heaved a sigh. “Pete and I trained together to be the next Alpha of our respective packs. We became good friends during the training. We were pretty close, and our fathers were pleased about that. Because that kind of ensured that the friendship between the packs wouldn’t cease during our reign. After we finished training, my dad handed the pack over to me without any delay. But Alpha Thomas delayed handing over because Pete wouldn’t stop sleeping around. Pete kept insisting that he would stop as soon as he found the fated one for him. He never found his true soulmate.”

A breath escaped my lips. So he wasn’t telling the entire truth.

“Your granddad wasn’t pleased with his man-whorish ways. He gave Pete several chances to correct himself, but he didn’t. He wanted to have fun before he met his fated soulmate. I tried to tell him that what he was doing wasn’t right, because even if he found the one, she wouldn’t be happy to find out that he slept with most of the females in the pack. That kind of caused a rift in our friendship, but I didn’t tell my dad about that,” William explained further.

“Pete told us that my grandpa didn’t let him take over because he didn’t find his mate. Since he couldn't find his fated mate, he was going to settle down with a chosen mate,” I said.

“Well, that is partly true. When Pete realised that he couldn’t become Alpha unless he settled down, he decided he would choose a mate so that his father would get off his back.”

I nodded my head. “He told us about that. That girl met her mate before he could claim her.”

William looked at Helena. There was something strange in the way he glanced at her. It gave me a bizarre feeling.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Yeah, she met her mate alright,” William said with a snicker.

Helena kept her gaze locked with William. “And she made the right choice by leaving that arsehole. I don’t regret it even a little.”

I frowned. “Who are we talking about?”

With a weird smile curled on her lips, Helena looked at me. “The girl he chose. Me.”