The Howling Heart's Forgiveness

Chapter 137

Staring at Rune once again blocking my way to the dungeons, I take deep breaths trying to calm down. I had woken up twenty minutes ago with a small headache only to realize it was my Pack Mates freaking out about an attack that happened thirty minutes before I woke up. Not only that but it was also revealed that this attack happened practically behind my house while I slept and that pups were involved.

I tried linking Rune, Asteria, and Gale. Hell, I linked everyone in the top ranks and got no answer while I dressed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I was just about to leave the cottage when the door burst open and Rune walked in, his grey eyes finding mine. I guess he realized I must have heard what happened because he instantly led me to the sofa and explained in detail what had happened from the time he put me in bed after I had fallen asleep to barging into our home and feeling relieved to see me there albeit pissed off.

Without another word, I left the cottage with my Mate hot on my heels and climbed into my truck, Rune asking me where I was going. All I told him was to climb in and come with me or wait at home. With reluctance, my Mate climbed into the car with me and I drove right here to the dungeons, ready to tear those wretched wolves to shreds for attacking my Packmates.

“Brynlee, calm down.” Rune says, his voice steady and calm.

“Calm down? You expect me to be calm knowing that bastard sent men here and they attacked us?” I demand, trying to find a way to push past my Mate and barge into the dungeons. I am tired of being calm. Tired of planning an attack. It is starting to feel like every time I close my eyes, something bad is going to happen. That the wolves I care about will get injured all because of Valor Sterling.

“I know you’re angry and scared and upset. I can feel it through the bond.” Rune sighs out, placing his hands on my shoulders.

“But going in there before Aunt Asteria and Uncle Gale can interrogate them is wrong. We need to wait and you need to be calm to fulfill your Beta duties.” His voice is low, his hands pulling me flush against him. Rune is right. I need to wait for Asteria and Gale. They are the Alpha pair of Crescent Phoenix. I need to wait and follow their lead as much as I fucking hate it.

Closing my eyes, I take deep breaths of Rune’s scent, feeling his hands run up and down my back slowly, helping me to calm down. It takes a bit of time, but his reassurance that I can kick someone’s ass later makes me laugh until the rage I felt ready to burst settles into a slow simmer of irritation that I can handle for now. Feeling much calmer, I pull back to see Rune watching me, his grey eyes full of concern.

“Better?” He asks and I nod, standing on my tiptoes and placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Better. Thank you.” I answer, stepping away from the dungeon entrance with Rune’s hand in mine.

“Now all we need is to wait for Gale and Asteria so we can interrogate those bastards.” I add, getting a helpless chuckle from Rune. Thankfully we don’t have to wait long as Asteria and Gale quickly join us, each one in wolf form with their clothes in a tote bag that Gale carries in his mouth. They enter the open dungeon first to shift back into their skin side and as soon as the sounds of clothes rustling ends, Rune and I walk inside to find them both dressed.

“Thanks for waiting.” Asteria says, reaching out and pulling me in for a hug.

“I wasn’t actually waiting.” I admit with guilt.

“Rune stopped me from barging into here moments before you arrived. He reminded me that you and Gale are our Alphas and that I should wait for your lead.” I continue, surprise flickering across Asteria’s eyes before vanishing.

“I’m sorry if it feels like I have been stepping over your boundaries. I just…” I begin to apologize, my words trailing off at the end. The only excuses I have are the newfound power that I need to learn to reign in and the hormones from being pregnant. But they are no excuse for how I have been acting.

“Apology accepted, Brynlee” Asteria says, pulling me back into her arms.

“Your Alpha blood is awakening.” She sighs out with a sad smile as she pulls back to look at me once more. The motherly love she has for me washes over me and for a moment I want to cry, to curl up and take all that love. But I hold back. Right now we are in the dungeons and have to watch how we act with prisoners close by.

“It's no wonder you are acting the way you are and I think we need to give you a crash course in Alpha Training before we leave to take down Valor and his whore.” Asteria whispers, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

“I’d like that.” I agree, smiling. The tension that had been building between Asteria and me since our first meeting after finding out Valor’s plans to attack vanishes. Knowing Asteria understands me and knows I feel guilt for causing a small rift between us is all that I need to remind myself that she is not just my Alpha, but also the woman who took me in as her pup. She has been my support, my mother figure since losing my own. Asteria has earned every bit of love and support I have for her.

“Now, let's go beat the answers out of our intruders. I want to know why they are here and why they decided to attack Jennifer and the pups she was training.” Asteria states, eyes narrowing and a blood lust surrounding her. I catch Gale and Rune looking at each other helplessly before we head down the stairs.

Thankfully we only stay on the first level of the dungeons instead of descending to the lower levels. From what Quest has told me; the lower levels of the dungeons are used for torturing the worst of the worst that come to invade us and I am not ready to see that yet. The first floor is just as I remember them to be but this time I am not as scared of them as I was the first time I came here. All the cells are still as clean as before, not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. The cots are clean, waiting for someone to occupy them if they are stupid enough to cross our borders and attack our wolves.

Instead of going to the interrogation room, Asteria stops in front of a cell where the scent of blood and three wolves stem from. Caspian is standing guard with Ricky, the two wolves quickly opening the door as soon as we approach. Inside, three wolves lay between the cot, their wounds not as grievous as I thought from the scent coming from outside.

“Help me bring them to the interrogation room.” Asteria orders Caspian and Ricky. They nod, working quickly to bring each unconscious wolf to the interrogation room. Looking to Rune who watches with anger-filled eyes, I ask why they are unconscious only to have Caspian look over his shoulder and grin at me.

“We got to test out the drugs Doctor Jasmin made. They worked great on these three.” He says, making me laugh. Of course Caspian would be the first to test out our new toys for war.

With the wolves now situated in a triangle on the three chairs, Asteria takes the time to walk around them, taking off their masks and revealing that we have captured two men and one woman.

“Should we wake them up and find out why they came?” Gale asks, handing me a sleek yet light gun. Confused, I look over the object to find that it is a special design, one that is used to inject some form of liquid – probably the reversal drug to what they used on these intruders.

“Jasmin’s invention?” I asked with a grin.

“Jasmin’s invention.” Gale confirms. With a nod, I step towards the first wolf, a man, and press the muzzle of the device against his neck. With a pull of the trigger, I listen as the gun injects the reversal drug into his body.