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Chapter 5

Elizabeth stopped inches away from the man, her teeth sharpened into the weapons they were. She snarled at him as she backed away on her hind legs.

And if it wasn't clear this man was more powerful than Hans, his power surged again and made Elizabeth buckle to her knees until she fell face down, whimpering. Looking around, I noticed that everyone was on their knees with their heads down, the pungent scent of anxiety mixed with fear apparent in the air.

The man's power was pressing on my every being but instead of being beaten down to submission like the rest, I felt it move past me and the air around me, like the quick flowing stream of water moving against an immoveable rock. But I slowly bowed my head in unison with the rest of the wolves because there would have been countless questions about my identity.

His power receded back to its humdrum warmth after a few long moments so I raised my head to discreetly look at Elizabeth whose whimpers began to fill the night. But as I glanced up, the man was looking at me with a glint in his eye I couldn't decipher so I snapped my head back down quickly, pretending I had my head down the whole time.

I almost sighed in relief as I felt the weight of his gaze leave me when he spoke. "We'll talk about your punishment later Elizabeth, but see to it that this doesn't happen again. Are we clear?" Elizabeth's whimpers were all we heard from her but we knew it was as clear as day for her that this wouldn't happen again.

Punishment? Who is this guy? I don't think that other Alphas can punish a wolf not in their pack. And it's weird that Elizabeth just attacked me because she doesn't simply fly off the handle for no reason. Almost always when she attacks me is because I've committed some sort of breach to normal human-werewolf etiquette I don't know. But this time, I kept to myself until the man talked to me. So does this mean that this guy is more important than I thought?

As people tried to awkwardly ignore what just occurred by resuming the party, I was led inside the house and into Hans' personal office by the man, followed by Hans and a stocky bald middle-aged guy who scampered to the man's side after the tension cleared and the party continued.

Two long couches decorated the center of Hans' office, with his desk at the end of the room by the window. Hans and the small but well-built guy proceeded to sit on one side of the couch while the man and I sat on the other couch.

Hans and the guy were facing the window which made Hans' light sheen of sweat on his face and his blinking fast all the more noticeable. I raised an eyebrow at Hans' meek behavior, since this is the first time I've ever seen the arrogant alpha act any less superior. He gulped before saying, "Illia, I heavily apologize for my wife's behavior. She—"

Illia, apparently the name of the man beside me, raised a hand to stop the start of Hans' babbling tirade. "Is that really what's important here?"

Hans looked taken aback, his sweat glistening more than his pale blonde hair. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the laughter at how ridiculous he looked at this moment. Kind of makes whatever I unconsciously did that angered Elizabeth enough to attack me to be worth it.

"I, uh—I apologize for not—" he stuttered, trailing off when he couldn't figure out what to say. He was babbling like a fool and sweating like a pig, it was honestly the funniest thing I'd ever seen. I lightly bit my lip to prevent laughing out loud at this moment.

Illia shook his head at Hans and turned to me, "How are you feeling?"

I blinked. "Uh I'm fine," And because my curiosity is at times worse than a cat's, I couldn't but ask the question I wanted to know since he talked to me. "Who are you?"

"Don't be insolent, human!" sputtered Baldy as he stood, growling at me. What the heck? I looked at the muscled guy in the tight fitting suit he wore, his face red in anger. My eyebrows rose slightly as I thought, Well, excuse me for trying to know exactly who I'm dealing with.

Turning to look back at Illia who was smiling warmly at me, he looked more like the kind parent I never had, not like the guy that pushed dozens of wolves to submit to him on pure power alone.

"I'm William Caldwell, Alpha of the Guijero pack. And what's your name, dear child?"

"Illia, what are you doing?" the stocky guy asked, his eyes wide as he turned to the man beside me.

"Sit down Rufus," his voice was hard and left no room for arguments. Rufus aka Baldy sat down slowly, his brows crunched up in confusion as he looked back and forth at Illia and I. Is Baldy his second-in-command? Beside him, Hans remained quiet, wiping his sweat on his shirt sleeve as he listened.

"Evangeline Rosewood. Mr. Caldwell—"

"Illia."

"Uh Mr. Illia—"

"Just call me Illia, Evangeline," he said, his dark brown eyes were twinkling with warmth.

This is seriously the weirdest conversation I've ever had with another wolf. I felt Baldy and Hans' heavy gaze on me as I said, "Thanks for protecting me earlier Illia, but why am I here exactly?"

As a human attacked by a high-ranking wolf, normally I'd be dismissed off to my cottage and the party would have continued. Oddly enough, not this time. What does this mean? Does this Illia guy know something more about me than he should?

With how powerful he is, could it be that he's the one who was spying on me earlier?

"Well I believe apologies are in order," he said, leaning back on the couch to stare at Hans. "Don't you think so?" He smiled warmly at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow at what he was saying. It couldn't be, could it?

But it was because Hans opened his mouth in shock before clenching out the words, "I'm sorry that Elizabeth attacked you, human." He spat out the word human like it was acid in his mouth.

Well, smack my ass and call me Judy. I didn't think he would do it at all. With how racist this alpha was to humans, it could only be a miracle that he apologized to me—a human, somebody far below their social structure.

I bit my lip to hold back the laughter that was threatening to come out of me as I nodded my head and looked down at my hands. Don't look at him anymore or you'll laugh and make this situation worse than it is. But as I was trying to hold in the laughter, my suspicious self kicked in and whispered that something didn't seem right.

Hans wasn't acting like an alpha interacting with another alpha. He was following the subtle orders hidden in mild-mannered and logical reasoning that Illia was saying, even Baldy was doing it.

As a wolf dominant enough to hold down the position of an alpha, it wouldn't feel right to follow orders, no matter if the other person has a bigger pack than you. Logic wouldn't come into it. Either it's already established that you're a bigger, more dangerous predator around, or you would fight to have that position. Because no dominant wolf will take that offense lying down.

Even I, despite my years of blending in with the submissives, wanted to show to these three that I was as dominant as they are, maybe even more. The offense of being looked down, pitied, resonates deep inside my soul and thrums back in waves of anger to show these guys that I am more than what they see me as. Now what more to someone who from the beginning, never had to pretend they were weaker than they really are? Their self-control would diminish into nothing and a fight would occur.

But Baldy and Hans weren't acting that way. More like, they're responding to Illia like he was their leader, the alpha to their alphas.

And then it clicked like a missing puzzle piece hiding in plain sight. Illia is the Alarick, the head werewolf honcho that I've been hearing about for years. Both feared and admired because of how powerful he is to have held down the position for decades, a true testament to his strength, ability, and mental acuity.

The Alarick who is the reason why I'm still alive and adopted by this pack of wolves rather than mangled into pieces.

The three of them had moved on to discussing other topics as I quietly observed them. Hans looked a little off-putted that I was still listening to their conversation, while Baldy and Illia were calmly talking about the current power struggle between the witches and werewolves. And as I watched them, my gaze constantly moving back to rest on the Alarick, I wondered why he lied and pretended he was the alpha of another pack when it's becoming quite clear now that Baldy is the Guijero pack alpha.

"We'll have to settle this issue with the Carmick's. If the rumor is true that they involved werewolves in their silly little spells, they would pay." Illia growled, his face darkening to a semblance of what he looked earlier.

"Ala—" Baldy coughed, pointedly ignoring me as he cleared his throat a couple times before continuing, "Illia, I heard that Farrah, the Kiltan pack alpha, has already sent two of her wolves who could easily blend in with humans to discreetly investigate this rumor."

"She did?"

Baldy nodded, "We should be hearing from her in a few weeks."

"I'm surprised Kiltan didn't tell you about this," said Hans.

Illia sighs. "That woman has always done what she wanted to get her way and just informs me afterward about the destruction she caused."

"What is going on?" They kept talking about packs and a family of people who apparently have an issue with the wolves that I know nothing about. I know I'm not kept on the loop, because why would they, but I thought I was doing a pretty good job of learning more about the supes from the sidelines. And with their tone, it sounded like it's another grave issue apart from the Reons pack.

"It's not any of your business human," Hans replied dismissively. God, he's testing my patience. I thought, slowly closing my fists to prevent my suddenly attacking him in annoyance. He can't even say one good, non-insulting thing in his mouth when talking to me. Stupid ass jerk.

"Isn't it? I'm living with your pack so it means that any issue involving wolves concern me too. I have a right to know if it's still safe for me," I said, looking directly at Hans who had opened his mouth and closed it like a fish out of water as I talked back to him. For the first time. See how good my self-control is?

I don't know what's up with me today. Somehow I feel so raw that any verbal insult or situation that I used to easily ignore, doesn't simply slide off now and instead my real attitude is coming out of its cave to face the arrogant beasts.

"You have a point," surprisingly Baldy agreed with me. Hans turned to look lightning-fast at Baldy in surprise. "Evangeline, was it?"

I nodded and he continued. "The Carmick's are the biggest family of witches and warlocks that heavily support what humans call dark magic. They sacrifice goats, lambs, any animal that work to make their spells stronger. It's also rumored that they've tied their souls to demons to be stronger. But since they entered the Magical Ingredients Exclusion Act of 1582, they're not allowed to involve any supes in their spells. Otherwise the witch or warlock who did it will be tried and if found guilty, hanged in front of the Circle of Leaders."

I've heard of them once. The CL is composed of the head authority figures in each species, from Marcus Head of the Vampires, Illia the Alarick, and the others. They only meet once something occurs that endangers most species.

"Tied? I thought when you are dealing with demons, selling your soul is the only way to do it?" According to books I've read that is. Which is why I assumed that everything I read about other supernaturals were truth seeing as I found the books in Alcatrozz library. What it lacked in information about Rosewood wolves, it made up for its hefty bank of research on other supes.

"That's how humans do it because witches know how to protect themselves. Though technically that's not what it is because they don't sell their soul in the way you're thinking of. They enter into a contract with a demon to gain the demon's power for a period of time, and in return, the demon consumes their memories, their soul, and everything they're made of until they are nothing but withered husks on the ground."

"Only humans would be pathetic enough to destroy themselves by biting more than they can chew," scoffed Hans.

A vein popped on my forehead at what Hans said. Breathing slowly, I tried calming myself down because I knew this wasn't the right time or place to lose control of myself just because of an arrogant piece of shit who acts like he's the biggest predator around.

Focusing on Baldy, I asked as calmly as I could, "How many werewolves have gone missing?" Because I doubt that a rumor would start if nobody had gone missing.

"More than three rogues living near the Carmick's and two wolves from Godero, the pack in the same city as them," piped Illia.

Rogues?

"Do you think it's possible that the Carmick's are connected with the murder of the five packs in recent years? If they tied to themselves to demons, then wouldn't that make them more capable of surprising and overpowering unassuming werewolves?"

Baldy scrunched his brows together as he stared at me. "No, we've always suspected it to be the vampires simply because they loathe us. And in the last few years, our relationship with witches have been good."

"It may be possible," muttered Illia, his right hand under his chin as he looked at the floor in thought. "We never thought to suspect them since they provided us information on Marcus' recent schemes. But it's also possible that they could be working together," he trailed off.

"That's a stupid thing to say human. You don't even know about them one moment and now you're accusing them?" Hans scoffed.

"I'm not accusing them. I'm just saying what if there's a possibility that this rumor about the Carmick's is true then they are more powerful than we originally thought. And with the history between wolves and witches, they have all the more reason to—"

"Since when did you become an expert on interspecies politics? And since when did you think your opinion is important enough to be heard?" mockingly he crossed his arms, raising his nose to the air.

My eyes narrowed in anger. I couldn't believe this fool of a person is even an alpha in the first place! Head of the pack, father and comrade of every werewolf in his care, he's supposed to listen and make well-thought out decisions, not just be strong. Frankly Tate would make a better alpha than you, considering how he is still immature in some aspects.

Before I could open my mouth to tell him off, devil may care that I'll be speaking back to him, Illia responded, "She pointed out a possibility that our fondness for the witches may have been the cause of why so many of our brethren are dead. Do you think that's so little to just scoff at it?"

"It's associating doubt and ill-intent without profound knowledge to the subject like every human does. Illia, don't tell me you're really going to believe this narrow-minded ape over Kalista, Medea, all the allies we've had for decades?!"

Baldy who remained quiet suddenly spoke as he looked at Hans, "As opposed to believing this human child who have no allies, no knowledge to our world besides what she knows of us and what we tell her, and would have no reason to make up lies nor have anything to color her logic?"

We all watched as Hans red-faced in anger, looked consecutively at Illia and Baldy with wide eyes like he couldn't believe they would defend me.

I didn't expect them to because nobody ever did. It felt nice, as if after years of protecting myself the best I could as a wolf hiding as a human in a pack, somebody thought to take the reins off of me even just for a little while. But as much as I wanted to stay and watch Hans make more of a fool of himself, I doubt a human would necessarily stay this long, meddling in werewolf affairs.

As I was eyeing the door, trying to think of a discreet way I could leave that would make it seem I was uncomfortable in this situation—like a human would feel surrounded by three dominant wolves who are on the verge of a fight—I caught Illia's gaze. To hell with it. "Maybe I should go?" I asked, gesturing to the door.

"No, it's fine. Stay."

"Thank you but this is wolf business," I said, getting up from my seat.

"Then isn't it fine? After all, you're more than human."

I froze in my tracks. What? Slowly, I turned back to look at Illia like a deer caught in headlights. Breathing through my nose to keep myself calm and not make it noticeable that I am panicking, I asked painting my words with confusion, "I'm not?"

"Yes. You are part of this pack, aren't you?" Illia smiles warmly at me and pats the space beside him.

Words failed me as I sat down beside him again, feeling the weight of immediate panic I felt earlier leave without remorse. He wouldn't know, he would have no reason to unless he was the one spying on me earlier. Just remain calm and nobody would notice that you acted weird, I thought as I settled back in the couch to watch them.

Hans took a deep breath, seemingly taking a few extra moments to compose himself before breathing out and sneering, "Can't you see it? Humans are terrible creatures. They cheer for the death of their species as much as they rob the lives of others to benefit them."

Illia shook his head slowly, as if he couldn't believe what Hans was saying. "There's not much to gain in generalizing an entire race because of a few bad seeds. I can't even begin to believe that this is what you think of them. If the Alarick had known about this, he wouldn't have left this child with you in the first place."

Hans opened his mouth, probably to dig a deeper hole than he already did, but a knock on the door cut him off. A second later, a tall guy with deep brown hair cut closely to his scalp walked in. There was a noticeable vertical three-clawed scar from his temple, stopping before it reached his right eye. Good thing, I thought, because his deep chocolate brown eyes seemed too beautiful to be ruined.

"Caden, good. I was just about to call you," greeted Illia.

His eyes scanned the room in one glance, noticing the tension vibrating in Hans' whole body before settling on the man beside me. He remained quiet, seemingly relaxed as he stood, but there was no doubt that he was ready at any time for any attack in all directions. A beast who is just waiting for the right time to attack.

"Watch the Carmick's and report back everything they're doing," Illia ordered. "There's a chance that we may have been made fools of."

Caden jerked his head in agreement. Whoa, not much of a talker is he? If I was him I'd have asked the reason behind the fools comment, but I guess that's just me.

I was about to ask Illia on what this guy could do that the others already investigating couldn't when a deafening, mind-numbing roar blasted its way through my skull—seemingly grounding my mind to bits.

The pain travelled to every nerve-endings and muscle in my body, burning everything until all I could do was curl into a ball on the floor, hoping it would stop. Barely, I could feel somebody touch my shoulders and Illia's voice asking, "Evangeline what's wrong?"

My throat was closed off, blocking the scream threatening to come out of me. Above all the pain, my heart thudded rapidly, running faster and faster as the air seemed harder and harder to get.

Then I heard it.

A cacophony of terrified screams. Amidst it was a soft gasp of somebody dying. I didn't know how I heard it louder and clearer than the screams or how I knew that person was fighting its hardest to breathe through a pool of blood in its throat, but I knew. I just knew. Indeterminable strength flooded my system as I stood and ran outside to where the commotion is. Rufus, Caden, Hans, and Illia followed without sound.

The smell of blood and violence permeated the air amidst the scent of anxiety and fear spreading throughout the wolves gathered at the far end of the backyard. My eyes quickly scanned the crowd, looking for him with his messy curls of a blonde hair standing out among them. I didn't even care if he was together with Trisha right now, I just wanted to catch a glimpse of him and know for sure that he is okay despite this feeling of doom in my heart.

He's not here. I couldn't breathe properly as I turned and pushed against the crowd looking for him, knowing that something bad has definitely happened. And then I saw a flash of his blonde curls on the ground, in the middle of where people were gathered. I barely heard the yelps and "hey!" of the people I pushed with more strength than a human could have as I rushed to where he is.

The whole world seemed to have stopped moving as soon as I saw him, lying in a pool of blood, gasping for the breath he couldn't have.

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