Page 5 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

I cross my arms over my chest, looking at him. "It would interest you to know that the humans going missing are elite businessmen, or those with a lot of money. Soon after they go missing, their bank accounts are being emptied out andgold bars are being purchased with the money. Any building or business that the human owns is transferred to a certain company's name which we’ve been able to link to Karina.”

Dorian stiffens. “She's killing humans and stealing from them?”

“I don’t know if she’s killing them," I admit. “But she has something to do with the disappearance. And then there are the families of the murdered humans who stand to inherit their wealth. They've all been found murdered in their homes. Entire family lines are being wiped out. Animal attacks, they call them. Slowly and steadily, she has gained control of quite a few businesses in some of the human-owned cities. What she’s doing is very dangerous. And if it gets the attention of the South and the Central Alliance, a war might break out. Nobody will ignore her breaking the rules. Not even the Central Alliance. It threatens the peace for all of us. We are not allowed to touch humans. And if this comes out, Karina will not be the only one to pay the price for her actions. All the packs of the North Alliance will also be held accountable.”

Dorian's face is white as a sheet. "Why did you not tell us any of this before?”

“I didn’t know who to trust," I reply steadily. "I didn't know who would betray me to get into Karina’s good graces. But now that I’m no longer part of the North Alliance, this is no longer my problem.”

The weight of my words has Dorian studying me in shock. "Are you abandoning us?”

“I’m not abandoning the North, Dorian. The North abandoned me a long time ago. And besides, my allegiance is now to Sophia and the South.”

"And how're we supposed to face off against Karina without you?" Dorian demands.

The meaning behind his words is not lost on me. Without the real leader of the North, they will be in a difficult position to go against Karina. If Karina is defeated, their actions will be considered a rebellion. If I'm part of their movement, then it is the right of the leader of the North to take action. What Karina did to my father was against the laws of all three alliances. But nobody paid much attention then. Now that she has begun to take such drastic actions, the remaining two alliances will definitely look at the North.

“Who said you’re going up against Karina without me?" I bare my teeth at him with a vicious smile. "She may be your problem now, but I'll help you from the background. I want Karina dead as much as you do. I'm not going to let the North fall.”

Chapter 2

Sophia

The woman lying on the bed looks like she’s been through hell. Her expression is lax, but there’s no escaping how she’s aged over the last twenty years. Her matted silver hair has been combed and braided. I did it myself, but Elsa has been maintaining it.

I stroke her hand, my heart pinching in my chest.

She’s in this position because of me. If only I had been faster. If only…

“Stop beating yourself up.” A hand comes to rest on my shoulder and I look up at the woman standing behind me. Her tight curls are tied up in a bun and her light green eyes look weary. But her voice is firm.

Elsa Bolyen is a witch, and someone I’ve known since I was sixteen. She took me under her wing when I arrived in Oakrest Town, a traumatized teenager struggling with the concept of blood on her hands. While the town had treated me with disdain, on orders of Robert Black as I later learned, Elsa was the only one who looked after me and offered me a job.

Not once did she reveal her identity to me. I always thought she was human. But now I understand why the other shifters in townrespected her so much and feared her to some extent. She was a witch.

But I’ve been through so much in life that I don’t begrudge her for not telling me who she was. She cared for me and that’s what matters to me. She can keep her secrets.

“How can you expect me not to blame myself? Look at her, Elsa. She’s in this position because of me. She had a chance at surviving and living a good life but…”

“She’s in this position by choice,” Elsa cuts me off abruptly. “She’s a mother, Sophia. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her child. You don’t know what your mother has been through emotionally. When she was pregnant with you, she had already anticipated the fate that awaited her. Why do you think I moved to Oakrest Town? It was hardly for the booming economy there. I moved there to look after you at her request.”

Before I can even absorb her words, she continues, “When Robert employed me to look after your mother’s pregnancy, he didn’t know that we already knew each other at that point.”

My head jerks up at Elsa’s words. Until now, she’s not talked much about her past. Nor have I asked her. We’ve all been focused on trying to get my mother comfortable.

“You knew my mother?”

Elsa sits down at the edge of the bed, facing me. “I was a witch in the Central Alliance. Your mother and I grew up around each other. We didn’t see one another daily, but once every few months, she would come by my coven to learn some magic. She was a kind person, Sophia. Like you, she had a soft heart and likeyou, she didn’t always know where the line was when it came to helping people.”

“My father…” I begin hesitantly.

Elsa smiles softly. “When Grace met your father, your grandfather did not approve. There are too many restrictions on any Silver Wolf born into the Central Alliance. Their matings were arranged. But your mother—she adored your father. She couldn’t live without him. He was a traveling mercenary. I never met him but I saw the glow on her face. She was in love. I was the one who helped her escape. I was supposed to meet them near the South border. Your father had a friend…” Elsa’s expression tightens, “Somebody he considered a friend, at least. But Robert Black was no friend of your father's. As soon as he found out that your mother was the Silver Wolf, he…”

She drops her face into her hands. “By the time I got to the Red Rock Wolf Pack, it was too late. Robert recruited me and all I saw was your mother, pregnant and distressed.”

I force aside my other emotions, focusing on Elsa’s words. “Why did Robert recruit you, someone he barely knew, to look after my mother?”

“Your mother’s condition was not good,” Elsa tells me, grimly. “Your father’s death had broken something in her. There was an item I gave to your mother for both her and your father to know where they were at all times. I had a cast a spell on it. The pregnancy of a Silver Wolf is not an easy one. My coven specialized in dealing with them. The item your father had on him had disappeared. I could no longer track him. The one your mother wore was weak, but I could still sense it. That’s why I was able to track her all the way to the Red Rock WolfPack. I told Robert where I was from, that I had left my coven and had become a traveling witch. He knew that your mother’s pregnancy could be dangerous, probably from your father so he recruited me. The only reason he didn’t kill me was because he wanted to use me when he chose to knock you up.”

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