Briar’s POV
The mont we pulled up to the packhouse, my stomach dropped. Guards everywhere. Way more than seed normal, even for an Alpha’s residence.
I climbed out of the car slowly, every instinct screaming caution. Asher appeared at my side, his fingers threading through mine.
"Sothing’s wrong," I whispered.
"What do you an?" Asher’s voice was steady, but I caught the tension underneath.
"All these guards. This feels like a fortress, not a ho."
Asher squeezed my hand. "He’s always been paranoid. Cos with the territory, I guess."
"Or he’s got more secrets than we thought."
We climbed the front steps while a guard by the door mind-linked ahead. Within seconds, we were being escorted through marble hallways toward what I assud was the Alpha’s office.
The door opened, revealing a man behind an imposing mahogany desk. Asher imdiately bared his neck in submission, but Alpha Vanguard barely glanced at him. His cold eyes fixed on instead.
"So you found your mate." His voice dripped with sothing I couldn’t identify. "The legendary Briar. The girl who vanished for years. Their precious daughter."
The way he said ’their’ made my skin crawl.
"You an my parents? Elena and Damien?" I kept my voice level, but my pulse hamred against my throat.
"What brings you here, Asher?" Vanguard moved around his desk like a predator circling prey, completely ignoring my question.
What the hell did this man have against my family? My parents would never have let co here if they suspected I’d be walking into the territory of soone who despised them.
"Alpha Vanguard." Asher’s tone remained respectful despite the obvious hostility. "I need information about my parents’ deaths. The dical examiner told you confiscated their files. That’s not standard protocol for any Alpha I’ve known."
"I have every right." Vanguard settled into his chair with infuriating casualness. "My pack, my rules."
Sothing about his attitude set every nerve ending on fire. He was too comfortable, too dismissive about sothing that should matter.
"Please." Asher stepped forward. "I know I didn’t push for answers back then. I was too destroyed by losing them to think straight. But they were murdered, and I need to know who did it. I need to make sure justice was served."
"You’re far too late for justice, boy." Vanguard’s smile held no warmth. "Your parents are dead. You disappeared afterward. I heard you ran off to Damien’s pack. Maybe you should’ve stayed there with your pretty little mate and left the past buried."
Heat flashed through my chest. "He has every right to know what happened to his parents."
Asher shot a warning look, but I didn’t care about werewolf politics right now.
"Asher." Vanguard’s voice turned razor-sharp. "Your parents’ killer was dealt with. End of story."
"You know who murdered them?" Asher’s composure finally cracked.
"Of course I know. Rogue pack killed them during a territory dispute. We tracked them down, they confessed, they were executed. Now get out of my office."
The door behind us opened without a knock. Two guards stepped inside, hands resting on weapons.
Asher’s jaw tightened, but he took my arm. We had no choice but to leave.
Once we were back in the car, Asher drove aimlessly through winding roads until he pulled over beside a stretch of forest. The silence between towering pines felt heavy with unspoken thoughts.
"Do you believe what he said about your parents?" I finally asked.
"Not a damn word." Asher’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel. "I rember hearing sothing about vampires when they died. I was too ssed up to pay attention then, but why would he lie about rogues? None of this makes sense."
"How important were your parents in the pack hierarchy?" I turned to face him fully. "That house we saw in the photos was impressive. That level of wealth doesn’t co from being low-ranking mbers."
Asher nodded slowly. "Dad was Gamma. His job was protecting the Luna, being the Alpha’s right hand."
"So your father worked closely with Vanguard. They would have been friends, trusted allies. Why would Vanguard lie about how he died?" The pieces weren’t fitting together. "Unless..."
Asher’s head turned toward . "Unless what?"
"You said he protected the Luna. Was she Alpha Vanguard’s fated mate?"
"No." The word ca out flat. "Dad ca ho angry one night, said he’d fought with the Alpha about it. The Luna wasn’t his destined mate."
"Then who was?"
"I have no idea."
"We need to find out. Because I think she’s the key to everything."
Asher stared at like I’d grown a second head, but sothing in his expression told he was starting to see the connections too.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the small town center. Asher made several phone calls while I waited, watching pack mbers go about their daily routines. As darkness began to fall, we grabbed dinner at a local diner.
Walking out with full stomachs and more questions than answers, we nearly collided with a group of won heading inside.
One of them stopped dead in her tracks, face lighting up when she saw Asher. The smile died the instant she noticed his arm around my waist.
"Isn’t she a little young for you?" Her voice carried across the sidewalk.
"I didn’t get to choose my mate, Sasha." Asher’s tone went ice-cold.
"She’s your mate?" The shriek probably echoed several blocks away.
"Keep your voice down. I know causing scenes is your specialty, but it’s not mine." Asher’s patience was clearly running thin.
"You left without even saying goodbye." Her voice turned wounded, manipulative.
"My parents were murdered. I wasn’t exactly thinking about social niceties."
"How convenient. And how long before you found her?" Sasha’s glare could have lted steel.
"A while ago. I was living in another pack." Asher kept the explanation simple, obviously not wanting to get into my hunter background.
"Well, congratulations. I hope you’re absolutely miserable together." She shoulder-checked as she stord past.
"That woman needs therapy," I muttered once she was out of earshot.
"She needs a lot of things. Always did." Asher steered down the sidewalk. "Drama follows her everywhere."
We made our way to the town park as full darkness settled over the territory. Two figures waited by the treeline, barely visible in the shadows.
Asher stopped walking and took a deep breath. I could feel his nervousness radiating through our bond.
Whatever was about to happen, it was going to change everything.
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