The Alpha’s Fated Destiny

4

Dorian doesn’t look very convinced, but he turns his attention toward me. "There's something else you should know. I had a meeting with the other pack leaders. We’ve also been conducting some investigation into our own territories. Some things have come to light. I believe that you should be aware of them."

I meet his gaze. "Covens of witches are disappearing? Human populated cities are experiencing an increase in human abductions?"

Dorian’s expression contorts. "You were aware of this all along?”

“The first witch coven that disappeared was from the Black Alder territory," I inform him. "Overnight, the entire coven vanished. There was no trace of a single witch from that coven. This was about four years ago. Since then, different witch covens from different territories have begun vanishing. At first, we assumed they were simply packing up and leaving, but when we conducted a discreet investigation, it seemed more like a case of a*******n. Their homes had been left as if they were in the middle of their meals, their daily tasks. Tables still have food on them. Some covens still had clothing hung on the line to dry. Their schools had books open on the tables. It’s most likely that they were ambushed. But the one thing that stood out to me was that there was never any sign of a struggle."

Dorian’s face is pale.

“You have a theory in mind, I take it.”

“Karina has a habit of going after the vulnerable. She might have targeted the children first and the adults were forced to go along. The other option is that she had witches working for her already. It would be easy if the entire coven was put under a sleeping spell before being transported. I have made some inquiries, and this is definitely possible. However, the witches I reached out, to found it hard to believe that their own kind would do something like this to other witches. However, something definitely has them spooked."

"You mentioned Karina," Dorian asks, grimly. "You think it's her, then?"

I smile cooly. "You don't think it's strange that a majority of the witches have sworn fealty to Karina? Witches are meant to be on the side of humans. Although our kind buys their services for our clothes, to have them swear loyalty to any particular person from our kind is unheard of.”

“The only reason they might do that, is if they fear their lives were being threatened or they are under duress,” Dorian finishes, his voice tense. "Our investigation has not gone that far yet. We only discovered the missing covens around six months ago. But we haven’t paid much attention to the humans who are disappearing. The news had reached our ears, but we assumed it was a human problem.”

He studies me intently. "Isn't it?"

I cross my arms over my chest, looking at him. "It would interest you to know that the humans going missing are elite businessmen, or those with a lot of money. Soon after they go missing, their bank accounts are being emptied out and gold bars are being purchased with the money. Any building or business that the human owns is transferred to a certain company's name which we’ve been able to link to Karina.”

Dorian stiffens. “She's killing humans and stealing from them?”

“I don’t know if she’s killing them," I admit. “But she has something to do with the disappearance. And then there are the families of the murdered humans who stand to inherit their wealth. They've all been found murdered in their homes. Entire family lines are being wiped out. Animal attacks, they call them. Slowly and steadily, she has gained control of quite a few businesses in some of the human-owned cities. What she’s doing is very dangerous. And if it gets the attention of the South and the Central Alliance, a war might break out. Nobody will ignore her breaking the rules. Not even the Central Alliance. It threatens the peace for all of us. We are not allowed to touch humans. And if this comes out, Karina will not be the only one to pay the price for her actions. All the packs of the North Alliance will also be held accountable.”

Dorian's face is white as a sheet. "Why did you not tell us any of this before?”

“I didn’t know who to trust," I reply steadily. "I didn't know who would betray me to get into Karina’s good graces. But now that I’m no longer part of the North Alliance, this is no longer my problem.”

The weight of my words has Dorian studying me in shock. "Are you abandoning us?”

“I’m not abandoning the North, Dorian. The North abandoned me a long time ago. And besides, my allegiance is now to Sophia and the South.”

"And how're we supposed to face off against Karina without you?" Dorian demands.

The meaning behind his words is not lost on me. Without the real leader of the North, they will be in a difficult position to go against Karina. If Karina is defeated, their actions will be considered a rebellion. If I'm part of their movement, then it is the right of the leader of the North to take action. What Karina did to my father was against the laws of all three alliances. But nobody paid much attention then. Now that she has begun to take such drastic actions, the remaining two alliances will definitely look at the North.

“Who said you’re going up against Karina without me?" I bare my teeth at him with a vicious smile. "She may be your problem now, but I'll help you from the background. I want Karina dead as much as you do. I'm not going to let the North fall.”

Chapter 2

Sophia

The woman lying on the bed looks like she’s been through hell. Her expression is lax, but there’s no escaping how she’s aged over the last twenty years. Her matted silver hair has been combed and braided. I did it myself, but Elsa has been maintaining it.

I stroke her hand, my heart pinching in my chest.

She’s in this position because of me. If only I had been faster. If only…

“Stop beating yourself up.” A hand comes to rest on my shoulder and I look up at the woman standing behind me. Her tight curls are tied up in a bun and her light green eyes look weary. But her voice is firm.