I wandered without a shadow. Everywhere I used to go if I was allowed to leave, I was followed by a few warriors, and then that changed to a few omegas, and then just one.
The fact that they let me leave now was a combination of years of the persona I carefully built and their complacency.
They should have been worried, even if they thought the threat followed the visitors there was obviously a breach in security.
I wandered seemingly aimlessly around the place until I reached the edge of the forest and slipped between the trees. I pulled out the map I’d been working on slowly over the last few years in bits and pieces. I knew where I was going, or I thought I did.
I picked some Perscyth for myself, a bright white flower with thick petals that were stark against the muted browns they pushed through.
These flowers broke through the rough patches that didn’t get much sunlight. I always admired them, the ones who were able to grow into something beautiful despite their circumstances. The flowers that didn’t grow in darkness didn’t succumb to the ease of changing themselves to not need light, but the ones that held onto the bit of light they could find and made it enough.
I smiled, smelling it. It would look lovely in my room.
I couldn’t wander as much as I would have liked, I had to get back not only because I didn’t want to raise suspicion but because I wanted to find out what the others were thinking, and more importantly if they knew anything.
I was surprised to find I actually felt at peace, as much peace as I could attain these days, but still, it was something. My life revolved around anger and revenge and I rarely did anything recently that wouldn’t benefit my plans.
I couldn’t remember the last time I did anything for myself because I wanted to and I hated that they took that away from me too, even if it was partially my own doing.
I made a vow as I strode to the patch of Silent Junipers I marked months ago, I would do something for myself every damn day.
I cut some of the flowers with scissors I stole from the kitchen, wrapping them in a linen, I also borrowed. I dug around with my fingers to grab some from the roots, making sure not to break the little bulbs that grew under them before wrapping them in a damp cloth.
Silent Junipers were lovely, a deep shade of purple, more of a leafy plant than a flower. I often wondered if their name had to do with the color of Juniper Berries as there was nothing berry-like about them.
I walked back lost in thought, scanning the forest floor. I made note of a patch of Fireheart on my hand-drawn map. Those were best fresh but they were more common and not a problem to find.
On second thought, I went back and carefully picked some making sure to dig their roots out with a stick and wrap them in a napkin. I was careful not to touch the itchy leaves.
I checked the sun, I was only gone for two hours but it felt like a lifetime. I picked wildflowers on the way to the gardens where I discreetly dropped the Fireheart under a stone bench, making sure it was hidden from view.
The gardens were tended, but not diligently, the staff was more focused on the interiors and the front area that was seen walking up, not on something that only the pack members would see. Better to keep up appearances.
I strolled through the packhouse, taking the front door like I always did during the day. I went to the kitchen and deposited the scissors.
“Such lovely flowers, Simone,” The head omega, Amelia nodded toward me. Even though I knew her well I never got used to the pity that lined her voice whenever she spoke to me. She tried to hide it, or she probably thought she did.
But I knew that even the omegas believed who I portrayed. I should be happy that my facade held even with those who thought they knew me, but it still cracked something within me. The fact that no one truly knew me, not anymore.
“Thank you, Amelia. I was going to put some bouquets together and maybe press some or dry them to have them around,” My voice was soft as I shrugged, I looked down as if it was a bad idea.
“That sounds lovely, Simone. Is there anything you need?” She asked and I nodded, thanking her for the supplies and the croissant she sent me away with.
I went up to my room and got to work. Pressing, drying, and putting together bouquets. It kept me busy and I became lost in it.
Satisfied, that it would be enough for today, I threw the linens in the laundry basket and washed my hands.
Now, off to see what else I could find out without running into the nightmare triplets.
It didn’t take long to hear Alpha Raymond’s booming voice reverberate off the stone of the entrance hall.
“But that’s not what they think”
“It’s a coincidence,” Luna Addison said softly.
“It doesn’t matter,”
“The river goes for miles,” Nolan noted.
I suppressed my smile and walked past them taken aback by the shouting. No one noticed me and I scurried past the entryway hoping they would stop me but they didn’t. Very well, I could listen.
“A hand, well an arm,”
“But it could have been the Beta’s, the Blue Ridge One?”
“Unless he had three arms I hardly see how.”
“They could be lying,”
“Why would they?”
Silence ensued.
“Their son was murdered here, it seems like they have every motive.”
I breathed, this was working out far better than I expected. To have both of them pinned against each other, especially the pack that was on the receiving end of my gifts.
I couldn’t have timed it better, I tried to, but decay can be so unpredictable, especially with the weather here and the constant changes of the rivers.
I guess the second one was starting to decay, I wondered if I tied his hands but I was fairly certain that I didn’t.
I waited until the voices stopped and I heard footsteps, I turned around and bumped into Luna Addison on the way, but she ignored me.
“I have something for you,” I said shyly extending my hand in front of me, “I picked them,”
She paused taking them from me, “Thanks,” She sighed past her confusion walking away.
“Simone,” She signed and I made my shoulders sag inward.
“I’m sorry,” My voice sounded small.
“Come sit with me,” She turned on her heel and I followed her to her office silently with my head hung failing to erase the smile that crept on my face.
I followed behind her not saying a word, pausing outside the hallway that contained offices and what I heard in passing a library and a showroom of sorts. I had never been invited into her office or the Alphas.
I’ve debated trying to sneak in but this place was usually crawling with warriors or omegas going in and out of the area.
The Alpha seemed to hole himself up in his office. There was no pattern as to when he would show up or how long he would be there. I gave up trying to figure out his schedule for more worthy pursuits.
“Come in,” She sounded annoyed as I stood in the doorway of her office. I folded my hands over my dress and walked in standing behind the chair.
“I’m working on moving my office to the extension, I need something brighter and more modern this is just so,” She shuddered motioning to the office around her. The darker woods and stone did make the space seem small.
“However, I can’t trust those to accurately renovate it,” She sighed, “Three paint jobs, and they can’t get the perfect shade of mint green.”
I shook my head as if I sympathized with her and the incompetence of workers, even though it was probably her fault for picking the wrong shade.
She threw the bouquet on her desk and my gaze followed her actions. She didn’t notice as she poured some clear liquid into a glass and then glanced back at me filling another one. She stalked forward handing a glass to me before downing her glass and refilling it.
She sat down staring at the liquid with a sour look on her face.
“Surrounded by men and their big personalities,” She leaned back scrubbing a hand over her face.
I sniffed at the liquid and took a timid sip grimacing as it burned.
“Sit,”
I did as I was told the glass clutched between my hands.
“I was so elated to have been blessed by not one but three boys. The Moon Goddess favors me,”
I tilted my head forward forcing my gaze to be curious and cool. She was favored by no one.
“Having such strong-willed boys, and my mate such a strong man,” I bit my lip, “But they don’t understand that my opinion is just as important as theirs.” She took a long sip.
“Maybe even more than theirs,” She scoffed, “But that’s the price I pay for being blessed.” She repeated.
Did she just want me here for her monologue?
“Did something happen?” I ventured.
“Another body part found,” She scoffed as it was an inconvenience to her, “They don’t know who but the blame is placed on us even though we are not the only pack upstream.” I grimaced.
“It washed up from the river?” I clutched the armrest as I took a sip of the burning liquid, it heated my cheeks and I hoped I looked panicked.
“It seems so, the best course of action I thought would be to go look for the body or bodies, see where they originated.”
No.
That actually was a good idea, but the river was deep and rapid at times, you couldn’t just walk along the stream hoping to find a dead body.
“We don’t have any idea who it belongs to anyway,” She continued.
I did Christopher, the advisor that came to the triplet's last birthday. He congratulated Alpha Raymond on the removal of the filth that was my pack. Looking back, I don’t think that he knew who I was, but it didn’t matter.
He deserved it, and I needed the practice.
The killing was easy, dragging his body to the river was hard, and covering my tracks in the light snow that fell was the hardest part of all.
But again, it was a learning experience, and I was better for it.
I didn’t hear anything else Luna Addison said as she rambled on about her special boys and how smart she was.
“What do you think?” I was genuinely surprised by her question.
“A-about what?” I asked.
“This whole thing, coincidence or not? Who should we be looking to? This is the third body found in or around our pack.”
“That is a good question, I hadn’t thought about it,” I chewed my lip, “But what possible motive would there be? Everyone knows that this pack is untouchable.” I tried to avoid saying the pack name whenever possible.
The part that they stole from mine.
“That they do.” A satisfied smile crossed her face, “There really isn’t a motive unless someone was planning to take over.”
No, Addison, there were definitely other motives.
“But why would they go after people from different packs then?” I mused.
“Hm,” She looked at me, “You’re right, that wouldn’t make sense. Maybe it's a paid assassin.”
I feigned a look of shock, “Do those exist?”
“Hm, for those of means, you were too young to get into pack politics when-” She waved her hand as if the death of everyone I knew and loved was something minuscule, “But yes, Simone, there are assassins and far worse things out there.”
I shuddered.
“How will we know?” I whispered, looking at my glass.
“I have no idea and they don’t want to figure it out, they just want to go after everyone. Bloodshed you know men.”
I averted my gaze.
“Well, I guess you don’t,” She picked up on my cue, “But you are lucky, you have to admit that. You get to be with one of them and give Blood River a potential heir, plus you get treated as family so,”
Family? This is more how Cinderella would be treated, I guess minus the grueling labor, which I was slightly grateful for. It could be worse, it always could be worse. But I’ve lived through the worst of it.
“I am grateful for that,” I said, “But I am nervous too, you know.”
“Have one or all of my sons fuck you?” Her eyes met mine and the shock that ripped across my face wasn’t forced.
“You are blessed to be standing,” Rage filled her eyes that seemed so misplaced. I had no idea how we got here, how somehow I was being berated for not wanting to take all of her son’s dicks at once. The thought made me shudder, that would never happen.
Not one of them would touch me, order or not.
“Never forget that,” She went on, “There are so many young girls at this pack that would kill to be where you are.”
I didn’t doubt that I had little interaction with the pack members, the packhouse was separate from where the rest of the members lived, guarded, and secluded. More like a castle than a building supposed to be for all.
The packhouse at Blood Moon, back home, was the center of activity. People were always in and out of it and most of the spaces there were open to all. It was such a stark contrast to here and it only added to my loneliness.
“I don’t doubt that,” I said a part of what I was thinking, it was the truth at least, but I needed to reign this conversation in.
“Did you want a girl?” I blurted out, trying to turn the conversation back to her. If there was something that Luna Addison was good at it was talking about herself.
She looked at me but her gaze didn’t soften.
“No.” She responded immediately, “Well maybe I would have liked a mix but boys are a blessing.”
“They are,” I agreed.
“And whoever they are mated to will end up being like my daughter. I only hope the Moon Goddess blesses them with mates as good as they are,”
“I’m sure that will happen,” I was getting too d.amn good at lying, “Their mates will be lucky to learn from you.” I dipped my head.
“Yes,” She swirled the liquid in her glass moving her attention from me to it, “They will be.”
I leaned back, clutching the glass, hoping she would go on.
“If they ever find them, I was hoping it would be in this pack but,” She pinched the bridge of her nose, “Hopefully at the annual conference, I need someone, just one person, to help me out with all of this testosterone.” She smiled at me, actually smiled, and I returned it, trying to sip my drink.
“The conference?” I tilted my head.
“Yes, Simone,” She sounded exasperated, “There is a yearly conference for the Alphas in our region,”
“Oh yes,” I folded my hands around the glass. I knew that conference, something my dad went to, “This year I’m sure,” I put on one of my smiles that had a hint of sadness.
“Yes,” She turned back to me, looking me over. I made myself small.
“How long will it take for your new office to finish?” I took the last sip of the liquid.
“It was supposed to be done ages ago, but I’m hoping for the end of this month.”
“It would be closer,” I noted, their offices were in a separate area completely. It didn’t even make sense when they lived in the old packhouse.
Their seclusion was part of the reason I never dared venturing here, I didn't have an excuse to be in this area.
“Is it true that there is a library here? Another one?” I asked.
She looked at me but thankfully didn’t seem to take notice of my curiosity.
“Yes, the Alpha’s library.” She nodded and I did the same.
“Do you want me to put those in water?” I gestured to the flowers, I knew that this conversation was slipping from me. She seemed bored and I couldn’t divert the conversation.
“Sure,” She stood up and poured herself another drink while I went about searing her office for something that might work as a vase.
“Is there a bathroom?” She motioned to a door.
“There you go,” I put the flowers on her desk and stepped back admiring my work.
“Thanks,” She looked at them for a moment, “They actually do brighten up the place,” She clamped down on her lip as if the small compliment was too much.
I smiled widely at her, “I’ll bring you some fresh ones in a few days, just so that it brightens the space before you move.”
She seemed to nod and it was enough. I stood behind the chair not sure if I should sit or not but knowing I had to be excused.
“You may leave.” She said as if she completely forgot I was there.
"Thank you for the company, Luna,” I bowed my head.
She waved her hand at me and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Well, that was better than I expected. Not entirely useless, I did get a full inside look at her office and I committed it to memory. I knew where everything was, where her safe was most likely located, and where the documents I might need were kept on an open shelf. It was something for now.
“What are you doing here?” I almost bumped into the Alpha with my head down.
I took a step back my eyes wide and my mouth open, “I, the Luna, she invited me. I brought her some flowers and I thought I could bring some-”
“I don’t care,” He cut me off and brushed past me.
That worked better than expected, running into him here. I had an in to come back that I hadn’t been able to procure for years.