The accusation.

~Davies~

Eleanor’s party celebration went on until late into the night.

I smiled as I handed the empty champagne glass tk the server, who bowed and left. Already guests had mostly filed out.

Eleanor still stood under the spotlights, the glow of the chandeliers around illuminating her figure. Her face, which bore more resemblance to our mother's, was shining with a soft smile as she leaned against Eric.

“Thank you for coming,” she told one of the elders who was about to leave.

It was a long time coming, I thought, exhaling as I turned to greet another exciting guest.

Eleanor hadn't had a gathering of this magnitude before now, not since we welcomed her back to our family. This was what we needed to do for her.

Beside her, Eric watched her with quiet admiration, his attention unwavering as though nothing else in the hall held any importance compared to her presence.

I found myself observing him, wondering how they fit so well together. After all, he had been engaged to Lenora once. I couldn’t help my mind drifting to my other sister. Though she was adopted I saw her as my sister, and though she sometimes acted out, I couldn’t help but worry for her.

Upon thinking that, I realized that she wasn’t in the hall. My brows furrowed. Where was she? Where had she gone?

I frowned slightly, looking again with more attention, noting the absence of her familiar figure along the edges of the room where she usually stayed during gatherings like this, never fully participating but never completely absent either.

“What’s up?” Vincent jostled my side with his elbow, chuckling as he finally bade his friends goodbye.

“Where’s Lenora?” I asked, and he suddenly scowled, his mood souring.

“What, are you worried she’ll cause trouble?” He crossed his arms, leaning back. “If you ask me, Lenora’s been acting like she owns the place. Better that she doesn’t stay.”

“She probably left early,” I remarked, more to myself than anyone else, though my voice carried enough for our father to hear.

He barely glanced at me, his expression unchanged as he said, in that tone of his that denoted authority, “If she did, then she is sulking again. That girl refuses to understand her place.”

Vincent nodded emphatically.

“Exactly, father. She should have learned by now,” he continued, his tone calm but firm. “Eleanor is your true daughter. There is a difference in status, whether she likes it or not”

Regarding my brother and our Alpha father, I gave a small nod, though something in my chest shifted faintly, looking away.

For a brief moment, I thought of Lenora as she used to be, not the version of her that existed now but the one from years ago. She had filled the halls with laughter, running through the mansion with reckless energy while trying to keep up with us.

She had always been determined, always insisting that she could match anything we did, and more often than not she proved it with a stubbornness that was impossible to ignore.

“Watch me,” she used to say, her eyes bright with excitement.

And she always did.

I exhaled quietly, the memory fading as quickly as it had come, replaced by the reality of who she had become over the years.

Things had changed after Eleanor returned, and although that was inevitable, Lenora had not adapted in the way I expected her to. It had been a slow process. At first she seemed to accept it, but over time her demeanor shifted, her warmth fading into something colder. And each time, she directed that attitude towards Eleanor without reason.

When it was revealed that she was wolfless, that change only deepened, and I had long since stopped trying to understand it, convincing myself that she simply did not handle things well.

“Davies.”

Vincent’s voice broke through my thoughts, pulling my attention back to the present as I turned to face him.

“You’ve been quiet,” he observed, studying me closely. “Are you alright?”

I held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “I’m fine.”

He did not look entirely convinced, but he accepted the answer with a slight shrug. “Then stop standing here like a statue. Father wants you to handle the talks with Elder Gavin.”

I groaned lightly, my mind returning fully to the hall. Elder Gavin talked too much, always trying to pull Father into conversations. And now that I had grown enough to handle my own, Father used me as a shield.

I inhaled slowly, before striding towards Elder Gavin who was already trying and failing to engage.

By the time we returned to the mansion, it was late at night and I was absolutely exhausted.

The entire house was silent with only the night shift guards and a few maids on duty. They bleed to me as I walk.

“My Lord,” a maid greeted.

“Have you seen Lenora?” I inquired, loosening my tie.

The maid paused and then shook her head.

“No, my lord. Lady Lenora didn't come down for dinner.”

I frowned slightly.

So she was likely hungry. Was this another play at getting our attention?

I strode with determination, prepared to confront my wayward little sister once more, when I heard a voice behind me.

“Davies.”

I turned to find Eleanor standing a short distance away, her expression gentle, though there was a faint hesitation in her eyes as she stepped closer, still dressed in her gown from the party.

“I wouldn’t disturb Lenora tonight, brother,” she spoke softly. “We don’t want to upset her.”

My brows furrowed as a wave of frustration hit. Eleanor was trying to be kind but I had no desire for it.

“Upset her? Is she so fragile?” I inquired with a scoff.

Eleanor’s expression faltered, and she looked down, her shoulders trembling slightly as though weighed down by something she struggled to hold back.

“I didn’t want things to happen like this,” she murmured, her voice softer now.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She hesitated before continuing, her words coming slower this time. “Eric breaking off his engagement with her… to be with me. I never wanted to hurt her. She likely has been acting out because of that, and we both know how she can be, so… please, for tonight, don't disturb her. I don't want things to get worse.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she lifted her hand slightly as if to wipe them away, though her fingers trembled before they could reach her face.

“I feel like I’ve taken everything from her,” she whispered.

Something in my chest tightened at the sight, and without thinking, I stepped forward and pulled her into my arms.

“You haven’t,” I murmured, resting a hand against her head as I patted it gently. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But she hates me. Davies, I don't know how to fix things,” Eleanor’s voice broke slightly as she leaned into me.

“She’s just not handling things well,” I replied, though the words felt heavier than I expected. “You can’t blame yourself for that.”

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, her words settling deeper than I anticipated, and when I opened them again, my gaze drifted past her shoulder toward the door I had been about to knock on.

Lenora’s door remained closed. I wondered idly if she had heard us, or if she was pretending to be asleep. Likely the latter.

I exhaled softly and shook my head, pushing the thought aside as I guided Eleanor away from it.

“She’ll calm down,” I assured her. “We’ll deal with it later.”

She nodded against me, and I led her down the corridor without looking back again, convincing myself that I would check on Lenora later when things had settled.

But the following morning, that peace I had longed for was shattered again.

“My jewelry!” My mother, the Luna of the pack, raised her voice. “My gold jewelry is gone!”

In a rush I left my study and stepped into the main area just as Vincent arrived, both of us meeting our parents as the tension thickened almost instantly. The clicking of heels soon followed and I turned, seeing a pale looking Eleanor that held a book in her hand. She quivered upon stopping, and I had to use a hand to steady her.

‘Don’t run,” I chided her quietly.

“Mother, what happened?” Vincent demanded bringing the matter back into focus. Several maids already knelt before us, tears in their eyes as they shivered under the weight of our gazes.

“The jewelry I wore for yesterday’s celebration has disappeared. I left it on my dresser, and now it’s gone,” Mother’s gaze settled on the maid in front of her, who was her personal maid, Daria. “This has never happened before.”

Daria bowed, knocking her head against the marble tiled floor.

“My Luna,” she spoke in a low, pleading tone. “I saw the jewelry last night on the dresser. I didn't touch it, I swear on my life.”

“Then tell me where it could have gone,” Mother growled. “You were the last one to see it yesterday. It is an heirloom set. Do you think it so easy to steal from us?”

The more she spoke, the more that Father’s gaze hardened.

“Guards,” he called sharply. “Seal the estate. No one leaves.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Every maid who serves Luna will be questioned,” he continued, his voice cold with authority. “Search every room if necessary.”

Suddenly, Eleanor spoke, her voice low and confused.

“b-But Mother,” She began. “Didnt you speak with Lenora last night? i … I think I saw her go into your room? I thought–”

She cut herself off, her eyes darting to the ground, her shoulders hunched as everyone stopped, turning to look at her.

I could see the fear in her eyes, and a faint unease stirred in my chest.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I replied quickly, though the certainty in my voice felt thinner than I intended.

Eleanor looked up again, her expression uncertain. “I hope it doesn’t,” she murmured, then hesitated before continuing. “But she’s been so upset lately…”

My jaw tightened. “Eleanor.”

“I did not want to say anything,” she pressed softly, her voice trembling. “But what if she took it?”

Silence followed her words.

Vincent’s expression darkened slightly. “She has been acting strange.”

Father’s gaze sharpened. “She has.”

“No,” I spoke immediately, more firmly this time, though the doubt had already begun to take shape in the back of my mind.

Eleanor lowered her gaze again. “I hope I am wrong.”

“Where is Lenora?” Father then demanded and the maids all shrank back.

Slowly one of them spoke.

“I checked her room, and she isn't there, Alpha,” the maid that spoke bowed her head low, afraid to look up. “Plese spare us, we had no idea.”

The implication was more and more clear. Lenora had stolen from us, and worse, she had taken an heirloom piece. The consequences of doing that were heavier, tantamount to treason.

“Davies,” Father’s tone became more commanding.

I straightened. “Yes, Father.”

“You will oversee the search,” he ordered. “Send guards to the borders. No one leaves the territory.”

“…Understood.”

I stepped forward, about to order the guards when the front doors opened, and someone walked in, bowing.

“Alpha, Luna,” I recognized him to be a Gamma of the pack.

I frowned slightly. Has Lenora’s treachery already been discovered?

“Gamma Franklin, what brings you here?” Father asked, waving a hand at me to get things moving. The maids were dismissed, but the mansion still stayed sealed.

I hesitated, pursing my lips as I listened to Father’s conversation with the Gamma, and it seemed everyone else wanted to as well.

After all, Gamma Franklin was one of those in charge of relaying messages on behalf of our pack’s priestesses and Elders.

The Gamma hesitated briefly, his gaze shifting before settling again.

“I am simply here to inform you that the ritual is complete. The sacrifice has been made,” he paused. “And, it is my duty to give this to you.”

Then he unfurled a package and held out a bundle of folded clothes with both hands, atop which lay a token. My hand twitched.

That token… wasn't it meant for the families of those that underwent the sacrifice?

…