Chapter 16

**Jinx Willow's P.O.V.**

I wake up at three in the morning from nightmares and rush into the bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. Once I've emptied my stomach, I huff, leaning back against the wall. I get up after a few minutes, brushing my teeth and turning the shower on, stripping out of my pajamas. I step into the shower, standing under the steaming water. Once I finish cleaning myself free of sweat and make myself feel better, I step out of the now cold shower and dry myself off, deciding to wear a black and red flannel, a black plunge caged sports bra, black shredded skinny jeans, and a pair of black open toe ankle heels. I pull my hair up into a tight ponytail at the top of my head and quietly walk downstairs and into Derric's office. I sit down in a chair and look through the left over files we've got, trying to piece together the pieces that didn't fit inside the puzzle. After a few hours, the door opens and I look up.

"Hey," Derric says, looking surprised "What are you doing up?"

"I don't sleep much," I say softly "Remember?"

"That's right," Derric says "Well, I guess it's time to continue trying to figure out this puzzle."

I nod. Sometime in the middle of the day, the door opens and Derric's parents enter with the Elder's and two others, as well as Vincenzo, who looks like he's battling with his wolf. Immediately, I get up.

"Come here," I say "Why didn't you come see me when you started losing control?"

"I've been fighting him," Vincenzo says "For Lindsey, trying to be strong. I'm the man, that's my job, isn't it?"

"You're a hellhound," I say "And a father, missing his daughter. You can still become a bloodhound, too, just like Lindsey. That's not what she needs right now, that's not what I need right now. I already have too many fathering bloodhounds to help, I need a father on my side to help these pups."

"I'm sorry," Vincenzo says softly "I should've come to you sooner. I just-"

"I know," I say softly "I know. How long has your wolf been attempting to shift?"

"A couple days," Vincenzo says "Is my mate going to lose me like we lost our pup?"

"No," I say softly, shaking my head "She's not going to lose you."

Vincenzo nods.

"Derric," I say "Go get Hunter and Lindsey."

"Jinx," Derric says "Lindsey barely mo-"

"Tell her I said so," I say "Tell her to do it for her pup, her mate, and for me."

"I got it," Darian says "If I may, Gaia."

"No," I say "I need you here. Marcus, go get me some cold water. Charles, Darian, come here."

The three of them follow my orders.

"Derric," I say softly "Please..."

Derric nods, exiting his office. A few minutes later, he returns with Lindsey and Hunter, the two immediately coming to me.

"Lindsey," I say softly "I need you to lay right here in front of Vincenzo."

Lindsey plops down.

"Hunter," I say softly "Sit beside him."

Hunter sits beside him and I resituate them. Vincenzo growls lowly.

"Relax," I say softly "It's okay."

"I'm sorry," Vincenzo says softly "He's on edge."

"I understand," I say softly "Hunter, lean into Vincenzo."

Hunter leans into him and I watch some of the tension leave Vincenzo's body. Lindsey lifts her head up, putting it in her mate's lap and immediately, the rest of the tension leaves his body.

"Vincenzo," I say softly "How do you feel?"

"He's calming down," Vincenzo says softly "I don't know how long this will work."

"Don't worry," I say softly "We're going to find your pup and the rest of them."

Vincenzo nods.

"Derric," I say "Do you have anything on Alpha Nicolas Wilson?"

"Uh," Derric says "Isn't that your..."

"Adoptive father," I say "Yes."

"Uh," Derric says "Hold on, let me see."

Derric pulls out a set of keys from his pocket and opens a drawer to a filing cabinet. He rifles through it before pulling out a file.

"Not on him," Derric says "I didn't even know this file existed."

"What file," I say "On who?"

"On you," Derric says "Dad...this is your handwriting."

Alpha Peter stiffens and I look at him before taking the file from Derric, opening it.

"What," I say "How do you know all of this about me?"

I look at Alpha Peter.

"Jinx," Elder Nikida says "What is it?"

I hold it out and Elder Nikida takes it.

"Alpha Peter," Elder Nikida says "What is the meaning of this file and how did you get this information? This is confidential information that only the Council and her birth parents know so how in the moon did you get your hands on information like this?"

Alpha Peter stays silent.

"Dad," Derric says, growling "Answer the question."

"Do not order me around," Alpha Peter says "I cannot disclose that information."

I growl, throwing the closest thing at the wall, which happens to be a mug. Darian and Vincenzo snarl, Lindsey leaping to her feet and growling and Hunter snarls. I immediately force myself to calm down, knowing that they're only experiencing my emotions.

"Wow," The man says "That was..."

"Get him out of my sight," I say darkly "Until he can answer why in the moon he's got information that even I didn't know."

"Alpha Peter," Elder Henry says "Unless you would like her to get so angry that you have every hellhound, bloodhound and hound growling at you, I suggest you speak up and tell us or stay out of her sight until you decide to be smart and tell her why you have such information on her."

Elder Helena enters with Dr. Jacobson who looks at me, her eyes sparkling as she reaches for the man who hugs her.

"Thank you," He says "You saved her when you called the Council."

Alpha Peter leaves.

"Derric," Luna Claradine says "I-"

"Did you know," Derric says "Did you know he had that file on Jinx?"

"No," Luna Claradine says "Not until recently. The night that you heard us arguing is the night I found out."

"So," Derric says "The night I left to go get a pup from a pack while my mate was packing bags to come and make sure that some prophecy was true was the night you found out?"

"Yes," Luna Claradine says "I tried to get him to tell you. He wouldn't listen. I even tried to get him to tell her or even the Council but he wouldn't listen."

"So you should've," Derric yells "I'm the Alpha and that's MY mate!"

"And he is mine," Luna Claradine says "And do not yell at me, young man."

Derric growls lowly.

"Derric," I say softly "I need you to calm down."

Derric looks at me and immediately, he rolls his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Derric says softly, reaching for me "I didn't mean to..."

"I know," I say softly, wrapping my arms around his waist "I just...it's a lot and I need to calm down but I need you to be my calm right now."

Derric nods, pressing his lips against the top of my head as he rubs my back. I turn to face the bulletin board once I pull out of his embrace. Dr. Jacobson, the man and woman, and the Council all sit down on the couches in Derric's office.

"So," Elder Helena says "What have you two figured out?"

"Not much," Derric says "Love, did you see this?"

"See what," I say, putting down the file I'm looking at "What is it?"

"Fifteen year old lupus," Derric says "She was raped by a hellhound and then forced by her parents to give birth to the child."

Derric holds out the file and I take it.

"Oh my goddess," I say "Elder Henry, we brought all the files on hellhound attacks and suspected hellhound attacks with us, right?"

"Yes," Elder Henry says "Why?"

"Because," I say "This scene looks exactly like the ones we're experiencing now. Except the lupus female in this situation committed suicide after murdering the hellhound who raped her and the child she was forced to have."

I hold out the file.

"Oh my goddess," Elder Helena says "It does look exactly like our current scenes."

"Except," I say "This happened fifty years ago."

Elder Helena calls for her guard's to bring the files down and they do so, setting the boxes down. We each grab a box, going through them. By the end of the night, we have over five hundred scenes and upon further inspection, we have five hundred and thirty two more missing hellhounds.

"Holy mother of moons," Darian says "Whoever this is...they've been at it for millions of years."

We stare at the now entire wall of missing hellhounds and staged hellhound attacks. I stumble and Derric grabs me.

"Jinx," Derric says softly "You need to breathe, love."

"All of these hellhounds," I whisper "How did nobody notice they were missing?"

"What if they did," Charles says "Ashley Brown, hellhound, reported missing on July nineteenth of nineteen eighty eight. Lacey Tyler, hellhound, reported missing on January thirteenth of nineteen eight four. There's a missing person's report for every single one of them and a case file for all of them. But they were never found."

"Hellhounds live forever," Darian says "Unless someone stabs them with icefire through the heart. Jinx, do you feel them?"

"I don't know," I say "I can only feel the ones I've either met or have met family of."

"The bloodhounds," Marcus says "Haven't a bunch of these bloodhounds been with the pack for millions of years?"

"Yes," Derric says "They might be family of any of these missing hellhounds."

"Call a meeting," I say "Charles, Marcus, Darian, help me print out photos of all these missing hellhounds. We're going to make posters and have the bloodhounds stand in front of the hellhounds they know or are related to."

Derric immediately starts sending out a mass text, sending off a pack member who walks by to tell all the bloodhounds. Once all the photos are printed out, I stable each to a wooden stick and we stick them into the grounds, leaving gaps between each. Hellhounds watch, as do hounds. Bloodhounds watch as well, everyone looking confused.