Secrets

“Tell me what you know, Jace,” I command my Beta. “I actually suspected that there is some overconfident alpha who wants my position and sent a woman to seduce me. Because only Clark doesn't realize that Alcina is not here for him”. I see a flickering in Jace's eyes, I hope he doesn't know more than he tells me. His aura changes for a moment, but he quickly recovers. I can't read his mind this time. So waiting is the best thing I can do right now.
Jace is one hundred percent reliable, I'm not worried about his loyalty.
“My observation is that she wants to become your Queen Luna. And want to do evil with that position. There is nothing positive about her. Her aura is dark,” explains Jace. “She wants Drina out of your life”.
A raspy laugh escapes me; driving Drina out of my life and heart is as impossible as draining the water from the seas. If that's Alcina's motive, she can go back to where she came from. “But what exactly does she want? If it's not about me but Luna Queen's position, then she has a plan”, I tell my Beta.
Jace nods eagerly.
“I think you should question Drina well on this matter. The women know each other and have a relationship where we are still groping in the dark. Try to find answers at your mate,” he insists. “This is the only way we can proactively intervene and map out a good plan to cut Alcina's step”.
But when I look at my Beta, I can't help feeling that he is hiding something from me. There is a link missing in his story. “Jace!” I command. "The truth. Now! You are withholding information. I've known you too long for this nonsense." Anger is starting to come to me now. The only reason I can think of for Jace's attitude is that he's protecting Drina. Ever since I confessed to him that Drina is my fated, he jacked up her protection.
Under my authority, he can do nothing but bend. Still, I feel some hesitation.
“Alcina wants to break the mate bond so that Drina becomes mentally weak. If that happens, her parents will be devastated because she is their only child. Alcina wants the whole family dead as revenge for an old feud. Alcina's father killed the warlock, Alcina's lover," he confesses.
“And why did Arthur kill the warlock? A werewolf killing a warlock isn't easy. That's enough for a war between the species. Stick to the truth, Jace,' I order him.
“Well, the warlock was the fated of Florence. But the woman had already chosen Arthur and was pregnant when she met him. But the warlock did not accept the rejection. He kidnapped Florence, raped her, and that sealed his fate," Jace sighs. But I'm not buying this story. It fits the puzzle but is not complete.
"Okay. Arthur kills the warlock, Alcina returns to avenge her lover after more than twenty years”, I summarize. "Does that story still seem complete to you? Don't you think there's more to it? No one waits twenty-plus years for revenge. If she had killed Drina as a pup, the effect would be the same, her parents would also go mad with grief. Things don't add up here. The story has more angles.”
“You're absolutely right, but I couldn't find any more information,” my Beta sighs. “Suppressing their scent and the little girl who traveled with them are still the great mystery. Erina doesn't reveal anything”, he agrees with me.
“I don't know if you noticed, but the attitude of Florence and Arthur is aristocratic. You are an Alpha King,” he continues. “And yet I saw that they were not impressed by you. I've never seen that before. They were friendly, but your authority didn't bend them. I dare not draw any conclusion."
Interesting.
I pull my imaginary beard. What Jace says makes sense. I had noticed the couple's attitude, but I blamed it on the fact that I'm their son-in-law and so they are now on an equal footing with me in our status. But higher than me is the Kingdom. Lycans. And we haven't seen them for a quarter of a century, they suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. And with Drina I have no indication that she has Lycan genes, also I have not noticed anything with her parents on that part.
“Are you not yet suspicious, Enrick? I have a plan. Why don't we play along, pretend we don't suspect anything? We observe Alcina and see how far she dares to go," suggests Jace. “But be aware, do not eat or drink from her hand. I haven't sensed that she's a witch, but that's almost obvious. Be careful. In the meantime, I'm going to follow her steps carefully."
Now it's starting to get uncomfortable for me.
Cheating on my mate and dealing with another woman is not really my thing. Drina has my full attention, other she-wolves are like any other being to me. My mate is unique and stands out from all of them.
"What exactly do you mean, Jace?" An unease creeps in me, I'm not sure I want to know his answer.
“Alcina will hit on you. Act like you're interested, even if not right away. Be hard to get so we don't misinterpret her actions," he explains. “If you're stiff, she'll do her very best to persuade you to notice her charms. That is a sign that we are on the right track.”
“Are you out of your mind?! Drina will kill me. You half know how possessive she is,” I exclaim. Just the idea of keeping me busy with another woman is disgusting. Drina will surely find Alcina's scent with me. And I don't want to lie to my mate. And even then, I never know when she'll arrive, so I have no way of preventing her from finding out.
“Enrick. You're doing this for her. I'm sure Alcina and her revenge are why Drina doesn't finish the mating process with you. Exposing and neutralizing Alcina is your best option now. And then you can have the life you long for, with Drina always next to you, our Luna Queen”.
Jace's face lights up on his last sentence. The prospect of finally having a Luna in the pack is every Beta's dream. But I see one more thing I can't understand yet in his eyes. Jace has another secret, but I don't think this is the time to discuss it. I guess that topic is of a different nature....