“He still didn’t open the door, right?” Melvina asked Anthony who was resting his back on the wall of the kitchen.
By both of his sides were the other guys. Leo was with them now. He had joined them in the passageway when they had gone to check on Derek, and tell him the recent news about Claire and Curtis. But their newest Alpha hadn’t opened the door. They had sauntered to the kitchen after that. Melvina was preparing some meals for lunch. And the girls weren’t back yet.
“No, he didn’t. I’m thinking of breaking down the door. We can always put up a new one later.” Anthony cited, and Melvina shook her head.
“That won’t be a good idea. Trust me. I think we should give him more time. Losing his mate is taking a toll on him. It wouldn’t be easy.” She stated, even as she stirred the yet to be meal in the pot.
“True though. Has anyone seen Esther?” Leo asked, thinning his eyebrows. He had been trying to get a hand on the witch, but it seemed that she didn’t want to be found. He hadn’t seen her since last night when he had caught her and Claire discussing in low tones, that he himself hadn’t even been able to hear whatever it was that they had been talking about.
“No.”
“No.”
“Not at all.”
The guys chorused simultaneously.
“Is there any problem?” Melvina asked Leo, and he shook his head.
“Not really.” He replied. “It’s just that I had seen her talking with Claire yesterday night, minutes before we had been attacked by the wolves from the white sted pack.” He pointed out.
Melvina nodded her head, as if trying to connect some dots.
“You don’t trust her.” She stated flatly and Leo shrugged.
“Mom, she had been on our side since we had found her.” Anthony said, not believing that they would want to term Esther as a traitor. That she was a witch, didn’t automatically mean that she was working for Leonarya.
“If I was you, I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Melvina replied.
“Something had happened yesterday.” She started, getting the utmost attention of the boys.
“You remember that I had followed her to her house yesterday’s afternoon so that we could check to see if we would be able to find a cure for Derek’s problem, right?” She asked, looking at Anthony.
“Yes, I remember.” Anthony replied. After all, it had been around the same time that Alpha Peter had commissioned him to go send out invitations to Alphas presiding over other packs.
“Well, when we had been there, something had happened. Whilst I was in another room, specifically the library section, I had heard her talking with someone. I was sure of it, even though their voices had been indistinct. It was like their voices were being shielded, such that I hadn’t been able to hear them no matter how hard I tried. I tiptoed to the sitting room where the voice had been coming from. I was sure that one of the voices had belonged to Esther. The other voice had been familiar but still strange. But when I stepped into the room suddenly, hoping to catch them at unawares, there was no one there except for Esther. I had asked her then if she had been talking to someone else but she had replied in the negative.” Melvina concluded, her hands resting on the kitchen counter, her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered the past event.
There was silence in the kitchen after her words.
“I don’t know what had really transpired there yesterday, but I just feel that we shouldn’t trust her on anything.” She added. “My hunch never lies.”
And they all knew it. Their Luna was most at times right, if not always.
“What are we to do then?” Clem asked, not surprised about his Luna’s findings. He had always seen Esther as a red flag in the pack. When he had heard Leo mention about seeing her with his sister, he hadn’t been startled like the others. For he had seen them also yesterday night, whispering and smiling like best friends. He hadn’t taken it as anything then, even though he had been a bit curious as to when and how his sister and the witch had become best friends. It wouldn’t surprise him if he heard that they were also working together. He hoped though that she wouldn’t do anything rash that would cause him to be at loggerheads with her. Because his duty was to the pack first, before family… or so he thought.
“We have to find her first. Or rather, we need to know where she is now. We will pretend like we don’t know what is happening, like everything is fine. We will always keep her in our eyes’ sight always.” Melvina mentioned.
“So, in other words, we are spying on her.” Shane muttered, and Melvina nodded.
“Well, if that is so. I think Anthony is the best fit.” Curtis said, shrugging when Anthony glared at him.
“And why is that?” Leo asked, noticing he was out of the loop, especially as he saw that the others in the room weren’t surprised by the suggestion, including the Luna.
“Well, Esther has a crush on Anthony. I noticed that, even in the party. I think he would be a better spy than any of us here.” Curtis mentioned, and Shane nodded.
“I think he is right. Anthony, what do you think?” Shane asked.
“I’m not sure. You all are asking me to play with her emotions? You know I am not a fan of that. I have hung my boots on that life some years back. Clem, you would be a better person for this job.” Anthony said, refusing the job offer.
“Nah, not happening. She will know that I am spying on her. But with you, she wouldn’t see it coming even from a yard. She is stricken with you, or haven’t you noticed?” Clem asked.
“I have, but I am not toying with her emotions.” Anthony said, looking at Melvina for understanding.
“You will do so, if your duty to the pack comes first.” A voice said calmly, and they all turned around sharply, their eyes fixed on the entrance of the kitchen, visibly astounded.