Chapter 102

Tyler POV

Moonglow Pack Alpha House - Morning Room

"We're leaving."

I don't have the patience to wait on a response of any kind from the Alpha Inspector or House Campbell's acting Alpha. Instead, I take Rachel by the hand and begin leading her out of the Morning Room to the exit of the Alpha House. I'm not surprised to see wolves still in the process of rushing away from the door as I pull Rachel through it after me.

Wolf packs are all the same in some ways: nosy noses will always be sniffing around for secrets whether they should or not.

Alpha Campbell has been sputtering behind me. I'm honestly a little shocked at his lack of composure. The old wolf had been holding himself together quite well until the chaos of Linda and Nathan Lewis happened.

Now? He didn't seem confident any longer of anything. Alpha Campbell was following after me and my mate as if Rachel had him by the hand, pulling him along after us in the way of a human chain.

Alpha Inspector Windsor wasn't phased by my actions. He ambled along behind us as though he had all the time in the world when, in truth, I wasn't waiting for his approval or his protest. I was taking my mate off this pack's territory and no one was going to stop me.

"You can't just leave!" Alpha Campbell managed to spit out as we reached the foyer.

My free hand was already on the doorknob when I turned to him to say, "Yes we can and we are unless you want to try to stop us?"

I removed my hand from the door, pushing Rachel behind me so she was backed up against the exit while I used my body as a shield between her and Campbell.

Drawing myself up to my full height, I towered over the older Alpha. Windsor was keeping a healthy distance from me which was the smartest thing he'd done in a while. My wolf was too close to the surface; we were both still angry over everything from Nathan Lewis accompanying our mate to learning this Alpha had denied her the rights of her birth her entire life.

"My mate came here to learn her parentage. DNA results don't lie: she is the rightful heir to House Campbell of Moonglow Pack, she is your daughter, and she is leaving this land where she has clearly been unwanted up to now. I am taking my mate and our child home to Moonrise Pack where she will be my Luna."

Rachel gasped out loud at my announcement. I've never formally stated she would hold the position of Luna in Moonrise Pack. Our beginning was a nightmare I still couldn't examine too closely even in the privacy of my own head; I didn't have to give her the title of Luna.

A Luna could be granted her position either by birthright, mating status, or marriage. Rachel had the right to claim the role of Luna for House Campbell of Moonglow Pack because her mother's line was the descendancy of the Alpha House. She earned the title of Luna by bloodright inheritance alone as her father had been bled into the pack to be Alpha, not born to the position.

I could make Rachel my Luna by declaring her Luna as my fated mate or I could marry another and declare my spouse Luna.

Wolves recognized bonds of binding as completely as bonds of blood. If I bound myself to another with a mating bite as part of a marriage ceremony, my pack would treat my spouse as Luna based on my choice of partner alone.

Fated mate or not, my will could strip Rachel of the right to be my Luna and no one could demand me change my mind or declare otherwise on any basis.

"You're saying she denounces the right to be Luna of House Campbell then?" Alpha Campbell snarled, pouncing on my words with the fervor of a predator taking down its prey, "She would have no right to my House if she was claimed as Luna to yours."

"Birthright gives her claim to House Campbell. She wouldn't be eligible to claim her role as Luna here, but her brother Ethan? He would have the right to lay claim to the House."

Art Windsor might as well have dropped a bomb in the middle of the pack house.

Chaos erupted from everyone around us as growls and snarls came from the pack members bearing witness as Alpha Campbell himself sputtered a string of expletives.

No one knew what to make of Windsor except they didn't like what he was declaring.

"He is an omega," Alpha Campbell finally managed to spit at Windsor, his Beta sidling up to stand beside him on his right.

Art leveled him with a dead-eyed stare as he stated, "He is also a bloodborne Campbell of the Luna of House Campbell. You have no right to deny him inheritance, bleeder."

Shock made me recoil myself. I could feel Rachel trembling behind me, her hands clutched at the fabric of my clothes between my shoulderblades as if she were trying to tether herself to me. Windsor spoke for the Alpha Council as Alpha Inspector; Moonglow Pack would have to obey by whatever ruling he decreed.

Was Windsor saying he would back an omega as the rightful heir to an Alpha House?

More importantly---was Alpha Inspector Art Windsor aware he had committed a capital offense among wolves by publicly stripping Richard Campbell of his right to be called 'Alpha Campbell' since he was only part of their Alpha House by blood ritual?

Could the Alpha Inspector take away ceremonial bloodright status? I had no idea and I wasn't interested in sticking around to find out.

Reaching behind me, I threaded my fingers through Rachel's and squeezed gently, "I am comfortable leaving you gentlemen to work out this situation on your own. Rachel and I have no further purpose here. I am taking my mate and my child with me. Are you staying to continue your investigation or accompanying us back across the borders, Alpha Inspector?"

Silence fell thick and heavy around us all, a weighted blanket made of landmines and sharp, dangerous shrapnel from the war building between House Campbell and all of us outsiders. No one wanted to do more than breathe until Windsor responded; I was ready to shift to protect Rachel using any means necessary if he triggered a war right there in the pack house.

"I'm here on behalf of Rachel Flores, now known to be Rachel Campbell, and I will escort her back to her home outside of this territory as is right. I will, however, be addressing Ethan Flores -suspected to be Ethan Campbell- to offer to represent him in a separate case for inheritance to Moonglow Pack."

Rage mottled the older wolf's face as Alpha Campbell snarled in response to Windsor's proclamation. He was ready to fight the huge Alpha right there in the foyer, but I wasn't having anything to do with it.

"I wish you good luck in your next inspection, Alpha Campbell. Rachel and I take our leave now. We will also be requesting Nathan Lewis leave with us though House Lewis will have to address the issue of your---daughter."

Tact made me hesitate to call out the obvious -if Rachel were Rachel Campbell, then Linda could not be Linda Campbell at all- though I wanted to howl in triumph at the look on Campbell's face as he realized he had no way to stop any of these truths from getting out.

How many lies had this crafty bastard told? How many secrets were buried around him like prized bones? How was he ever going to get himself out of what would come next from the Alpha Council once Windsor reported back on his findings?

Questions piled up in my mind yet I only squeezed Rachel's fingers once more, encouraging her silently to open the door behind her.

Rachel was quick-witted enough to understand my meaning. She twisted the knob and stepped right up against my back as she pulled the door open enough for us to slide through it.

We were leaving here. I didn't care what came next for House Campbell or Moonglow Pack: I was taking my mate home.

Windsor jerked his chin at me to indicate to go on and I didn't hesitate further, pushing Rachel back as I backed out of the pack house myself.

I kept hold of Rachel's hand in mine as I ushered her back onto the path leading to the visitor cabins. We would hopefully meet up with Lewis there. I couldn't think about what would happen if he'd raced off anywhere else on this foreign territory.

My own House Wright would be held liable if I left the heir to House Lewis on enemy land. I had to get Lewis, keep Rachel safe, and get out of Moonglow Pack territory before all-out war broke out.