Alpha Prime: Her Retribution

Chapter Thirty Eight

I stood in the prayer room, staring at the statue of Eda, I couldn't remember the last time I had come to her in prayers, I had turned my back on her nine years ago. I let out a sigh and pressed my palms together, closing my eyes.

Oh Eda, goddess of the moon, mother of wolves, controller of tides, hear my prayers, I seek an audience with thee.

The energy in the room fluctuated at once, I opened my eyes to see her standing in front of me.

“I thought you didn't want to see me ever again?” She inquired, I bit back the retort.

Now’s not the time Adelaide

“Well, things have changed.” I replied. “I need answers and you’re the only one who can provide me with them.”

She raised a brow, something flickering in her eyes.

“I am under no obligation to answer your questions, Adelaide.” She said, folding her arms, making me frown.

“You don't even know what I want to …”

“You want to know why I instructed your father to change your mate, is that not it?” She asked, pausing for a few seconds before continuing. “The lesser you know, the better.”

“Better for who?” I shot back, taking a step closer. “ You owe this to me, Eda, after ignoring my prayers for years, after leaving me in the dark for ages, you owe me the truth.” I uttered.

She sighed, shaking her head, her eyes moving away from me.

“Please Eda” I pleaded, she turned to me once again.

“I made a mistake alright, you and Jacob… you two were never meant to be mates.” She said, I stared at her, it didn't add up, if that was the reason, my father would have told Jacob that, besides she was a goddess and I was certain she wouldn’t make a fatal mistake like that.

“I don't believe you.” I whispered, watching as her expression darkened, her glare chilling me from within, yet I stood my ground, even as the energy in the room became chaotic. I didn’t care, I needed to find out the truth.

“You will not come to my prayer room and insult me.” She snapped.

“Then stop lying and tell me the real reason why you had my mate changed.” I implored, she ignored me, turning to her altar instead.

“Please Eda!”

She kept on walking towards the altar.

“Eda!!!”

I took a step back as she surged forward until she was mere inches from me, her eyes dark with anger.

“Because you and Jacob refuse to fit into…”

My heart skipped a bit at her words.

“Refuse to fit into what?” I asked, whispering. She stared at me, shaking her head before stepping back.

“Don't ever contact me for this again.”

With that she was gone, leaving me standing there, alone. Reeling from what just happened, I made my way out of the inner prayer room, Liam who was seated jumped to his feet and rushed over to me.

“H-how'd it go?” He inquired, holding my hand. I stared at him, lips parted slightly.

“Addie… what's wrong?”

I blinked several times before clearing my throat.

“She… uh… she… she refused to tell me and told me not to contact her again regarding the matter.”

Liam's jaw slacked.

“What the f**k?! Why would she say that?!”

I shrug.

“You would think after her not answering my prayers for nine years, I would learn that she doesn't owe me shit.” I pulled my hand away and brushed past him to sit on one of the benches. He joined me.

“What's going to happen now Lili? I don't know who else to turn to.”

He stared at the ground, his brows knitted together.

“It pains me to say this… it really does Adelaide but maybe… maybe it's time we let the past go.” He whispered, my gaze snapped to him.

“W-what?”

He turned to me, his eyes brimming with tears.

“We're at a dead end, Adelaide, everything we thought to be true turned out wrong and the only person who can tell us the truth is unwilling to. Some things are just beyond our power.”

“B-but… Liam, people died… their death can't be for nothing.” I argued. “I can't just let it go”

He turned to me, taking both my hands as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

“W-we have to, you have to concentrate on your job as Alpha Prime and I… I have to concentrate on my job as Alpha in training. M-my mum… Uncle Charles and Aunt Helene, they won't want us so hung up on this.”

I closed my eyes, sniffing back the tears. He was right… I knew that, deep within me but I just couldn't bring myself to let go of it all.

“Just focus on the missing wolves and the continent.” He advised, I nodded.

“Why are you talking as if you're leaving me?” I asked, he chuckled, wrapping an arm around me, tucking me into his side.

“Don't worry, you're stuck with me.”

I laughed, in spite of the pain in my heart.

“Ready to go back to the meeting?” He inquired.

“Not really but I don't have a choice do I?”

“Nope, none at all.” He replied, getting to his feet and offering me his hand. I sighed and took it, letting him pull me up.

His words were still floating around my head… letting go of the past… I wasn't sure I could do it but I would try…

****

A FEW HOURS LATER

I parked the car in the garage next to Jacob's car before I got out. It was evening and I was more than exhausted after everything that had happened today. I lugged my bag into the house and up the stairs towards my room when I bumped into a maid.

“Good evening Luna, would you like me to inform Delilah of your return?” She inquired.

“No, thank you, it's fine. I can manage without her.” I replied, she nodded and continued on her way while I walked into my room. I dropped my bags on the chair and kicked off my shoes before changing into something more comfortable.

I decided to get some work done to keep myself occupied, to stop myself from overthrowing everything including Eda's refusal to give me answers regarding everything that had happened.

As the hours passed, I found Eda's words creeping back into my mind. What could it possibly be that Jacob and I refused to fit into? What could we have done?

I stared at my laptop as if the answers would appear from the screen and everything would finally make sense but I knew life didn't work like that. Sighing, I tried to focus once more but it was impossible at this point, the entire room was suffocating, the urge to be free from the myriad of complications that was my life growing with every second.

I'm restless, that's just it. A walk will help.

I placed the laptop aside and headed out of my room. I made my way downstairs with every intention of going to the front door yet I found myself passing through his conference room and standing in front of a familiar set of doors in front of me.

What the f**k are you doing here Adelaide?!

I had no idea why I felt like a child about to face the Principal.

Damnit Adelaide, you are an Alpha Prime!!! I mentally berated myself.

Finally gathering my wits, I knocked, waiting for an answer. The doors opened on their own and my eyes met Jacob's. His eyes widened at the sight of me.

“Adelaide?”

“Uh… I can go, you're busy.” I whispered, turning to leave.

“No, please come in. I'm never busy when it comes to you.”

I didn't know why but his words made my stomach flutter. I turned back to him as he got to his feet.

“Is anything the matter? Was the car not to your liking?”

I shook my head.

“No, it was perfect.” I replied, walking in. I looked around the office trying to come up with anything to say yet nothing came to mind.

Come on Adelaide, this isn't your first time talking to the man!!!

Well this is your first time having a civil conversation with him…

“D-do you mind if I sit?” I inquired. He shook his head though I could see the confusion in his eyes.

“No, go ahead.”

I settled on the sofa, watching as he sat down and got back to the documents in front of him. I watched him work, he had it easy, then again I knew he took over from his father at the age of 17 which made him the youngest lycan to become an Alpha Prime.

I glanced around the office, taking in the set up. It was very masculine with lots of dark wood. My eyes landed on a table at the side that had a single picture frame with a young child and a man, I could tell it was Jacob and his father. Interestingly his father had blue eyes, yet Jacob had eyes that gravitated from brown, red and black.

Strange, maybe he got his eyes from his mother.

I couldn’t help but think of what our lives would have been like if we knew each other as children, if we had been in constant communication as some of the other Prime’s children had. Things would have been much easier and all these bloodshed would have been avoided.

How exactly would you be in constant communication Adelaide, you were never allowed a phone, remember?

I frowned, stilling at the thought

Wait, a minute

“You know… it all makes sense now.” I whispered aloud, my wide eyes on him. He turned his attention to me, head tilted slightly to the side. “Why my father never let me have a phone… I was the only wolf in the pack who didn't have one, I always thought he was just being old fashioned, now it makes perfect sense, he didn’t want you to find a way to communicate with me directly.”

I stared down at my fingers, blinking back the tears, a bitter chuckle escaped my lips.

“I got a phone, in secret of course. I don't know how he found out but he went ballistic, shattering the phone and threatening to send me far away if I ever went against his order again. I had never seen him so angry and fearful.”

My eyes found Jacob once more, who was staring at me. I got to my feet and approached his table, sitting on one of the chairs so the table was the only thing between us.

“W-what happened that night?” I asked, my voice soft. He looked away, shaking his head.

“You don't want to know Adelaide.”

“I need to know Jacob, please. For nine years, I grew up believing you had killed my entire pack in cold blood for no reason and now I know why you did… but I still need to know what exactly happened that night.”

He stared up at the ceiling before turning to me.

“I don't remember much of it. I went with a couple of my men. All I wanted was for your father to hand you over, I.. I didn't want war, I didn't want to shed any blood but something that even I can't explain happened that night, between your father and I and… I saw red, I felt the urge to kill, to decimate every living thing there and I couldn't control it, my men and I… we…” He trailed off. “It was the pain of your death that snapped me out of it, by then it was too late. Everyone was dead… including my men and I was the only one left standing. I was confused, shocked and afraid so I ended up fleeing the scene like a f*****g coward.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, my body cold from his words.

“If I had known that would have been the outcome, I wouldn't have gone to Silverstone but Destiny kept saying a great injustice had occurred and it needed to be fixed…”

My head snapped up.

“What?!... what did you just say?”

“Destiny?”

“No… not that. What did Nanna Ur say?” I asked, my heart beating frantically.

“A great injustice had occurred and it needed to be fixed?”

My lips parted in shock, as my brain tried to make sense of all the thoughts swirling in my mind.

“Adelaide? What's wrong?” He asked. I glanced at him, debating whether to tell him about the missing people in my continent.

Fuck it.

“There have been disappearances on my continent and other continents too. It's strange because it's usually an old wolf and a younger relative, a grandparent and a grandchild and a lot of them were reported to have mentioned something along the lines of a great injustice that had occurred and that it needed to be fixed.” I explained.

He frowned.

“Disappearances? I've never heard of this before.”

“I didn't know about it until I became Alpha Prime, apparently wolves from every continent except yours are disappearing.” I explained. He leaned back in his seat, staring at the pen in his hand.

“Huh…”

“And it's strange how all the missing wolves have absolutely nothing in common.” I continued.

“No common ancestor?” He asked, I shook my head.

“From the findings of the Wolf Registry, there's no link.”

“What if the common ancestor isn't a European Wolf?” He suggested,

“Are you suggesting migration?” I asked.

“It is a possibility, we have an extensive record, I'm heading to the Registry tomorrow, we can go together if you aren't busy.”

I contemplated his offer before nodding. It wouldn't hurt to check and at least I would be keeping myself busy.

“I'd like that.”

“I'll make the arrangements.” He replied. I nodded, looking around as he made a call. Once he was done, I turned back to him.

“All done, they'll have the books and system ready for your arrival tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

The silence stretched between us and I could feel the bond pulsating between us, demanding attention. It was a dizzying sensation urging me to jump over the table and sit myself on his lap like some cat.

“I… I should go.” I got to my feet and all but ran back to my room, slamming the door shut and leaning against it.

Fuck… how was I going to cope being around him tomorrow if this was the effect he was having on me?!