The Alpha's Mate

Chapter 32

Xavier and I walk hand in hand into the large library, making everyone turn their attention towards us immediately. To my surprise everyone instantly looks away and bows their heads towards me. There wasn't the usual few people who rolled their eyes or coughed to cover up a laugh when I entered a room. I quickly realise Xavier must have spoken to the pack while I was asleep but to avoid causing a scene in front of our pack members I keep my mouth shut for now.

I guide Xavier over to a large section of books on werewolf history and without saying anything he pulls out a large number of books and drops them all on top of the circular table in between our chairs.

"Just try find any information that you can, our pack has very limited knowledge about the human shifts," Xavier tells me, already opening a large and dusty book himself.

I nod my head and pick up the nearest book, which turned out to be an extremely worn out diary with scrawled handwriting filling up every line, making it hard to read, the year was completely smudged, making it impossible to identify.

subcinctus hominum
October 17th
Today we kidnapped the rogue wolf, Julius Bennett, that has been wandering nearby our lab. After doing some background research we discovered that he was shunned from his pack after his Alpha discovered that Julius was his mate. We killed his wolf by injecting an excessive amount of wolfsbane into his bloodstream then proceeded to threaten his mate to get him angry enough to shift. He died after 7 minutes and 24 seconds.
- Edward Williams

I pause as I read the signature at the bottom of the tattered page. Williams, it's surely a coincidence it's not exactly a rare surname, but the feeling of uneasiness settled its way into my stomach.

"Do you have any more diaries from the scientists? I need to look into something," I ask Xavier, anxiously cracking my knuckles.

He nods, with his nose still buried in his book, he hands me over a small leather diary, more filled with writing than the last one.

I open up the first page and begin reading again,
Today I drank a vial of wolfbane. My wolf had to die. My dear Emily is gone now too, as is her wolf. In her last moments she hated me but she never understood why it had to be done. I had to poison her tea. She had to experience the subcinctus hominum so I forced her to. I've never heard a scream so loud in my life. She lasted 9 minutes and 17 seconds. I am just thankful our daughter Amelia was sent away and never asked any questions, she does not even remember her mother. This process must happen with her pups too. It has to be done.
-Edward Williams

I slam the diary on the table, feeling sick to my stomach. The walls seemed to shake as the fury bubbled up in me.

Xavier doesn't even look up at me, which I'm thankful for as the anger and disgust sizzled inside of me. How could someone kill their own mate then soon after plan to do it to their own grandchildren? I hope I'm not related to this freak.

'Beta Ethan, do you know if Xavier was able to gather anything from my old pack? I'm looking for an old leather book.' I send the mindlink out.

'I'm pretty sure I saw a leather book Luna, unfortunately there isn't much else but I will bring it to you now, you are in the library, yes?'

I nod my head then mentally smack my forehead when I realise he can't see me.

'Yes I am, thank you.'

Only a minute later Ethan places the large book in my hands gently before nodding at me and running off again, presumably to help Lucas train the pups.

I haven't spoken to Lucas since the day I woke up after being released from the cells, I'm guessing it's because he never really liked me but I don't let it bother me.

I open up the book and go to the page where I know my family history is.

I brush my finger across the soft paper and blow away some of the dust covering the page and scan the whole family tree.

My stomach drops when I get to the name 'Edward Williams' so we are related.

I look down and see that every death up until my great grandparents had been due to 'unknown' causes. The bastard has been killing his own family for generations, but surely he would've died a long time ago?

The pit in my stomach grows even larger, making me feel dizzy, when I realise that there is a woman called 'Marian Allerton' with the word 'vampire' scrawled next to her name in deep red ink, right next to Edward's name.

He must have turned himself into a vampire after killing his wolf. He could be alive right now. He could be watching me. He could have been the one to force my shift.

"Xavier," I whisper, tugging at my hair roughly.

He doesn't even look up so I raise my voice, "Xavier!"

His eyes shoot up and he smiles apologetically, "I'm sorry baby, what's up?"

I look him in the eyes and tell him everything.

When I'm finished explaining Xavier's jaw drops.

"Wait- so you think that he has something to do with this?"

I nod and rest my head in my hands. I can't seem to get a break.

"Well  I did some research on the basics and this is what I found." Xavier hands me over a large piece of paper with cut outs of pages from books that he's ripped out (I'm highly offended he would ruin a book like that) so I take a look.

The subcinctus hominum- where one forces themselves to shift after losing their wolf.
The subcinctus hominum can take place either due to feeling the need to protect themselves from danger, having extreme difficulty coping with the loss of ones wolf or being physically forced by someone else. During the shift the human bones will begin to break, trying to morph into wolf form but as the werewolf genes in the body have been destroyed the morph cannot take place so the bones repeatedly break over and over until the victim eventually dies.

"So it seems to me that I should have died," I state, pushing back the piece of paper to my mate.

"Don't say that," Xavier growls, trying to contain Xerxes, "you were not meant to die and you will not die as far as I'm concerned."

I just stare at him with a blank face so he gives me a quick smile before going on to explain that the mind shuts down after only a few minutes into the shift and that's why no one has ever survived before.

My mind wanders off back to Edward, I have a gut feeling that he is lurking around somewhere, watching me.

'Everyone please make your way to the hall, your Luna and I have an announcement to make,' my mates voice echoes through my brain, sending shivers down my spine.

"Well, Luna are you ready?" Xavier asks, holding out his hand for me to take.

"Yes Alpha," I wink at him, trying to lighten the mood as we head off to the large hall.

Xavier and I stand behind the podium and not a single person dares to speak as we wait for everyone to settle down.

"Hello my pack, your Luna and I have been doing research and we have already found a lot of useful information."

Xavier nods towards me and I realise he wants me to continue speaking, I glare at him for putting me on the spot but I quickly regain my posture and turn to look at everyone with a serious expression on my face.

"We have found out that..." I go on to tell them everything we have found out today, leaving out the part about me being related to a psychopath who has been killing my family for generations.

Suddenly an arm is wrapped around my waist and I'm yanked down, under the podium as every glass window in the building smashes, sending fragments of glass everywhere, cutting into people's skin. I hear children wailing and men and women screaming out the names of their family.

'We are under attack! Children and untrained fighters make a safe and quick exit towards the pack house now! Everyone else prepare to fight.' I shout out into the mindlink as Xavier's arm tightens around my waist.