Chapter 69

☆ ☆ Beta Morgana (Greed) ☆ ☆ 

I had to feed him five massive bowls before his hunger was satiated. After wiping his face, I led him back up to my room and said, "Do you want to go back to sleep?" He didn't grunt this time, so I took that as a no. I let out a deep sigh, "What do you want to do then?" It was a rhetorical question because I knew that he wouldn't be able to answer. He walked over to the window and stared outside.

I asked, "Do you want to go outside?" I thought I almost saw his eyes gleam at the question. Shit, if going for a walk would help him be more normal, I was all for it. I led him outside and walked with him as he wandered aimlessly around the wooded area. I pulled out Morgana's phone and updated Pride while I walked.

I said, "Kara's true mate is here, in wolf form. Morgana's twin is caring for him; he must be stuck in his shift. Kara's dad is here too, and he is pissed at the Ulfric on his latest decision about a special team being sent after Kara." I knew she wouldn't get the message until later, but I texted her while the details were still fresh in my mind, and I could use this to recall more detailed information later.

It was tiring and sometimes challenging to comb through someone's memories because they greatly depended on what the person thought was vital at the time. Sometimes, things were fuzzy or distorted; other times, they were clear as day. I looked up from the phone and saw Darius pausing to touch a tree. I guess he was trying to reconnect with nature or maybe his wolf.

Sloth had said that he had never brought a werewolf back before; maybe his disconnect was with his wolf. This gave me an idea, so I stripped the clothes I was wearing and piled them gently at the foot of another tree, placing Morgana's phone on top. I should theoretically be able to shift into her wolf, though I had never done it before. It couldn't be much different than when we turned into bats.

I concentrated hard and recalled Morgana's significant memories, playing through the first time she shifted to the most recent of the two attacks. I recalled her feelings and emotions during those times and how she felt one with her wolf. I heard my bones snapping and thought I would black out from the pain momentarily. Then I heard a loud howl. I hadn't realized yet that it was me.

I had done it. Though painful, this was neat; I could see why they were a proud race. I pranced over to Darius and brushed up against him. He let out a smile, a sign of human life. Thank the firsts. His smile faded shortly after seeing me in my wolf, and his eyes teared up again. I gently lapped the salty tears from his cheeks and nuzzled my head under his chin in an attempt to comfort him. It was apparent that his connection with his wolf had been severed upon his death, and it didn't return after his resurrection.

I almost felt sad for him. I tugged him gently by the wrist over to the pile of clothes and urged him to pick them up. Though simple-minded, he caught on and grabbed the items, and followed me back to the pack house. I tried to use that mind talk that the other wolf used on my last night. I thought hard and repeated, "Luna, please come to the back of the house."

I wasn't sure how far the range worked on this thing as it was all new to me, and I was only emulating what had been done to me. A few minutes passed, and I saw the Luna emerge from the back doors. I thought hard again, "Darius can't shift and is acting strange." She approached him as I recalled Morgana's memories so that I could shift back.

It took some time, but I managed it. It was trickier than I had initially anticipated, not at all like how we shifted, and much more painful. Luna looked at me differently for a split second, and I took Morgana's clothes and phone back from Darius. I dressed quickly and said, "Darius has been acting bizarre since the second attack, and now, in the woods, I can tell he feels a disconnect with his wolf."

She looked at me with squinted eyes, "What happened during the second attack?" Shit, was she already on to me? Thinking quickly on my toes, I said, "To tell you the truth, I don't know, we got split up. The attack only stopped when a group of people passed by, and the vampires scurried off. When we found Darius, he was lying on the ground unconscious, and he didn't come to until twenty minutes or so had passed."

I could see the wheels turning in her mind, "How was he acting once he woke up?" I responded, "He was quiet and not functioning normally so I drove last night, I thought he just needed some rest and that perhaps he was in shock, but when things didn't get better today I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk." I paused.

"I swear his eyes lit up when I asked him that question, and I thought it might be good for him. I shifted when we got out to the woods, and he teared up like he couldn't do it himself.", I added. She responded, still skeptical, "That's very strange; I've never heard of that happening. I'll have to research the archives." She paused, and I thought the inquisition was over.

She added, "And how are you feeling?" I definitely would not respond with fine. Based on her looks, I could sense that she felt something was amiss, but I wasn't sure what, so I needed to tread lightly. I responded, "I feel a bit sluggish, honestly. But I'm mostly concerned for Darius right now." She nodded, and her suspicions seemed quelled for the time being.

I needed to tell someone about this, though. Since I was acting as Morgana, it would have been more suspicious if I had kept this from them. I just hoped I had done the right thing and that it would help me complete the mission. We followed Luna inside, and she led us to my room. She had Darius lie down on the bed, and he complied. "I'll be right back.", she said as she left the room.

I walked over to the bed, and knelt beside him, portraying the worried mate, and told him, "Everything will be alright." He didn't nod; he just lay there in a zombified stupor. The Luna returned shortly after carrying a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope. She checked his blood pressure and heart rate before she listened to him breathe. She said, "Everything is slower."

I looked at her, confused. She said, "Normally, our resting heart rates and breathing are faster than ordinary humans, even our temperatures run higher, but his blood pressure is lower than the standard 120/80. It's an abnormal deviation from what I would expect." I chimed in, "Do you think he lost too much blood?"

She shook her head, "No, if he had lost too much, he would have simply died, and thus his wolf would have died with him." She paused, "This is strange. I'll look in the archives to see if it's possible for a werewolf to live if his wolf dies, but to my knowledge, if one goes, the other follows."

I frowned and feigned concern as I grabbed his hand. The Luna stood and said, "I'll continue to monitor him, but as of right now, the most I could tell you is that he's human, and he's definitely experiencing some form of post-traumatic stress disorder." I nodded, "Okay." She paused when she got to the door, "It's also strange that your wolf didn't sense anything since you were already mated; your connection should have been strong enough to sense his death, or at the very least, the death of his wolf."

She left, adding, "It's all extraordinary circumstances." At that moment, I could tell she knew something was also off with me: shit, shit, shit. Greed was not going to be pleased. I left Darius and hurried to Morgana's office to do some last-minute snooping, as it could be my last chance.

I used her memories to get her password to her computer, then sent as many pictures as possible from the spreadsheets and documents that I found from her recently opened applications. I found hotel arrangements for hundreds of people just before the full moon and saw a note about Alpha Black hosting a few other members and Kara's mate, Jayce. Unfortunately, no address was listed for them.

I heard a knock on the office door, and I quickly hid the phone and minimized the documents. It was Alpha Gray, the Luna's husband. "Come on in, Alpha Gray.", I said as he entered the room. I bowed my head in submission, "What can I help you with?" He chuckled, "Your sister is worried and up my ass about me talking to you."

"I'm fine, really, just a little worn down from everything that has happened. I didn't say anything about Darius before because I didn't want to worry anyone." He looked at me, focusing intensely on my eyes, "Darius can't shift anymore, and you're having difficulty shifting yourself, right?"

I nodded, knowing that she had brought it to his attention. "Let me watch you to see if I can figure out what's going on. At least let me see it once so that I can reassure her." I started to feel panicked, I had shifted in the privacy of the woods last time with only the zombie Darius around, so even if something was different it's not like he could tell anyone.