Ashes of the Forgotten Alphas

Chapter 2: The truth behind the photo

“This is definitely not what I planned when I said I was heading to the Reons pack today,” I said, glancing at the man who was driving his car like the stoplights and traffic weren’t there.

Tate grinned, glancing at me before returning his attention to the streets. “Well, I can’t leave two members of our pack vulnerable can I?”

“And who said we were going to be vulnerable with just us?”

“You know what I meant Evie,” answered Tate, his voice carefully empty. I rolled my eyes at his answer, knowing he thought Trisha and I were going to kill each other if we were left alone. It’s possible but didn’t mean it was a sure thing. “Anyway,” continued Tate. “It’s good this way since we can’t show any sort of vulnerability otherwise we risk it all.”

“What do you mean?”

Before Tate could have answered, Trisha who remained quiet and paid more attention to the scenery outside spoke up with a hint of the biting annoyance she had for me before. “And to think you’re our Louve when you know s**t about us. I suppose you thought you could rely purely on strength alone rather than learning more about how packs work all these months?”

I bit back the snap retort I had ready at what she said, breathing in slowly through my mouth to calm myself before replying, “Knowing how packs work in essence does not equate to being able to navigate all the intricacies of the pack. Just because I asked Tate to clarify what he meant doesn’t mean I don’t care about Alcatrozz.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

A roll of anger flashed in me a second before I knew Tate was going to say something. Don’t. Let me handle this, I told him silently then I turned around as much as my seatbelt allowed me to look at Trisha.

“Just because you’re obviously stressed about seeing someone at the Reons pack doesn’t give you the right to b***h at me. Whatever your problems are, work it out yourself or don’t. Up to you but don’t think for one second that people will be willing to be your verbal punching bag.”

Then I turned and focused my attention on the road. Trisha and I has never seen eye to eye but I thought she’d dialled down her snarkiness these past few months. Apparently not.

“It’s Train,” Trisha suddenly said, breaking the silence that took over the car. “I don’t know, it’s just...he’s a bit difficult to talk to.”

A repertoire of insults sat at the tip of my tongue that of course Train doesn’t want to talk to her after all he hated the Alcatrozz pack after they didn’t help Reons. More so than that, Train didn’t like spoiled brats and Trisha is exactly that. But rather than saying it all, I held the words since I had an inkling Train already told her that and more.

“You have your work cut out for you,” was what I said instead. And even though I didn’t like her one bit, she is still pack so I added, "Much as he doesn’t show it, he likes helping people. Maybe you can make that work for you.”

Evie, I heard Tate say. Have I told you before that you’re f*****g amazing?

You’re an i***t. I told him, looking outside the car and trying to contain the silly happiness I felt in the last few minutes before reaching Lily’s Inn, where all of the Reons pack resided.

As Tate pulled up the front of Lily’s Inn, I noticed a brown sedan and a red mini hatchback parked in front. I got out of the car, wondering who the other visitors were today. But before I could wonder for long, the scent of someone who was really close to me before strengthened until it was undeniable that she was close to us.

“Hey empress,” said a soft voice from behind with the same teasing tone that I thought I wouldn’t be able to hear again. Not after everything at least.

I turned around and saw Nicole, her short blonde hair from the last time I saw her now almost close to her waist. “Hey,” I said, raising a hand in greeting.

Train was beside her, his deep brown eyes seemingly darkening when the back door of the car opened and Trisha appeared.

“Train,” whispered Trisha so softly it sounded like she simply exhaled the words out.

Rather than paying attention to her, Train turned his attention on me and Tate who locked the car and came around to stand beside me. “Dad is waiting for you inside.” Then he left, his strides quick and sure as he headed inside the house. Trisha huffed in annoyance before chasing after him.

I turned to Nicole and saw a distinct flash of surprise covered her tawny eyes before the reality of the awkwardness between us settled back in.

Suddenly, a phone started ringing. Tate excused himself from us, touching my arm briefly in support before he moved a couple meters away to answer the phone.

A small part of me wanted to be snarky, to let Nicole know she can’t just be this casual after blatantly ignoring me these last few months. Yet as I stared and saw her holding her hands in front of her, showing how uncomfortable she was, I knew I couldn’t.

She and the rest of the pack had the right to feel what they felt, especially since for all they knew the pack that led the murder of their loved ones, were my relatives. They weren’t but how were they to know that?

It was nothing against me at all. It took me a while to get it but seeing her like this, shifting as a smile quivered on her lips, made me want to slap myself silly for how self-absorbed I had been.

“Been a long while since you came around these parts to save us, huh?” Nicole started but the teasing glint in her voice died down the longer she spoke and by the end of the sentence, the awkwardness of the situation just rang out.

Not wanting her to feel this way, I smiled. Hopefully, while things might not exactly return to how it was before, we become okay again in the near future without this seemingly visible awkwardness between us. “Not like you guys need saving now. I heard everyone’s been training like mad men these days.”

The uncertainty in her eyes were immediately wiped off as she stopped fidgeting, smiling like how she used to before when she was plotting things or insulting Justin and Rastor.

“It’s been crazy. You’d think we were running a military school or something here with how strict the schedule is for the shifts, training, and more. And if you think that’s the end of it, nooo.” She stretched out the no, rolling her eyes in the process.

“There are seminars we have to go to now. I thought we just needed to be prepared, but I think this is just crazy how things are going. I didn’t enlist myself in some sort of military pack in the first place you know.”

I grinned at her. “You didn’t enlist yourself in the pack though cause you were born in it.”

“Right?” she waved her hand, shaking her head. “I wasn’t born to do this. I was made to live as this amazing and kickass wolf, not like a military queen who wakes up close to dawn just to train with those idiots who seem to forget what procrastination is.”

Shaking my head at her silliness and glad how quick the awkwardness left, I asked, “So the boys have really taken to the training and protecting the pack huh?”

Last I heard, everyone besides Hugh, Frederick’s son who I think was around ten years old, were involved in tightening the pack’s security. More so these days now that Lilian was tortured and killed at Sofia’s hands, the wolf who will do anything to have my father again. She was also the mother of my half-brother, Gabe. 

Of all the destruction to the packs they caused, I’m just happy Illia still has them secured in his place. Hopefully they will stay there and not cause anybody anymore harm.

Nicole shrugged. “More so than the rest, except maybe for Alpha Daniel. It’s needed and their intense drive to protect and serve the pack do motivate the rest of us, but it just gets a tad unbearable at times, you know?”

I nodded, understanding why it’s difficult. These last few months hadn’t really been easy but with Lilian’s death adding another shadow to the pack, it must and still is some sort of a living hell. I haven’t seen Daniel yet but I think he’ll be worse off compared to the rest.

“Things might have been difficult these last few months but hopefully everything calms down soon into some sort of normalcy. And I know Illia is doing his best to secure the packs now from foreseeable threats so we can hope for the best.”

“Yeah,” muttered Nicole but it was clear in her voice and in the way she clapped her hands in the following second that she didn’t believe a word I said.

“Anyway, you busy bee, you have to get to Alpha Daniel now don’t you? He’s talking to a few potential members but I know he’ll be free soon, despite what that i***t Train said.”

“You already received applications?” I asked, a bit surprised since I only heard that they were taking in a couple wolves this morning when Tate told me.

It was part of Illia’s new policy where no wolf will be left alone. If someone feels the need to leave their pack, they need to already have a new pack willing to accept them. It keeps everyone safer and leaves less opportunity for others to use rogue wolves as weapons.

“A few. They’re in the dining room now, just waiting if they’ll be accepted or not. Do you want to come and meet them while waiting?” Nicole paused, glancing at Tate who had been standing away from us all this time, talking on his phone. “Both of you can come unless you’d rather wait for now?”

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the man in question who happened to look our way the moment I looked at him. There was no change in the air, no quantifiable difference in the strong scent of the earth mixed with the sweet taste of flowers, yet I felt as if the world paused a bit as his bright emerald gaze bore into me.

As much discomfort as I felt at suddenly becoming the Louve of the Alcatrozz pack, or the fact that I learned it quite late, I can’t say I dislike the whole extravaganza of things that came with being his mate.

Someone snapped their fingers near me, unconsciously making the world start again and pull my focus back to reality. “Oh right,” I said distractedly, turning my attention back to Nicole who had a knowing glint in her eyes. The same one she got when she teased people silly. “He can just follow us once he’s done so let’s go.”

Nicole raised an eyebrow at me and the next words that came out of her mouth were in the perfect intonation of someone who found a good bone to tease people with. “Are you sure?”

Not necessarily wanting to be at the business end of a needling, I started walking to the direction of the house. “Come on, lead the way.”

We headed into the house with Nicole walking beside me. As we got closer to the dining room, the scents of strange wolves were apparent in the air but there was one that seemed familiar. Where did I...?

I didn’t have to wonder long because the moment Nicole and I entered the dining room, I saw why. It was the feral wolf who had attacked me before, not out of his own will but because he was being controlled. Yet I was in my own world and believed in my power too much that I harshly forced him to submit, because I could do it. Because I needed this strange wolf to know that he cannot mess with me.

And now as I stared at the boy who looked no more than 15 years old, his clothes hanging loosely from a body that showed he couldn’t eat enough, I realized again how stupid I was. 

There were two other boys beside him as they all sat in the dining table, talking with Train. Trisha sat somewhere close to him, her sharp blue eyes showing her eagerness to jump into the conversation so Train would pay attention to her.

Conversation stopped the moment they noticed I and Nicole were there and I knew the moment that boy realized who I was since the stench of fear suddenly wafted into the air until it felt difficult to breathe around it.

Before I could apologize, Rastor and Justin appeared. “Whoa, what happened here?” asked Justin, pinching his nose. “It smells like someone scared the hell out of a skunk.”

It could have been said better but it definitely did smell like it. I didn’t say anything though since I felt the weight of Rastor’s cobalt eyes. His ash brown hair now reached past his neck in a smooth swept back style that made him more mature and emphasized the brilliance of his eyes. Yet he didn’t say anything or showed any emotion before he turned his gaze to the wolves that Train was just talking to.

“Training starts now. Follow me,” and that was all he said before leaving the dining room as quickly as he came in. Justin gestured to the guys then left as well.

“I thought we’d be given time to settle in,” said one of the guys with a backpack on his shoulder as they all moved to follow Rastor. The other guy had his hands in his jeans, shrugging while the boy I threatened before deliberately skittered past me.

I sighed. 

“Don’t let him get to you. It’s not your fault if his expectations were through the roof,” said Nicole, bringing my attention back to her. “You did what you had to do.”

“He told you what happened?”

“Yeah. It’s not really unexpected, much as he doesn’t like to admit it. I mean, pushing you away so hard as he and the rest of us did when you needed help the most? Then feeling as if you were going to readily accept him once he started showing you a sliver of who he was before?” Nicole shook her head. “That’s just not right.”

“It’s not all him,” I started softly, knowing that even if I didn’t mean to, the times I relied on him more than anyone, I inadvertently led him on. “But thank you because I thought you would hate me after what happened with him.”

“Oh honey, definitely not. Who else more than anyone here would understand why you did that? After all, he still hasn’t gotten over his mate for one second then he’s forcing his attention on you in another.”

Somebody cleared his throat and as we turned, saw it was Justin who had his hand at the back of his head. “We were actually coming to find you earlier. Alpha Daniel is already free so just go to his office anytime you’re done with that conver—I mean, ah hell just go to the office. Tate is already there too.” Then Justin disappeared, his footsteps thudding on the floor loudly as he ran away.

“You never fail to make anything awkward, huh?” mused Train who was leaning back in his chair. 

“Oh shut it. You’re one to talk,” I rebutted, glancing at Trisha who was twiddling her thumbs and glancing once in a while at him. Much as I didn’t like her, it felt off to see her acting this way so I added, “Let’s go Nicole. I think the new wolves need you, otherwise those two would push their boundaries in the first day.”

Nicole getting what I meant had a maniacal glint in her tawny eyes as she linked arms with me. “Nobody needs you anywhere Train so you can stay put and attend to our guest. Wouldn’t want the Alcatrozz pack to feel unwelcomed, right?”

We quickly went to Alpha Daniel’s office with Nicole knocking on the door. “Before we leave, do you know the name of that wolf?” I asked her as she turned to go.

Recognition flashed in her eyes. “His name’s Clint.”

I nodded in thanks, before heading in to Alpha Daniel’s office. I definitely need to stop by that training after this meeting so I could apologize properly to Clint.

Tate was in the couch in front of the desk where he waved his hand a little. I smiled softly at him and was about to greet Alpha Daniel before the words died in my throat.

The man on the chair was someone I didn’t recognize for a second. His russet hair was a messy mop, sunken eyes that explicitly told everyone that he has barely slept a wink, and skin that has a hint of yellow. Then he talked and it was Alpha Daniel’s voice, a harsh version of it but it was him.

“What are you standing there for, wasting my time? Sit and start talking.”

Despite the words, there was no real authority to his voice but I listened and sat down. And since he obviously wasn’t doing well with Lilian’s death, I didn’t bring it up. I’ve already said all I could back to him and the rest of the Reons pack during the funeral. To bring it up any more when Daniel is acting this way is simply just opening the wound further.

Taking the photo out of my bag, I showed it to him and asked, “It’s about your friend, King? I would just like to know where to find him. I know you said he’s human but I want to make sure he’s not like me.”

“Haven’t I told you that I haven’t seen him in years? He just disappeared one day without even a word of good bye.”

I pursed my lips, trying to ignore the rudeness that he’s showing. Tate moved forward in his seat, not liking Daniel’s attitude. He was older than us but he wasn’t stronger, not enough to be acting this way. I glanced at him, making sure he wouldn’t do anything.

“I’m really sorry that happened,” I said instead. It was vague enough that it could mean either his friend not getting back to him and and it was about Lilian. “But do you remember where we could begin to find him? Like if he mentioned where his family’s located, even a general area would be really helpful.”

“Are you an id—” he cleared his throat, realizing exactly how he was acting and in the next moment, he sounded more like his old self. “Back in the day, there was barely any open lines of communication. We had telephones but we didn’t call each other since he would simply find me at the dorm and we’d hang out.”

“It’s a dead end, then?” commented Tate, taking my left hand in his. I held his hand tight but continued staring at Daniel for confirmation.

“Believe me, if there was any way to contact him all these years I would have already done it. But he didn’t leave any address at all, not ones that were real anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Daniel sighed, leaning back into his chair as he recollected what happened with his old friend. “After he disappeared, I got worried that something bad happened to him. He was only human but he had this innate way of annoying people without trying. And he was always getting into things and fighting that someone will beat him up wasn’t a question. It’s only a matter of when.

So when he was gone, I bribed someone from the University’s records department so I could check his address. We found it but it only led us to a factory.” He shook his head, a shadow of a smile on his face. “The bastard faked his details. Can’t believe it up to this day.”

Fake details? It couldn’t be that he was simply hiding from human police, right?”

My realization must have been obvious on my face since Daniel continued. “He could’ve given that address because he’s on a run from something. Maybe with his parents or what? He rarely his mentioned his family, if at all but I don’t think it’s because he’s a werewolf. Any one of us would have given our right address for school records since there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Unless you’re from this pack that nobody, except for a given few, has heard of?” Tate butted in.

I squeezed his hand and nodded. “It’s not totally impossible, don’t you think?”

“Evangeline, chances are higher that he’s hidden any way to contact him because of something else. There’s any number of reasons why a human would do this and less than a fraction of it for a werewolf.”

Despite Daniel’s certainty and I know he made sense, I didn’t want to believe him. Not just yet anyway. I have come a long way trying to find my pack and family and now I’m a little closer to finding him so I wouldn’t give up even if the odds were against me.

Pulling my hand away from Tate, I stood and smiled at Daniel. “Thank you for your time then. Can I keep this with me for now? I’m still going to try to find him, see where this leads me.”

He nodded, a grim look in his brown eyes as Tate and I moved to leave the room. “Wait, there’s something you need to know. It didn’t lead me anywhere back then but it might be different now or you can at least check it but there is one place that King wouldn’t shut up about before.”

“Where is it?”

“Cenoesha. He went there every summer and I think there was a girl but that’s the one thing he wouldn’t say a word about.”