Chapter 4

Liam returned to the pack mansion without Cohen. Although it was disrespectful for Liam being cold to Cohen, the Interim Alpha’s anger was unquestionable. For months, he tried to find his Alpha. If it wasn’t because of Cohen’s parents’ persuasion, Liam would still be searching for him. It was Georgia’s persuasion that made Liam stop his search and put his attention on the pack. Liam put his own health in jeopardy as he barely had enough rest during his search for Cohen.

#

“I know you’re still looking for Cohen. But son, you have to focus on your health and be the Alpha this pack needs,” Georgia said with tears in her eyes. “I’ve lost Mira and Cohen. I can’t afford to lose you and Brandon too.”

“He’s out there. I know it. I just gotta find him,” Liam said stubbornly.

It was just an hour since he was discharged from the hospital for the second time. Four days ago, he was found unconscious in the office. The doctor confirmed his case for over fatigue and insomnia. Liam was treated in the hospital for four days, leaving the pack’s duty on Brandon’s shoulders.

“Liam!” Georgia screamed his name in anger. “I will not lose you too! Enough with these. Cohen is out there, yes, that is true but he does not want to be found! For the meantime, you should focus on your health.”

Liam nodded. He knew he couldn’t disobey the order of a former Luna who held such credible reputation in the pack. It would be disrespectful of him if he refused Georgia’s order. After all, her words still mean authority.

#

“Alpha,” Brandon said, knocking on the door. 

Liam pulled out from his thoughts. “Brandon, what is it?”

“You know, Cohen is back.”

“His body is here. His mind is not,” Liam replied.

He watched Cohen closely since the latter returned to the pack mansion. There was no doubt that Cohen’s mind was no longer his own. Liam saw the look in the former Alpha’s eyes. He hadn’t found the strength to continue living and the current circumstance wasn’t helping either. Cohen’s physical body might be here but his mind wasn’t.

“But, he’s back. That’s most important, right?” Brandon said.

“I don’t think that’s the question you wanted to know the answer to. The question we should be asking is; how long would he stay?”

Liam had seen Cohen. It seemed the former Alpha would leave once they retrieved Mira’s body from whoever took her. Cohen was never intending to stay in the pack anymore. It was clear to Liam. He had no intention of becoming an Alpha. All his life, he only knew Cohen as his Alpha. He could never picture himself as an Alpha. 

Liam opened one of Mira’s files and stared at her picture. “His heart will never open for anyone else anymore. Not even for those who are close to him.” he held up her picture. “She held the key to Cohen’s heart and brought it to the grave.”

There was no doubt about it. Even if Cohen had another chance of finding a mate, he could never love her as much as he loved Mira. The key to his heart fell into Mira’s hand at the moment he laid his eyes on her. The moment she drew her last breath, she brought the key to her grave. Now, Cohen’s heart was sealed.

“He’s no longer living. He’s just surviving from day to day,” Liam continued.

“Let’s just hope for the best,” Brandon spoke.

Liam nodded. “He’ll be here for dinner. Send words to the kitchen.”

Brandon nodded. “Very well.”

After the Interim Beta left, Liam stared at Mira’s picture once more. All these months, he prayed to her to keep Cohen safe and sound. Liam felt ashamed that he failed to protect her body while he prayed to her to keep Cohen’ safe. It wasn’t right to take while he wasn’t giving anything. The least thing he could do now was to bring her body back into her resting place.

Hours passed just like that, Liam stretched and massaged his temples after reading so many files. Then, he walked out just in time Cohen arrived at the pack mansion. The Interim Alpha straightened his posture and walked to greet his former Alpha. From nine months of absence, Cohen had successfully made himself as an outsider to his own pack.

“What will you do after the case is solved?” Liam asked as they went to the dining room.

Cohen’s parents, Amanda, and Brandon were there waiting for them to join. Cohen took a deep breath as he walked and sat down at the other end of the table. The dinner fell into silence as everyone enjoyed their steaks and everything.

“Honey, your father and I think that after this is over, we would like you—”

“I’m not staying,” Cohen cut his mother’s words.

Liam stopped for a moment before he resumed cutting his steak into bite size. “How long are you planning to stay away from your own pack?”

“For as long as I want to. I’m weak. I’ve failed to protect my own mate. I don’t think it would take a genius to find out that soon I would fail to protect my own pack.”

“So, you’re just going to be a coward and back away just like that?”

“It’s not a coward move if it saves everyone from doom.”

In the speed of lightning, Liam had Cohen pinned to the wall. “Did you know how many tears your mother shed every day for you, huh? Did you know how much your family suffered because you left them without a word?”

“Liam, let go of him,” Brandon said, trying to defuse the fight. “Alpha, please. We’re not here to fight Cohen. He’s here for his mate’s case. At least, we should respect that.”

Liam let go. “I might not know Mira like you did but I know she wouldn’t want you to leave your people.” The Alpha let out a long sigh, “Now, put all that aside. We have an important matter to attend to. I’ll fill the details and you can do whatever you want to do.”

The dinner was cut short as Cohen followed Liam to the office. Georgia managed to get a hold on Cohen’s hand and held it as they walked to the office. 

“Thank you, mama.” Cohen linked to his mother. “Thank you for the flowers on Mira’s grave. It’s beautiful.”

“She was your mate. That made her my daughter,” Georgia replied with a small smile. “And I thought that maybe one day I would find you standing there in front of her grave.”

Cohen gave his mother a weak smile. He felt terrible for not showing up earlier. His parents were expecting for his return every day and he didn’t even bother to return. It sounded like his family didn’t even matter to him anymore after Mira was gone.

“Mira’s grave was found empty exactly nine months since the funeral. The Enforcers on duty were found unconscious. When they woke up, they didn’t even remember how they were knocked out.” Liam began. “Like you’ve seen this morning. There are several anomalies.”

“Anomalies?” Cohen asked.

Liam opened the door to the office. The place was a mess with dozens of files and books opened on the meeting desk and many kinds of stuff were pinned to the walls. Maps, photos and everything related to the case included Mira’s picture. Cohen reached for the picture and felt the pain in his heart once again. His other hand reached to soothe the pain on his chest. It felt like it was just yesterday he lost her.

The tears he shed when he held her lifeless body in his arms. The excruciating pain shot through his body as he begged her to open her tantalizing blue eyes once more.

The memory of her funeral was still vivid in his mind. He stood near a tree and made sure nobody else saw him. The rain concealed his scent. He watched Amanda, Vincent, Liam, Brandon, and Cohen’s parents give their eulogies. He listened to every word they said and every pain that was hidden in each word. The moment they lowered Mira’s casket down into the grave, Cohen dropped to his knees. His mate was gone forever and his guilt began to eat him up. The guilt of failing to protect her. He was a strong Alpha. Yet, he wasn’t strong enough to protect his mate.

Even in death, she couldn’t be left in peace.

Liam took out several case files of the recent events that happened around Mira’s grave since the funeral. “These are what we meant by anomalies.”

Cohen opened the case files one by one. It was lab reports of soils, flowers, the tombstone and everything that was related to Mira.

“But the flowers?” he couldn’t understand. “I thought mom brought it there and planted it.”

“No, she didn’t. She brought the bouquet but she did plant a flower there. At least, she tried,” Liam replied.

“What do you mean?”

“When I tried to plant flowers there, they always died within a few minutes,” Georgia said. “It’s like the ground was cursed with death or something. Even though I brought real flowers in bouquet, it died too. So, I bought fake flowers.”

“Since then, I’ve cast several spells trying to dispel whatever was doing it,” Amanda added in. “A demon wolf like her. Her body contained countless numbers of secrets that could lead all species to a greater revolution if it falls into the right hands. If it doesn’t, then we might face another enemy like Damien.”

There were no such things as ’if it falls into the right hands’. Whoever took Mira’s body, those hands weren’t the right hands no matter what good things they wanted to do with her body. They took her body out of her resting place and Cohen would be the one who would punish them. How could they disrespect his dead mate like that? Let alone the body of a Luna of a werewolf pack.

“It had been nine months, her body should have decomposed by now,” Cohen mumbled.

“Have you seen the casket?” Liam questioned Cohen. “It’s empty and clean. Not even a strand of her hair was there. There was no evidence showing that she decomposed.”

He pulled his hand back from the picture. Cohen walked around and checked the opened books on the meeting desk. They had turned his office upside down with this mess. Many words were written on the glass windows as if four whiteboards there weren’t enough for them to write. Many of those words didn’t make sense to him at all. The language looked alien to him. Maybe because he didn’t speak Greek.

“You think it's dark magic?” Cohen asked. “Is that why Trinity wanted her too?”

“It might be dark magic but Trinity didn’t steal her body,” Amanda replied. “When I asked her, she looked like she didn’t expect it to turn that way. She didn’t expect someone else to get their hands on Mira’s body faster than her.”

“So, we’re not just going after the Mother of Dark Magic. We’re also going after grave robbers who stole dead bodies?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Neither of them have good intentions with Mira’s body.”