The Highlands Wolves Book 2
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Cynthia Foley
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Chapter 1
Book 2: Cursed
ALARIC
Itâs a strange thing, how we donât value life when it seems like we have an endless supply of it. We take it for granted, but when we realize our days are numbered, thatâs when we start to treasure every moment, every breath, every sunrise and sunset. Yet, with each passing day, the end draws closer.
We try to make things right. To fix our mistakes. We strive to be the best version of ourselves, hoping to leave behind nothing but beautiful memories for those we love. But sometimes, the wrongs weâve committed canât be undone.
I was in my office when the door swung open and Conan walked in, his hands hidden behind his back. Just one look at him filled me with dread. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing, right?
âThe alpha and beta families of the Western Province have been assassinated.â
I froze, dropping the pen I was holding onto the desk, and stared at Conan. If this was his idea of a joke, it wasnât funny.
âConan, you better not beâŠâ
âIâm not lying, Alaric,â he interrupted, bringing his right hand forward to place a thick manila envelope on my mahogany desk.
âIt arrived this morning. Iâve looked through it. Whoeverâs behind this is on a mission, and I canât figure out why.â
I reached for the envelope and opened it. Inside were photos of horrific scenes. Blood everywhere, heads severed from bodies. The Western Pack, lying in their own blood.
âWhat the hell?â
âEven the children were killed.â
I looked at the photos again. Iâd never seen anything like this in the Highlands. As Conan had said, whoever did this was on a mission and they werenât messing around.
âSomeone with a temper must have been seriously pissed off,â Conan said, taking a seat across from me. He might have been right. Only an enemy would do something like this. But who? And why were even children killed in cold blood?
âDoes my father know?â
âHe doesnât want to be disturbed. My father will tell him when heâs free.â
âWhat did the pack members say?â I asked.
âThe future betaâCole. Do you remember him?â
I nodded, and he continued, âCole delivered this, but he had to rush back to his pack. Heâs the last surviving member of his family.â
âGo on,â I urged.
âHe said that those who were killed either held powerful positions in the pack or were just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cole only survived because he wasnât there.â
âThey must have some idea how their defenses were breached.â
âThatâs the problem. They donât. No scent, no footprints. Whoever did this came and left without a trace.â
âWitches?â I suggested. It was the only explanation that made sense.
âMaybe, but witches donât usually leave a mess like this. Theyâre moreâŠclean.â
He was right. Witches did kill, but they were smart about it. I was living proof of that. I was living with a curse inside me, slowly poisoning me. Time was running out.
I had about eight months left to live, and I hadnât told anyone. It was my problem. I didnât want to worry my mother or anyone else about what had happened on the night of my sonâs naming ceremony. They would only find out when it was too late to save me.
Laika was the key, but I couldnât force her to love me. Telling her would be like begging for her love. I had done terrible things to her, and I couldnât force her to save me.
And speaking of witches, I had been searching for Celeste for a year, but she had disappeared. Her house was burned to the ground.
âAre you okay?â Conanâs question snapped me out of my thoughts. My eyes landed on him. He wasnât going to be the beta. If I died, my son would be next in line, and Conanâs child would rule beside him. But Conan hadnât found his mate yet.
âIâm fine,â I lied. Truthfully, I was terrified. I had no idea how my life was going to end. Would it be painful? I guess I would find out in a few months.
âWhat if itâs Phineas?â
âHeâs dead,â I reminded him.
âWe never found his body,â Conan said.
What? They never found his body? He was the one who had assured me everything was okay, along with my father.
âYou told meââ
âWe lied. The room you described was empty, except for a pool of blood.â
âWhy would youââ
âYour father knew you would go after him if there was any evidence that he was alive. He lied to protect you. He asked me to lie and forget about it,â Conan said, avoiding my gaze.
âYouâre my beta. Weâre supposed to work together!â
âHeâs my alpha. His word is law,â he said.
Phineas alive? It seemed unlikely, but it wasnât impossible.
âThis isnât Phineas,â I said, certain.
âDonât be so sure. He worked with witches, and they can heal even the most fatal wounds. Itâs been over a year. He could be strong enough now.â
Maybe Conan was right, but I refused to believe it. This was something bigger. Phineas wouldnât have killed the Western Pack. What issue could he have had with them?
Conan left, leaving me alone in my office, lost in thought. I picked up one of the photos, staring at it. I couldnât understand why someone would do this. I had a feeling there was a bigger picture that I was missing. But what could it be?
Phineas was dead, and if he was alive, he wouldnât kill the Western Pack. I was his enemy. The other packs didnât bother with rogues like I did. He had warned me not to save Laika or he would come back for her. So why attack another pack?
It hurt to think that I might be the cause of all this. That all those people died because I had made an enemy. And if Phineas was behind this, there was only one explanation. He was killing the alpha families and anyone who could stand in his way of becoming the ultimate alpha. If that was the case, then this was just the beginning.
