Love Thy Shadow, Satan (LTSS) [#Wattys2018]

Chapter 9 - Daddy... I'm Home

Present time...

Caden's POV (23)

As I sit at my desk, on the Alpha's chair, in my luxurious office – facing the full wall window overlooking the Pack Land, my back to the unfinished paperwork littering my desk. I repetitiously run my hand through my long uncut locks, massaging my scalp with the tips of my fingers as I do so... my mind is preoccupied.

It will be the 6 year anniversary in 3 days...

6 years since the birth of Blood Moon. 6 years since her departure. 6 years since we started our search for the True Alpha... 6 years... And we still haven't found her.

Standing abruptly, I make a swift move towards the corner coffee table to ease my constricting throat. I need a drink. Filling a tall crystal glass with mineral water, I try to calm my rising rage whilst making my way back to my original seat, grumbling my thoughts as a means of self-reassurance.

Alpha Josiah's daughter, Faith White. The so-called True Alpha of Blood Moon. Hah!

I take a few more gulps before lowering my hand, still tightly clasping the delicate container. My anger burns afresh whenever my mind wanders back to her... and recently it's becoming more and more often... God, help me! I can't stand it!

She has only been recognised as an Alpha purely by her Blood Right – yet the Werewolf community see nothing wrong by this! Can they not see that putting a little girl at the peak of the hierarchal order will make our pack look weak? And that it could easily lead to wars for power, and struggles for the Alpha position?! Can they seriously turn a blind eye towards the fact that they have never met the said little girl – yet they have such high hopes from their supposed leader just because of her strong lineage! It's infuriating, to say the least!

I glance down to a pair of burning crimson eyes looking staring right back at me, reflecting from the surface of the clear liquid floating still within the drinking glass. I think back to the day we discovered she had left.

On our homecoming, after her departure from the Pack House, we found the words "I WILL RETURN" carved deeply into the wall of the ancient building – a message that the pack, in general, objected in removing without her direct permission. Although I personally wouldn't mind her never coming back, I led the pack to believe her absence would be short-lived, that she will return in a day or two... I thought she just needed some time to overcome her grief and adjust to her new circumstances – however, after patiently waiting for 3 months, she did not return to her pack.

Her selfish absence from her designated role of leadership caused anxiety to spread within the pack like the plague, all of whom were quick in expressing their concern to the whereabouts of their newly-crowned Alpha. Although she didn't know of her ascension at the time of departure, she should have felt the palpable increase in the power of her wolf as the Wolfsbane cleared from her system – she should have felt the change in her Mind Link, and the change in her Wolf Rank.

I do not understand.

Why did she not return?

If she left scared, she would have returned with the knowledge that she is safe. If she was hurt, she had enough time to recover. If she hoped to seek revenge, her only choice would have been to return here to place judgement on her new pack members. If she had just took a look at what she was leaving behind, I'm sure she would have reconsidered.

... Why am I wasting my time on this, anyway...? I'm sure it must have just been a leisurely move on her part... to escape from her responsibilities. How irresponsible of her – but then again, what exactly did I expect from the spoilt brat...?