His Dark Obsession

chapter 67

Ten minutes later, I’m in the hall again as Dad paces nervously.

“Did you find anything?” he asks, looking at the images that Chasyn had taken.

“Wasn’t a werewolf,” I say coldly, knowing that won’t help my case.

“This is a horror scene,” Dad murmurs, tossing the phone down in agitation as Alpha Aeron steps over to him, frowning as he stares down at the phone, looking at the images that Chasyn took.

I don’t miss the slight change in his heartbeat before he steps back. “That’s… disturbing.”

If he hadn’t looked around with that glimmer of nervousness in his eyes, I would have let it slide, but… he knows something.

I drown the others out, focusing on him.

“Zedkiel, if you saw this person somewhere else, would you recognise them?”

He means, would I be able to pinpoint them by their blood? I nod, but I’m more distracted by the silence and unease that Alpha Aeron is emitting as the other alphas all input their opinions. He keeps looking at the door, and he’s restless.

What is he hiding?“How will he be able to? I think we need capable trackers or someone who excels in this skill, Supreme Alpha,” Jasper of the Wolf Arrow Pack is saying.

He doesn’t know what I am after all.I don’t wait for Dad’s reply before heading to the entrance. My eyes meet Alpha Aeron, and for a moment, we simply stare at one another before I jerk my head to the hallway, demanding he follow.

He gives a small nod, but I can see the nervousness in his eyes.

Stepping outside, I lean against a pillar, waiting for him. He comes out after a few minutes and closes the door behind him.

“What was that about?” I ask.

“Excuse me?" he asks with an expression of concern.

I cock a brow. “Don’t play dumb. I mean the reaction when you saw those pictures. Almost as if you know something.”

He shakes his head, but I know I’m onto something.

“Speak, or we go back in there. The choice is yours.”

He glances around and sighs when I refuse to drop it. “Can we at least talk somewhere else?”

I nod and walk to the nearest room. Opening it, I look around, making sure it’s empty before I step inside, and he follows. He’s nervous to be alone with me, but as long as he doesn’t try something stupid, nothing will happen.

“Spill,” I say icily.

He sighs heavily. “Back when I found Evangeline… the village that she was walking through had similar scenes. But it was all burned down, so nothing was left to show, but I still remember it… Maybe whatever did that back then is back. Maybe it's Evangeline that it wants.”

His fear is strong, and I can see the concern he has for her, but I’m unable to think straight. A different kind of fear is making me sick to the stomach.

Does this- does this mean she did somehow do this? That she was telling the truth?I refuse to believe she’s capable of this… but the more I learn, the harder it’s getting to hold on to that adamance.

Who exactly are you, Evangeline? What is our connection?

“I want to know exactly what happened that night,” I say quietly.

He takes a silent breath, obviously remembering that night, and by the looks of it, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

“It has been ten years, but it’s still as fresh in my mind as if it had just happened yesterday. The town was roughly an hour's drive or run from Dark Falls. It was in an even more isolated place than Dark Falls, hidden on the other side of the forest and these mountains. Sinclair and I were on a hunting trip, and we found a target and had given chase. It was snowing heavily, and this was something we did every winter. I made sure each year I made the hunt a little harder for him, and that year we were going to go through the rocky terrain and up through the mountains,” he begins.

I cross my arms and lean against the wall. I can tell he doesn’t like speaking of it, but he continues and begins pacing the room.

“I smelt blood and something burning, yet there was no sign of a fire. Feeling concerned, I thought to check it out. Perhaps there might be an animal or someone who might need help. It was snowing extremely hard, and I was afraid there was a blizzard coming, but I knew I couldn’t turn back without checking. But I could never have imagined what we were about to come across… The entire town was burned down, and the streets were running with blood mixed with the snow. It was a scene that even a horror movie could not rival. The houses were burned and charred, but it was clear the fires had died out hours ago.”

He sits down on one of the sofas, clasping his hands in front of him. “It was just like what you saw in there… the blood… rivers of it.”

“It was a human town, correct?” I ask.

“Yes, and I was alarmed. I didn’t know if I should call the authorities when it was obvious this was not a human attack. But then there was no connection and not enough time to contact your father, either. So, I told Sinclair to look for survivors, and with every house we checked all we found were dead bodies. We had scoured the entire place, and I was ready to head back when Sinclair found her, and I remember him shouting to me to come quickly…” he continued and now looks up at me.

“There she stood, a little child, covered in blood from head to toe. Her eyes were the only thing that I could see as she stood there clutching a teddy bear. She was simply walking through the streets, terrified and confused. I realised all the bodies were humans. She was the only werewolf in a town of humans, and I knew I had to get her out of there before the police showed up.”

I frown as I take it all in.

Was her mother a human?“Was she injured?”

“No, aside from being drenched in blood, she was unharmed. She remembered nothing. The only thing she knew was her name, Evangeline.”

“What about the name Rose?” I question.

“Mother gave it to her,” he shakes his head as I ponder over it.

“And you realised she was an omega from her scent?” I ask.

He nods, and I stare at the ground.

I don’t know why… although she smells like an omega, enticing, tempting and the pheromones… What I saw in the pool… she has something else to her. She has some kind of power. But what it is, I have no clue.

“Yes. She’s clearly an omega, but a strong one. Mother always said the same. She actually thought her wolf may even be stronger than most when she ‘shifts’. She felt she would be an asset. After a visit to the Oracle, she only seemed to be even more determined and gave her the very best education. But on her eighteenth birthday, she didn’t shift, and Mother was completely shocked,” he continues.

“Yeah, we both know how she just tossed her aside,” I sneer, wondering what the Oracle told them. I will be asking that old hag that very question.

He looks disappointed but shakes his head. “She is better off with you. Look at her life now. It’s far better than what it would have been if she had remained in my pack,” he counters.

“You didn’t know what kind of life she’d have. None of you knew that. You threw her to a monster – let’s try to remember that. You thought she wouldn’t last the night,” I growl.

“I’m glad she did,” he says quietly. “I was… that night, I felt… something just seemed right about giving her to you. I didn’t trust my son if she was to remain in my pack, and I have raised her as my own. I do love her, and I want the best for her. She was always a curious child, and she was the warmth of our home. I didn’t want her future to be torn from her, and although I knew it was a risk, I trusted Mother’s decision on the matter.”

“Lies. There was no way she was safe with me, and just so you know, I almost killed her… several times,” I say coldly. “It was your duty to protect her, yet you just gave her up to save that fool you call a son,” I snarl.