41.

Farryn quietly sent Jason out of the room to fetch a few pack members to help bury Asher. They would give Skylar as much time as she needed to grieve before intruding in the room but Farryn wanted to be sure they were ready, so there was no delay for her friend. She swallowed hard and had just begun to turn away, to give Skylar some privacy, when the female Fae released a sharp snarl and lunged across the room using her magic to increase her speed. Farryn had no time to dodge or prepare herself as they crashed to the ground, her head hitting the floor with a crack that sent an explosion of dots across her vision. The Fae wrapped her long fingers around her neck but there was no strength in her arms.

“If this blood oath did not bind us I would kill you right now!” Skylar spat as she lowered her head to ensure Farryn saw nothing but the burning hatred in her silver eyes.

“I will never forgive you for this, I don’t care if he felt you were not responsible, I know you are.” Skylar bared her teeth, her elongated canines reminded Farryn that she was not helpless, her magic was not the only weapon she had.

“Skylar please, come say goodbye to your brother so we might put him to rest.” Ashlyn’s voice sounded from behind the Fae, but she was keeping a distance from the pair on the floor. She knew her Alpha was in no danger, there was no way to break a blood oath without it killing Skylar as well. Skylar growled in frustration before releasing Farryn’s neck and rising to her feet. She didn’t bother looking back to the Alpha as she walked back to her brother.

Farryn could feel the familiar sting of tears beginning to burn her eyes, she never meant for any of this to happen. She sat up just as the front door opened. Tristan slowly entered the room but stopped when Farryn shook her head sharply. The last thing Skylar needed was to see him, she couldn’t harm Farryn but there was no doubt she would kill Tristan if she had the chance.

Farryn brought herself to her feet slowly with a slight wince and lowered her head in thanks to Ashlyn before ushering Tristan out of the building.

“What happened? Are you okay, Jason told me Asher’s dead but how?” Tristan placed a surprisingly gentle hand on Farryn’s shoulder and she couldn’t help but relax at the touch. The pain in her head seemed to vanish as she gazed at the male before her.

“Asher died because of me. I had the two of them look into a few things for me and because of that I got him killed. But I got the information I needed, now I just need to know how much of it is real or not. Tristan, do you know anything about your dad?” She spoke softly, not wanting anyone walking by to hear their conversation, but also not wanting to give Tristan any reason to believe she was accusing him of anything. The question, however, threw him off guard.

“My dad?” His brows furrowed together in confusion as he withdrew his hand quickly from her shoulder. The topic was obviously not one he wanted to discuss.

“No, I don’t know anything about him.” His response was sharp and clear that it was all he would say on the matter.

“Then what about your mother? Where is she at? If it’s okay with you I’d like to talk to her about him.” Tristan scoffed sharply as he crossed his arms over his chest like a child.

“My mother is dead so good luck talking to her.” Farryn’s mouth dried quickly at her tactless approach. She sighed and brushed her hair back behind her ear in discomfort.

“Tristan I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say anything too upset or offend you.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before continuing.

“It’s just that, we might have figured out what is going on with you and it might all be connected to your dad… Tristan, your wolf, it all might come from him.” Tristan’s eyes flashed as he looked away quickly, she couldn’t be sure but she thought she had seen a glimmer of fear or regret in his eyes.

“I thought it was all connected to Ashia.” He snapped. Farryn had nearly forgotten about the poor girl with everything that had happened in such a short amount of time.

“We don’t know what exactly is connected to her yet but she said she would ask her mother Tristan, give her time to open up to us. She won’t be going anywhere until she does. If everything that Asher said before he died was true, then we don’t have much time to figure out a plan.” Farryn had begun to walk away when she stopped as Tristan grabbed her elbow.

“And what do we tell the pack? I can smell them hovering around the jail. They want answers and I suspect you have some.” Tristan’s gaze was hard, he seemed to be in thought as he spoke, as if he was remembering something he would rather not.

“Tristan,” Farryn frowned before glancing at his hand on her arm. Before there was a spark when he would touch her but now she felt nothing.

“I have half answers. That’s it and it’s not good enough for me. It will, however, be enough for those out for blood so for now we continue to say nothing. But from what I do know right know Tristan, be aware, it’s not looking good for you.” Farryn’s words were surprisingly cold. Truth be told she had forgotten about the reason she had become so invested in the first place. She had been so wrapped up in Tristan and everything about him that she forgot for too long that she had a duty as the Alpha to bring justice to those they have lost. Tristan’s hand slowly fell away from her arm, his face was expressionless as he clicked his tongue.

“Okay, let’s go find Ashia, maybe she was able to reach her mother.” Farryn muttered as she left the building with Tristan in tow. The commotion that they had caused rushing Asher to Ashlyn had drawn a large number of her pack to the building in concern for their Alpha. Upon seeing her come out of the building many visibly relaxed, but others were not thrilled at the sight of her companion.

Farryn glanced up to the sky, the sun was beginning to set casting purples and pinks into the sky. She could see the moon beginning to enter its waning gibbous phase meaning they had around a month until the next full moon. She glanced behind her to the male who looked lost in his thoughts and then to the crowd that was now staring at her.

“I swear to you all, as your Alpha, that by the next full moon, before the Moon Goddess herself, you will have the answers you have been seeking. You have all been very patient with me and for that I thank you. I will get us back to a normal life where you no longer have to worry about your neighbors or wonder who will go missing next.”

The crowd gathered began to chatter after Farryn had spoken, could they take her seriously? Would she truly stick to her word? The majority seemed to at least respect her enough to lower their heads at her vow. She knew if she did not present them with an answer soon it may very well be her blood that they called for.

Farryn motioned for Xaiver to follow her back to her home where Ashia had retreated to after Carthel had mentioned her father. She couldn’t help but worry about the young female, being brought some where new and far from her mother didn’t seem to be a situation in which she needed much adjustment to but the mere mention of her father had visibly upset her.

Farryn opened the door to her home and motioned for Tristan to have a seat in the living room as she approached the bottom of the stairs. She could smell the familiar tang furs and wood, Ashia had gone upstairs to her room but hadn’t come down since. Farryn took the steps two at a time, her heightened hearing picking up the muffled sounds of Ashia speaking. She was relieved that she was able to get ahold of her mother though the Alpha did find herself curious as to how she was contacting her from a distance. She hadn’t seen the young female with a phone and Nelai certainly didn’t seem like the type to have one either.

“I will handle it. No concern is needed, I know where to go next.” Ashia’s voice was rushed as she moved around her room while Farryn reached the top of the stairs. The female exited her room and halted at the sight of Farryn.

“You are back, what happened? I heard everyone start yelling but I could not come down.” There was a slight flush to her face as she spoke and Farryn could smell a slight tinge of panic. She was hiding something from the Alpha and that did not sit well with her, especially not when it was happening in her own home.

“Unfortunately someone passed away. Come down stairs Ashia, we need to talk about what happened at the training grounds and what we will do next.” Farryn didn’t bother going into details about Asher’s death, the two had never met each other so she wouldn’t know who she was talking about. Farryn turned on her heels and headed back down the stairs, but not before hearing Ashia release a breath of relief as she followed along.