A Proposal For The Rejected Luna

Chapter 4: The Truth Behind My Parents’ Death and the Conspiracy

What Xander had said made me think that maybe my parents’ deaths weren’t an accident at all. The more I tried to push it out of my mind, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right. This was something bigger, something dangerous. It was all connected to my past. I had to dig deeper. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if Mason was even moderately involved in something so awful, and I had to find out the truth. I had to know not only about my parents but about me, everything I’d ever believed. That night, Xander and I sat in his office with our heads dumped inside old files and papers scattered over the desk. It was quiet in the room, except for the soft rustling of paper and the occasional sigh from either of us. He had been helping me, guiding me through the investigation, and giving me insights where he could. With his help, the answers didn’t come easy. Xander pushed a document across the table to me. “Look at this.” His brows furrowed, his face serious. “This record details a meeting between your father and some high-ranking members of the Crimson Moon Pack.” ‘There’s a lot of missing information.’” I read through the paper, my stomach twisting as I did. The names in the report were familiar, too familiar. At the top was Mason’s name, along with others from his pack. They were talking about something big, something that didn’t feel right. They were planning something I wasn’t supposed to know about. “Why would they hide this?” I looked up at Xander and asked. “It makes no sense, though, why they would cover up something like that.” ‘Land or power is not the problem,’ Xander said, quiet now. “It’s about control. The person who killed your parents didn’t just do it out of anger. It’s something more significant. I think someone silenced your parents because they knew something. The words sunk in, and I felt a cold chill. If my parents knew something, something dangerous enough to get them killed, then I was involved, too. I was a part of this web of lies and betrayal. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to understand it. “But what does this have to do with Mason?” Why would he be involved?” Xander’s expression hardened. We need to find out that. If he’s been working with the leaders of the Crimson Moon Pack, he’s lied to you since the beginning. It’s not just about love or fate. It’s about control. And maybe Mason was right in the middle of it all.” It turned my stomach to think of Mason as part of something so much bigger, something so dark. But what else could it be? He had turned me down without a second thought. None of those years together or that bond… meant anything to him. I couldn’t let this go. I had to know what was going on with Mason. I thought about the life I had left behind, my old pack, my old home. But as I thought about it, it seemed like all of it was a lie. “Mason wouldn’t do something like this, would he?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I asked. Xander didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I think he would.” I shut my eyes and tried to remember Mason as he once was. All I could see now was the cold, the indifference of the man who could so quickly reject me and then strand me to pick up the pieces of my broken heart. What had changed? How much had he been hiding from me all this time? Xander cut the silence as he said: “We have to keep digging.” “We can’t stop now. The closer we get to the truth, the more we find.” I nodded, my resolve becoming harder. It wasn’t just about finding answers for my parents anymore. I was protecting myself, protecting my future. I couldn’t do that without knowing the truth. The further we drove, the darker it got. Clues were everywhere, in plain sight, but they made little sense. It was like a puzzle that didn’t fit together, every document I looked at, every conversation I overheard. The more I dug, the deeper I realized the conspiracy really was. Xander flipped through a new set of papers, his voice sharp. “There’s more.” “Look at this. It lists transactions between your family and Mason’s family, enormous sums of money, and coded messages. These people were involved in something far more than anyone knew.” Someone sent it to me. Shaking off my hesitation, I took the papers from him, my hands trembling as I glanced over the details. The numbers and names all meant something, but I couldn’t figure it out. Mason’s name was there, right there in the middle of the page. So again, it was like he’d been pulling the strings from the beginning. The words spilled out before I could stop them. “We have to confront him.” “We need to get to Mason and get him to tell us what he already knows.” He looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Uncertainty crept into my chest, and I paused. I wasn’t ready. I never thought I would be. But I had no choice. Someone had murdered my parents. Mason was involved in some dark, twisted plot. If I didn’t find out the truth, I could never move on. Breathless, I murmured. “I don’t have a choice.” “I have to know.” Xander didn’t argue. His eyes were determined, and he simply nodded. “Let’s find out what he’s hiding, then.” We spent the next several days piecing together what we'd discovered. The longer we dug, the more questions I had. The more it seemed, the darkness teased as Mason’s involvement seemed to reach further and further. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face it, but I was. To face him. I couldn’t get the feeling out of my head that every step I took brought me closer to something I wasn’t ready for. It would all change if I confronted him with the truth. But was I prepared for that? I was sitting alone in Xander’s office one evening, staring at the papers again, when something caught my eye. A document. An address. A meeting place. A date. It was too clear to ignore but too impossible to believe. “What is this?” I could barely whisper the words to myself. My heart was racing in my chest. Tomorrow was the day of the meeting with Mason. A cold sweat broke out on my skin, and I jumped up from my seat. This was it. The confrontation. The truth. No matter what, I had to face him. What would I find when I walked into that meeting? Had I prepared myself for what Mason had been privy to? The answer felt too far away. Too unknown. I knew one thing for sure: this would be the turning point. It was my future, my past, everything. I stared at the document, and the questions swirled in my mind. What did Mason have to do with this conspiracy? How far would he go to keep his secrets safe? I had to know. I had to face him. But could I live with the truth?