Alpha's Hidden Precious Luna-Chapter 111

Lily POV

That night, I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Kai’s words replayed in my mind, but so did the doubts and fears that had taken root. I wanted to believe him, to trust that our bond was unbreakable and that we would survive this, but the unknowns were too many.

As far as the mysterious she-wolf remained in the background, I feel like there’s nothing that I can do or say that would change whatever was going on between Kai and her, and I can only rest if she’s out of the picture.

I turned and tossed for the longest time, unable to sleep. I began to pace my room. My mind was racing with a thousand possibilities. The conversation with Kai earlier broadened my perspective and made me see things differently.

The pieces weren’t adding up—Kai’s déjà vu, the mysterious she-wolf’s appearance, Luna Helen’s confrontation that day at the pack hospital... I couldn’t wait around for answers anymore.

I have spent too many days and nights feeling helpless, stuck in the middle of mysteries revolving around Kai and the she-wolf. If Kai couldn’t–or wouldn’t–give me the answers I needed, then I would find them myself.

My first thought was Celeste. The last time we talked, she was preparing for her final semester exams and I had purposely stayed away because I didn’t want to burden her with my problems but if anyone could help me uncover at least half the truth of whatever was going on, then it would be Celeste.

I stared at the clock in my room. It was way past midnight. Celeste was a night crawler and also a light sleeper. I could wait until morning, but I didn’t want to lose my nerve. Crossing back to my bed, I picked up my phone by the bedside table.

My fingers hovered over my phone before dialing her number.

“I was wondering when you’d call,” Celeste answered on the first ring. “How are you, Lily? Are you avoiding me?”

“No...No!” I blurted. “I know you were preparing for your exams and I didn’t want to distract you or anything. I’m sorry for not reaching out sooner. How are you? How are the exams going?”

There was a soft sigh on the other end of the phone. “I told you not to make yourself a stranger, Lily. Fine, I have exams but I would still take your calls or meet up with you. I know a lot has been going on, but you can lean on me. You don’t have to bear the burden alone.”

My eyes misted with tears. “I’m sorry,” I sniffed. “Everything is just overwhelming. I have zero idea on how or where to start and Kai doesn’t seem himself. No one is telling me anything. I’m just confused.”

There was a slight pause from the other end. “What do you want me to do for you? Ask! Anything!”

I chewed my lips. “I’d like to investigate what is really going on at the pack hospital with the she-wolf and Kai. I have a feeling that the pack doctors may know and maybe a few of the hospital staff and perhaps there are some things Kai is hiding from me. Not knowing is driving me crazy and giving me sleepless nights.”

“I know,” she sighed. “Will you come over to the house tomorrow? We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

I woke up the next morning feeling hopeful and filled with renewed determination. Before the first light of dawn, I was already at Celeste’s house. It was her grandparents who answered the door, and they were surprised to see me.

Before they could ask questions, Celeste was already downstairs sweeping me away and muttering something about a fitness program we both signed up for and how we need to leave before it’s morning.

We walked quietly without saying a word to each other until we arrived at a lake. Near the lake was an old willow tree. We approached the tree, and I was surprised to see a murder of crows perched in its branches.

They made a loud cawing sound when they saw Celeste, and immediately they swarmed all over her.

“Easy there, babies,” she chuckled, letting them perch on her hands, her shoulders, and wherever there was space on her body. “Did you all miss me? I’ll be with you all in a minute,” she added.

Immediately, the birds left her and perched back on the tree, then she turned to me. “I knew you’d reach out eventually,” she said with a knowing smile, pulling me into a quick embrace. “You don’t strike me as one who would sit back and let things happen to you.”

“I can’t anymore,” I admitted. “Whatever’s going on with Kai, the she-wolf is all connected. I just want to know the truth.”

Celeste nodded, her expression immediately turning serious. “Good. Let’s start by using my little spies.” she extended her arm and several birds, smaller than the crows with multicolored beaks, landed gracefully on her outstretched hand.

“These are smaller and conspicuous. Plus, they hear everything,” she told me with a sly grin. “We’ll send them to eavesdrop on the pack healer and anyone else who might know what’s going on. If there are secrets to uncover, they’ll find them.”

I nodded.

I watched in awe as Celeste whispered something in an ancient language to two of the smaller birds. Their tiny heads tilted as if listening intently, and with a flutter of wings, they took off into the sky.

After that, she snapped her fingers at the crows on the branches and three of them disappeared into the morning mist. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“Just for backup and to make sure the other birds don’t get distracted,” she explained to me. “Now we wait,” she said, gesturing for me to sit with her on a fallen log. “Tell me everything you know so far.”

I recounted the events of the past few weeks, from Kai’s strange behavior and the arrival of the mysterious she-wolf to the fight I had witnessed between Kai and Luna Helen. Celeste listened intently without saying anything.

When I was done, she sighed. “Honestly, Lily, I wish I knew what really went on in those years. I am not exactly close to my mother for obvious reasons and she likes Kai more, so they’re closely knitted. It’s possible that something might have happened to Kai, and she kept it under wraps. She has loyal people everywhere.”

“Is that even possible?” I looked at her with doubt.

“You don’t know my mother,” she scoffed. “When my dad died, Kai was a little shy of eighteen years. My mom kept it under wraps and ran this pack until Kai became of age before she broke the news. A few months later, I discovered that my dad had died long ago. My mom is a force. Whenever she wants to control things, she’ll do everything in her power to keep it that way.”

“Besides,” she continued, “Memories don’t just disappear on their own, they’re either taken...or hidden”

Before I could respond, the two small birds she sent returned, followed closely by the crows. They landed on Celeste’s arm and shoulders while the crows returned to the tree. They began to chirp.

Celeste narrowed her eyes as she listened to them, her expression darkening with each passing second. I could feel my anxiety growing.

“What is it?” I anxiously asked after the birds finished chirping.

Celeste sighed, avoiding my gaze. “The birds overhead a conversation between the pack healer and my mother, Luna Helen. The healer admitted to using drugs to keep the she-wolf in her current state. Apparently, they don’t want her waking up and ...hypnotizing Kai.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Current state? Hypnotizing Kai? What does that mean?”

“To keep the she-wolf unconscious, and I don’t know exactly why they think she’d hypnotize Kai, but it sounds like they’re afraid she’ll have some sort of control over him if she’s fully awake. They also...” she trailed off, scratching her head awkwardly.

“What did they say?” I asked, staring at her intently while bracing myself.

“They referred to her as Kai’s first mate!”