"Mum?"
"Hi, baby." I would recognise that voice anywhere.
It was a voice that once brought me comfort. That once soothesd me when I was in distress. A voice I associated with capability, love, reliance...
But now the voice just honestly frightened me.
I didn't know what to do or say for a minute. Kat and Chris looked equally as stunned.
Finally I just cleared my throat and tried to make my voice sound as firm as possible.
"Mum, why are you calling?" I asked.
"Oh that's no way to talk to your mother, sweetie." She spoke in a stern voice. The same one she would use when she was scolding me when I was younger.
Before, I would have been afraid. But now, I was just angry.
"My mother isn't some woman who would lie to me about everything in my life!"
I didn't think I would get emotional. I was angry, yes, but I was also incredibly hurt.
I heard a sigh. "I don't know what you've heard, Crystal, but you shouldn't believe anything the Silvercrests tell you. I can explain everything."
I almost scoffed. That's all everyone had been doing. And I was so sick and tired of it.
"I don't want your explanations. Bye."
"Wait, wait, wait, sweetie." She spoke stopping me from cutting the call.
"You might not want to hear anything that David or I have to say but we're just calling to warn you."
"Warn me about what?" I asked skeptically knowing this could just be a ruse to get me to stay on the call.
"Oh sweetie, life's about to get a little more complicated for you."
At that moment the door burst open and I saw Tristan storm in with Peter, May and two guards behind him.
I saw Chris' mum come in as well and immediately go for her son.
"Who are you talking to?" Tristan demanded grabbing my phone from me.
The minute he did, the call ended.
"Who was that?" Tristan asked.
I looked around still trying to process how he could have known about the call.
"Roman and m-my mum."
Tristan turned to look at Peter and May who both looked concerned.
"Let's go. I'm taking you home." He told me, spinning around without another question.
He stopped in front of Mrs Rodriguez and Chris.
"Notify me immediately if Roman tries to make contact." He told Chris who just nodded his head looking fearful.
If this was a different situation, Kat and I would have teased him endlessly for the way he remained in his mother's arms.
"I'll have security planted outside your door, ma'am." He told Mrs Rodriguez with a nod.
"Thank you alpha." She responded with a Curt bow.
"Come on." May waved Kat and I forward urgently.
Kat and I looked at each other briefly before rushing after Tristan and his crew who had already walked out of the room.
"Captain Park on the phone for you." Peter told Tristan, handing him a phone.
Tristan grabbed it and placed it to his ear.
"I don't care!" He growled.
The sound caused me to jump a little.
"I want whoever leaked that video found and brought to me!"
I looked at Kat to see if she looked just as confused as I did.
"What video?" She mouthed and I just shrugged.
"Don't call me until you have answers!" Tristan barked.
"Alpha, the southern wall defence is on the phone for you." May spoke, coming forward with another phone.
We had gotten outside where I saw more guards, all dressed in the army uniform and three more vehicles other than the one we had arrived in.
"Take care of it." Tristan waved her off.
"Murray and Dlamini!" He called.
Two soldiers rushed forward.
"You're on the Rodriguez's watch. Watch their backs." He told them.
"Yes alpha." They responded.
Tristan went to bark more orders at a couple of soldiers.
"Peter, what's going on?" I asked in confusion.
I had seen Tristan in 'alpha mode' before and something had definitely triggered it.
Peter had a worried look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but at that moment, Tristan yelled his name and called him over.
"I need you at HQ, gather the council. I'll be with you after I take care of Crystal and the Bensons." He told them.
Now I was really confused.
Take care of me and the Bensons?
"May! You're with me." He yelled, calling over May who was talking to some soldiers in the distance.
He turned to me and gestured towards one of the vehicles.
"Come on." He spoke.
Kat and I didn't hesitate as he opened one of the doors for us.
We both got in.
"Luna." The driver turned to greet me.
I looked forward and was surprised to see Raphael.
I just stared at him not really knowing what to say. I was too aware of the fact that Raphael here didn't like me one bit. And in our last encounter, Tristan had even gotten involved making it all the more worse.
Thankfully, at the moment, May hoped into the passenger seat beside Raphael and Tristan got into the vehicle beside me.
"The public keeps calling in." May spoke, typing something away on the phone she held.
"At this rate, we'll have a mob outside the manor in the next thirty minutes." Raphael spoke.
"Where are my brothers?" Tristan asked ignoring Raphael.
"Safe. At the manor." May responded. "Though Joshua wants to be at HQ helping. All the apprentices do, alpha."
"This is way above what they're prepared for. They're just kids. They stay out of this." Tristan responded. "For now, let's work on damage control."
"Damage control?" Raphael scoffed. "Ornyx just dropped a bomb on the whole town and you're thinking about damage control? With all due respect, alpha, trying to bury this will make you look weak. And that's what he wants."
I looked at Tristan. "Ornyx?"
Tristan clenched his jaw, avoiding my gaze.
"I'm not trying to bury anything. I just want to do this the right way. Ornyx wants me to fight fire with fire. I'm not giving him that satisfaction." He responded.
Okay, was he really just going to ignore me?
"He wants a reaction, Tristan." Raphael spoke. "He still sees you as a boy. Show him you're not. Show him that he can't just mess with your pack and get away with it."
"What do you suggest I do? Play into his hands and start a war?"
Tristan growled angrily.
Raphael remained silent. "No, I-"
"We lost thousands of werewolves last time. I'm not letting that happen again. May, have you sent the letter to the Union?"
"Yes, alpha. It's going through Werewolf Affairs right now." She responded.
"Good, I -"
"Tristan!" I screamed.
The car grew silent.
Kat looked at me in confusion, so did Raphael and May.
Tristan furrowed his brows at me. At first, he didn't look too pleased at being interrupted but then his face softened when he saw the agitated expression on mine.
"What the heck is going on?" I asked in a calmer voice but with the same urgency.
For a minute, Tristan didn't say anything. He just faced the front and clenched his fist.
"Show her." His words were directed at May.
May speedily pressed some buttons on the phone she held before handing it over to me.
I looked down at the screen. It was a video recording. A man sat at a desk smirking at the camera.
"Ornyx Van Cliffe." Kat gasped.
I looked back at the video honestly shocked.
I didn't know what I had been picturing when I thought of what Ornyx Van Cliffe would have looked like.
Definitely not your typical grandfather.
And he definitely didn't look like one.
He had short, tightly coiled black hair with many bushes of grey showing and a closely cut beard to add.
Ornyx must have been in his mid or late seventies from what I knew about the town's history. But he could easily deceive anyone into thinking he was more than ten years younger.
But that was common among werewolves. They didn't age like humans.
"What is this?" I asked, honestly afraid of the answer I would get
"Press play." Was all Tristan said.
I looked at Kat who just looked at me expectantly.
I took in a deep breath before complying.
"Greetings, Silvercrest pack." He spoke. There was a smug look on the man's face that made him seem all the more dangerous. "I know most of you will be surprised to see me but believe me, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. It is I, Ornyx Van Cliffe, alive and well."
A chill went down my spine when he said those words. I looked at Tristan to see his reaction but he only clenched his fist tighter.
"Take this video message as proof that your alphas failed to beat me. Three generations of Melrose alphas failed at this one simple task." His tone was almost mocking.
"I killed Jonathan Melrose. I killed Jean Melrose and I'm going to kill your current child of an alpha."
It felt like the tension in the car grew with just those words.
I found myself looking at Tristan again, this time in more concern over him than I've ever felt before.
"The war didn't destroy me, it only wounded me. Forced me into what some might call 'hiding'. But that's not how I see it. I wasn't hiding. I never was. I was recuperating, reassembling, plotting. You believed I was gone but all I was doing was planning on a way to come back bigger and better. Stronger. I planted a spy in your territory and none of you were the least bit wiser. Your alpha let me slip through his cracks once again." He let out a laugh. "Pathetic. If anything, consider what I'm doing a favour. People like Tristan Melrose and the Werewolf Union have made a mockery of werewolves for too long. Forcing us to hide our true nature, making us appear weak. Werewolves were never meant to hide or be tame. We're predators, superior beings who are faster and stronger. All humans deserve to bow down to us. I'm here to make things right again. I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine. Starting with the territory the Werewolf Union stole from me. And of course,"
He paused and then grinned right at the camera, "my darling granddaughter who alpha Tristan has graciously been keeping safe for me. You may know her as Crystal Swan but from now on you have the honour of knowing her real name; Valencia Van Cliffe."
For some reason it felt like he was talking right at me when he said those words.
"Oh my gosh." Kat whispered.
I swallowed.
Well, at least I now knew what my real name was.