Saturn

Solis IV

Xavian left Hadley's room with only one thing racing through his head.

His pack murdered her parents. Immediately, Xavian went to his father's office. Lucian was sitting at his desk with a pen in his hand as he read over something.

"Xavian," his father said when Xavian came in the door. He barely got the chance to raise his head and look at him. "How-"

"Dad," Xavian stopped him. "We killed her family. Our pack murdered her family."

Lucian furrowed his brow in confusion and set his pen down, leaning back in his chair. "What do you mean, son? Who are you talking about?"

"The rogue, dad. Her parents are dead and it was our pack that did it. She called the pack by name." Xavian paced in front of the door.

"What makes you say we murdered them? They may have been killed for good reason." Lucian had been Alpha for a long time and knew packs often killed rogue wolves in defense of their territory. This would not be unusual.

"They were on neutral ground. They were a mated pair. How often do we get rogue pairs? When was the last time? They weren't even brought to the pack alive. They were killed out there," Xavian rambled.

Lucian thought for a moment. "It's been several years, I am sure. That doesn't answer my question though, Xavian. She's playing the pity game with you."

Xavian huffed and paused pacing the room. "Listen. We keep records. She was a new shifter, so around 16. She can't be more than her mid-twenties. Look for records of a rogue pair 4-8 years ago." He gestured toward the computer on the desk.

Lucian shook his head and opened a file on his computer and scrolled for several minutes. "The only report of a pair of rogue wolves in our system around that time was 10 years ago and it was two females, sisters. A mate pair was brought two years ago and put to death in the dungeons. They were reportedly only 18 years old, the both of them," he read from the screen.

"Then her story holds true. We keep records of wolves brought in live or ones killed while trespassing. If they were killed out in the forest off-territory by a group of our wolves, then it wouldn't have been recorded," Xavian exclaimed. He pressed on his temples.

"Patrols usually bring back findings and those are reported as well, even if they were never brought here alive," Lucian said. "She could be lying to get under your skin." Pack wolves inevitably disliked rogues, and they gained a reputation for being sly and notorious liars for their own benefit.

"She supposedly didn't even know she crossed pack borders. How would she know our pack's name?" Xavian countered.

"Rogues are smart. They have to be. They usually know nearby pack names. Some of them even know names of Alphas or were part of packs at one point or another. She's lying to you." Lucian let out a heavy sigh.

Xavian growled and looked at his dad incredulously. "I am not cut out for this, Dad."

"You'll learn with time, son. Have her put in a cell in the basement. Maybe some time alone will help her decide what story she wants to go with. We will have to decide her fate soon; she is a waste of resources, and too dangerous to let free," ordered Lucian, waving a dismissive hand toward the door.

Xavian looked shocked. "Are you suggesting..."

"Yes," Lucian said bluntly. Xavian was shocked at how calm his father was while he suggested a wolf be put to death.

"There have to be other options. We could induct her. She could be a valuable asset-- a warrior. You saw her fight," Xavian suggested, scrambling for ideas to avoid the discomfort of sentencing an almost innocent wolf to death.