The sickened luna’s last chance

Chapter 24

Alexander

I followed my Beta into my study, where a man was waiting for us. I recognized the man’immediately as one of the photographers from the press

conference.

“Alpha,” Gabriel said, gesturing to the man, “this guy says a couple came into his tabloid agency to leak the story. He saw them.”

I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms. “Is that so?”

The man nodded. “I–It’s true, Alpha,” he said, wringing his hands. “They came in and spoke to my boss. Well, I didn’t see them, but I did hear them speak.”

“And? Spit it out.”

The photographer fidgeted with his camera strap. “It was an older couple. A man and a woman.”

“An older couple?” I asked, straightening a little. “Did they give names?”

“No, sir. They were careful about that. But I remember what they sounded like.”

“Go on.”

The photographer hesitated. “Well, the man had a deep, gravelly voice. Like he used to smoke. And the woman’s voice was high–pitched, but she drew out her ‘s’s, sort of like a snake.”

I tilted my head slightly, exchanging a glance with Gabriel. The description was vague, but it sounded an awful lot like Sophia’s parents, John and Helen Oxford. Alpha and Luna of Moonshine pack.

John once had a smoking problem, and Helen did speak like that.

But it made no sense. The Oxfords and the pack they led, Moonshine, was a close friend of Ashclaw’s. I’d known John and Helen my entire life. They weren’t the type to do something like this, and even if they were, they had no reason for it in this case. Our packs were allies.

Unless…

Sophia allegedly wanted to break up my marriage to Ella. I always knew she had a crush on me, but perhaps it ran deeper than that.

What if her parents wanted us to get together? Moonshine was a distinguished pack, but they had fallen on hard times over the years. A marriage between our packs would benefit them, just as it had benefited Stormhollow.

do some investigating on

asked. “Any identifying

get a chance to talk to them myself. I just heard them talking to my boss, and when they left, my boss told me

answer. But it was enough to warrant bringing it up to the Oxfords. All

said. “You can

photographer nodded

were alone. “I want to investigate the site

little while later, I found myself at the clearing in the forest where the Spring Celebration had

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Chapter 24

where the bonfire had

over my lips as I surveyed the clearing where the Bynfira had been held fast day

That kiss.

tie and pull me down to her like that, hadn’t expected the surge of desire that shot though më sh our lips met. For those few seconds, I’d felt complete for the first time in my entire

myself through mud. He was furious with me, em now, begging meth return to

deaths. Besides, even if i did want

near the ground to check for clues. The grass was still trampled where the crowd had gathered, and the remnants of the bonfire sat in the center of the clearing, although it was

this mess had to be evidence–evidence that would either exonerate or condemn Sophia

who had been my friend through thick and thin… could Sophia really be capable of doing something

she really that

of it made any sense. Even if they wanted a union between Ashclaw and Moonshine, they weren’t the type

the contract first, had approached him in the hopes of ending my marriage to Ella, and had even exposed us.

do, but neither did pushing Ella out of a hayloft. And as the days went on, I began to wonder more and more if Sophia truly had done it

for anything unusual. Unfortunately, there was nothing around the bonfire. I circled wider and

something metallic glinting in the sunlight, half–buried in the dirt near where the

a silver chain, partially obscured by leaves and dirt. I brushed the debris away, and my heart sank as I recognized the

Sophia’s necklace.

birthday,

picked it up and studied it. There could be innocent explanations. Perhaps she’d lost it while fleeing from the rogue like

near the bonfire when the rogue came. This was too far from where

in the day, before the

yet, as I turned the pendant over in my hand, I noticed something else; there was dried blood on the clasp. And embedded in