HADES PIERSON

I watched her fall back as one of the rogues attacked her from nowhere, I killed the rogue instantly in rage as I felt our connection break. I knew she was dead before she hit the ground.

I couldn't shift because of the poisoned wine I drank. Almost all of us couldn't shift. My wolf was distressed and I screamed in pain.

I just found my mate and she was just killed. It was like it was only both of us present in the woods, I didn't care about the rampage taking place and if it wasn't for Luke, I would've happily welcomed any rogue killing me.

"Come on man, we would give her a proper funeral, the rogues are retreating now" Luke said shaking me from my hazed state. His voice was far away, I heard him but I couldn't understand him. Couldn't he see Maria dead?

"Look, Hades, I cannot relate to the pain you're feeling right now, but you've been in this spot for hours. Your pack needs their Alpha. Maria's family also need to say goodbye to her." Luke said. I just noticed the sun was about rising.

"Hades, you need to prepare to say goodbye" Luke choked out his words trying his best to keep a calm state.

"Jesse is talking to the families of the victims right now".

The effects of whatever drug that was put in our drinks wore off and I felt my wolf howling in agony.

I swore to myself there and then to kill everyone involved in this, including John Black and the spy.

Blocking out the pain was the easiest way to cope with the loss of my mate and pack members.

The victims and the bereaved need an Alpha that would go through lengths to get justice, not a whiny Alpha.

I stood up and carried Maria's body, holding her protectively and walked towards the pack morgue. I don't know why and how I never noticed her. I remember she had these sleepy eyes with jet black straight hair and surprisingly soft features. She was a very quiet person. It's probably one of the reasons I never noticed her much.

I laid her down gently at the morgue and immediately, I walked towards the packhouse without looking back.

"What's the situation of things right now?" I asked Luke as we walked on.

"Is there a reason why the Red Rogues retreated all of a sudden?"

"Err, yes Alpha" Luke said quietly. I stopped walking immediately and faced him. Anytime Luke called me Alpha, it meant some serious was going on.

I looked at him as he passed me an envelope.

"I've been looking for Jade" Luke continued speaking quietly.

"I found Jeanine delirious with Lucas unconscious in the woods, not too far from where I found you"

This time, I shifted into my wolf unconsciously, I leaped into the woods to verify for myself as I was still in denial.

This couldn't be true, I vowed to protect Jade. This couldn't be true.

I can't believe our plans got foiled and the crazy leader of the Red Rogues took Jade for whatever nasty plan he had going on.

My wolf was so frustrated that he howled after noting that her scent was nonexistent at the clearing where she was captured."Errr, Alpha".

"What is it Jesse?" I asked through the mindlink, exasperated.

"You might want to see this for yourself" He mindlinked, "John Black is here."

I didn't wait for an explanation and I ran off to the packhouse.

Immediately I got to the outskirts of the forest closest to the packhouse, I shifted and wore some clothes stashed in a hole in one of the trees.

I could smell the traitor as I walked to the packhouse and my wolf was murderous right now.

"WHERE ARE MY DAUGHTERS?" I heard John shout. His wolf was close to the surface right now.

"I don't think you have the right to come back here asking that question you traitor" Luke said coldly.

John got so angry that he partially shifted immediately, advancing to attack Luke.

I blocked his path and threw him right through the window as I entered the house with my inhuman speed.

John got up and came back. Prowling, trying to get a clearing to attack me."I must say boy, you've gotten better" John taunted me."Well, I had to, I learned from the best, didn't I?" I mocked him.

"Too bad you couldn't put the so called skills into protecting my daughters" He said looking at me with malice.

"John, you fucking left your daughters with a note branding you a traitor and disappeared. It's because you're related to Jeanine you're still standing" I said coldly, the loss of my mate, Jade and my pack members still fresh on my mind.

"I'M NOT A TRAITOR....I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO TO PROTECT THEM" John said angrily, slamming me to the wall.

"YOU FUCKING LIAR" I shouted, pushing him off me roughly.

"YOU WERE SO HARSH ON THE GIRLS THAT JADE RAN AWAY AND WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER? YOU SEND A FAREWELL LETTER.

I DON'T KNOW YOUR AGENDA AND ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE RED ROGUES BUT HOW COULD YOU BETRAY MY PACK AND YOUR "DAUGHTERS" AS YOU CALL THEM BY POISONING OUR DRINKS AND GIVING THEM THE VARIOUS ENTRANCES AND EXITS INTO THIS PACK" I don't know whether my yelling calmed him down because I didn't expect him to speak so quietly.

"What happened to Jade and Jeanine?" He asked.

"Jeanine is at the clinic. Jade..." I was so angry and bitter that I couldn't finish my words.

"No no no no no no... please tell me Jade is alive" John said.

If I didn't know better, I would've said he was really sad and heartbroken. The man was close to tears.

All of a sudden he slumped on the ground and put his head in his hands.

"I promised her, I promised her" He said shaking his head now.

"Who the hell did you promise" I asked. By this time, curious pack members were watching our conversation. And I didn't like it especially if we had a spy. We couldn't afford to lose any other pack member.

As if Luke read my mind "Err, Alpha, I think you should take this conversation upstairs" And we got to my soundproofed office.

John looked like he was lost, like he didn't have anything to live for anymore.

"I promised Mabel, I promised her" John said deep in regrets.

"I shouldn't have left" He continued.

I looked at him coldly. "Would you explain this letter?" I said, pushing the letter he wrote. He read the letter like he was looking at it for the first time.

"I didn't write this" He shook his head.

"What do you mean by that? I called you when Jade got here that she wasn't feeling well and had to rest for some days and you didn't care" I told him.

"That was because I thought it was the right decision to keep her safe since she would be within the protection of the pack." His eyes piercing mine.

I looked at him confused. If John wasn't the traitor, why did he act suspiciously? "Why did you disappear then?" I asked.

"I don't think I'm obligated to tell you about my whereabouts but I would oblige you.

I went in search of masking scents for the girls. I noticed that the rogue that killed May and Mabel was after Jade. And if you've watched her fight, you would know she doesn't stand a chan_ce" He cracked, blinking tears from his eyes.

"Jade isn't dead" I pushed the letter the rogues left towards him. I don't know what made me believe him. Maybe because he looked like he aged or his eyes were filled with regret. Or I didn't want to believe he was a traitor in the first place.

He was sobbing in earnest as he read the letter.

"I was supposed to protect her. You see, I taught her to defend herself too late. I kept brushing it off under the pretext that she was mourning the deaths of her family. By the time I started coaching her, the threats kept on coming and coming" He said.

I suddenly understood why it seemed like John was overly strict on them. He didn't want the same fate of their parents to befall them.

After a minute with his eyes suddenly free of tears, John stood up abruptly walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to look for her. You said she isn't dead." He said, his hand on the handle of the door."But you can't go alone" I stood up.

"I and some of the warriors would follow you" I said.

"No, you can't. Two is a crowd in my opinion. I would be faster and a person would pose less risk of being spotted. Besides, I heard you lost your mate when I stormed in earlier looking for you. You must be in a lot of grief right now. And as much as I hate to say this...." John said looking at me quizzically

"Your pack comes first Alpha. You're doing a good job already and your father would be so proud to see you right now" John patted me on my shoulder and left immediately.

It didn't register in my brain till the door closed that he already left.

🐺

Some days after, I noticed that John's last words to me were just what I needed. I pushed my pack harder than before these days.

"Everyone in the pack is to be accounted for every morning and night except the ones that go on errands from me or the ones that wish to go to school away from the vicinity of the pack. In that case, they would sign documents to not show up at the pack again until after their education is complete and they make up their minds to settle in the pack" There were some murmurs as I said this.

"Everyone takes a sip of poisoned drinks at mealtimes to build our resistance against it " There were more murmurs from the pack as I said this.

"Any rogue sighted around the vicinity of this pack is to be killed"

"And as for the spy, you better run because you would wish you did after I get you" There was a hush in the crowd immediately I said this.

We decided to have a pack meeting concerning the recent happenings. There haven't been any attacks ever since that night but you can never be too sure but I'm sure that I never want my pack to be at the mercy of those filthy rogues. Jade's absence was definitely felt especially by Lucas and Jeanine. I had to drag Lucas myself this morning from his bed because he felt it was his fault that Jade got captured. While I admit that I couldn't help but feel some kind of resentment towards him, I also hate myself for leaving her to Lucas for her protection. We haven't seen John Black for like a week now. 

🐺

"Alpha, are you sure you want to do this?" Luke asked me. We finally got word after 3 weeks, John found out where Jade was.

"I don't know why but I still don't trust John. He didn't even take a look at his daughter before leaving to "search" for Jade. I think its a trap and a plot to kill you" He continued, frowning.

"Luke, I've told you to drop this" I snapped at him. "I can take care of myself but just incase I need backup especially getting Jade out of there safely, I would take warriors and Jesse with me, and you would be here in my place while I'm gone" I said sternly.

"Yes Alpha" he said begrudgingly making way for me to pass.

John finally found them at the outskirts of a city. I noticed that they had created a make shift packhouse with tents surrounding a solitary cabin. We didn't encounter any rogue as we made our way to the cabin which was highly unusual. I looked at John to ask this unspoken question but he just shook his head also confused. We got to the door of the cabin and opened the door slowly.

"Welcome boys, John" an aged werewolf spoke. He sat on the only chair available in the room. I ignored his greeting, "where is Jade?" I asked.

"Oh you don't want to exchange pleasantries, you can call me Rovin" He said placing his palms underneath his chin. I went to him picking him up and throwing him across the room. "Where is she, you bastard" my wolf making a partial appearance. But Rovin just laughed and laughed. "She's gone. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, she's gone. You want to go ahead and lie that she didn't show up at your pack?" In a split second, he changed his position very fast and gave me a hard punch I wasn't expecting. We wrestled for a while and then he noticed my warriors step further into the room with John in front. He stepped back and said "I know a lost battle when I see it" He put his hands up in surrender as he stepped back. "The brat ran off. She isn't here and you have no proof to suggest otherwise. You can search through this place if you want to"

We turned the cabin upside down but we didn't see Jade anywhere. "She isn't here Alpha" Jesse said.

I roared in frustration and stormed out of the cabin.