Chap 26: A plot unravelled
It had been two weeks since Alisha was taken. Two weeks since the dreadful murder cum kidnapping. The twins were going out of their minds with worry. They knew that Alisha was alive. They still felt her through their matebond. It was a faint pull between the wolf mates that allowed them to feel what their mate was feeling. Many times during the last two weeks, Markian and Mitchell had felt the bond stretch to a limit where they were scared to take a breath for fear that the link would snap.
Apollo and Damon had been frantically trying to get Heera to answer to no avail. It was like she had disappeared. Their telepathic connection to Heera felt like a wisp of silken thread floating in the wind with nothing to perch on. Damon growled in frustration as he didn't feel Heera's presence. It wasn't like she had died. Apollo and Damon would have felt the void she had left if she had passed on but this was just like she had disappeared into thin air. They couldn't explain it either. The only thing that was keeping both the wolves sane was the fact they knew they had to help the twins get back Alisha as soon as possible. They prayed to the Moon Goddess that Alisha knew where Heera was.
Mitchell stormed into his office where the other wolves were busy looking at charts and whispering to one another.No one dared to laugh or to talk louder than a whisper since the day of the kidnapping. Every wolf there walked on eggshells around the Alphas lest they would go off in a tirade, cursing and shouting at their inability to find their Luna.
"Grayson! Tell me we have it! What is taking the Alpha King so long!" hissed Mitchell as he turned his head, searching for the hapless Beta.
"Alpha Mitchell! The Alpha King doesn't want us to wage war on his lands. He says that we need more proof before he will allow us to enter Alpha Thomas's land"spat the Beta disappointed at the news he received through the royal envoy
"The Alpha king has never meddled with our affairs. What gives him the right to do so now?" said Samuel with a growl
"Shut up Samuel! The royal envoy hasn't left the packhouse yet. You will be punished if someone reports your insubordination" admonished Alpha Xavier as he shut the door to the office with a bang.
"I don't care Alpha! What else can they do to me? I lost the reason for my life the day that scum killed Debra, my mate! I have nothing to lose anymore...I now live for the day that I can hold his throat in between my fingers and squeeze it just like he squeezed my mates life out! I WANT MY JUSTICE Alpha!!!" whispered Samuel hoarsely as his voice broke with grief.
Reagan patted Samuel awkwardly on the shoulder. He turned his head towards her and she saw the river of tears trailing down his cheek. Her heart breaking as Samuel turned onto her shoulder to cry bitterly. She felt bad as deep in her heart, she was glad that Samuel was hugging her. She had secretly been in love with Samuel since she was a cub. The only reason she joined the elite squad was that she would be able to spend time with Samuel.
Reagan had actually met her mate but as luck would have it, he too was in love with another wolf. It had not been too hard to reject each other.No one knew that she had found her mate, so Reagan didn't need to go into the whole rigamarole of explaining why she rejected him. She had been planning an elaborate do which involved herself running up to Samuel and professing her love for him when he came back from his trip. She had waited with bated breath that day rehearsing how she was going to jump into Samuel's arms and start kissing him. She hoped that the Moon Goddess would allow them to be together. It was not unheard of, that wolves in love became their own chosen mates.
Reagan's heart flipped as she saw Samuel get out of the jeep. She stopped short as she saw him run around to the other side and help a pretty female wolf out of the passenger side. Her heart broke as Samuel leaned over and kissed the female wolf on the lips. Through the catcalls that emitted from his pack members as they saw Samuel's lovelorn antics, Samuel introduced Debra to the twin Alphas, as his mate. He had her met whilst on that fateful business trip to the neighbouring pack. It had been a storybook romance with Samuel and Debra's eyes colliding from afar. Both wolves dropping whatever they were holding and running towards each other. They practically jumped on each other growling and kissing non-stop. It had shocked both the Alpha of her pack and Luna Melody, who had gone with Samuel and a few others to complete the purchase of some equipment for the pack. Luna Melody slowly walked up to them and asked them politely if they wanted to continue what they were doing in a room away from prying eyes. Everyone could see how they reluctantly parted from each other that day. From then on, Samuel and Debra never really let each other out of their eyesight for long periods.
Every wolf in the pack started teasing Samuel as he was practically attached to Debra's hip since they came back from her pack
Reagan retreated into herself on seeing the love of her life, in love with someone else. She ran back to her house and wept into her pillow. Her shattered heart breaking again and again as she remembered Samuel's hands around Debra's waist, seeing Samuel lean down and kiss her on her head. Reagan spent the next two weeks mourning for her lost love. The other wolves in the pack couldn't understand why she was isolating herself. She told them that she was not well and just wanted to be left alone.
It had taken a visit from Luna Melody to shake her out of her misery. Luna Melody sat beside her holding her hand as she hiccupped her devastation of losing Samuel to Debra." By the Moon Reagan! Why didn't you tell someone, or tell Samuel?" said Luna Melody.
"No! Samuel must never know Luna!! Please I beg of you. They must never find out!! Promise me Luna" Reagan caught hold of Luna Melody's hand and begged.
Melody sat down beside Reagan on her bed and allowed her to cry on her shoulder until there was nothing else left to be cried over. She convinced Reagen to get up and wash her face and follow her to the packhouse to gave some dinner. On entering the packhouse kitchen, Reagan saw Samuel and Debra sharing a stool between the two of them and feeding each other.
"Oh! You can't be serious! Aren't you both bored of eating each other faces???" cried Reagan as another small fragment broke off her already shattered heart. Reagan didn't think there was anything left to break but seeing Samuel and Debra together brought on a fresh bout of tears. She rushed to the sink and started washing the pile of dishes in there vigorously hoping that nobody would notice the wetness on her cheeks. Luna Melody put her arm around Reagan's shoulders and whispered in her ear "Calm down Reagan. Samuel is watching you. He is going to guess what is going on if you continue to do this"
Reagan stiffened as she realised that she had to shake herself out of it unless she wanted everyone to know her dark secret. She turned around with a fake smile plastered on her face
"Enough you two love birds! You are making unmated wolves like me jealous as we cannot wait to find our soul mates like the both of you have," she said in an overly cheerful voice which belied the hurt that she was feeling inside her. Debra stared at Reagan in understanding as she walked up to her and hugged her." You have never told Sam that you were in love with him, have you?" she whispered in Reagan's ear
Reagan took a step back and shook her head vehemently "What! No! What are you saying, Debra! No...I don't know what....No!!"Reagan whispered harshly.
Debra smiled sadly as she took Reagan's hand and pull her out the kitchen door." I didn't know Reagan. I am sorry! If I was unsure just now, the way you reacted to my question assures me that you are in love with my mate" said Debra slowly looking intently into Reagan's tumultuous eyes.
"No Debra! You are mad! I am not in .... You are Sam's mate. How could you ask me that?" she stuttered unable to maintain unwavering Debra's gaze.
"Its okay Reagan. I know what it feels like to have so much love in your heart for another person. Before I met Sam, I may not have been able to understand what you are going through...but now...You will find your mate, Reagan! Believe me! And when that happens, the feeling you have for Sam will disappear like the early morning mist upon the petals of a blooming rose. I am an English teacher so I am sorry that I will usually revert to prose" Debra said while holding Reagan's hands tightly.
"Thank you, Debra. I am sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen. I was going to tell him but when I saw the way he was looking at you. I know.....Sam was never mine, to begin with! Please don't tell him! I will go away and never disturb the both of you. I promise! " cried Reagan bitterly
"No Reagan! Don't do that! Sam wouldn't be able to handle losing you! He loves all the members of the elite squad! He was just telling me last night that he wouldn't be alive if not for you, and the other wolves in the squad"Debra said sadly.
Reagan nodded slowly. She closed her eyes, not wanting to admit to Debra that she had already found her mate but had rejected him as she only wanted Sam....no one else but Sam! She turned and shifted into her wolf, tearing the clothes on her back on purpose. She ran until she couldn't run any more. She realised that she was at the edge of the pack territory. It would be so easy to just go on running but she wouldn't be able to answer the questions that every pack member would ask her. She reared her head back and howled. She howled at the moon for her lost love and for the unfortunate hand she had been dealt with. She berated the Moon Goddess for taking her chance at happiness away from her. She slumped back on all fours and laid her head down on her front paws. She vowed that she would forget the feelings she had for Sam and had been trying her level best to stick to that vow for the last six months. She had slowly become close to Debra, seeing how much Samuel loved his mate. How could she not want the man she loved, not to be happy. And if his happiness was in Debra's arms then so be it. Reagan would step aside and pine for him silently.
She had been there at the site of the Luna's kidnapping. She had seen how the assailants had killed Debra mercilessly and had promised herself that she would exact revenge on them for killing Debra. She had seen Samuel crying as the other wolves brought Debra into the medical area. Her broken body crumpled into a small mass just enough for one person to carry her.Doc Anderson had to give Samuel a sedative to calm him down as he fell to his knees beside Debra's body. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her as his anguish washed through the pack's mindlink
Two weeks had passed since Debra's death. Everyone was still shaken at the brutal murder of one of their pack members. Reagan hated seeing Samuel broken and devastated. She too felt Debra's loss deeply, as the both of them had become close in the last six months. Other than Luna Melody, only Debra knew her secret and she was helping Reagan through it. Debra had once joked that if she hadn't come into Sam's life, she would have wanted Reagan and Sam to become mates. Reagan had gasped on hearing Debra's admission. She had not been able to believe that a wolf would let another wolf be with her mate. Debra has laughed as she explained what she had meant."I am not saying that you should take him from me, you crazy girl.....I meant that if anything should happen to me...You should be Sam's second chance mate. I don't want my Sam mourning and withering to nothingness" she said quietly as she smiled and walked away
Reagan didn't understand why Debra had said those things before but on realising that this would be her chance to make Debra's wish and her dream come true, Reagan decided that she would try and win him over. She still wanted Sam and her buried feelings for him burnt brightly in her heart. Reagan knew that it was too soon for Sam to look at other women for comfort but she hoped that he would be able to entrust his heart to another she-wolf soon. She hoped that she would be the lucky one this time. Reagan wanted to go up to him and tell him to pick her as his second chance mate. She was waiting for that chance to prove to Samuel that she could be the mate that he needed and wanted. For now, though, all she could do is just be there for him and hope that he will be able to see her soon. Samuel wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and slowly sat up
"Alpha Xavier, why are the Royal Family so interested in our pack business? They have never cared about before. So what is it that has changed suddenly?" asked Reagan as she tried to hide the bereft feeling that engulfed her as Samuel disengaged from her embrace to stand up and walk toward the twin Alphas.
Mitchell nodded at Samuel as he put his arm around his shoulder. Samuel felt a warm aura transmitting from Mitchell to him through the mindlink. He took a deep breath and shuddered."We will get our Luna back Mitchell, but you have to promise that I will be the one to kill the guy who killed Debra!" he gritted out as his eyes blazed again with fury
"Done Samuel! He will breathe his last with your hands squeezing the life out of his body. As your Alpha, I pray that I will be there to witness that soon" Mitchell said while clenching his teeth in fury as he said a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess so that he will be able to fulfil his promise to his Beta.