26. Loophole

Chapter Soundtrack:

Rihanna - what now

Shining. Beautiful. Bright.

The gold locket stared back at me from its place in the intricately carved wooden box Zaryn had made me. ... taunting me.

Eyeing it with contempt, i debated on throwing it away.. out the window, away from my hands that itched to hold it, to linger upon those memories  and keep them with me.

But now they were just memories and the broken girl who once had hope was now jaded in a world that only brought disappointment.

But it would be such a beautiful waste to throw out ..

Or maybe I could give it to Grace. Tell her Zaryn had given it to me and that maybe she could replace my green stone with a murky brown one, representing her own eye color.

Sighing, i placed the carved wooden lid  back on the box, securing the tiny latch, realizing whether i hated him or not, i couldn't be rid of the gift he had give me. It was special.. memories of a better moment during a hurricane of trauma..

They say people who experience an emotion with a force.. something that lingers with you for a while.. that it can change you. I believe that.

Before i  knew i was mated to Zaryn, i was spastic, carefree, always getting into trouble.. then once hurricane disgrace got out of the truck with him that night, I knew my heart would shatter. And it did. I spent so many weeks being miserable and alone, crying myself to sleep at night.. then one day it seemed just.. better. Zaryn and I started spending time together and i gained hope. It was always too good to be true., telling myself i wasnt going to do something, then winding up and doing it. Now my wolf is marked and things arent the same. I dont even want to see him. I dont want to hear his voice or taste his scent on my tongue when i smell him lingering nearby.

All these deep seeded emotions ive felt.. then giving me hope only to take it away, taking my choice away..

Its changed me.

Im no longer that happy carefree girl running around pranking other wolves. Now im that wolf that holds a distant look in her eyes.. pain that left a scar deep inside me. Now I'm just here.. not caring about anything. Or anyone. It will only grow the more i detatch myself from my would-be life.

And im okay with that.

Deciding i really didnt want Zaryn anymore was like a weight lifting off my shoulders. His dramatic life won't affect me anymore and i made the decision not to let it. I'm glad he told me he didn't want to continue to see me.. that he wanted to do right by Grace. It gave me the strength i needed to hate him.

I shut the bedside table drawer, deciding to put this memory in a place memories should be kept.

In a box. At the top of my closet, with the rest of the memorabilia i had collected in life.

Closing the lid of the box as i stood on my tip toes to push it back up on the shelf, I could hear the front door opening downstairs followed by feet running up the stairs and down the hall towards my room with urgency.

Blossoms...

Eden's scent.

Bursting through my door with the speed of light, not bothering to knock, she searched frantically finally finding me standing in front of my closet with a blank expression. She sighed in relief, closing the door hard before her green eyes landed on me in disbelief. Tiny lines of worry creased her otherwise smooth forhead as she made her way to me, standing non chalantly as i shut the closet door.

"What the hell was that! Nova you know Alpha is going to come down on you hard for what you did! You could get chained to the pole as your punishment!" Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, frantic, grinding against my skin.

She widened her eyes at me, crossing her arms expectantly.

I sighed in boredom. "I don't care anymore Eden. But it won't come to that. You're being dramatic." I rolled my eyes, sitting on the end of my bed as i examined my toe nail polish. I had a plan.

Normally if my wolf caused me to lash out, i would have been in a frantic mess, my nerves getting the best of me as i hid out somewhere, anticipating the outcome.

Now i just dont care anymore. Not what something trvial as what my punishment would be for breaking the arm of a pregnant she wolf. I was dead inside, still in shock.

"Nova! Listen to yourself! This is insane. You know alpha wont let this slide. Do you even have a plan?" Eden moved to sit next to me, my blank stare watching her expression contort from disbelief to anger.. then to sadness.

Smiling tightly at her,  "I know ill get get a stern talking to.. " my eyes met hers. "But she isnt pack. So.. not really much in the rule book unless shes a guest and shes not really a guest per se." My stare was blank, her green eyes looking as if i were crazy.

"Shes carrying the alphas grand pup..."

Shrugging, i sighed. "We will see. Im getting out of it. She came in there to taunt me purposely trying to get me in trouble Eden. She wants me out of the way. It was a win win. She figured those underwear were recent and that my wolf would attack, someone would save her, and that I'd be locked up as punishment until my wolf settled. But it all backfired on her and i can't help but to rejoice in that." I smirked.

.

I could feel the change within me happening.. Zaryn's telling me that he didnt want me anymore was a sort of relief.. now i didn't find myself worrying about what was to happen. I just didnt care. Part of me was saddened over the fact the one that was meant for me, made for me, didn't want to be with me.. but i didn't want to wait and be 'that girl.' It was a breath of fresh air. I had been drowning in a sea of misery and it was as if my head had come up to the surface and I could finally breathe.

Eden scoffed. "Well it sounds like you have all this figured out. What's gotten into you Nova?" Her hand wrapped around my arm, eyes worried.

Patting her hand, i gave her a reassuring smile. "Im fine Eden. I've just... given up on the mate bond. He told me he will mark Grace in his letter. Read it for yourself." I unfolded the page and handed it to her. "Im just... ready to move on with my life "

Her hands shook as she scanned the page furiously, eyes squinting in concern. Shaking her head, her voice came out strained. "This isn't right Nova. This is not Zaryn. We know him."

"We thought we knew him. People change." I flashed her a smile before remembering there was something she had to tell me. "What did you see about my mom, Eden."

Her mouth opened slightly before closing again, a little taken aback over my sudden subject change.

"Right." Her head fell, a breath of a laugh exhaling from her nose. "Well" she sighed, looking up at me.  "It wasn't as clear.. but ill tell you what I saw. How you interpret it is up to you." She closed her eyes as she tilted her head to the ceiling, a deep breath of air filling her lungs.

"I saw your mom.. dad, alpha blake and Luna penelope. Your mom was pregnant and was standing next to Alpha blake who  looked over to Luna Penelope, standing off to the side, with a loving smile on his face. Luna smiled at him, glancing at your mom with a hurt look in her eyes. Your dad stood as well, off to the side from your mom.. luna glanced at him with pity in her eyes as your dad smiled over at your mom, clearly unaware of his surroundings. Eyes only for her and her pregnant belly. Your father wore a collar.. with the symbol for unaware and betrayed.. your mom had a belt on around her stomach, the symbols for secret, lie, and betrayal on it. The luna wore a heavy coat over her shoulders... the coat had the markings of betrayed and secret on the front while Alpha wore a collar with symbols of secret, lie, betrayel and pup." Her eyes opened as the darkness faded from them, eyes finding mine.

"I don't know what it means.. its for you to decipher. But from my educated guess.. your mom has a secret with Alpha blake. Your dad doesn't know.. but Luna Penelope does. She may be apart of the secret. Both alpha and your mom wore symbols of betrayal while your dad and the Luna wore symbols of betrayed. The heavy coat on Luna's back is symbolic with the secret symbol...as if she has carried the weight of a secret. Your mom being pregnant.. it could have been during the time of either her pregnancy with you or Nic.. but the pup symbol on Alpha.. along with standing so close to your mom... well.. you put it together and tell me what you think." She eyed me, biting down on her lip as she gazed at me worriedly.

It all hit me..

Her worrying and crying lately.. getting no sleep.. telling me how sorry she was.. saying she would fix it all..

The only way she could fix it was if Zaryn was somehow not a firstborn...

My eyes widened a fraction. "Oh my gosh.."

Eden grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. Turning, i stared in her eyes. "Are you positive?"

She nodded solemnly.

Nic might not be my father's son.

I felt like my mind was expanding into my skull with the words she had spoken..

I sat there silent as i took all of it in.. the possibilites.. could it even be true? Maybe there's a secret mom and alpha knew about either my brother or I.. maybe that was the meaning of the symbols? A secret luna knew but dad didnt? Maybe one of us have ... i dont know?

It couldn't be me that she was pregnant with in the vision because im mated to Zaryn. If in fact Alpha is the father of one of moms children it wouldnt be me. The moon doesn't mate wolves who are blood related. It would explain why Nic is mated to Grace... maybe Grace isn't lying about being Alpha blood because that would mean...

My brother is the future Alpha...

It also explains how big he has gotten.. how much he possesses over Grace since alphas are more addicted to their mates.. how he went undefeated in the beta training...

Because betas would be below his true strength.

"Oh my goddess." My hand covered my mouth as i put everything together.. what we all had believed to be true about Grace was true about my brother. My half brother. Im mated to my half brother's half brother.

What the fuck.

"I need to go Eden. See yourself out. And thanks... I don't know what is about to happen but I know shit is about to hit the fan." I frantically sputtered and kissed her cheek, leaving her on my bed dumbfounded as I ran out of my room in haste, headed to see the Alpha.

Might as well get my "talking to" over with. Then I needed to have a talk with him as well..

I sprint down the dirt road, wolves smiling at me as i passed, staring at me in awe. The rumors of this morning's incident were spreading like wildfire and everyone knew. It would have been only a matter of time before someone would have come for me anyways. Now i was taking the bull by the horns myself.

The thought that this could be true made me angry... angry at mom, at Alpha.. they did this to my dad.. to Luna. Did Luna know Nic might be his son? There was no concrete evidence but i felt like this was it.

Running as fast as I could, I burst through the packhouse front door and ran upstairs directly to Alpha Blake's office.

Before I could raise my hand to knock, his voice came hard and angry, "Enter Nova."

I stared down at the gold knob, my heart hammering in my chest but other than that, i didnt "feel" anything. Not fear.. Not worry, Not anything. Pushing the door open, my eyes locked on Alpha Blake's blue ones, anger evident as he glared at me, hard lines masking his forehead and lips pursed.

"Sit." He ordered me, standing as I strode in, taking a seat in front of his desk, brushing my waist length hair to one side. Watching him pace, hands fidgeting, he turned to me as he leaned over, resting his hands on the desk from behind.. looming over my calm exterior.

"What the fuck have you done! Do you even know? Did you know that Grace has called her father and now he has decided to come early because of what you've done to his daughter!? He will be here in four days Nova! Ready to force my hand in getting rid of you and have my son mark her!" He yelled in my face, vessels bulging as his wolf begged to be released.. but he had more control than anyone.

I squinted my eyes slightly, anger could not grip me this time. "She goaded me. My wolf. Third time. No one does a thing! She's able to roam freely.. trying anything she can to have me punished. You heard what she did haven't you!?!? Those things she foud were miles away from here in the woods far down the lake! And happened weeks before you put the ban on us! Which means she had to follow him... curious to see if we had been together." My voice had risen an octave as he just stared at me.

"Alpha all due respect, but you're being played by an idiot! And you don't even see it! My wolf wants her dead!!!! I cant control that! But you let her prance around like she owns the place just because shes carrying a bastard with your blood! Anarchy is already happening! Wolves are planning on taking Zaryn down if he takes her as his mate! She wants me punished and she keeps trying her hardest but the wolf had to teach her a lesson. Even you can understand that im sure." I watched him as he took a deep breath, hands running through his hair.

"Nova.. " his now more calm expression studied me. "As much as i hate to do this.. when her father gets here I have to put you down in the cellars... as your punishment. For attacking a memeber. Until i figure out what to do, how to prove that Grace and he are behind something by doing an alpha test.. proving she's not who she says she is.. then i have to go by the rules."

A sarcastic roar of laughter came from my throat as my amused eyes rolled up to him, a sly smirk on my lips. He looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

"Dear Alpha.. the law states that punishment is served when a member attacks another member. Grace isnt a member. Not of our pack. And she isn't a guest. She was forced to come here by her father, demanding you provide for her which makes her a refugee. Refugees have no rights. Look it up." My tone held amusement as a small smile tried to make its way to his lips. He was surprised at my cunningness.

"Also..." my eyes glued to his, no remorse in what i was about to say. "I'm very certain you had an affair with my mother before she became pregnant with Nic." I just stared... watching as his eyes widened a fraction, his adams apple bobbing as he swallowed.

He shook his head slowly, sharp features turned up. "Nova... im not sure what-" he began before i cut him off, crossing one leg over the other.

"Lets be honest Uncle Blake.. an oracle's visions are always precise."

His worried blue eyes scanned me, trying to find some sort of unsurety about my statment.. he ran his hands through his hair repeatedly, taking a deep breath before standing.

"Who else thinks this is true?"

I pitied him at the fire that was about to rain down upon him.

"Just me. And the oracle i asked who is bound by her rights not to utter a word."

I decided to leave the part out about Nic possibly being his son.. because that meant that he wouldn't go through with the Alpha test on Grace and Nic and i still thought she had something to hide.. i just needed that test to happen. An alpha male doesnt have to be mated to an alpha blooded female but an alpha blooded female has to have an alpha male. Funnt her heat wasnt senses and boom. Pregnant.

The way her story worked.. the tricks she had been up to. I just had this feeling...

Alpha Blake shook his head and I knew I had him. There would be no punishment for me and I had the loophole for him to use as an excuse for Alpha Conrad when he came. This would all be out soon.

Frankly I didn't want Zaryn anymore after everything had happened.

But i wanted to ruin Grace's life.

This was the only way.

And if I was wrong about her then my brother's maybe might be secret would come out and cause an uproar.. He could be the future alpha.. and Grace would be stuck with a second born while I ran off to parts unknown and lived my life.

Win win.

I just felt awful for the suffering my mom would go through when the truth came out.

But anger at her betrayel to my dad was prominent inside me. She needed to face her consequences...

The moon was doling out her justice to the lies that had spread so deeply...