Chapter 80 Josephine

*Josephine*

I worked in the kitchen so the smell of food would mask my scent. I sometimes would buy the elixir, but its price has soared making it difficult for me to purchase it regularly. I used it only when I knew wolves would be in the hotel and tonight, I kept the small bottle in my pants' pocket just in case.

I was supposed to be on leave. I had arranged it in a way that it would coincide with the Christmas Ball, but, unfortunately, the kitchen was understaffed and the ballroom was at capacity, so I was called to fill in. Politics always seemed to bring everyone together however, it also created a wedge. The affluent minority was always on top while the inadequate majority was always at rock bottom.

I knew Eric was here as well as Athena. Eric, after years of striving to get a position, finally made Elder several years back. Athena was CEO of the Lockwood empire which was supposed to be under the care and tutelage of Lucas, my first born. Eric, the bastard he was, saw to it Lucas would go into ruin while he kept close reign of the empire he created.

Then there was Chase, my second, spoiled to the core and obtuse when it came to business. I heard he had become Alpha of the Lotus Pack. Obviously, Eric and Chase had put aside their differences for ambition and power. It is quite sad that my family is no longer respectable.

I never loved Eric. He was cold and power hungry. He just wanted an heir to mold into his likeness. We didn't make love, we mated for procreation. He was happy when I gave him children and provided for me financially when I did good in his eyes. Just like a hired.

But not all of it is Eric's fault. I failed as a mother, a mate, and as a decent wolf. I was weak. And because of my mistakes, I will never find my happiness.

There was another wolf with me here in the kitchen who was a rogue like myself. She has been my bestfriend and flatmate since we met the day after I faked my death. She was banished for keeping a portion of her wages from her Alpha of a pack in the Midwest. It was just the two of us, two old wolves finding something to do until retirement. Right now, we were both on edge. I wanted to stay hidden while she wanted to poison her former Alpha.

"The High Lord Wolf is with a certain Diana Lockwood-Crowne and her father Lucas Lockwood," she whispered to me. "Isn't that your boy?" We were both beside each other preparing the food presentations on the plates.

"Ssshhhh. Someone might hear you, Rose," I hissed at her. "Eric is out there. If he finds out I'm here, he'll kill me. They all think I'm dead. I want to keep it that way." I deliberately hid my happiness from Rose when she mentioned Lucas's name.

"Josie, I don't think your children would allow that. Why don't you go and tell them the truth? They aren't kids anymore. You even have an adult granddaughter who is mated to a socialite. You know Ethan Crowne, right?"

"Yes, I do," I replied. "Well, I would like to speak to my granddaughter. Maybe she'll listen to me."

"There you go. I'll try and find out what room they're in and send her a message to meet you at the cafe around the corner after the party." She turned around to speak to the souz chef. "I need to go on a bathroom break." The souz chef nodded his consent. "I'll be right back, Josie." She patted me on the back and left the kitchen.

Rose didn't know the black wolf had come to me in a dream asking for me to see Diana. It was a grave risk, but I had a promise to fulfill. As the last wolf of my pack, I would see to it that what was asked of me, I would do, even if would cost me my last breath.

Rose, the darling wolf she was, helped me get clean. When I was mated to Eric, I went to party after party. I was part of New York high society, something I never experienced when I was still in Texas tending to farmland. Fine, I didn't tend to farmland because I was the Alpha's daughter, but I lived there where there were no parties to attend. I was surrounded by boring wheat and cotton waving hello in the wind for miles to see.

The group of wolves I was a part of would flutter from one club to the next and at the beginning, these humans would offer drugs on a plate. They had everything, whatever you fancied. I eventually got hooked on cocaine. After I became addicted, the drugs suddenly weren't for free anymore and I had to use all my allowance to buy stock.

Then, my allowance, which was a sizable amount even with Eric being such a stick in the mud, wasn't enough anymore. I had to find ways to get more money. One afternoon, I was at home with a hangover when the doorbell chimed.

"Can anyone get that?!" I yelled, but the doorbell just kept ringing. I picked myself up from the sofa, plotting to have all the maids terminated, when the answer to all my money problems fell into my lap.

"I'm just dropping off Harriet for her playdate with Lucas," Accountant Donald Thomas said.

"Sure. He's in his bedroom," I told Harriet. Harriet nodded and ran up the stairs to Lucas's bedroom. Her father was about to leave when I stopped him.

"Accountant Thomas, may I have a word with you?" I opened the door wide so he could enter.

"Sure." He walked inside and I hurriedly closed the door behind him. I pointed to the door of Eric's study.

"Let's use Eric's study. I know he won't mind." We both entered and when we were both comfortable, I told him my dilemma.

"Josephine, you're asking me to embezzle from Eric. He'll kill me if he finds out," he said.

"You get a portion of everything you take. By the time he finds out, you will have enough to leave this place and move to another country. You will become a wealthy man. Just small amounts here and there so he won't notice," I instructed him. "Then you can invest a portion using another name. If stocks rise, we will become rich."

"If I do this for you, I want something else in return," he said.

"Okay. What do you want?" I asked him.

"You." He placed his hand on my thigh. I was wearing a short skirt and there was ample thigh to touch. That was when I started seeing the accountant. Before going out at night and snorting to my heart's content, I would indulge in an afternoon delight.

Everything seemed to be going well until a tornado hit my father's territory. He came to me for aid, telling me to remind Eric of his financial commitment he had pledged when I mated with him. But Eric had troubles of his own. There was a recession going on and even if he wanted to fulfill his obligation to my pack, he couldn't. So I decided to send most of the money I had stolen from Eric to my father. Because he was in financial trouble, Eric started opening the ledgers and it went downhill for me and Donald when the numbers didn't add up.

I decided maybe another pregnancy would distract Eric for a while and buy me some time. It somehow worked especially when Athena came, a baby girl to complete the family. I was out buying baby formula when I 'bumped' into Donald. Athena was already 6 months at the time and I had gone back to my old ways. He quickly ushered me into a corner.

"My whole family is leaving for Europe tonight because there will be a warrant out for my arrest soon. Since your idea worked so well with Eric's accounts, I decided to embezzle from all my rich clients. If it weren't for this recession, I'd probably still be doing it. Anyway, I've stolen so much money, I will never have to worry about money ever again," he explained. He took my hand into his. "I suggest you leave, Josephine, and never come back. Here, this is for you." He handed me a white envelope. Inside it were a couple of fake ID's, a passport and a check under one of the names printed on one of the ID's. "Leave Josephine. Before Eric finds out you had a hand in this. Take care." And that was the last time I saw Donald Thomas.

I panicked when Eric found my stash of coke hidden inside one of the coffee bags in the pantry. Eric was livid and told me if he ever found cocaine in the house again, he would make sure I would snort all of it in front of him. I suspected our cook Lucy told him about the drugs, however it wasn't the time to confront her. I had to make plans and leave.

Leave and constantly look over my shoulder every single minute for the rest of my life? No. That wasn't the life I imagined. I had to fake my own death. It was the only way to be free of Eric Lockwood.

The kitchen door opened and Rose walked in. She sanitized her hands and positioned herself beside me.

"It's done. Do you want me to come with you? I can sit at another table so they won't know we're together," she said.

"You'd do that for me?" I asked her, surprised.

She nudged me in the ribs. "Of course. What are sisters for?" I smiled at her. "I can give you a warning call if I see your ex-mate."

"Sure. Eric's still sharp. I have a feeling he'd recognize me even if all my hair is almost silver," I said.

"Well, let's finish work and get these plates to the wolves out there. You know how they love their steak," Rose said, rolling her eyes. I giggled at her and focused all my attention in getting the job done.

I was nervous, but I had a quest. I will fulfill the vow I made to my father.

__________________

*Eric Lockwood *

I watched Chase intently as he devoured his steak with gusto. The chat we had earlier reminded me of someone and something. My dead mate, Josephine, and the artifact of the black wolf.

There was an artifact entrusted to her pack, something of value to the black wolf. When I had the pack poisoned by the humans decades back, I went from house to house searching for that artifact. All I could find was a journal and a few old books about the black wolf in my father in-law's house.

I had also searched through Josephine's things even the things found at her accident. There was nothing I could find of value. I thought maybe the artifact was jewelry, but there was nothing I could find that looked antique. The journal, unfortunately, didn't give me much. It only spoke of the love of a wolf for his mate although there were small symbols on certain pages. I suspected the symbols were a code, but I could never crack it.

I first learned about the artifact when my parents died. I waz cleaning out their room, cataloging the pieces I could sell when I came across a file of the Blood Pearl Pack in Austin, Texas. My father was investigating them for the location of the artifact. I decided to give the Alpha a call and inform them of the death of my parents. He was saddened by the news and hoped alliances between our packs would not change. I assured him our alliance would remain and to prove it, I would come and visit. I noticed the Alpha's daughter, Josephine, in the file and vowed I would not come home without her. We were mated beneath the stars by the elders of her pack with the moon as our witness.

I was so sure she had the artifact with her. When she found the glitz and glamor of high society and would leave at night, I would go through her things and search for the artifact. My search always came out empty-handed. I then decided to focus my efforts in bringing the Lockwood Empire back to its former glory. I made sure she was well-taken care of, thinking one day, she might tell me where the artifact was hidden.

Years flew by and our two sons were already in school, we seldom saw each other at home. I couldn't stand her smell anymore and she looked sick most of the time. When I was at the mansion, I slept in another room alone until that one night when she walked in while I was sleeping. She was in heat and I could not stop myself even if I tried. Athena was a result of that. My only baby girl who now looks at me like I'm some kind of monster.

I turned around to glance at Diana. She must be searching for it. There was no other survivor of the Blood Pearl Pack except for one and I knew where he was.

"Chase, finish your steak. We're leaving," I told him.

"Can't I have dessert?" Chase asked. I looked at him incredulously. One moment, he was quick-witted, slow on the uptake the next.

"Oh sure, why don't you have cigar right after?" I sarcastically after.

Chase dropped his knife and fork and wiped his mouth. "I'm sorry, Father. I'm done. We can leave." He threw his napkin on his plate.

"J.J., we'll go ahead. I have something important I have to attend to." I said my goodbyes to Jacob Johnson, bowing at him. He nodded his head.

I walked by the table where Edward Crowne was seated at, eating his steak. "Watch them for me," I whispered. He continued slicing his steak while he nodded his head in reply.

Chase and I walked out the ballroom and into an elevator. I'll call One later and inform him that the mage is in prison. It'll be difficult to break him out, but I know One had connections. He'll figure something out.

_____________

*Diana*

I turned around and watched my grandfather and uncle exit the ballroom.

They were headed back to the mansion in New Jersey. Good. It won't be difficult for me to get the keys from them.

I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Grandfather.