Chapter 16

Xavier's POV 

The silence in my study felt unnatural, squeezing against me as I replayed the event of the night in my mind. The rogue wolf's intrusion into my territory was definitely not a coincidence. It had been too determined, his movement was too exact. He hadn't intruded into my territory by some coincidence — somebody had sent him. But why? And most importantly who?

I sat in my study, leaning back on my seat as I thought about it, trying to make sense of it. The weak fragrance of debris blood still lingered on the air, an indication of the intruder's short presence and the battle that followed. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, my senses at its peak. 

My gaze tumbled to the silver locket lying on the desk before me. It looked like an ordinary locket, however I wasn't tricked. I'd taken it from Hazel last night before the intrusion. She had grasped it firmly, as though it were her life, and the look in her eyes when I'd pulled it from her hold still haunted me. 

That wasn't simply an ordinary locket. It was something more.

I allowed my fingers to brush against the smooth surface of the locket. The second, I touched it, a glow spread through my palm, the locket was burning up again. A weak murmur exuded from it, vibrating against my skin.

"What on earth are you?" I mumbled, scowling as I turned the locket over in my hand. I opened it again to look at the faces of Hazel's parents staring at me. I closed it again and looked at the carvings on it. I couldn't read the lettering on it. It seemed to be written in a different language I'm not familiar with. 

The intensity of the humming increased, and briefly, I assumed I heard a murmur. It was weak, indistinct, similar to the stir of leaves in the breeze.

Suddenly, a knock at the door broke my thoughts. I was at first startled, my fingers gripped on the locket before I pushed it into the cabinet and closed it.

"Enter," I growled, my tone harder than I intended.

Kael came inside. My Beta was a man of few words, however his sharp eyes didn't miss anything. His look swept over the room, gazing on the desk for a while before his eyes went to the cabinet.

"You called for me?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"I did," I said, standing and crossing the space to put a few distance between me and the cabinet. "There's work to be done."

Kael paused, arms crossed over his chest, his foreheads wrinkled with expectations. 

"To start with, I want you to track down the witch, I need to see her." I said, my tone curt.

Kael's foreheads wrinkled. "The witch? Why?"

I dismissed his questions as I gazed through the window. "Just track her down and bring her here."

He let out a deep sigh. "You won't tell me why?"

"No, you don't need to know." My voice was firm, ruling out contention.

Kael mumbled something faintly that I didn't get.

"There's something else, I need you to do," I said, turning around to face him. "Assemble a meeting of the elders. I need their bits of wisdom on this rogue wolf's intrusion."

Kael shifted his head. "You think this was not an ordinary assault."

"I don't think so," I said, my voice cold. "I know. Somebody sent him, and I meant to figure out who."

"We searched his body last night before burning him but we couldn't find anything" he said. 

"He didn't just wander into my territory. I have to find out why and who sent him" I said firmly.

Kael gestured, his expression turning serious. "What about Hazel?" he asked after pausing for a moment. "What punishment do you intend to give her for breaking the curfew last night?"

At the mention of her name, a pressure I hadn't understood I was holding, wound more tight in my chest. Hazel had defied the rules I had set up for the wellbeing of the pack. However, in spite of her defiance, there was something about her I was unable to overlook.

"Marianna will be sent off the southern pack house," I said, purposely directing the discussion away from Hazel. "She'll learn real discipline there."

"Concerning Hazel… " I wavered, the words caught in my throat. "She remains here. Under my watch."

Kael's grin was replaced by a suspicious look. "Your watch?"

"Yes, she remains here right where I can see her," I said, my voice ruling out any form of argument.

His look lingered on me, as though he were trying to read my thoughts. But, whatever questions he had, he remained quiet about them. "Okay, if that's what you want," he said, however his tone shows he wasn't completely persuaded.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, for now," I said, excusing him with a gesture.

He left without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.

The silence returned, heavier than before. I rested up against the edge of my desk, thinking about the locket. Pulling it from the cabinet, I held it up to the light. The glow returned in a flash, more intense than before. 

Once more, the murmurs returned, faint yet persistent. I held it to my ears and listened, it's like a voice calling out to me. My wolf growled, pacing anxiously in my subconscious.

Suddenly, an unexpected flood of trouble hit me like an actual blow. I staggered, grasping the desk for help as my breath hitched. The sensation was sharp, overpowering, similar to hooks raking through my chest.

"Hazel," I murmured, the name getting away from my lips without thought.

She's in distress. 

I didn't have the slightest idea how I knew, yet I was sure it was her. Her distress resembled a string woven into mine, pulling tight and refusing to give up.

The locket in my grasp started to vibrate, its murmur becoming stronger. The intensity burned my palm. The weak sparkle returned, more brilliant this time, enlightening the room with a supernatural light.

"What's going on?" I mumbled, alarm crawling into my voice.

The light erupted, a sharp light that made my vision obscure. My wolf growled, conflicted between needing to safeguard and withdraw.

Then as suddenly as it began, the light blurred and faded, I stood there with the locket grasped firmly in my hands. 

I continued staring at the locket for a long time. There is no doubt that this thing was atta

ched to Hazel in manners I don't yet understand. I'll find out, no matter what it cost me.