Chapter 37: Underneath a Broken Soul

CONNOR

Yuki and I made our way back to the castle in silence. We both had a lot to process after the revelations in the temple.

Once we got back, I retreated to my room for a bath. The encounter with the Moon Goddess had been long and draining, and I needed to wash it all away.

But despite the harshness of the experience, I had learned some truths that gave me a glimmer of hope. Hope that I had started to lose when I hurt Elaine for the first time.

The Goddess’s harsh words blaming me for the loss of our pup still echoed in my mind, fueling my anger. I had blamed myself enough times. I knew it was my fault. If only we hadn’t fought that day. If only my anger hadn’t blinded me.

I sighed and leaned back in the tub, letting the warm water lap against my skin. I closed my eyes, trying to relax.

Using my lycan instincts, I tried to track Elaine, to catch a whiff of her scent, to feel our bond. But there was nothing.

When Yuki revealed that Elaine’s mate was Sorin and that Ashina was disappearing, I had clung to our bond. It was a thin thread of hope, but I held onto it. Now, it was barely there.

We had no idea where the hunters had taken Elaine or why they needed her. Yuki hadn’t clarified that part when he told us Elaine’s story.

Jyn suggested they might want to turn her rogue, but what good would that do if she didn’t have her lycan? What did they want from her?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. “Come in,” I called out, sitting up as two sets of footsteps approached.

“We need you,” Jyn said, bowing slightly. “You need to see this.”

I frowned. What now?

“This is?” I raised an eyebrow.

Standing before me was the human who had been helping our packs. A woman. I had expected a man, to be honest. She looked delicate, like she belonged in high society, with her bob haircut, red lips, long nails, and fashionable shoes.

“You’re the human who helps us between our packs?” I asked, still taking her in. She wasn’t what I had expected.

“Yes, you’ve summoned me, but I can see there’s something that’s not pleasing you,” she said. “Is it because I’m a woman?”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and Jyn quickly stepped in.

“We called you because we need your help. Our intermediary isn’t here, but he briefed you on our issue,” Jyn explained.

She scoffed and turned on her heels, taking a seat at the head of the table. She tapped her nails rhythmically on the table, humming a tune. Her brown eyes met mine briefly before she looked away, seemingly bored with our conversation.

“Hunters and werewolves have a treaty that isn’t easily broken if you want peace between the two groups. But once it’s broken, a war can break out, making it harder to hide your existence. Now, as Alpha Sorin told me earlier, your queen has been abducted by hunters. Why?”

I waited for Jyn to respond, but my patience was wearing thin. I needed answers, and I needed them fast.

“A couple of months ago, hunters were found dead inside our borders. They thought we did it, but we had no idea it had happened,” I said, shrugging. “They took matters into their own hands to get revenge, and since then they’ve been kidnapping pups and hurting my people. Now they dare take my queen!” I hissed. “You think we won’t break the treaty now that they’ve touched something precious?”

“They took the queen because hunters were found dead on your land, right?” she asked.

We nodded, letting her continue.

“Well, it was expected. Or did you expect to have a word with the leader and fix this easily, werewolf?”

I clenched my fists as Jyn cleared his throat.

“No, we were not expecting that, but we have been investigating, since we have evidence that it wasn’t one of ours who killed the hunters,” Jyn explained.

She hummed in response and leaned back in her chair.

“You have evidence?” she asked. “Then why haven’t you shown it? This could have been solved long ago.”

I looked at Jyn, who seemed taken aback. A moment later, Regulus walked into the room with a box.

“If you can help us with this evidence, maybe we can clear things up,” Jyn suggested, but she said nothing, just stared at the screen as the security video played.

We watched as a man whose face wasn’t visible slaughtered two hunters who were casually hunting in the woods. The odd thing was that the place they were killed wasn’t even close to wolf territory. It was on hunters’ land, a place we were forbidden to step foot on due to our treaty.

Until now, we didn’t know who the stranger was. His face wasn’t visible because it was late at night. But his movements and the way he attacked suggested he was one of the hunters. They must have a traitor in their midst.

It was clear when he killed them. One of them was taken by surprise, and the other tried to defend himself, but he was too quick.

The strangest part was the wolf marks that appeared on the bodies. Unless he was working with a rogue wolf off-camera, we had no more evidence but this.

“That’s all you captured?” she asked, leaning on the table.

“We found the evidence, the clothes, and the scent,” I replied. “And we can’t see what happened after. We assumed the person was working with a rogue.”

“Or maybe he’s a rogue,” she suggested, causing us to look at her in confusion. “Hunters often recruit rogue wolves to join their teams.”

“We weren’t aware of that,” Regulus said, his brow furrowed. “Shouldn’t that be forbidden?”

“Not really. Once they leave their packs and abandon your world, they become like humans, like me, and pledge their loyalty to them.

“They become part of the base, a new person with a new identity, a hunter,” she said, smirking as she waved her long nails in front of her face.

“A rogue forgets their past as wolves, as beasts. Unless we use them for different purposes.”

I gritted my teeth, watching her eyes sparkle with delight. She was deliberately trying to provoke us with her words, to offend us, but I couldn’t be offended because she was speaking the truth.

When a wolf left our pack, we had a rule that they were stripped of any connection to the Goddess once they left our land. We turned them into humans.

Their wolves died, and they became what they despised: humans. The only ones who could keep their wolves were those who had run away or lost their minds.

They could have been from another pack anywhere in the country, or even the world, so we were back to square one, not knowing who or what was behind all this.

“Your queen’s hair was cut off, wasn’t it?” she asked, causing me to look at her.

“Yes,” I said, frowning. “Why do you ask?”

Her eyes were half-closed as she smiled wickedly.

“What are you hiding from me?” she asked, still smiling. “I’m guessing the hunters took her to turn her into a rogue, but something doesn’t add up and I think you’re keeping something from me.

“What is it, Alpha? What are you hiding?”

I exchanged a glance with Jyn before responding. Jyn growled as I raised my hand.

Slowly, I turned my gaze to her, and she flashed me a smile.

I felt my eyes twitch.

“If you don’t tell me everything, I won’t be able to help you,” she said, chuckling.

“You might not trust me, but I can assure you, I do my job as it should be done, and if things here are unfair, then I should set them right.”

“My queen has lost her lycan,” I said, causing her smile to vanish and her eyes to widen. “She’s turning human.”

“Oh,” she said.

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?” Regulus growled.

She shook her head and sighed wearily.

It was the first time she seemed tired and at ease. It was odd, considering all the smiles she had been giving us.

“I see,” she said, pouting. “Anything else?”

“No,” I snapped. She nodded and stood up.

Her nails tapped on the wooden table before she picked up her long coat.

“You’re leaving?” Jyn asked, standing up. I stayed in my seat, watching her.

“No, I need a room from you.” She scowled. “I need to make some calls, and for that I’ll need a bedroom, a hot meal, and clean clothes. Have those ready.”

“You’re staying?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Absolutely.” She smiled. “You’ll need me, since we’ll be leaving pack territory.”

“What?” Regulus asked, frowning. “We have to leave the pack?”

Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she walked towards the door.

Pausing, she draped her coat over her shoulders.

“Of course, if you want to get your queen back, you’ll have to leave the pack. You don’t really have a choice.” She shrugged.

“What about the hunters?” Jyn asked.

She blinked at him, her lips curving into a smile, a dazzling one that made Jyn’s face turn red.

“We’re going to pay them a visit,” she replied.

“And where’s that?” I asked, feeling frustrated.

“Where else? The city.”