What about Cynthia, I manage to say when Ryan lets go.
Cynthia is more than she realizes–more than you realize! And I’m going to make sure she’s not a threat to our
future.
Enraged, I rush at him again, only Ryan is able to get a paw up and swipe me across the face, drawing blood.
You’re fucking crazy!
No–I’m motivated.
We circle each other again, each one ready for the other to be next to strike. I move forward a little, and Ryan backs up. He moves forward a little, and I back up. We go about this dance for way too long.
“What do you know of our previous Alpha?” Charles asks us.
I shrug, not knowing what my answer should be because my mind has gone numb.
“He was murdered by rogues,” Rita states matter–of–factly
“He was attacked by rogues,” he says, correcting her. “He was away from base, and no one bore witness to the events that took place…except for Ryan, his younger brother.”
“And your current Alpha,” Rita adds.
Charles nods. Jeraoul and Lenor are still staring at me. I try not to notice.
“Ryan was also injured and returned with his brother’s body.”
So far, there seems to be nothing suspicious about his story
“Ryan was in human form. So was Hrolf.”
“This was the first clue,” Jeraoul adds.
“But not the last,” Lenor says.
My mind comes back to me, and I don’t understand what the clue is. “What doesss human form. Have to do. With?”
“Werewolves don’t battle each other in human form, which indicates he wasn’t fighting a werewolf.”
“Or perhaps anyone,” Jeraoul speculates.
“I assisted the coroner who had begun the autopsy of Hrulf’s body. She had no longer gotten her tools together and begun her initial observation before Ryan burst into the room and insisted we stop.”
Rita is intrigued, and I can tell she is already working out what they’re implying. “Why?”
“He didn’t really give a reason. After he took the body, the coroner and I stood there stunned.”
“You didn’t stop him?” Rita asked, incredulous.
“Their parents had passed. He had rights to the body as his brother’s successor.”
Rita nods her understanding, but I’m still a little lost.
“But he didn’t take Hrolf’s body before we’d had the chance to strip it and lay it out. The coroner and I both immediately noted that there were no visible wounds.”
“Aha. He should’ve still exhibited wounds. He wouldn’t have healed so quickly in his human form,” Rita adds.
“That’s right. What he did have was a blue ring around his mouth, and if we’d had the chance to investigate further, we would have probably found…”
Rita interrupts him. “Poison.”
There is a moment of silence. Charles looks at his Elders, whose faces are still mask–like and unreadable.
“Charles and Sassahna brought this information to us,” Jeraoul says. “We then took it to the Council, but they did not believe us.‘
“Ryan then became Alpha, and our suspicions went up in flames with his brother.”
Rita perks up. “You burn your dead?”
“Ryan requested he be cremated since he was in human form.”
“Or to hide evidence,” Lenor adds.
“Hrolf’s daughter was sent away when our Luna died,” Jeraoul adds, looking straight at me.
“But I’m human,” I insist. –
I mean, the thought of me being some werewolf princess is ridiculous.
“Tell us about you. What is your story?” Luna asks, her face still expressionless.
“I–I grew up in a small town…where I met Alex. We go to school together. My mother, Jeanine, is an accountant. My father left a few years ago.‘
.
“What was his name?”
“Richard.”
They all look at each other.
“Dooo you know him?”
“Please continue,” Jeraoul says.
“I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“May we ask what happened to your Luna…Yln…” Only Rita can’t remember her name.
Neither can I. These wolf names are so foreign to me.
“Ylfa,” Lenor says. “She and Hrolf were of deep and recent Hungarian blood. She was our queen, as humans would put it,” she says smiling at me. “She was the most lovely and delicate of werewolves.”
Jeraoul laughs. “But had a wicked tongue.”
It’s amazing to see the impact she has on them even now. “She must have been loved,” I say.
Charles sighs. “She was. And she loved Hrolf. When he died her heart withered away.
“He was her soul mate,” Lenor purrs. She looks at her husband, and they join hands.
Charles looks pointedly at me. “It was necessary to send their offspring away. She was only a baby and too young to defend her place in line. We feared she might be in danger.”
+25 BONUS
#Chapter 77: Wolf Vs Wolf
But it can’t be me! I’ve never had enhanced abilities–Ylfa. No…there’s no way… “No!” I yell out. “No–my mother’sss name is Jeanine.” hell, can’t even talk right. And I’ve never been physically strong. Wouldn’t I be if I were a wolf?
