Esra
Maristela and I stared at Zade, speechless. "You do?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded. "Let's go to my office."
I looked at Maristela. "I'll be back soon." She nodded, her eyes wide with concern.
Zade opened the door and gestured for me to exit first. After I did, my heart racing with anticipation.
"Esra, before I tell you what I think is going on... Can we talk?" Zade asked, his voice low.
I crossed my arms over my chest, my defenses rising. "Zade, I'm only here because of Maristela. I know what it's like to lose a family. I've been there, and I don't want her to go through exactly what I went through. I never lived a peaceful life. From now on, we'll only talk about pack business and how to help Maristela. That's it. There's nothing between us."
"Then why don't you reject me?" Zade asked, his eyes narrowing.
Because it will ruin me too.
"I've suffered for the past five years. I don't want to anymore." I said, my voice firm.
"And you think I didn't?" Zade countered, his eyes flashing with anger.
"It's your fault. You're the reason we're like this." I spat, my anger rising.
He sighed. "You're right. And I'm sorry." His voice was laced with regret.
I went back to the original topic, trying to steer the conversation away from our complicated past. "What were you saying about 'knowing what's going on'?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright. We'll have that conversation another time. We need to focus on this."
"I've never thought about that." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
He pulled out a map from his shelf and placed it on the table. "These are the nine packs. The Shadow Pack, Darkwood Pack, Silver Moon Pack, Silver Star pack, Wind Winder Pack, Fire Moon pack, Ever Green Pack, Snow Moon Pack, and Crystal Moon Pack."
I stared at the map, my mind racing with possibilities. "The Silver Moon Pack was taken down twenty years ago. Yesterday, the Silver Star Pack was taken down. A few years back, the Darkwood Pack was taken down. What if they're all related?"
My fists were balled up, ready to punch someone. The same rogues taking down all the packs could be responsible for my parents' death. My jaw clenched.
"It could be." I said. "Who's the new Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack?"
Zade pulled out a book. It almost looked like a journal. It was brown with a lock. It looked quite old. Zade dusted it and opened it. He searched through the pages.
"Azrael Grey." He said.
"Grey." I murmured. "He's a grey wolf."
Zade stated, "He was a rogue. My father had been doing similar research on him. He was exiled from the Wind Winder Pack."
"The one by the mountains?" I asked.
"I see you remember some things." Zade's smirk was fleeting. "We'll leave for the Wind Winder Pack tonight. We'll reach there tomorrow, hopefully. We need to find out more about Azrael."
I nodded, my mind racing with possibilities.
"But who are the Alphas of the Silver Star pack and Darkwood pack?"
"I don't know. I'll send my troops to visit the Darkwood pack. It's just across our pack, deeper in the Darkwood forest."
My body tingled when he said 'our pack'. I pushed the feeling aside, focusing on the task at hand.
"Okay."
We left for the Wind Winder Pack at seven, accompanied by five other pack members in a separate vehicle. The long drive gave me ample time to think about our conversation and the mysterious Azrael Grey.
As the sun rose the next morning, we reached the border of the Wind Winder Pack. The guards stopped us, but once we introduced ourselves, they let us through.
We reached the pack house, a stunning old-fashioned building with wooden floors and ceilings. The walls were adorned with pictures of mountain wolves gliding through the wind.
When Alpha Zephyrus saw he greeted us immediately. "Alpha Kratos, it's good to see you." He shook Zade's hand. "And who do we have here?"
Zade placed his arm around my waist. "This is my mate, Esra Argent."
Alpha Zephyrus' face looked pale for a few seconds. "Argent? That's impossible. All the Argents died twenty years ago."
"My aunt and I survived and we moved to the Shadow Pack." I said, forcing my smile, despite the burn in Zade's touch.
Zade intervened. "We need information on one of your ex-pack members,"
Alpha Zephyrus looked at us with confusion. "Who?"
"Azrael Grey." Zade replied.
"Azrael Grey? Never heard of an Azrael, but I do know the Grey family. Azrael might have been in my father's times, but unfortunately, he isn't here." Alpha Zephyrus's expression turned somber.
"We offer our sincere condolences," Zade said, his voice filled with empathy.
"Oh, it's alright. Anyway, I'll have someone escort you to the Grey family." Alpha Zephyrus smiled warmly.
"Thank you. We really appreciate the help," I said, smiling back at him.
"No problem. May I ask why you're interested in Azrael?" Alpha Zephyrus's curiosity got the better of him.
"We have some suspicions about him. He took down the Silver Moon Pack twenty years ago, and two other packs were taken down as well. We think it might be linked," I explained, watching Alpha Zephyrus's expression change from curiosity to shock.
"A Grey took over the Silver Moon Pack?" He asked, his voice laced with incredulity.
"Yes. We think he might be onto something," Zade said, his eyes narrowing.
"Well, in that case, if you ever need any help or anything, please do let me know." Alpha Zephyrus offered, his expression turning serious.
"Thank you, we appreciate it," Zade and I said in unison, before bidding Alpha Zephyrus farewell.
We followed the escort to Azrael's relatives' house, nestled in a cozy corner of the Wind Winder Pack's territory. We knocked on the door three times before someone answered. A young lady opened the door, her charcoal hair and black eyes a striking combination.
"How can I help you?" She frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not from this pack," she stated, her gaze flicking to the escort.
"The Alpha has sent these two here. They want to know about Azrael Grey," the escort explained, stepping forward.
The lady's expression changed from wariness to curiosity. "Come in."
We entered the house, leaving the escort outside. The lady offered us drinks, but we declined, eager to get to the bottom of things.
"I'm Alpha Kratos from the Shadow pack, and this is my Luna," Zade introduced us, his voice firm.
The lady nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I'm Sofia... Grey."
There was something odd about her, but I brushed it aside.
"Pleased to meet you," I said, shaking her hand. Zade just nodded, his expression unreadable.
"How are you related to Azrael Grey?" Zade asked, his eyes locked on Sofia.
"I don't know about an Azrael in the family, but perhaps my mother should know," Sofia replied, her brow furrowed in thought.
"Let me call her."
Sofia went upstairs, leaving us alone in the living room. After five minutes, she returned with an older woman.
"This is my mother, Diana Grey," Sofia introduced.
I shook Diana's hand, her grip firm. "Alpha, Luna."
Diana bowed slightly, her eyes locked on us. "I hear that you want to know about Azrael?"
"Yes," I replied, my curiosity piqued.
"Azrael was my father," Diana said, her expression neutral. "He tried to take down the Alpha back then but failed. The Alpha banished him."
"Who was the Alpha at that time?" I asked, my mind racing with possibilities.
"Alpha Arnold Zephyrus's father. But I do not know his name. I was about ten when it all happened. I couldn't even shift as yet," Diana explained, her eyes clouding over with memories.
Zade nodded, his expression thoughtful. "What happened after he was banished?"
"I assumed he was in the human world. My mother and I never really cared. He wasn't that type of a loving husband and father. He only cared about power," Diana said, her voice laced with bitterness.
"Is your mother here?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
"Unfortunately, no," Sofia interrupted, her expression apologetic.
"We apologize for asking," Zade said, his voice filled with empathy.
Diana nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips. "It's alright."
Zade looked at me, his eyes locked on mine. "We should get going. Thank you for the information. We really appreciate it."
Diana and Sofia nodded, their expressions sincere. We bid them farewell, leaving the Wind Winder Pack's territory behind.
As we drove back to our pack, the silence between us was palpable. Zade broke the silence, his voice low and husky.
"At least we know something about him."
I stared out of the window, my mind racing with possibilities. "Mmm."
Zade yawned, his eyes closing slightly. I looked at him, my expression stern.
"I'll drive."
"No. I've got this."
"Zade,"
He gave me a wary look before he let me take the wheel.
"You sure you can drive?" He asked.
"Don't worry, I've driven before. I won't smash your car."
He let out a chuckle, and for the rest of the ride, nobody spoke.