Chapter 16

Autumn’s POV

I shift mid air flying towards the older alphas home, I then turn and go to the waterfalls, I shift back to my human form and find a piece of sheer cloth tucked away just in case someone comes upon me, I need guidance on how to handle myself. I’m angry and I do not need to confront anyone while in this frame of mind. I need to control my emotions. To suggest that my mother made my father weak and that is why he couldn’t kill the rogues. How dare he? My mother fought just as hard as my father. She was a fierce fighter, the problem was that the wolves weren’t rogues, they were pack warriors. I am more than certain of it now, my memory is that of a five year old, but I remember clean, strong wolves, not scraggly, crazed wolves like rogues seemed to be. I have seen rogues, and the wolves that killed my parents were not rogues.

I sit and close my eyes and try to close my mind to the pack link, I know Greyson will be close enough soon. I focus on the moon goddess and it takes no time at all for the glow of light to appear in my minds eye, “Luna, how can I help you?” I explain my situation with the moon goddess and she gives me direction on how to handle this situation, I have to agree that her way is better than what I had originally wanted to do. I go to end my session with her and she says “Autumn, it is important that you go to the dungeons and ask the right questions, they will answer you. Go without the alpha, they won’t answer with him or his Beta present.” I almost forgot about the visitors inhabiting the dungeons.

I make my way down to the prison cells, I see two guards, “Luna?” They are surprised I came alone. “Leave us, and do not speak to anyone about my presence here.” The look at me and say “but, Luna” I growl at them and the immediately bow their head and make their way out. I then know I do not have much time, so I waste no time to make my way over to the prisoners, I heat their mind link

‘It’s the Luna’

‘Don’t look her in the eyes, she is a witch, I tell you’

‘Will you hush up with that, she isn’t a witch, you moron’

I remain stoic so they do not know I can hear them. I think about what the goddess told me. Ask the right questions. I will just ask what I want to know.

“Why are you targeting my alpha?”

They look at each other and I demand. “Answer me!” What happens when I demanded them shocked not only them, but me as well, my Luna light began to shine. Panic was written on their faces and the one who decided that I was a witch began to cry and started begging me not to kill him. “Tell me what I want to know!” I demanded again.

“Okay, it’s the prophecy, the alpha bloodline must be stopped.” I ask the next question that comes to my mind. “Why?” He didn’t answer at first and I began to glow as anger started to flood through me, I expect Greyson any moment, and I need these answers, now.

“If not, then the alpha’s son, will go to war with other packs.” I tell him “this is a lie, how can you know the future?” He tells me “the prophecy says...” I cut him off, “what is this prophecy?” He begins to speak again when a loud bang catches us off guard followed by A growling alpha “Autumn!” Interview over, damn it! I tell the prisoner, “this isn’t over, I’ll be back and I want answers, just remember your fate lies with me.”

Greyson follows me to the house. “What are you doing? Where did you go? I tried to find your scent but when I got to the falls your scent was strong, but you weren’t there. Why were you in the dungeons without me? I thought you were going to see my dad?” I sigh and ask him if we can talk privately, living in the pack house has it’s advantages, but having so many wolves around is also one of it’s disadvantages.

In his office, I tell him about me wanting to go to his father, but changed my mind and went to the falls to seek guidance from the moon goddess. Then I tell about what the moon goddess said about questioning the prisoners alone. I then went on to tell him everything I had discovered so far from the wolf too scared of me to not tell me everything until I was interrupted. “Why didn’t you tell me before you went?” he asks me. I roll my eyes and tell him the truth “two reasons, number one, I am not used to letting others know what I am up to, I have always been that way, you know this. Number two, would you have allowed me down there by myself if you knew what I wanted?” He tries to say yes, but he concedes and agrees.

I decide to let the interview wait, and deal with the former alpha now. Greyson and I head over and I see the beta and other pack members guarding the elder alphas home. “Really Greyson? Did you really think I was going to challenge him?” He shrugs “you my pet, are unpredictable” I roll my eyes and walk forward and see the guards make eye contact with Greyson asking him for direction and he says “let us pass” I let out a low growl at the insinuation that I can not control myself. This pack, my own pack doesn’t trust me.

“Greyson, Autumn what do I owe the pleasure?” We follow the older alpha into his study and he sits behind his desk, Greyson seemed very nervous and he says “the Luna would like to have an audience with you, with mother, John, and myself as witness.” He nods his head and Greyson orders John to join us through the pack link. We are soon joined by Greyson’s mother who hugs me as soon as she comes inside, followed by John, he must have been close by.

I sit immediately in front of the former alpha as Greyson’s mother takes the seat next to me. I have sat in front of this man many times, and I know he has a soft spot for me, but I need for him to make this right. “Autumn, what is it? I know something is wrong.” I take a deep breath before speaking and I can see the fear in his eyes.

“I am here to discuss my mother and father, I want to know why you believe my mother was weak and ultimately caused the death of my father and herself?” The former Luna gasps and John smirks. He looks at me and says “Autumn, I came to that conclusion because our tracker identified only three rogues and I personally knew that your father could handle these wolves alone if he wasn’t trying to protect your mother and yourself.” I take a minute and then say “alpha, with all due respect, but the wolves that attacked my parents were not rogues, they were trained pack warriors” he looks at me stunned “no, that can’t be, what pack would have attacked?” I tell him “its true, they werent rogues and both my parents fought with Valor” I emphasize the word both, “my mother could hold her on and she was a very good fighter, she was one of the pack’s warriors, was she not?” He nods and says “Autumn, I didn’t mean to disrespect your mother’s memory, I just don’t believe that females have any buisness being pack warriors, it was something I should have never let start to begin with. I wasn’t there that day, but I can only imagine the terror that you witnessed. I still don’t know how you escaped that day, I still believe them to be rogues.”

His words angers me, “with all due respect, Alpha, you are right, you weren’t there. I was, and I am telling you, what I saw will never be erased from my mind. I have seen rogues, they were scraggly, crazed and acted as if they didn’t have a plan, the wolves that murdered my parents were trained, their moves were strategic, their fur was soft and groomed. They even had size. My mother fought just as hard as my father, and I want you to make a public declaration that honors my parents, BOTH my parents, and when you do this, we will announce that in my mother’s memory we will be reinstating the women’s right to become pack warriors and they will begin training, all pack members will learn basic self defense.” He looks at me stunned then to Greyson, “son, you can’t be seriously entertaining this” Greyson doesn’t answer and I say, “excuse me, sir, this is my meeting, my mate doesn’t speak for me” his mate clears her throat next to me and I swear she is covering up a chuckle. His face reddens and says “Autumn, I can understand you wanting your mother’s memory honored, but I really do not understand this women becoming warriors, are we expecting a war?” I sigh and say “what good is it to hide all the women and children away while all the while the men are dying in battle? Women warriors can increase our numbers and...” he cuts me off, “who is to stay with the pups?” I smirk and then say “well let their dad’s stay behind to watch them” he argues back “Autumn, now we both know that isn’t the answer.” I ask him “and why not? As a matter of fact it would be more perfect, because at least then the men would be able to truly protect the pups, because at least they will be trained. Tell me, what will happen, Alpha, if the holding room is infiltrated by our enemies and the women can not fight back to protect the future of our pack?” He is quiet, he knows I have a point. His mate stands and says “The Luna is right, I believe she has more than proven her point on this.” He looks to her and she adds “besides it is no longer your call, but that of our current leaders the Alpha and his Luna.” Effectively putting him in his place. I believe I hear him mumble under his breath about damn feminist, to which I only smile. I know and realize not all females are meant to be warriors, but they should at least be trained to defend themselves. A lot of packs do not allow this, it just doesn’t make sense to me. Greyson tells me how proud he was of me. When I told him all about the moon goddess and her guidance he immediately agreed that leaving the pups in the care of females who have never trained seemed ridiculous. As we head back to the pack house, he pulls me upstairs to our bedroom, I am only too happy to follow him there. Smiling, I jumped into his arms as soon as we shut the door behind us. I waste no time in pulling his shirt off and removing my own. He is turned on and I am not going to ask why, I am just going to go with it.