Chapter 444
Four hundred and forty six
Charlie POV
I hadn’t spoken a single word to Emma since the moment she looked me dead in the eye and told me she hated me.
Her voice kept echoing in my head. The hurt in those words stung every time I closed my eyes.
For her, I would have dropped my ego and helped, but help whom? A rogue who had thrown the packs into chaos? The half brother of my friend, who had sworn on his father’s grave that Alexander murdered Alpha/Edward in cold blood?
I couldn’t bring myself to do that, but defending Zachary while wanting to fix things with Wesley and Emma was driving me crazy.
Wesley was making the case against Zachary look airtight, pulling threads that were getting harder for me to ignore. To make matters worse, Wesley himself had been distant lately. I tried to convince myself that I didn’t care, but I did. At the end of the day, Zachary was my friend, but Wesley was family and my best friend. I had screwed up with him in the past by sleeping with Barbara, and he had forgiven me. Having him keep his distance now felt like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
I stood on the upper walkway of our pack holding center, watching the guards escort Alpha Edward’s personal guard. They were moving him into a fortified quarter under my father’s strict order. He looked terrible. His skin was pale from neglect, his clothes were practically rags, and his posture was hunched from years of rot in Zachary’s dungeon.
“Is that him?” Caleb, my beta, asked, stepping up beside me.
I remained silent.
“Aren’t you going to question him? See what he actually knows p>
“I’m not interfering with an ongoing regional investigation. I don’t owe him any loyalty p>
Caleb shifted his weight. “What about the rogue himself? Do you want me to send someone to check on his status at the medical wing p>
“He’s not my cup of tea,” I said coldly. “Leave it alone p>
Externally, I sounded completely detached. Internally, I was struggling to keep supporting Zachary blindly, because it was starting to look like a dangerous game. If it came out that Zachary had a hand in his father’s death, or that he was tangled up with the Meridian cult, my blind loyalty would ruin me.
My father was already taking a personal interest in the case and planned to question the man himself, so I deliberately stayed in the background.
I tried calling Zachary, but the line went straight to voicemail three times in a row.
Frustrated, I swung by my family’s main estate to see my mom, only to run into my older brother, James. He was eighteen years older than me, so he still treated me like a kid who needed his diaper changed.
He was sitting on the back patio, nursing a glass of scotch and telling my mom in detail how his daughter never failed to prove that she believed it was unfair for women not to be alphas, and that men had fragile egos and knew women would overshadow them if given the chance.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” Mom said with a faint smirk. I hugged her and kissed her cheek, and James gestured to the empty chair across from him.
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“I can’t stay long. I just came for lunch p>
Mom excused herself to tell the cook to make me a plate, leaving my brother and me alone.
“Have you and Wesley sorted out your mess yet?” he asked, and I almost groaned out loud at how that seemed to be everyone’s business now.
“There’s no mess between me and Wesley. We don’t have to support the same people all the time p>
James let out a chuckle, watching me.
“Is this really about solidarity with Zachary, or is your bruised ego refusing to accept that a rogue beat you to a woman p>
“What an absurd thing to say,” I snapped. “Emma and the rogue are fated mates p>
James took a sip of his drink and looked at me like he could read right through the lie.
“Yeah, right p>
I focused on pouring myself a drink rather than responding to that.
“You know, my daughter, Senia, says some males can’t take a hit to their pride without wanting a little vendetta before they let go. She’s right. I’ve always found it fascinating how far people will go just to feel like they didn’t lose p>
“I don’t owe anyone a vendetta,” I said, struggling to control my annoyance. “This isn’t my personal trial. I’m just staying out of the crossfire p>
“Fine then. Whatever keeps your conscience clear,” James said. “Just make sure your hands stay clean. If you’re staying away because you feel wronged, don’t end up being the one begging for forgiveness when the dust settles p>
After I left, my brother’s words stayed with me.
By 6:00 p.m., I drove over to Zachary’s administrative block. The guards at the desk confirmed that Zachary hadn’t been in his office all afternoon. I turned the car around and drove straight to his personal estate inside the main pack grounds.
The security at the gate recognized my vehicle and waved me through. I parked near the front fountain and walked up the steps. One of the guards stepped forward, looking somewhat surprised to see me.
“Alpha Charlie,” the guard said, bowing his head. “I’m not sure if Alpha Zachary is accepting visitors right now p>
“He’s expecting me,” I lied seamlessly. “We have important business to review before tomorrow. I’ll wait inside p>
Without questioning me further, he unlocked the double doors and let me in.
The house was eerily quiet. There were no servants bustling around. I could hear a faint sniffling coming from the base of the staircase.
I walked over and saw a little boy with mouse-brown hair sitting on the step, hugging his knees. He couldn’t have been more than four or five years old. Tear tracks streaked his cheeks, and his shoulders shook.
“What’s the matter, buddy? Why are you crying p>
The boy wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve. His voice was tiny and broken. “I want my mommy p>
The boy was obviously Zachary’s son from his first marriage. Zachary never really talked about the divorce, and
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his ex-wife had quietly vanished. Mina had married Zachary just last year and taken over as Luna.
Hey, it’s okay,” said, putting on a smile to calm him down. “Big boys don’t cry like this, right? You’re a big guy. Where is everybody p>
He sniffed again, looking at me with his gray, misty eyes.
I sat with him, trying to keep his attention away from whatever was bothering him.
“What’s your favorite sport? Do you like running p>
“I like soccer and hockey p>
“Awesome! I used to play soccer all the time p>
Not long after, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the upper floor.
“HELP ME! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME p>
My Alpha instincts instantly flared to life. The scream was high-pitched and filled with terror, echoing down the hallway.
“Who is that?” I muttered.
“That’s my mommy!” the child cried, pointing up the stairs.
My mind spun.
His mother?
“Stay here,” I said to him, heading straight up the staircase two steps at a time.
I reached the second-floor corridor. The quiet house made the sound of frantic sobbing stand out clearly. I followed the noise down a dimly lit wing and stopped in front of a reinforced door fitted with a brass deadbolt.
“Hello?” I called out, knocking firmly on the door. “Mina? Is someone in there p>
“Please!” the woman’s voice screamed from the other side, her hands frantically pounding against the door.” Please open the door! Help me! They’re going to kill me! I promise I’ll leave! I’ll never come back, just let me go p>
“Calm down!” I yelled back, checking the lock. It was locked from the outside. “Who locked you in p>
“They won’t let me leave, please, he’s going to….” Her voice broke into incoherent hyperventilating.
Before I could force the lock, the thud of footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway.
Shit.
If I got caught standing at this door, whoever was coming would make up some pathetic excuse. I needed to see what was really going on.
I grabbed the boy, who had followed me up the stairs, and rushed down a side corridor, ducking behind a pillar and a large potted plant. I pressed my back against the wall and peeked out through the gap in the leaves.
Mina came striding down the hallway. She was wearing gloves and holding a bucket. She reached the door, pulled a key from her pocket, and slammed the door open. The woman inside let out an agonizing shriek.
“NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! LEAVE ME ALONE p>
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The sounds of a struggle echoed into the hallway, along with the raw, choking sound of someone being struck. 1 Couldn’t see inside the room from my angle, but the sounds of violence were terrifyingly clear.
Mina stepped out of the room and walked to the banister overlooking the main stairs.
“Zachary! Get your useless ass up here right now p>
A few seconds later, footsteps thudded up the staircase. Zachary appeared at the top of the landing, looking completely rattled.
Behind my pillar, my confusion grew.
What the hell are they doing to that woman?
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