Lingering Secrets

Third person's P.O.V

Elizabeth stormed into the study room, her presence commanding attention. Her heart raced, hands trembling, as the haunting possibilities of her granddaughter enduring the worst tormented her thoughts. Deep within, she knew her sons, knew the depths of their capability, the chilling void of emotions and the immense want of revenge that could make them living monsters at times.

"Where is she?" she demanded, her words cutting through the air.

Alpha Matteo, seemingly unperturbed, idly flipped through the pages of his book, his long legs draped over the desk. A Courtesan Cigar smouldered in his other hand, indifference oozing from every pore.

"Mother, perhaps you shouldn't concern yourself," he drawled, seemingly careless,  "It's already night. Why not get some sleep?"

Elizabeth's patience snapped like a fraying wire, "Answer the question, Matteo! Where is she?!"

"She is where she should be."

"Answer the fucking question, Matteo. Where is hell my granddaughter?"

As Matteo poised to offer yet another evasive remark, Alpha Dante nonchalantly walked out of the restroom, feigning ignorance despite the blatant display of their intentions.

"What brings you here, Mother?"

"I demand to know, without delay, where the hell have you two hidden my granddaughter? Because she is not in the room I'd prepared for her."

Dante let out a weary sigh, his reluctance to address the matter evident in his voice. To him, the topic seemed useless, "I fail to comprehend why you care about her so much," he uttered, his words laden with indifference, "Given that she is Ezekiel's daughter, it is only logical to assume she shares his nature. Perhaps we should focus on taking appropriate measures instead of fussing over providing her with a warm and comfortable environment she clearly does not deserve. Certainly, she will not be treated like a princess."

"I can clearly remember that I made it unequivocally clear to both of you that none would lay a finger on her," Elizabeth shot back, determined, "And She will be treated like a princess because this place is her home from now on. And who the hell granted you the authority to make decisions regarding her?"

Matteo, closing his book with a sharp thud, rose to his feet. His expression hardened, "Mother, we are not children anymore. As the leading Alphas of this clan, we hold the power and secure the rights to decide, without requiring anyone's approval."

"Moreover, not need concern ourselves with her well-being. It's only fitting that she meets the same fate as her father, and we certainly don't want any more complications. Nobody in our clan has any desire to have her around, so it's better for her to spend the rest of her life somewhere from where she won't be able to harm anyone, of course," Dante said nonchalantly, believing that the conversation had reached its conclusion. He ambled towards the coffee table, gracefully took a seat on the couch, and let out a relieved sigh, akin to that which envelops a weary traveller at the end of an arduous day's toil.

"Is that how it is? Are you attempting to assert your authority over me?" Elizabeth's arms crossed defiantly over her chest, a chuckle escaping her lips before she continued.

"Perhaps you've conveniently forgotten that as the wife of the former leader, Robert Windsor, and your own mother, I possess the ability to veto three of your decisions at any given moment, compelling the entire clan to abide by my choices. None of your supposed allies or soldiers would be able to rescue you then. I still hold and forever will possess power over every damn member of this clan."

"Unbelievable that you would turn against your own sons in favour of protecting that girl!" Dante looked at his mother in disbelief. "Mother, please try to understand that what we are doing is necessary. She is an outsider, and neither you nor we should harbour even the slightest trace of sympathy for her. She is Ezekiel's daughter, and she will undoubtedly demonstrate the same despicable traits he possessed—a self-centred monster."

"You don't have the fucking authority to judge someone, Dante, and Matteo, you have no right to determine someone's destiny," Elizabeth proclaimed, loud and clear, "She is my granddaughter, and she will receive the same privileges as everyone else in this clan. If either of you object, then go ahead and defy my decision. Prove that your powers and accomplishments have indeed blinded both of you."

"Mother, we followed what you said every step of the way," Dante began, clearly frustrated, "You told us not to kill that monster with our own hands, and we didn't. You told us to bring her here alive, and despite the torment of having his blood running through her veins, we fulfilled that too. We did everything you asked of us, Mother. But this... this is too much. I can't bear the sight of her, knowing she is the daughter of that monster."

"Then how can you forget that she's also a victim?" Elizabeth's voice softened, she was on the verge of tears, "That poor girl doesn't even know the world she was born into. I never imagined that you two would become so heartless. Yes, I taught you to be strong and hold your heads high, but this..." She took a quiet breath, struggling to regain composure. "You're not supposed to harm the innocent. She is harmless."

"Ezekiel had appeared harmless when you adopted her, but what did he do in return? Did you forget everything, Mother?" Matteo's words were laced with bitterness,"Just because she isn't currently capable of causing harm doesn't guarantee that she won't grow up to be a vicious monster like her father. We have endured enough losses already, and now we refuse to suffer any more. It has taken a long time to get where we are today, Mother. We are ready to do whatever it takes to safeguard our clan and prevent another catastrophe from unfolding, much like the one that devastated us twenty-two years ago."

"I have said this to you countless times: no one should suffer the consequences of someone else's actions. And this discussion ends here. Now, either you tell me where she is, or I will conduct a thorough search myself. It will inevitably turn into a clan-wide discussion, and I don't believe it will bode well for you, especially considering that you two are about to take control over the entire clan after the packs merge into one."

"So, this is how it's going to be, mother?" Matteo asked, his jaw clenched tightly, and his hand gripping the edge of the desk, threatening to shatter it in two.

"You've left me no other choice."

"Fuck this! If this is what you want, then so be it," Dante's hand slammed down on the coffee table, his frustration palpable. "Just don't come to regret this decision later, because if she puts a single foot wrong, we will not hesitate to end her life."

"We shall see about that," Elizabeth retorted with a smile, a smile that taunted them— She would not let them harm her granddaughter, at any cost, "Now, tell me where she is."

"The prison— She is in the old prison." Matteo finally revealed with a sigh causing Elizabeth's eyes to widen in horror.

The old prison— The very place where the most heinous criminals are left to starve to death. Wretched abode of decaying corpses, putrid flesh, and crumbling bones, inhabited by freed hungry rogues who brazenly break into cells, mercilessly taking lives as they please.

"What?! You've kept her there?!" Elizabeth completely lost it at this point, "How could you? She'll be dead before the night is over. Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"You asked us where she's being held, and we've told you. No further discussion, please," Dante intervened firmly, while Matteo pretended to immerse himself in reading a book, attempting to avoid the mounting tension.

"You two, need to get her out of there right now!"

"You can send your precious guards, we are not interested, " Matto spoke up this time.

"You're well aware that the guards will most likely fail. After all, it's a place you two created according to your own whims. Furthermore. due to the impenetrable silver shield, no one entering in their human guise can ever transform within its confines, so she can't even shift to protect herself." Elizabeth retorted bitterly. "How could you do such a thing? She's a young and naive girl only."

"Mother—" Dante began with a sigh.

"You two will go there right now and rescue her, Matteo and Dante. It's an order and if you refuse, then I'll go there myself."

The brothers exchanged a glance, realising that their mother was unlikely to change her mind. With a heavy sigh, they reluctantly accepted the only option left, "Fine, we'll do it," Matteo conceded.