As Asher’s question drifted through the air, Katrina stared at her grown up child with a conflicted expression on her face.
She was certainly happy that Asher had grown up to be strong, stronger than he was when she had left. However, she was also concerned. It appeared he had let so much darkness consume him that he was hardly the man she remembered.
Paranoia. Rage. Suspicion. Heartbreak. Pride.
Asher was swelling with so many emotions that felt too overwhelming for her.
Perhaps it was time she stopped beating about the bush and became honest.
“What I want, uh? Truthfully speaking, I don’t know…” She whispered, longingly staring at the sky above her.
Asher’s glare intensified. It was this personality of his mother that he found to be irritating. She was a free-spirited woman, always had been. Even though she was strong enough to dominate the entire Oregon woods and end the foolish reign of Klaus, she did no such thing.
As Luna, it certainly wasn’t in her place, but she also refused to be used by his father, John, in taking over the other packs. After she had gotten enough of the politics going on in Oregon woods, she left.
Partially, Asher blamed his father for pushing her to make such an extreme decision, but that didn’t mean she was entirely absolved of any fault either.
As his mother, she didn’t think twice about leaving him… no, that probably wasn’t it. Asher was angry that she didn’t take him with her.
After she left, he was left to experience what he would now recall to be the darkest, most lonely portion of his life.
“What are you talking about?” Asher snapped, pushing away the memories of the past that nearly overwhelmed him.
Katrina sighed. She knew it wouldn’t be so easy to convince him.
“It is as I said. I was on one of my journeys when I had a vision of you and your mate, Roxanne. It was very vivid, and in the future I saw, there was a disturbing element that caused me to instinctively take action.”
Asher’s eyes widened while hearing this. His mother was many things, but she wasn’t a liar. While she was often funny and crafty, once she decided to speak the truth, she didn’t deviate from it.
“And what was that? What did you see?” Asher asked.
Katrina stared at her son. As much as she was happy for him to have finally found a mate, glad for the love he was blessed with, she couldn’t ignore what followed.
Chaos, deaths and destruction.
“Asher… the entire Oregon woods… it fell!”
His ears tingled the moment he heard those words. Asher wanted to disprove the words he had just gotten, but he know more than most, how sharp his werewolf hearing was. There was no mistake. His mother definitely said the entire werewolf tribe would fall!
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean it, Asher. I literally saw the packs, all the werewolves… the chaps that ensued, the destruction… the deaths. Both Hunters and Werewolves alike. It wasn’t a pretty sight.” Katrina emphasized.
Her visions had never been wrong, and she was certainly telling the truth. Did that mean…?!
“That’s why I returned, Asher. I came to save the Tribe.”
Things were certainly more serious than he had thought. While he was still very curious about her connection to Roxanne, and her part to play in her recent decision, Asher decided to leave the matter for later.
“Please tell me more.”
Katrina nodded her head, glad that her son was finally seeing reason.
“In a few weeks from now, the Werewolves of Oregon woods will fall… at least that was how it was supposed to go, but things have suddenly started changing.”
“Change? What do you mean?” Asher asked.
“This is why you never had any aptitude for [Visions], Asher. Your view of the world is too narrow and strict. The future is not fixed, it’s a fluid concept that can be changed depending on events that occur.” Katrina answered.
“However, significant events such as the destruction of the entire tribe would need a focal point. In essence, a light that sparks the whole thing. Without directly interfering with the spark, such event will still occur, no matter what one does to stop it.”
Asher was grasping her logic, but a lot still didn’t make sense to him.
“The focal point… is it Roxanne?” He asked.
Katrina smiled as soon as Asher said this.
“You’re close, but not entirely right. I never said the focal point had to be a person, now did I? Think back on what has happened so far, and how these chain of events began… surely Roxanne can’t be the root cause. She’s merely a side of the coin that brought these events into fruition.”
Asher’s eyes bulged, seeing reason in his mother’s words.
“The focal point… it exists between me and Roxanne… our fated union…” He mumbled.
“Correct. This is the spark that has ignited the whole events that are to follow.” Katrina snapped her hands in response to Asher’s words.
“B-but, how can this be? Our union is fated. Does that mean it’s a cursed one? Does the universe truly hate the idea of me and her being together?” Asher gritted his teeth as he spoke.
The pain of losing Roxanne began to resurface.
“Calm yourself, Asher. I never said your relationship caused the destruction of the pack, and ultimately the whole tribe.”
Katrina’s words seemed to contradict what she had just said moments ago, causing Asher to look at her in even greater confusion.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“I mean, your union is highly significant. As both extremely powerful beings, your connection is strong enough to be extremely volatile in relation to events to occur. A bright light, shining a path to the future. You just know, a spark’s purpose is not limited to destruction. It could provide illumination and life as well…” Katrina’s voice trailed, as though she was in thought, considering something.
Asher was paying rapt attention to her words as well, developing his thoughts concerning the matter. In terms of deduction, he wasn’t behind anyone, except most likely his mother.
“You’re saying someone other than you, who is capable of reading the flow of time, is using this focal point, my union with Roxanne, to spark conflict and chaos, instead of the other way around?” Asher asked.
Katrina slightly nodded.
“They do not necessarily need to be able to read the future. However, whoever they are, they’re extremely smart and precise. Going so far as to pervert your fates…”
“Why do you say do not see the future? If they don’t know about our significance to the future, they wouldn’t have been able to orchestrate things so well.” Asher replied.
“You may be right. However, it’s only common sense for a wolf to know that an Alpha and Luna would prove significant changes to the pack, especially of the Alpha is one who bears the title of Wolf King and has just brought a mysterious woman from another place entirely to be his Luna, and Wolf Queen.” Katrina stared.
“Besides, what Werewolf on their right mind would see such chaps and destruction and choose to enable it with their actions. No matter the outcome, all sides suffer!”
Katrina’s words hit Asher like a bombshell. He now knew she was right about the person being incapable of seeing the future, since all they would bring was chaos.
However…
In considering all he had heard so far, Asher reached a conclusion. The mastermind behind what had been occurring was one who was close enough to him to know about the relevance of his status, as well as the existence of Roxanne, as well as her true identity.
The person had to be in his pack, since he had not made Roxanne’s existence known to the others. The person had to have been close to Roxanne herself, of at least interfered with her one way or the other, as well as him.
This individual was the one who orchestrated the attack of the Hunters in the Rockwood village, causing intense casualties, as well as making the whole tribe enter instability due to his scandal with Camilla.
Such a person… who were they?!