Alexander’s POV
Luke’s frown deepened, and something like disbelief crossed his eyes. He didn’t expect me to be looking through family trees at a time like this.
“He thinks you have gone mad,” Ghost yapped.
“I would too if I saw someone just randomly turn his office upside down and read old archives while his mate is in danger and missing,” I replied.
“Whose family line are you looking into?” Luke asked after a moment of silence.
“The original royal werewolf family tree,” I replied.
“Interesting,” he said, getting up. “Any particular reason why?”
“I have reason to believe Angelica is a direct descendent of the line,” I replied. “She might even be the next in line.”
Luke visibly flinched.
“Why would you think that?” He asked.
I sighed, lying back in my chair.
I was weighing my options to see if I should give him the history lesson on the origins of the werewolves or just give my theory about where Angelica and Axel fit in.
My thoughts raced to the last words the Goddess said to me.
“I was angry at what he was trying to do,” she said. “But I couldn’t get over my heart to just leave him as the only werewolf in the world.”
“So you decided to shift your focus on the werewolf species and create more of them,” I commented.
“I was hoping that if he saw more wolves like him, he would change his ways,” she replied. “But the Lycan wolf would remain the superior breed. It was interesting to see how the werewolf species formed their own unique ideas and chose their leaders without my help. They are very smart, Alpha Black.”
“Did he become the first leader among them?” I asked.
“No,” the goddess said, shaking her head. “The wolves didn’t know of his existence until later.”
“Why do I have a feeling that it didn’t stay that way?” I said.
“Because after a while, he saw an opportunity,” she replied. “With the witches’ help, he formed groups of rogues under him and started small by attacking small and helpless packs, and then, as the years went by, he used his skills and targeted bigger packs.”
“Because,” I replied, shifting my attention back to Luke. “I can’t find any details about Angelica in the database. It’s as if she never existed.”
“Maybe her name was changed,” Luke commented, turning quietly momentarily and lying back in his chair.
Changing her name would be too easy, but I doubt that. Angelica would have remembered her real name, depending on her age.
“Can you remember her date of birth?” Luke suddenly asked.
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “August, 19th.”
For some reason, the date got stuck for as long as I could remember. I wasn’t sure if it held any significance, but I hoped it did.
Luke got up, moved some of the paperwork from my desk, turned my laptop to face him, and opened the Wolf database. He quickly entered the data into the database and pressed enter.
“I have done that already,” I said. “It doesn’t bring up any she-wolves born on that day at Angelica’s age.”
“I am not looking for that,” he said. “Angelica’s correct date of birth might have been changed.”
“Then what are you searching for?” I asked.
“To see if there is any other information on said date,” he replied.
It didn’t take Luke long, and he shifted his gaze towards me with a broad smile on his lips.
“I think I have something,” he said, turning the laptop back to me.
“The White Moon Pack left in ruins.” I read the heading out loud. “August, 19th.”
“I think whoever found Angelica…” Luke started, but I cut him off.
“Made the date of the attack her birthday to hide her identity and celebrate their success,” I said.
How cruel and sick was this wolf?
“Read the article,” Ghost said. “I want to know what it says.”
“Both the king and queen are diseases,” I said. “The next heir is missing; no body was found. The King’s Beta will claim the throne until the safe return of the heir.”
Luke rose from his chair.
“That is why King Xavier’s name is not on the family tree in the royal pack,” Luke said. “He is not the rightful king.”
I already knew that, but I nodded. I just needed the proof.
Would he keep the proof of his attacks?
“Check if there are any adoptions or lost pups found in the said time frame,” I ordered. “Also, see if you can find any information on when King Xavier took the position of Royal Beta.”
An hour later, I called my father and Beta John to my office.
“What the hell happened here?” My father asked as he entered my office. He looked even more startled than when Luke entered.
“I was searching for information,” I said. “And we found it.”
“On the computer,” Luke commented.
“And the rest in the archives,” I bit back. “Have a seat.”
Luke grabbed the files from the meeting table and moved them aside.
My father and John took a seat at the table, and they both looked confused as to why they were called.
“Shouldn’t you be out looking for my daughter?” Beta John asked, looking around.
“I am. We are,” I said, taking a seat opposite him. “But without knowing who we are dealing with, this is never going to end. Is it?”
“What are you going on about?” my father asked, looking irritated.
“I know why Lycans went extinct,” I said. “I also know why we are hiding in plain sight. What I want to know is why you two never told Emily and me about it.”
I picked up a journal and dropped it on the table.
My father and Beta John glanced at one another. They looked very surprised by my claim. They could deny all they wanted, but the journal said otherwise.
“I see you have found and read my journal.” My mother’s voice filled the air.
“We made them promise not to tell you,” Beta Sarah’s followed.
“You and Emily have gone through enough sh*t,” my mother said. “Adding that to your plate would have worsened it. We were handling it.”
“We wanted to spare you the truth,” Beta Sarah then added.
“Keeping secrets made it worse,” I roared. “I am the Alpha of this pack, and I didn’t even know werewolves were created due to a punishment handed down from the goddess.”
“Who told you that?” Beta John asked, surprised. “Those records were destroyed!”
“The goddess herself,” I replied. “He is your twin brother, isn’t he?”
“That was a long time ago,” John said. “He is no brother of mine. He tried to murder me. Justice was handed down-.”
“And he started taking revenge,” I cut him off. “Do you know that Emily and I hold the key to release his abilities?”
My mother, who took a seat next to my father, widened her eyes.
“That’s why he keeps on going after you and Emily,” Beta Sarah muttered.
“Yes,” I said.
“But nothing happened when…”
“Because we didn’t have our wolves the first time around,” I cut my father off. “We were too young…”
“Two months old…” my mother whimpered, her face turning sorrowful.
Luke’s gaze turned confused. I only told him parts of it, but I didn’t go into detail.
“What about Mila’s father?” Luke asked. “He comes from the royal pack.”
“Mila’s father is not blood-related to King Xavier,” Beta John said. “He just acts the part.”
“What is he doing here, then?” Luke asked.
“Spying!” Beta Sarah spat.
I have never seen her act like this. She was a whole different person.
“But we stopped that a long time ago,” my mother quickly added. “He has been giving us useful information.”
“So you knew where Emily was?” I asked, feeling the blood boiling in my veins. If they answered yes, I would lose control and have their heads.
“No,” all four of them said together, shaking their heads.
“Mila’s father was ordered not to say anything,” my father said.
“We tried other unconventional techniques to see if we could uncover the truth,” Beta Sarah said. “But it was impossible.”
“His memories were blocked in the same way as yours are,” Beta John completed his mate’s thoughts.
“My memory is not blocked anymore,” I said, crossing my arms around my chest. “I know what happened that night.”
“You do?” My father said, sounding relieved.
“I do. Now tell me what you know,” I ordered. “And make sure you don’t leave anything out. I need to save my mate and put an end to King Xavier’s plans!”
****