Expectations Of Nature

24 - My Queen

The possibility of Anastasia targeting me haunted my thoughts for weeks. Each time her image crossed my mind, my stomach churned and my wolf growled within me. Nate tried to reassure me, suggesting that her disappearance might be linked to other issues, given the dire state of the Black Mountain Pack both financially and materially.

"Their coal production has plummeted over the past month," Nate said, his voice filled with concern as he scanned the documents spread before him. Alex, standing beside him, held another stack of papers.

"Their Beta has reported that the civilians are being forced to grow their own food this season due to a significant drop in their food supplies. And they're not even in a farming region; how are they managing that, I wonder?" Alex added, his tone laced with worry.

I sat at the meeting table with them, poring over some reports from the Black Mountain Pack on my laptop.

"Their childcare facilities are teetering on the brink of collapse too," I chimed in. "The main kindergarten can't even afford applesauce from the nearby human town."

Alex was the first to suggest a course of action. "We need to visit them," he said decisively. "I'll reach out to other Betas, see if they're willing to join us and offer support."

Nate nodded, his expression grave. "We need to uncover the root of these drastic changes. Phillip has always had everything under control-something significant must have happened to throw him off course like this," he mused, more to himself than to us, as he tried to piece together the puzzle.

Alex's voice was a hushed whisper, barely audible as if to ensure the conversation remained confined to the room. "What about Rogue Packs?"

Nate was quick to dismiss the notion. "Rogue Packs haven't been a concern for the past three decades, Alex. If any existed, we'd know."

Yet, the mention of Rogues piqued my curiosity. "Who are Rogues?" I inquired.

Alex turned to me, his expression somber as he delved into an explanation. "Rogues are often the offspring of an Alpha who has a child with someone other than their official mate. These children, sometimes seen as bastards, are usually expelled from the pack at age of eighteen. With Alpha blood in their veins, they sometimes form their own packs on the fringes of our society. There have been instances where these rogue packs, driven by resentment, have attacked established ones. But over time, they can evolve into official packs themselves. Black Mountain, for example, started as a Rogue Pack before gaining legitimacy."

Nate chimed in with additional context, his gaze fixed on the desk strewn with papers. "Alpha Philip wasn't the original leader when they were still considered rogue. It was another man, a bastard son from the now-vanished Red Caves Pack up north. His name, unfortunately, we don't know."

A realization struck me, rendering me momentarily speechless. This unknown man was a descendant of an Alpha, a child of another harridan, which meant they might have endured a fate similar to mine. Nate had overlooked such a crucial detail, and I held his gaze, willing him to make the connection.

"What?" he finally looked up, meeting my eyes.

"Don't you see the connection here?" I pressed, hoping he'd grasp the significance of what I was suggesting.

Nate's brow furrowed in confusion, but then realization dawned on him. "Oh, fuck," he exclaimed, his fingers threading through his hair in agitation.

"The guy is a descendant of a harridan... and since the original pack was wiped out, he was the only one left. But if I'm correct, this guy should be around the same age as your father, which means he likely has children who are still in..."