Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Because of the collar Calgary gave me, I was finally free to move around the house, but I still can't go outside without supervision. I got bored in my room, so I decided to go downstairs and see what I could do while I was waiting for them to bring me dinner.

I found an old piano down the hall. It was dusty and looked untouched for years. I sat on the chair and opened it before I started checking if it was still working. Good thing it was. When I was young, Mom would usually play piano for me. I even remember hearing her play in the middle of the night downstairs. When I tried to come see her once, I saw someone sitting on the couch, silently watching Mom as she played her favorite piece.

Now that I'm grown up and I remember it, I realized that it was probably Alpha Lawrence.

My chest hurts. Maybe Mom was deeply in love with him, too. That's why I often see her staring at Alpha with so much regret. Whenever she put me to sleep, she would always tell me how much of a good man Alpha Lawrence was, and how much he loved our pack. Maybe Mom was right, but my existence ruined the goo and gentle Alpha Lawrence my Mom used to know.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and immediately shut the piano lid when I heard the door screech open. I stood up and met Calgary's eyes, and when he saw that I was by the piano, his jaw locked as he looked away.

"Come on. Dinner is ready."

My brows furrowed. "Uh, where?"

"You're joining us tonight," he said before he opened the door again and motioned his hand as if calling me.

"Is that even a good idea? Most of your people hate me."

"Don't worry. They can't touch you."

I doubt that, but I had no choice but to go with him. We walked together towards the main pack house where they shared meals as a group or hold meetings.

Calgary opened the door for me. When we got in and my scent mixed with the air, everyone inside suddenly stopped and looked my way. The hint of disgust and anger crossed their faces as if they didn't care even if Calgary would see their expressions.

"Why is she here?" the familiar girl asked in an annoyed way.

Calgary let out a silent breath. "From now on, Nadine will be joining us at every meal, Lindsey." He scanned the whole place. "She will be part of Claivan soon."

There were murmurs everywhere as if they wanted to disagree. Well, I wasn't planning to be one of them anyway, and I still have my hopes high that Luhence would soon come to get me out of here.

An elderly woman cleared her throat. "Settle down, everyone." She looked at me as she dragged a chair next to a familiar little girl who'd been staring at me since Calgary and I came in. "Nadine, come sit here."

Everyone seemed bothered by my presence when I finally settled in my designated seat. I was stunned when the little girl suddenly pulled her chair closer to mine. When she went back to her seat, she suddenly hugged me with a sweet smile on her lips as if she, besides Lynel and the elderly woman, was the only one happy to see me join them for dinner.

"Calla, you promised to behave. Your Dad granted your request. Now be a good girl and don't bother her," Lynel reminded her. He was sitting next to Calgary who was seated on the other side of the little girl named Calla.

Calla looked at me in a worried way, as if she was asking me if it was okay for her to hug me. I smiled and caressed her hair, tucking some strands behind her ear. "It's fine. She's a sweet girl."

I had a glimpse of Calgary's ghost of a smile before he turned away to announce that we could finally eat. Calla waited for me to serve her food and I happily gave her some. She smiled in return and ate with so much joy, as if my presence pleased her so much. I ignored Lindsey's glares and just focused on Calla, who kept on glancing at me as if she was making sure that I wouldn't leave her side.

"I heard Quira sent some of her Deltas to the Zenios cemetery," said Lynel, who got my attention.

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.

Lynel and Calgary looked at each other before Calgary cleared his throat. "We received some reports that another pack's cemetery had been attacked."

My forehead creased. "Attacked? What do you mean attacked?"

"Someone dug the former Alphas, Betas, and Lunas' graves," he answered before he put his fork down and entwined his fingers while looking at me. "We're still not sure who could possibly be doing this, but maybe Alpha Lawrence was well-aware of it. That's why he refused to come with us."

"He's guarding my Mom's grave..." I uttered.

Calgary nodded. "This wasn't the first time that it has happened. Ahma, my grandma, told me that a few incidents like this have already happened during their time."

I looked at the elderly woman next to me. She wiped the sides of her lips before she spoke.

"There were rumors that some rouges were teaming up with the hunters and a powerful witch. They said they're digging graves of powerful werewolves so they can harness their powers."

"And how true could this be? The only powerful witch left walking the Earth is the former Luna in Remorse District. Witches lost most of their powers a long time ago, right? After the old oak tree of their coven died?" I asked.

"The tree died, but it's not the only source of their power. Some of them learned how to harness their strength from the moon, animals... and the dead," said Calgary.

I cleared my throat, still unable to accept what he just said. "H--How did you know they still exist?"

He looked at his daughter for a moment before he clenched his jaw and returned his gaze at me.

"Because my wife is one of them..."