Chapter 10
The next day was Clarisse and Sean’s ceremony. They had as much fun as we had on ours and she looked happier than I have ever seen her. Sean had her spinning around the garden and he barley let anyone dance with her. The next day was when Sebastian and I called our pack to the meeting room. There are twenty-three wolves in all and I had them go around the room and introduce themselves and explain how they ended up wolves.
There was Brian who was born this way. His mother and father died in battle. At least that is what Raphael told him. He stopped aging at a fast rate at age 21. He is forty years old. He is five feet six inches tall with blonde hair.
Zackary was bitten and he is thirty years old. He is five feet seven inches and has brown hair. He never returned home afterword because he was told he would hurt everyone he loved. So he just up and left and never looked back. He told me he would go and spy on them to see how they were doing and send stuff to help out but never let them see him.
Etleva was born. She has dark blonde almost light brown hair and is five feet four inches tall. Her parents died in battle after she turned twenty-one. She had the urge to run away from all the violence but never wanted to leave her “family” as she called them. She would have left a long time ago but the others were afraid of Raph.
Jorge was bitten at age fifteen. He looks to be at least twenty and is six feet tall with dark brown hair and tan skin. He told me how Raph to stated that he would harm his family and he left without another question. “Jorge.” I said “Is that really you?” I said practically leaping out of my seat after hearing what he said.
“Yes Monika it is. Why are they all calling you Rebecca? And why are you here?” He asked me curious as to why his best friend was the new leader of his pack and the leader of a witches covenant.
“This was my home, before I was put up for adoption. I found my parents they were there with you the whole time. My real name was always Rebecca. Do you remember those dreams I had of a little girl called Beca and one called Nana?” I asked him and he nodded. “Well those were premonitions I was having of me and Alana. They were meant to lead me here, to my family.” I stopped and waited for him to respond and he just looked at me so I continued. “Why didn’t you come and find me? I would have understood why you just disappeared. You just abandoned me and left me all alone.” I said with tears forming in my eyes. I tried to hold them back and blinked a little to get a clearer view. I couldn’t believe it was actually hm. This was my best friend, I missed him and I always wondered what had happened to him and now I finally found out. I was even more grateful now that I had been the one to kill Raphael because I would have been pissed off if someone else had that pleasure.
“Raphael told me that if I were to come into contact with anyone I would end up killing them, not intentionally, but it would have happened.” He paused as if he were contemplating something and then he continued. “Would you have believed me, if I told you what I was? You didn’t know about this world, it’s not like I could have come to you and told you my dreaded night in the woods when I was attacked by a wolf and a month later I went through my first change. He was there waiting for me after the change. I couldn’t refuse him, he was so strong and I just went with him. If I knew I was under some kind of spell I would have tried to break it and come to see you, but I didn’t so I couldn’t do anything. I regret never coming back, but what is done is done.” He said and embraced me in a hug that was meant to last a second but lasted a long minute with tears rolling down my cheeks.
The rest of the time went in a blur as most of them were turned and the ones that weren’t their parents were mysteriously killed in battle. I promised them all that I wouldn’t let anything else like that happen again as long as I lived and they all seemed very grateful for it. I asked Avery, Zackary, and Brian to stay after for an update on Jacob.
“Alpha he doesn’t seem to be a threat to us or this covenant. I don’t know why we have to stay with him all the time if he doesn’t seem like a traitor to us in the least.” Brian said. He has been with Jacob almost every minute of every day for the past week. And so have Zack and Avery. They have been making friends while secretly keeping an eye on him. I haven’t yet decided what to do with him and I need to make sure he doesn’t cause any more trouble.
“Please, can you seriously tell me that there is nothing suspicious about the kid? He went into my room, dug through all my things, and then handed over a very valuable piece of my history to the woman who wants to take down this covenant!” I said raising my voice. His head as well as the other wolves dropped immediately as my voice rose. “So tell me is there anything that isn’t worth keeping an eye on him for? Because as of now he is our only lead as to why she wants to take us down and we cannot let him in on it until Alana and I discuss how we are going to handle it. Now any news as to what he has been up to after he leaves you? Which one tracks him?”
“We all do Alpha; we take turns every other night.” Zack said. “He hasn’t done much. Last night he left the compound but he didn’t go see her he wandered the park near our old place, but he wasn’t talking to anyone or meeting with anyone. He could have been leaving a message I didn’t get to close in case he sensed I was there.” He spoke to me in a tone that suggests he failed me.
“Zack please lift your head and speak to me with confidence. I will not disrespect you like you have been in the past. You have not failed me, that is valuable information and we will send out Etleva and Jorge to check for clues.” He nodded although he didn’t speak again he looked a little relieved that I wasn’t going to reprimand him.
“Alpha would you like me send them in here to you?” Avery asked.
“Yes and have them go with Yashira and Milissa. They are more experienced in finding the clues that they would leave behind.”
“Yes Alpha.” He said and went to get everyone and send them to me.
“You are both dismissed and please remain under his radar of suspicion.”
“Yes Alpha.” They said in unison then left the room.
After they left Sebastian and I waited in the room for them he spoke to me through our new gift “You are a natural leader, only one as kind as you would let him feel as if he didn’t fail you. I envy that quality and I hope I can be as kind and caring about our people as you are.” He said with sincere awe in his voice.
“Thank you. It has to do with my upbringing. As I told you I was not a loved child growing up and I refuse to let others be treated badly on my watch.” I said and was about to continue as the door opened and in came the four people I was waiting for.
“Hello girls, please take a seat as I explain what I need from you. Avery that will be all, thank you.” I said to him and he bowed his head and left the room without another word. “I have a very important mission for you four. Etleva and Jorge you are going to need to be in your wolf form and sniff out anything that belongs to a witch or warlock scent. When you find that scent I need Milissa and Yashira to look in that spot or spots for anything that could have been left behind by anyone trying to leave a message.” She looked at them all and waited for their response. She studied her werewolf Etleva. She learned that she and Jorge are dating and she couldn’t help but become a little jealous of her.
“Rebecca, what does this have to do with? And why isn’t Alana giving us the order? I know you are now our leader as well, but she should be here right?” Yashira said as if I was planning something behind Alana’s back. Yashira is a dark skinned Puerto Rican with dark brown curly hair and dark brown eyes. She is five feet one inch tall. Her sister Milissa is the same height light brown eyes and light brown curly hair. Her skin is a lighter color.
I spoke as calmly as I could and said “Alana and John are with Serenity and Christian having lunch. She knows everything and more than any of you know. I would not do anything to hurt her, she was like my sister when I was little and I still hold those same feelings towards her. I love her.” I said as if I needed to explain myself to them. I heard Sebastian whisper in my head to calm down and his voice in my head helped a little but not fully.
“Do you, any of you have, any questions before you go out there? Bring weapons, to protect yourselves. You will be going to Morris Street Park, Etleva and Jorge you are to protect them the best you can. Do you understand me?”
“Yes Alpha.” The both said.
“Good, now go and find me as soon as you get back. I should be with Alana in the garden with her parents.” They all got up and left and I heard Milissa yelling at Yashira for disrespecting me like that and it gave me a warm feeling that some of this covenant was accepting my leadership role.
We went in search of Alana and found all four of them in the garden. We explained everything that happened and who I sent out and where they went. I left out the part of Yashira’s outburst. I felt I did a good enough job on my own.
Serenity told us Jacob was born into the elements covenant, but his mother didn’t like how Arianna had changed and started to disrespect the mated couples. “I took them in, because they were my friends and I couldn’t let an innocent child go out there living in a world where he wouldn’t fit in. His powers would have come to him and he would have to fight the urge to use them every day. I just couldn’t do it.” She said. She was almost a splitting image of Alana. She was beautiful and being a werewolf she didn’t age.
“Why did he keep you locked up? I mean were you locked up the whole seventeen years?” I asked her curious as to how she ended up in there and why they don’t look ill from being in a cell for seventeen years.
She was taken aback from my question and I had to wonder if she was keeping something from us. I tried to tap into my wolf to read her mind, but I couldn’t. It’s like there was some kind of block in it. So I sent a message to Alana “She is hiding something. I can’t get into her head and weather she acknowledged me as her Alpha yet or not I have been able to get into all of my wolves minds.” I paused remembering that I haven’t talked to her like this and then I quickly added “Just think your response to me and don’t look like your trying too hard to concentrate because then she will know I’m suspicious of her.”
Alana looking a little startled that she heard me in her head took a deep breath and then said “Oh my god! How the heck did you do that? How did you know you can do that? That is so cool. And what do you mean she is hiding something. She paused maybe it’s a bad subject to bring up.”
“Are you serious? If this was anyone else and not your parents would you have taken a second guess as to why she was holding back? No. You wouldn’t. Alana you are the leader of this covenant. You cannot risk the lives of these people because you are too strung up believing she is your mother.” I saw Alana’s face fall with what I said and I instantly felt bad. I didn’t mean to sound so mean, but I had to in order for her to see what I saw. She looked like she was studying something and I didn’t try and pry into her mind. It wasn’t right, I trusted Alana I just didn’t trust her parents. There has to be a reason why I couldn’t get in and I refused to believe that she wasn’t a bad guy until I proved her otherwise.
“Mama, what happened to Jacob’s mother?” she asked after some time of quiet.
She looked at her puzzled and then said “She disappeared about a year after she had come. I thought maybe she wanted her son to grow up away from Arianna and she went back to her after she knew this was a good home for him. She was loyal to her, and I knew she couldn’t abandon her no matter how much she hated the way she was being treated.” She looked lost in thought as if the memory was being replayed in her mind.
“You never went to check on her? You didn’t mind having a child from another covenant being here and helping to raise him?” Alana said with a little anger in her voice.
Again she took a little while to talk, as if she was deciding what to say. Then all she said was “No.” She looked down at her hands suddenly worried about a piece of dirt stuck in her nail. She was picking at it while she spoke “I thought that if he had grown up around a strong group of mated pairs and children without violence then he would turn out to be a better man.” She looked like she was truly upset and I had to give it to her if this is some trick she is a good actor.
******
They all made it to the park and the wolves turned right there. Even though they were on their side now it still freaked out Milissa. “What are we supposed to be looking for? She sent us out here to look for something and she wouldn’t tell us what it was? There is something she is hiding from us. And even though I didn’t go out and yell at her in front of her pack I don’t trust that Alana knows neither.” She was following the wolves and Yashira was close behind.
“So why did you yell at me if I was just speaking the truth?” Yashira said with a hint of anger rising in her voice.
Milissa looked at her dumbfounded and said “Are you serious? Do you not know how protective wolves are of their Alpha? They would have attacked you.” She noticed that they had stopped and were sniffing out a spot really good. They didn’t tell them what they found so she walked over and said “besides I think she knows what she is doing. Considering there is a pile of burned paper and the remnants of a spell hanging in the air.”
******
A low boom sounded nearby and I turned my head to see the four of my people returned with some excitement on their faces. “Alana come with me and talk to them. Serenity and Christian we will be right back.” I said as I stood up and took Alana with us. As we walked over to the group I told her “don’t discuss this with them.” I motioned behind me to her parents. “We need to keep this as secret as possible, especially since I’m not too sure they are working on our side. There is definitely something wrong with them.”
All she did was nod her head and agree with me. I felt really bad for what she was going through, but I couldn’t let it slide because she thought they were her parents. We reached the group and she adjusted her face to look more herself. She spoke to them first which I didn’t mind because it let Yashira and Milissa know that Alana was in the know of what I had going on; which let them stop worrying if I had some secret agenda going on.
“You girls look happy. What did you find?”
It was Milissa who spoke first which surprised me, I was expecting Yashira to say something and give a smart remark about me and my orders. “We found the remnants of a fire spell. The pieces of the paper that were left from the fire were on the ground. We have them here.” She said handing them over to Alana. “Etleva and Jorge also found something.” She said looking over at me.
I nodded my head and spoke to my wolves. “Whose scent did you find?”
It was Etleva who spoke saying “Alpha I wish to tell you and Alana in private. It concerns Zack.” And she had her head bent as if she were being punished.
I went into her mind and spoke to her. “Is it his scent you have found or the one he is guarding?”
She didn’t look the least bit surprised that I could do that and she spoke back saying “It is his scent, Jacob’s scent. And it is also Serenity’s Scent.”
I couldn’t believe it. Alana must have known what I was doing because she motioned for the other two girls to leave us. They nodded their heads and went out the door. “Ok spill it what did you find?”
Etleva spoke again saying “We found the scent of Jacob and we also found the scent of… your mother.”
Alana looked pissed and shocked all at the same time. “How can you be so sure? Have you even been near my mother enough times to know her scent?” she was raising her voice. And Jorge stepped in for her.
“Eva knows because I smelt it too. I wouldn’t let her tell you if it was just her who smelt it.” His voice was rising louder to protect what was his. And he looked pissed at Alana for getting loud with her like that.
“That’s enough!” I yelled and the two wolves dropped to their knees immediately. “I will not let you all disrespect each other. She is partly your Alpha, you will not talk to her any other way than you will talk to me. Do you understand?”
“Yes Alpha.” They both said.
“Sorry Alana.” Jorge said. “I didn’t like the way you were talking to my mate. Please don’t consider us liars. This is why we wanted to speak to you without the other two present.”
“You are forgiven. What did you call her? Eva?”
“Yes, we had come up with that name since it is easier to pronounce than her Albanian name.” Jorge said.
“I like that name. Eva. It’s nice; I will call you that from now on. Is that ok with you Eva?”
“Yes its ok everyone calls me that so it don’t bother me.” She said.
Alana nodded her head and then started speaking softly under her breath and a few seconds later it was a full sheet of paper again.
What Alana saw must have been bad for her to fall to her knees. I took the paper from her hands and read what it said.
Mother I know that I am being followed so I have left you this here. I think that Alana and Rebecca know what I have done. I am sorry to tell you that I care about them and my covenant more than you and yours. I have been a member of Luna since I was four and I refuse to let you take them down. They are more powerful than you may have thought. And how are Serenity and Christian doing? I know you have them. The real them. The two that are here are not them and one of the girls will figure it out soon enough. Don’t come after me, because I refuse to help you. I will make amends for what I did to Rebecca and I will tell them everything.
“What do you think the spell was that she cast?”
“A memory spell. Tell Sebastian to bring my parents to the cells.”
I nodded my head. “Honey bring Serenity and Christian to the cells. Don’t tell them anything just bring them down”
I felt his horror as he saw what I was talking about. “Ok.” was all he said in return.
“Ok, he is on his way down there. Are we going to meet them there?”
She nodded her head and said “Yes, but first we need to get everyone down there. Call all the wolves and have them meet you in here and I will call the rest of us. Jacob has some explaining to do after I give him his memory back. And those two are going to answer some questions too.”
We’re walking down to the cells now with all of the covenant and the wolves. I can feel all their anticipation and anxiety as to why they were all meeting in the basement as opposed to the meeting room. I had Zack keeping a close eye on Jacob who didn’t look to be too nervous about going down to the cells.
When we finally got down there I was surprised to see that John and Sebastian had succeeded in getting Serenity and Christian into the cell that was made for a were and it was reinforced with spells as well. “Thank you for getting them in there for us. I can’t thank you guys enough.” I said and gave them both a warm smile.
“When Sebastian told me what you two found out I had to get them locked up before they figured it out. Although they didn’t hesitate when I told them they were going to have to go into the cell. It’s almost as it they were expecting it.” John said a little concerned.
Alana and I looked at each other and she made it clear that she wanted me to explain the events of the past few days. I nodded and motioned for everyone to come in closer. They all did and I started on my story.
“As you can see we have Serenity and Christian locked up. Many of you probably want to know why. Well I can tell you that these two people are not them.” I stopped and looked for Jacob. I spotted him in the far corner with Zack and sent him a message to bring him up to me. I heard the “Yes, Alpha.” In my head then watched as he brought him to me. This mind communication thing is the best thing that happened to me I able to talk to anyone that is a wolf in my pack that was once a member of Raph’s pack.
When Jacob was by my side I had him put in a cell as well. “This young man Jacob. Born to the Elements Covenant and raised with the Luna Covenant has betrayed us. He was secretly for working Arianna giving her information on us and robbing me.” I noticed Jacob’s confused look on his face and continued. “He stole something that is the one thing that connected me to being Rebecca and not Monika. The one thing that told Alana for sure that I was really Rebecca returned home after so many years of being without you. Arianna told him that this thing is the source of our great power; that without it we wouldn’t be as strong as we are now. I was able to get it back and I had gotten a vision as well. He was the one that went through my room until he found what he was looking for; then he teleported to Arianna. She wants to take us down. From what these imposters have told us, it’s because we are a strong covenant of mated witches and warlocks. Her jealousy is what is driving her to want to come after us.
“I sent Zack, Avery, and Brian to keep a close eye on him, befriend him so to say. They followed him to Morris Street Park and found him just wandering around as if he was expecting someone but not trying to make it obvious that he was up to something. I sent out four people this morning Eva, Jorge, Milissa, and Yashira. The wolves found the scent of not just Jacob but also of the woman posing as Serenity. The other two girls found the remnants of a spell and pieces of paper that were burned. Alana cast a spell to get the paper back to what it was before it was burnt and it told us this.” And she read the letter out loud to them.
The look on all their faces was enough to let her know they were all as shocked as she was when she read it.
Jacob looking even more puzzled said “I don’t remember doing that or writing that. How is that possible?”
“Arianna cast a memory spell on you. That was the remnants of the spell that the girls had found.” Alana said. “How are you Arianna’s son? She never had children, her mate died. She never looked for another one after that. in the letter you call her mother. Why?”
“She is my mother. She had me after my father died. They created me, right before his last breath. I was brought here by another woman under a spell to be an insider. Growing up I loved you guys and when she came for me I couldn’t do it. I don’t remember anything else though. I don’t remember what I would have told her or given her. I’m sorry.” He looked and sounded very upset with himself for everything that happened.
“I am going to cast a spell to rid you of the one you are currently under. I want to know everything that you have done for her over the years. I know she knows how powerful we are and that Rebecca has returned to us. But I need to know everything. Do you understand me?”
“Yes I understand you Alana. I’m sorry I don’t remember why I would something like that to you guys. You are my family.”
Alana just looked at him and she was concentrating really hard, probably coming up with a spell strong enough to counter the one that was put on him. “Rebecca come here take my hand and repeat after me.”
I took her hand and waited as she conjured up all her strength and power from the witches and warlocks in the room. I called on my power as well, not sure how much I needed but not willing to not have enough. I watched as the wolves all bent down so I could call on their power as well.
“She used a strong spell, I’m not sure we can strip it from him.” Alana said as I saw an ora of magic swarming around her.
“How can you be sure? With as much power as we have, we should be able to do it.” I looked over at her supposed parents and saw them smirking. “Stop!” I yelled at Alana and instantly the ora of magic faded around us. “It’s them. There doing something to us, or to Jacob. That’s why they didn’t fight being put in there.”
Alana looked over at them and saw the smirk that is on their faces and went over to them and yelled. “What are you doing? Why can’t we strip him of the spell? What are you and Arianna planning?”
It was Christian who spoke this time and as he spoke he stripped his disguise off revealing someone that I didn’t know, but the look on Alana’s face was enough for me no know she knew him. “You foolish girls. I knew exactly what you wanted us down here for. You wanted to question us, and question him.” He said motioning towards Jacob in the cell besides them. “Well as long as you have us in this compound you cannot get that spell off of him. We were given a cloaking potion. It will keep us and him cloaked as long as we are within range of him.” he paused as if he was in thought and continued. “Yes, you could try and take him away from us, but why don’t you two test out your powers first and see if you can use them now that we have absorbed them.” He finished with an evil laugh.
I don’t know who this guy is but I already him. “I don’t feel them.” I said to Sebastian. I felt him try to reassure me through our bond but it wasn’t working. These two assholes stole my powers directly in front of my own eyes and I will not let them get away with it. So I spoke to Alana through the Alpha bond “What do we do? We can’t do anything to them; they will absorb whatever we throw at them.”
I looked over at her and she looked to be deep in thought. Maybe she was talking to John, and trying to figure out what she could do. So I went back to Sebastian and said “We need the book. Go out into the hall and conjure it to you. We need to see if there is a spell or something to take the absorption spell off of them, as well as taking the cloak off.”
I felt his reassurance and a swift kiss on my check as he raced by me. His vampire speed was faster than the wolves but not much faster. His hearing was also better which meant that he would hear everything we