Chapter 5

            “We’re going to have to come clean, sooner rather than later, Alpha.” I said. “From what I know of the young Alpha Tristan, he’s going to want to push her emancipation instead of wait for her birthday.”

            “Barb, you worry too much.” Alpha Bruce chided. “She turns eighteen in a month, and with you covering at the orphanage, he has no reason to push for it.”

            Shouldn’t the Luna be involved in this conversation? Hannah is her niece after all.” I demanded, breaking protocol by challenging my alpha.

            “We agreed to do whatever it takes to protect her already. Judencia would agree with me on this. Leave it alone, Barb.” He growled.

            I sighed. There was no arguing when he used his Alpha tone. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t broach the topic with my Luna. I bowed my head and made my way out of the packhouse. Whoever had murdered Craig and Jordan was still out there, and it infuriated me that Alpha Bruce couldn’t see that keeping Hannah in the dark about her claim to the throne was putting her in danger.

            I had come to love her as my own pup in the time I had cared for her at the orphanage. If I had had my way, she would have been under the protection of the Silver Moon pack from the start. The only thing that had stopped me from pushing the issue was knowing that her parents had been surrounded by warriors and still died. Silver Moon was a strong pack but couldn’t hold a candle to the wolves Hannah’s parents had commanded. They had all died when the compound had been attacked.

            Nobody outside of myself, Alpha Bruce, and Luna Judencia knew Hannah was the last blood line heir to the throne. We had managed to use what influence the pack had to keep her true parentage out of court documents when we had her placed in my orphanage. Hannah herself was completely unaware that she was a royal. The girl deserved a chance at a normal pack life, without the danger and intrigue that came with being royalty.

            I sighed and turned down the road towards the compound. Nobody from Silver Moon pack had visited since the police had closed it down for evidence processing. I still didn’t know how they had beat us to the scene, but once they were involved our hands were tied. I wasn’t sure what made me want to come to the place now, but I had learned long ago to trust my instincts.

            When the iron gates came into view of my headlights, I slowed to a stop. The crime scene tap was still up, though beaten by years of weather, and the gate had long rusted shut. I made quick work of scaling over it into the compound, before stripping down and shifting. I had suspicions when the attack first occurred that the police would miss something vital though I could never bring myself to enter the compound before. Most of the evidence would be long gone by now, but something urged me forward.

            There were no scents to follow, even the humans had avoided the place for the last ten years. The authorities had passed it off as a wild pack of wolves, thanks in part to the few who had died in their wolf form. Those who didn’t believe the official story were convinced it was some religious murder cult, either way they avoided the area. I forced back the images of the murdered wolves from my mind and made my way to Hannah’s childhood home.

            The house hadn’t held up well without maintenance, the door was warped and barely set on the hinges. I carefully made my way inside, not sure what I was looking for. Aside from the damage of unchecked time, the place looked as it had when Craig and Jordan moved in. The family photos were still along the walls, dinner plates were left on the coffee table where their meal was interrupted by the attack. If nothing else, I could gather some photos to give to Hannah, she would appreciate them.

            If I were a clue, where would I be? I thought to myself before making my way to the master bedroom. I shifted back to human form the moment I saw the room. Unlike the others, it was trashed. Someone had torn through it as if they were looking for something. I could tell by the lack of scent that it hadn’t been ransacked recently, I only hoped it had been curious kids looking for something to steal and not whoever had killed them.

            Footsteps caught my attention, and I lifted my nose in the air to catch the scent. I’m imagining things. I scolded myself. There wasn’t any detectible scent which meant that I was alone. I gingerly made my way deeper into the room, scanning for anything that stood out in the mess. My eyes landed on a torn piece of cloth; it was caught on the edge of an open drawer. It looked remarkably similar to the material the royal guard’s uniforms were made from. It was the same type and color. Something was definitely off about it being in this room.

            The sound of footsteps reached my ears again and I crouched down. I still couldn’t smell anything, but every sense in my body was screaming that I was not alone. I shifted quickly into my wolf form and hid myself beside the bed as best I could. I had barely concealed myself when a man dressed like the royal guard entered the room. I froze, praying to the goddess he wouldn’t see me.

            “Owen.” Called a woman’s voice. “We’ve already checked that room. There was nothing that would lead us to the girl.”

            I couldn’t control the growl that escaped me, the drive for self-preservation was overruled by the need to protect my pup. I lunged at the man, knocking him over, and raced out of the house. A quick glance over my shoulder as I pushed myself towards the gate revealed a tall, blond woman, watching me. Whoever she was knew about Hannah and she was looking for her. I needed to get back to the pack house and warn Alpha Bruce.