Chapter 94

Rachel POV

Moonglow Pack - Art's Cabin

"You want to leave?"

I jerked my head up at the sound of Art's voice.

I felt strangely exposed to see the Alpha Inspector there watching me in what was meant to be his bed with my mate. We were clothed and not indecent in any way, but I felt as if he was seeing us making love. Art had an inscrutable look on his face which didn't help me calm down at all.

"She can leave if she wants to leave," Tyler declared with a stubbornness I used to hate only to find I now found charming.

"She called in the Alpha Council to claim her place as Alpha heir to Moonglow Pack. My investigation is officially begun. I have started the process and rang the bell, so to speak. We can't just leave."

I didn't understand why it had to be so complicated. Pushing aside all my fears of sounding silly or naive, I just went ahead to ask for an explanation.

"Why can't it be that simple? Why can't we just pack up and go? Say we don't need to know?"

"We do need to know though," Art stated with a finality I knew was unshakeable, "The Alpha Council has proven you are the blood descendant of Elena Campbell. She only had one pregnancy which was meant to produce one issue. We have all the medical records to back this up. If you are her child, whoever Richard Campbell is calling Linda Campbell cannot be her child. Do you understand now?"

"No," I cried, tears falling from my eyes with the steadiness of rain dropping from a cloud, "Why does it matter if she's not my sister? Why can't you just leave her alone? Leave Alpha Campbell alone? I won't press them for the line. I swear I'll drop my claim right now."

Art sighed, sitting down in one of the two chairs in the cabin. His hands hung limp and large over his spread thighs and I was taken in again by how very massive he was even for an Alpha.

"She doesn't understand, Wright. Can you try to tell her?"

I hadn't expected him to ask Tyler to talk for him. I turned a confused look onto my mate, trying to see if I could suss out the answers in his face. My mind wouldn't focus enough to make anything make sense. All I knew was I had no desire to claim this primitive land for myself or my daughter. We would never call this place home.

I didn't want to call this place home.

Tyler gave a slow nod to Art before turning his face to me, his eyes were troubled yet his voice was gentle as he tried to explain.

"You may not want to lay claim to the Alpha House, but other members of Moonglow Pack could want to protest Richard Campbell's right to hold the position. He's been proven a liar by this investigation. The knowledge is out there now. You can't just say you don't care because it's not just about you any longer, Rachel."

I thought of all the Alphas I knew and still couldn't understand why one of them would care if a female wolf didn't want to claim her mother's House.

"Why? I don't understand. I can't take the Alpha seat. I'm having a daughter. She can't take it either. Not here! Can you imagine these people accepting a female Alpha? They don't even have functioning sinks in their houses!"

"They wouldn't have to accept a female Alpha. They could mate you or your daughter to whoever they wanted to take over the Alpha House here then claim the territory by right of conquest."

No one engaged in rights of conquest anymore. I scoffed at the very idea. It was ludicrous---until it wasn't because no one was making any kind of sound of refusal. Both Tyler and Art were still completely serious.

These wolves would honor those old ways. They would believe it was the right of the victor to be Alpha of Moonglow Pack.

Feeling cold again, I clung to Tyler, "Why don't you tell them you won't allow me or our baby to return to this territory? House Wright is the Alpha House of Moonrise Pack and Moonrise is stronger than Moonglow."

Moonrise Pack was one of the strongest packs in the world even though their territory wasn't as extensive as Moonglow Pack.

These days wolfen society didn't judge its strength based on the size of a territory any more than they held right of conquest trials. I knew somehow I was still not taking in the full picture only I didn't want to any longer.

I was tired and dirty and sore and all I wanted was to go back to the city, leaving this backwards pack behind me.

"So I have to find out if Lindy is my sister or whatever so I can leave? Can't you take over the investigation without me being here if I agree to drop my request to join Moonglow Pack? I don't want to be a part of this place, Art!"

I didn't want my daughter to be a part of this place either. All I could feel was fear and a shaky sense of distrust coming from the land now I'd nearly lost my baby on it along with my life.

Nathan Lewis never would have went Lycan if we had left this place alone. He had attacked me, snapped, because I'd pushed him too far. This place was evil in my eyes for how far it had pushed the sweet Alpha I knew from my youth.

"I could investigate without you. They could also claim I have no right to continue investigating without a complaining party driving the inquiry. This inquest was your idea. You literally can't just walk away from it. I will tell them Wright has to join you here. Justice will take him to the edge of the property and then to the guardhouse."

I didn't want to let Tyler go, but I knew I'd have to in order for us to keep the situation from being worse.

"Can he come back tonight? I don't want to sleep alone."

"He'll have to," Art said, his mouth setting in a grim line as he nodded to me, "How else am I going to explain the fact you've been marked and claimed by tomorrow? I'll tell them you had a scare with the baby. Your wolves reacted to protect the fetus. It'll work. These wolves will understand saving a child."

Children were hard to come by in wolfen society. All wolves would understand trying to save a baby. I knew Tyler and I would be forgiven for trying to protect our unborn daughter, but I wondered what the Moonglow Pack wolves would think of me staying with a mate I wasn't married to while on their land.

"Will they insist on us staying in the Modesty Cabin?"

My lip had curled in distaste without my realization until I noticed Art grinning at me with a wickedness I knew some females had to find charming.

"They probably would insist on it, but who says I'm going to tell them? You're staying here with Wright. I'll stay in your room in the Modesty Cabin. I doubt Lewis will come to until morning. He was---pretty out of it."

I had no idea what Art had done to him to make him so "out of it" and I worried for him aloud.

"Is he going to be okay? What did you do to him?"

"He'll be fine. Maybe a headache. I didn't hurt him. Can you let Wright go long enough to arrange for him to 'arrive' here under reasonable circumstances? I can go ahead and tell you I'm not good enough to smooth over his current method of arrival."

Knowing Tyler had been brought illegally over the borders of Moonglow Pack, I nodded my agreement. I wouldn't want to start a real war. There was no way these people would accept an enemy infiltrating their lands while they slept. They would probably demand a war from the Alpha Council which would pit Moonglow against Moonrise and I didn't want to know what that would amount to much less see it start firsthand.

"Hurry back to me?"

Tyler kissed me with a fierceness which surprised me, "Get yourself cleaned up. I'll smooth things over with Moonglow. Trust me. I can handle this part."

Art looked as if he was ready to say a prayer of thanks to the Moon Goddess as he led Tyler away from me.

I got out of the bed and grimaced at the state I was in.

My slip was in shreds and hung dirty and torn over my body which was streaked with sweat and blood. Tears had helped stick my hair to my face and I could feel it flying around my head as I moved so I knew I had to look a fright.

Stepping out into the night, I realized Art had already gone with Tyler and closed the door, barring it rather than risking going alone to find a bathing house.

I was filthy, but I was alive and my baby was safe and we could both wait until my mate returned before dealing with a wash. I only hoped Nathan stayed asleep as Art thought he would---I had no desire to test another door against his Lycan strength.

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From the writer:

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