The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 184

Chapter 184: Revelations and deceptions…
Ramsey

The council hall was filled with scattered conversations as the Elders of the White Moon Pack gathered around the long, intricately carved oak table. They were still talking about the two-tailed wolf.

Although the festival had ended four days earlier, they were still discussing finding and capturing the two-tailed wolf. I leaned back in my chair, staring at them as they deliberated asking for more help from the Panthers to track down the wolf.

Finally, one of the senior elders cleared his throat. “Alpha, we must act swiftly. I think hiring the services of the Panthers would be more effective. If the two-tailed wolf is left unchecked, it could pose a threat to the White Mountain region. In the meantime, we could deploy a larger team to comb the northern forest…”

“No!” I said firmly interrupting him.

They suddenly fell into silence. All eyes turned to me as I leaned forward, my forearms resting on the table. The room, which moments ago had been filled with chatter was now quiet.

“We will not waste the pack’s resources on chasing shadows,” I continued staring at each of them. “The two-tailed wolf has not been seen since the festival. If it intended to harm, we would have already felt it. As far as I’m concerned, that chapter is closed.”

“But, Alpha…” another elder tried to protest.

I glared at him, freezing the words in his throat. “Do you wish to challenge my judgment, Elder? I am days away from getting married. I should be resting and rejuvenating for my wedding not doing this. So, do you have any objection?”

The room seemed to shrink as all of them shifted uncomfortably in their seats. My grandfather stared back at me. We’ve not been on talking terms since the festival and honestly, I didn’t care that much.

“No, Alpha,” the Elder said quietly.

“Good,” I nodded and stood, signalling the end of the discussion.

As I moved towards the door. Elder Mia suddenly spoke. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Alpha. A union like yours will bring much prosperity to the pack.”

I paused, looking over my shoulders with an impassive expression. “Is that all?”

The Elders exchanged uncertain glances before collectively nodding. Without another word, I strode out.

Back at the pack house, I started immediately to my room. As I arrived, I met Cassidy waiting for me by my door. She had a pale pallor, that worried me. I was afraid she would pass out at any moment.

“What are you doing here?” I asked trying not to show the irritation in my voice. “You should be resting.”

She lifted her eyes to meet mine, her hands beside her clutched at her sides as if they held her upright. “Ramsey,” she said softly, in a trembling voice. “I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”

My gaze flickered to the maids hovering nearby behind her. I could see their curious eyes darting between me and Cassidy. I suppressed a sigh. If I didn’t let her in, by evening, the entire pack would be filled with tales and refusing her, might create a scene.

“Come,” I said, motioning for her to follow me.

I opened the door to my room and ushered her in. The moment, the door clicked shut behind us, she whirled around, her eyes were wild and full of emotion.

“Lyla tried to kill me,” she blurted out.

I froze and then slowly turned to face her.

“She what?” I asked.

“That night,” she began her voice rising. “After you left us in that room, she – she called a man. A strange man. She called him the Dark One. They both tried to kill me. When I tried to raise alarm, they knocked me unconscious. I’m telling you, Lyla is dangerous. You have to make sure she’s arrested.”

Her voice broke as tears simmered in her eyes. She looked at me expectantly, as if she was waiting for an immediate reaction. But I said nothing as I processed her words.

“Okay,” I finally said.

“Okay?” Cassidy repeated, huffing. “That’s all you have to say? Ramsey, she tried to kill me! To murder your mate and you just say, okay? Standing there like I don’t matter at all. Don’t you care about what happens to me at all?”

I bit back an angry growl. “What do you want me to do, Cassidy?” I asked, trying to restrain my anger. “Should I storm into Blue Ridge Pack and kill her? Would that make you happy?”

She faltered; I could feel her frustration mounting. “I just… I don’t understand why you’re not taking this seriously. She’s a threat, Ramsey!”

“But not a murderer. Lyla is not capable of harming anyone take it from me. I don’t know what you saw or what transpired between both of you that night and if you feel like you need to trash out your grievances, then do so. Don’t hide behind the…”

Before I could respond, Lenny’s mindlink tugged into my mind, cutting into my thoughts.

“Alpha, the footage for the Harvest Moon Festival’s CCTV cameras is available now.”

My eyes darkened immediately. I knew what that footage might reveal. “No one is to view it,” I commanded through the mindlink. “Forward it to me immediately and ensure it stays that way. I’ll handle it.”

After Lenny acknowledged my instructions, I ended the mindlink and turned to Cassidy who was on the verge of crying. “I’ll look into what you’ve said,” I told her curtly. “But for now, you need to rest.”

Without waiting for her response, I left my room, leaving her standing alone. The walls of the pack house suddenly felt too confining, the air too thick. I needed space to think, to process everything. Just as I was walking out of the pack house, I bumped into Lenny.

He had a puzzled expression on his face.

“I was coming to see you,” he said quietly. “Are you going out?”

I nodded. “I want to clear my head.”

“Then we can talk while we’re walking,” he murmured and fell into steps next to me. We had walked a distance away from the pack house when Lenny suddenly paused and turned to me. “Lyla is the two-tailed werewolf?”

I stayed quiet for a heartbeat before nodding. “Yes, she is! Did the CCTV capture her changing?”

“Yes!” Lenny nodded. “While the person in charge was rendering it. He stepped out of the room for a few seconds. The video finished rendering and I wanted to just copy it out into the folder when I played it instead. I still cannot believe it. Did she tell you?”

I shook my head. “Nathan knows. They’ve known all this time. She’s always had the wolf.”

“Wow!” Lenny scoffed. “This is more complicated than I can imagine. And then there was another strange man I saw walking into the room with Cassidy.”

“She claims it’s the Dark One? Do you know if it’s the same analysis we got from the previous recording of Cassidy’s mother meeting with some strange people?”

“I haven’t analyzed it yet but I will, privately though. Because I don’t know if a mole is working with them.”

“There is!” I said woodenly. “It’s not surprising that White Lake Pack is yet to suffer any attacks not even a single one and I know what I saw that night when Lyla was at the pack when Lyla went for the cleansing ritual. I don’t know but a lot is going on with them. Also, my grandfather fears Elder Thorne more than anyone.”

“How?” Lenny asked.

“He has mentioned that we’re in huge debt to him and his pack. Not just that, Miriam said something about my grandfather making a choice. I tried to ask her but she wouldn’t say. I’ve been trying to be careful when dealing with the Elders and my grandfather, I don’t know…”

“He knows about Lyla?”

“Yes, and Elder Thorne knows too. I’m trying to figure out just how much they know and for her sake, I’m threading carefully. They could use their knowledge to try to punish her in some sort of way and that is what I fear more than anything.”

“You could have said something to her, Ramsey,” Lenny sighed. “I don’t understand your deal with Lyla. You swore you love her. You’ve gone all these lengths to prove it. While do you keep hesitating?”

Why was I hesitating?

“I’m afraid she would reject me. She has a lot of reasons to do that, you know.”

“Not if you confess everything to her genuinely.”

I nodded, hating how my heart squeezed with sadness. “It’s too late, now, Lenny. I received a memo from the Alpha Council about them getting married tomorrow. I can’t do anything now and I love her enough to let her go.”

“And keep protecting her from afar?”

“Do I have a choice?” I smiled sadly. “Anyways, have someone prepare a gift for them. It’s going to be a really small wedding, so they’re not inviting a lot of people physically.”

Lenny nodded. “Once she’s properly mated to Nathan Tanner, you don’t need to worry anymore about protecting her. She’ll become immune…”

“I know that, and the first thing I would do is to disband the Elders council. Are all the candidates we’ve chosen ready?”

“Yes,” Lenny added. “But there’s one tiny problem.”

“What?” I turned to him.

“Nathan didn’t sign the agreement like the other Alphas.”