Chapter 8: Bad News

Alpha Gunner

Hearing from the commander what Astral had done to one of the pack members- almost ended him. I tracked his scent.

I ceased beneath a tree, refusing to go any further to see where he was--the cemetery.

From a distance, I watched him lay a bouquet of red roses on his mate's grave, and I remembered that today was their anniversary: the day they first met each other before knowing they were mates. Astral had been bringing her a bouquet of red roses, her favorite flower since they'd known each other, and even though she was dead, he continued to do so, leaving me to feel guilty.

I left the area, aware that the same cemetery held the graves of both my mate and my pup.

Like Astral, I never once visited their graves to leave their favorite roses or my firstborn's favorite toy on his grave, nor did I attend their funerals.

Countless times I wished I could turn back time to be there for them. I felt like I disrespected them by not showing up, but the sight of their once-full-of-life body being placed in a box and buried six feet underground was heartbreaking. I don't think I was able to bear to see it.

I'm broken and tormented by their death, night and day, and angry at myself that I could not save them; the memory of their bodies resting in a casket and being covered in the earth would do far more damage than I am already in now.

I wait near the woods for Astral.

Astral sees me as he's walking along the cemetery road.

He knew why I was here, just like I knew the reason for his every visit.

"Commander Rommel came crying to you about what I did to his men again?" he said sarcastically as he crossed the road to me.

I sat on my hind legs, glaring at him, while the remaining two feet remained firmly planted in the ground.

Seeing that I was serious, he mentioned, "Did he tell you what his men did when he came running to you?"

"I don't care what his men did," I stood on all fours snarling at him.

"What matters to me is how your actions impact my fighters, my army--who I rely on to defend this pack!" I yelled.

His jawline tightened in anger.

"I promise to strip your title as the Beta of this pack if you continue to attack any of the men," I warned him.

As I'm walking away, he yelled, "You can strip me of my title now, for I will never turn a blind eye to a she-wolf being raped."

Immediately, I stopped and turned around, clueless about what my fighter had done.

The commander and everyone within this pack knew that I didn't condone forced sex. Anyone who had engaged in forced sex should be dead.

"Like always, you're only concerned about your army fighting for you and never their wrongs." He'd detected the clueless expression on my face.

"Replace the commander Rommel for covering up his crime; if he refused to give up his position, put him down along with the rapist," I urged him.

He gave a quick nod.

"And also make sure to remind everyone about the punishment of forced sex," I lastly informed him.

"Astral," I called, noticing he had been distracted for a while.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," he ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"I'm just puzzled about the she-wolf that our member tried to rape."

"What about her?" Curiously, I asked.

"I don't know, for it seems weird. It's like she wanted to be molested by the soldier," he said.

I walked away, not interested in hearing any more.

"You saved that rogue; that's enough. Don't try to figure her out as well," I said.

I glanced back at Astral as I ran into the woods, still preoccupied with thoughts of that rogue. I knew he wouldn't rest until he got himself entangled with her, just as he had with his mate before they found out they were fated to be together.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Your alpha, we have a problem," my butler informed me just as I arrived home.

"What is it now?" I asked.

"You have another dead ladymaid."

"Where is her body?" I snorted in frustration as I ascended the stairs.

"She's in the study," my butler followed me.

Carrie was the twentieth maid I had hired to care for my ten-year-old sister, Issa Novak. It's exhausting to have her around someone new so frequently.

I entered the study to find my former ladymaid hanging from the ceiling, a rope around her neck. Her eyes were wide open; the stinging pain of her demise had made her crap and urinate herself.

I immediately exit the study, followed by my butler, who shuts the door behind him.

The image of the rope tied to her neck reminded me of my second mate: the one who made me love again until once more it was taken from me, this time forever.

This was not the first time a worker had committed suicide to escape me.

"What had she done?" I asked.

"She accidentally spills hot tea on Ms. Issa."

Hearing that my sister was hurt, I dashed to her.

As soon as she saw my wolf appear in her room, she stopped brushing her doll's hair and rushed to embrace me.

I brushed my face across her cheek, and she smiled. I inspected the burn the size of a nickel on her right arm. Despite its small size, the severe burn was taking its time to heal. A less severe burn took less than 2 seconds to heal.

"How long was she burned?" I asked the butler.

"A few hours."

This means the burn was bigger and more severe than I thought, and the size of it now is what's left over for her wolf to heal.

"Cover your ears, little wolf," I instructed my little sis.

"Make sure she doesn't get a proper burial by throwing her body into the waste pit; that's where her kind belongs," I ordered the butler and wished I could kill her again this time in a painful way.

"Yes, your alpha," he went on to do his duty.

"Am I going to get a new ladymaid again?" Issa uncovers her ears.

I regret not telling her to close her eyes as well, for she was reading my lips.

"Yes," I answered.

Again she hugged me.

"I hope this one will be way better than the rest," she said.

"I'll ensure it," I grimly responded.