Discovering the Hidden Alpha

Chapter 5

She had known that her mother wasn’t a fan of the King. But surely it hadn’t gotten to the point where she’d actually plotted something. She may have been a very flawed individual, but her mother loved her Mate dearly and cared about pack duty above all else.

“What about my father? Was he present for the envoy’s visit?”

“The envoy was sent a week after the news of your death. When the envoy reached the pack, they were told your father was experiencing tremendous grief and had gone to spend time with his brother. Does that sound like something he would do?” Feran leaned forward onto the table, taking the coffee mug for the first time.

Dani’s eyebrows furrowed as she dug through all her memories of her Uncle Drake. They only saw him once or twice a year. Mostly due to the fact that he was the Gamma for a pack two territories away. He was younger than her father, Phillip, and had found his Mate at one of the pack events early on in his life. As far as she could remember, her father said they had been fairly close as children but the Moon Goddess had taken them down different paths. They still got along well, there just never seemed to be enough time to visit often.

“I guess it could be possible. We went to visit him a few times when I was younger. But I can’t imagine him walking away from his duties, no matter the circumstances.” She told him, meeting his gaze for a moment longer than comfortable.

Feran placed the mug on the table and leaned back further into his chair, slouching slightly. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.

“A call was made to the pack Drake is living in. Your father did indeed go out there. However, he requested to go out to Drake’s hunting cabin instead of staying at their home. It was confirmed that he made it to the cabin and had been keeping to himself. There was a guard with him at all times. We assume it for safety reasons, seeing how he is still a prominent pack figure.”

Dani remembered the old cabin Feran was referring to well. She had gone out there many times with her father to learn ways to hunt with and without a wolf. Her father had always made sure his children were familiar with the connection they had to nature and the moon. He believed it was their duty as those entrusted with the care of the pack.

“Did anyone talk to him while he was there?” she asked, hopeful this was still just some huge misunderstanding.

Another sigh escaped the Prince.

“Unfortunately, all attempts at talking to him failed. Every time we sent someone there, he went ‘camping’ according to a note he left in the cabin window.”

That struck her as strange. Sure, they had gone camping out there plenty of times. However, it was very coincidental timing from the sounds of it. There was always the chance that he had been grieving. She had been closest to her father when it came to their family. He had always made sure that she knew she was loved. The two of them took yearly camping trips until she left. In fact, their next trip was to celebrate her transition into Alpha.

“ OK, but what happened when he went back to the pack? He couldn’t just hide out in the cabin for ten years.” she asked. Frustration crept into her voice.

It was clear that her leaving had been some type of catalyst for something within the pack. It was obvious from the types of questions she was being asked that they were worried about it.

She could feel, rather than see, the Prince’s discomfort. He straightened himself in his seat and put on the diplomatic face of someone delivering bad news. Something had happened to her father. Forcing herself to meet his eyes, she asked a question she wasn’t quite sure she wanted the answer to.

“My father,” Her voice quivered slightly. “Is h-he….gone?”

Her voice was quiet and her eyes glistened with a layer of anticipatory tears.

Feran’s eyebrows furrowed together slightly and he took her hands once again into his. Trembling fingers betrayed her forced steady breaths.

“Not exactly.” He told her, giving her hands a light squeeze. “There were reports that he had returned after months at the cabin. But he was a different man.”

Dani's hands unconsciously grasped Feran's tighter as he continued.

“ He handed his mantle to Trevyn and stepped down. From what was gathered, he showed up less for pack meetings. When he ran with The Hunt, he remained as his wolf and left. It’s been seven years since anyone last saw him.”

Exhaling deeply, Dani sat trying to process what she was being told. Missing was better than being dead. That’s what her logical brain told her. However, The Hunt was their most holy of all nights as Shifters. Most were unable to resist its draw. How had he been able to break away from its pull? Had someone taken him instead? There was so much missing from the story.

“Was there an investigation into where he ran to? Did anyone check with my Uncle? How about the cabin that he was staying at? What did my mother sa-”

“Slow down, Dani. I promise I’ll answer your questions. Just have to give me the chance.” He said gently as he refilled her cup and placed it in her hands securely.

It took her a moment to realize he expected her to take a drink before he would continue. Taking a small sip of her coffee, the warm liquid relaxed away some of the tension in her throat. Feran gave a slight nod of approval before continuing.

“ A full investigation was done. In fact, Marcos led the team. No signs of him were found within Drake’s Pack nor in the cabin. Tracking teams ran grids all along his territory plus all neighboring ones. It seems he went east for at least 4 days before heading south towards the Pumas Territory. I was sent to ask for assistance from the Pumas. While they did allow us to look for your father, they didn’t help much,” he said with a small frown.

The relationship that the wolves had with the pumas was tentative and conditional. Dani remembered having to go through months of training for multi-shifter diplomacy. Not every species was cordial. So it took some very delicate negotiations with some groups. Sending the Royal Family’s diplomat meant that her father’s disappearance had been taken very seriously.

“We searched for two weeks within their territory before we wore out our welcome. Our Trackers followed his scent to a lake. Then it’s like he just disappeared.”

The exasperation and irritation was evident in Feran’s voice. It bothered him that they hadn’t found her father. That gave her a slight bit of comfort, knowing that he had truly tried his best.

“Did the Pack not look for him? Surely his Warriors were looking for him.” She said with a shred of hope hanging on.

Another sigh left the Prince’s tightly drawn lips. “The Warriors were only given five days to search for Alpha Phillip. After that, they were expected to go back to their duties. It seems Petra was calling most of the shots for the Warriors in the Pack. She was acting as an advisor for Alpha Trevyn. She’s still his military and security general. Two years ago she took… ” His voice trailed off and his look said he was debating on this next bit of information.

She nodded at him to continue. There was no stopping now.

“Two years ago,” he began, watching her eyes intently. “Petra took her second in command as her Chosen Mate.”

Dani felt like she had been gut punched.

Leaving had caused her father to abandon all he held dear. Her brother had claimed her death before royalty. Her sister was sold to slavers. Her mother abandoned her father and chose another.

Every bit of information she learned just made her feel like she was slipping further under the consequences of her indiscriminate, thoughtless decision.

How had things ended up like this? How did she allow her panic to control her actions? Why couldn’t her body just do the thing it was supposed to? Would everything have been alright if she had just faced everything head on? Was her choice the ultimate selfish decision? Was this all her fault?

The once cozy cottage felt entirely too stifling at that moment. She needed some fresh air and she needed it Now. Dani rose from her seat, regretting it instantly. Her vision danced with black dots as a humming static overtook her ears. A sheet of cold swept over her and the roll of nausea left her covered in sweat. Her feet felt like lead as she tried to take a step to steady herself. She realized just a half-second too late that she was losing consciousness. The world went sideways as she fell towards the floor and her vision speckled away into darkness. Through the static in her ears, she could hear her name being yelled by a warm, panicked voice.