CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65

Maria’s POV

I couldn’t understand what was happening to me. It was like I was living all my previous moments again. I felt a hand hold me as I collapsed to the ground.

"Maria, Maria!" I heard Triton call several times.

When I regained strength, I leaned on his hand to support myself to my feet.

I could remember everyone, my mother Laura, and my father, who was the alpha of the pack. I also remembered Sasha vividly and everything that happened while with Trevor.

Mother held my hand to support me. "Are you alright?"

I nodded my head and released my hand from within their grasp. I was sure the entire pack was here at the packhouse. There were still some people that cowered in fear, still believing that I was a ghost.

Their faces were visible enough to see their expressions under the bright moonlight and the several torches at the corners.

I moved up to the podium where Sasha stood.

"I’m not a ghost and I never died." I heard some murmurs escape from the crowd at my announcement.

"I am here to save the pack from something grave that would happen. Our lands would be destroyed if we don’t defeat the forger."

"Maria, what are you talking about?" Mother said with a thick frown on her face.

I turned towards Triton who had lowered his gaze to the ground. He was in a better position to explain what deal he had made with the forger. That way, I’d even get to learn what the forger promised him in return, because I was sure father would force him to spill it.

I continued my speech. I would call on Triton later, but first, I had other important things to say.

"Just like every woman in this pack, I got a gift, and I’m a seer. Mother, father, I am sure that both of you knew that before I travelled."

Mother stepped closer to me and whispered. "What about your pregnancy Maria?"

I ignored her and returned my focus to the crowd.

"My visions showed me the forger destroying the lands of Veilwood with fire."

"Who is this forger?" I heard several voices in the crowd ask.

I looked at Triton and motioned for him to come up to the podium. He already knew why I was calling him, and there was no need for an explanation. I saw him run his fingers through his hair and he took a deep breath before joining me there.

I stepped to the side for him to move forward. "Explain everything to them and leave nothing out of it."

He didn’t give a response to what I said, and his eyes searched around the crowd in desperation. He hesitated, and for a moment, I thought he was going to lie. If he did that, I would be forced to reveal the truth by myself. I couldn’t keep our pack living in fear of wearing veils and denial to go out at odd hours. All that had to stop from now.

I nudged him with my elbow when it seemed like it was taking forever for him to speak.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" I asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Sasha looked at the both of us with curious eyes.

Triton let out a sigh. "I can’t," He stuttered. "Maria, we can still fight the problem without letting everyone know." He turned to face me with a worried look plastered on his face. "I have told lies, Maria. I have misled the alpha each time he asked me for help concerning the loss of his female pack members."

He paused and ran his hand through his hair. "I would ruin my reputation. Your father may never trust me. I...Please Maria, there should be an alternative."

I understood what he was saying, but that wasn’t an excuse to continue keeping my people in the dark. It was a vital point to pass through if we really wanted to face this forger.

His shame, his reputation and all that he mentioned, none of it bothered me.

"You either tell them or I tell them. Choose one."

"Maria, please," he pleaded once more.

I shook my head in defiance. No amount of pleas would make me walk away from the matter on ground. This simple act of confession was the least he could do to be redeemed of his crime.

He gave up on begging me and returned to face the crowd.

"Alpha Reynolds, Luna Laura, please accept my apology. I am sorry that I betrayed you and everyone in the pack."

My parents exchanged puzzled glances.

"What are you talking about?" Father questioned him. "You helped us by finding our daughter and we are more than grateful for that."

Triton looked back at me, obviously hoping for sympathy that I would relieve him of his duty of confessing, but I kept an indifferent face and motioned with my hand for him to keep talking.

"I know the whereabouts of the missing women."

"What? Where? How?" Those words escaped my father’s mouth almost immediately.

Without even waiting for Triton’s response, father continued. "Alpha Triton, I don’t know how to thank you enough. I know I was lucky since the day I confided with you about our plight. Where are..."

Father’s voice trailed off as he was cut

short by Triton. "I captured them."

A deep frown and an utter look of confusion was etched on father’s face. "I don’t understand you, young Alpha." My father muttered.

"I connived with this forger that Maria spoke about, and captured women from the pack for him."

"What?!" Mother spat at the top of her voice. "You did what!"

Father just remained speechless. His eyes were widened and his jaw slightly slacked as he stared at Triton. I wondered the numerous thoughts that were going through his mind.

The crowd broke into a frenzy with loud and indistinct voices rising among them.

"I’m here to ask that you forgive me." Triton’s voice shook as he spoke. He fell to his knees in an instant.

"I know you may want to kill me, but I was trapped working for this forger, and if you spare me, I would help you kill him."

Father did something unexpected. He rushed towards Triton and grabbed him by the neck. I was surprised that father was powerful enough to lift Triton up in the air with one hand, or maybe it was Triton who had let go of all his defenses, and rendered himself powerless in front of my alpha.

I didn’t expect my father to land a fatal blow on Triton.

Triton didn’t fight back. His face fell limply to the opposite side.

"You made me look like a fool. I confided in you for solutions, but instead you rendered vain advice and backstabbed me when you were the perpetrator all along." He threw Triton to the floor, and he landed with a thud.

Father continued. "I don’t know what to do with you. I can’t kill you, and even if you have a solution, how would it bring back the dead women?"

Triton managed to stagger to his feet, and his beta also supported him. "They aren’t dead. I think he’s harnessing their gifts, but he isn’t killing them."

"You think?" Father echoed in a somewhat sarcastic manner. "I’ve left you for the people to judge— the ones who snatched their families from would decide what to do."

With that final statement, he left the podium. Triton’s shirt was slightly ruffled. The worst that the people could do was to murmur and curse at Triton.

"You were the one behind the disappearance of my daughter."

"My wife went missing immediately after our marriage."

"I can’t believe an alpha from the pack who we respected did this to us."

"How do we get our missing daughters?"

Triton turned back to look at me. It was like I had thrown him into a fire.

I decided to take charge from here. I moved towards the front to address the enraged crowd.

"We are going to solve everything. Your daughters aren’t dead."

With that, the murmurs among the crowd died down.

"Tell them why you did this." I said to Triton.

"No. That’s a secret." He held my palm as if pleading with me. "Maria, please. I would do anything but that."

"You have to tell them."

He still didn’t budge and continued pleading. "Instead of announcing it to everyone, I could tell you in private."

I could see how his state was distressed and his eyes were already slightly reddened as they carried the weight of everything.

I took a deep breath as I allowed that part to slide.

"Promise me that you won’t avoid my question when we’re alone."

"I swear by my life, I’d tell you the reason in private."

All the while, I noticed Sasha staring at me from the corner of her eye. I didn’t need a clairvoyant to tell me that she wasn’t happy about my return.