Chapter 22

" Well mom, I'm actually here to speak to father on a very pressing matter but I will dine with you after first conversing with him, where is he?"

" Oh, he's out back tending the garden dear "

" The garden? my father? the former Alpha King, is out back, tending to your garden? "

" What's so shocking about that? "

" Uhm, nothing I suppose, I will see you in a bit then "

I walk through the manor and head out to the backyard where I am just discovering they've got a full blown greenhouse, I see movements inside and I know from the scent that it's my father so I make my way over to him, I stand just a few feet away staring at him as he works in full gardener mode clad in a gardeners uniform.

" You'll bore a hole in my head if you keep staring at me like that Ty, what brings you by? "

" I have something important I need to speak to you about, is this a safe space to have a discussion or shall we move to someplace more private? "

" The greenhouse is as good as any place to talk son, what's up? " he guided me along the greenhouse to a neatly carved wooden bench and gesture for me to sit with him.

" Well? "

" There's a situation, it's not that I am incapable of handling it but I feel as though you'd know more about it than anyone else, we came across a few wolves, our kind and managed to capture one of them alive, there was some sort of dark goo within the one we caught and once the goo came out of the wolf, he shifted back into his human form and had absolutely no recollection of what he had done, how he came to be in the Royal city, we have the thing in the lab back at the packhouse and the wolf in the dungeon, he said he lived alone in a cottage in the woods, he was mate to an Alpha's daughter and she rejected him because he was of lower rank as a warrior and then got her father to banish him from the pack, he's never been in trouble so he's at a loss as to what happened to him, he's basically a dead end"

My father looks very thoughtful, " and you're certain he's telling the truth? " " as far as my Lycan and I can tell, he's being truthful because he even accused us of kidnapping him and raking him captive although he did nothing, and it truly took him a bit of convincing for him to believe he was in the Royal city " " I refuse to believe it's what I think it is but perhaps we should send for Astrid "

" Oh Goddess father, Astrid? you know how I feel about her being around, she never wants to leave when she comes around, and tries to boss my staff around as though she owns the place! "

" I do understand what you're saying Tyler but Astrid has a gift, plus you know she would be the best chosen mate for you, should you decide to go that route and stop waiting for your destined "

" There will never be a day that I will stop waiting for my destined mate father and even if, I would never choose Astrid, she doesn't have the qualities of a Luna Queen and I can not stand the best bone in her body nor her voice, there is no way I'd be able to mate with her so the line will die with me"

" Goddess forbid! " " good, then let me be and never bring up that blasted woman as my mate again " I shiver and he chuckles " but for the good of the packs and finding out the truth I can stick it out for a day or two of her being around because I'd like to get to the bottom of this and have it dealt with as soon as possible because I'm fairly certain that whoever captured the lone wolf and did whatever to him are the same people who have been raiding the other packs, I still can't believe how bold they are to try and sneak into the Royal city and steal women and pups here! of all places! here! and what's even more disturbing is how they got past our borders undetected and also, I'm not sure what it was but at some point I was even chasing a shadow that came off of one of the wolves we killed, I don't know what the hell is going on "

My fathers' facial expression changed when I mentioned the last bit " a shadow you said " " yes, do you know what it is " he rose to his feet " follow me " he hastily made his way out of the greenhouse and into the house through the back door, I followed closely after him, for an old man he sure is quick! I chuckle to myself .