Chapter 56: Let him wait!

Dorian paced the length of the Conclave, his jaw set in a hard, tense line. He had changed into a fresh, sleeveless black shirt and gray trousers, and the intricate tattoos wrapping around his arms seemed to shift and morph with the flex of his muscles.

Seated in the corner of the room were Jake, Alec, and Anthony. The air between them was thick, heavy with the weight of the grim update Jake had just delivered.

Every single attempt to track Alyssa’s biological parents had proved utterly futile. There wasn’t a single shred of information on them–not even a hospital record from the day Alyssa was born.

It was as if someone had systematically and intentionally wiped away every last trace of their existence.

It made Dorian suspicious. Every shifter on the continent, down to the youngest pup, was documented in the central database. This wasn’t a case of lost files; someone had deliberately purged them from history.

He stopped his pacing and turned sharply to Jake. "Did the trackers pick up any scent or clue from the stepmother’s death? Anything at all to help us track the killer?"

​"None, Alpha," Jake shook his head, his expression grim. "Whoever did this knew they would be tracked. They doused themselves in synthetic aerosol to completely mask their scent."

"And Ingrid probably didn’t catch the scent of danger because she was a regular werewolf," Alec added from his seat. "Werewolves can’t perceive the ghost spray."

Dorian ground his teeth, his mind working at lightning speed. Something about this puzzle wasn’t aligning, but connecting the dots was proving to be a frustrating dead end.

"Tell the agents to keep a close eye on the South," he ordered flatly. "I want Alyssa’s former home to be watched around the clock."

"Yes, Alpha," Jake nodded. "And what about her background?"

"Keep digging," Dorian muttered. "If someone went to these lengths to keep her identity hidden, they did it for a reason."

"But Dorian," Anthony cut in, leaning forward. "Why are you suddenly so hellbent on finding out what Alyssa is? Maybe she’s just a she-wolf who hasn’t awakened her wolf yet."

"Maybe she is," Dorian conceded. "But my instincts tell me she’s more, and they have never been wrong. You’ve seen her hair, Anthony. You cannot deny that she is the only one in the entire pack who carries a red streak like that."

"The only creatures recorded with hair like that were the hybrids," Alec added quietly.

"I don’t think Alyssa is a hybrid," Anthony argued, shaking his head. "She’s too soft to be one, too innocent. Hybrids were vicious, deadly monsters."

"Maybe she’s a different kind of hybrid," Jake mused. "We haven’t walked the entire face of the earth. There could be creatures out there we don’t even know exist."

"Alyssa isn’t a hybrid," Dorian said, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "She’s more than that. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but that red streak in her hair..."

He trailed off, his eyes clouding over as deep thoughts took hold. Anthony slowly sat up, his entire posture going rigid.

​"Don’t tell me you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, Dorian," he said, his voice dropping.

"It could be a possibility."

"It’s not possible," Anthony shook his head, fighting the sudden urge to snap. "You killed the last of those monsters decades ago. It’s impossible that one survived and had a child."

"Wait, what are you talking about? What monsters?" Alec sat forward on the edge of his seat, looking frantically between Anthony and Dorian.

Dorian slowly turned around, his handsome face cast in a deep, grim scowl. "I think she may be an Onyx."

The air in the room suddenly shifted the moment the name left his lips. Alec looked away sharply as painful memories of the last war surged through his mind, while Jake went completely still beside him, trying to block out the sudden barrage of past traumas that threatened to overwhelm him.

Anthony slowly got to his feet, his hands curling into tight fists. "I’ve spent years trying to forget those creatures and what they did to us, Dorian. Please, don’t make me remember. Don’t make me hate Alyssa by making me think she is one of them."

Dorian closed his eyes as his own traumatic memories resurfaced. They were nightmares he had kept locked away in the deepest, darkest parts of his mind, buried so deeply he hoped they would never see the light of day.

But from the very moment he saw Alyssa in Iridian, those memories had been clawing their way to the surface, as if something inside her was magnetic, pulling them out of him.

The Onyx were the strongest, most terrifying creatures to ever walk the realm. Compared to them, lycans, werewolves, and every other beast were mere ants waiting to be crushed.

Those bloodthirsty monsters were the first to walk the earth centuries ago, long before the lycans and werewolves ever came into existence. They had ruled the realm with absolute chaos, darkness, and bloodshed.

When the Moon Goddess eventually created the lycans and werewolves, the Onyx felt threatened. To keep the new species in check, they began to forcefully mate with the lycans, giving rise to the hybrids.

But the hybrids were even worse. As a crossbreed of two immensely powerful bloodlines, they were deadlier, more brutal, and carried an infinite capacity for evil. They claimed the realm as their own, plunging a once-peaceful era into a dark age of terror, chaos, and slaughter.

No one had spoken of the Onyx in years. No one wanted to relive the trauma.

Dorian’s eyes snapped open again. For a brief second, Anthony thought he saw a faint, agonizing gleam in them, but it vanished in the next breath, replaced by cold steel.

"This is just my speculation," he said coldly. "That’s why I need to find out who her parents were. Once the continent recognizes her as Queen, the questions will start. People will dig into every last bit of information they can find on her, so I have to move first."

"But the only person who could have given us answers is dead," Alec muttered. "It’s almost like the universe is intentionally keeping her identity a secret."

"Wait," Jake sat up suddenly, his eyes widening. "She has a stepsister, Alpha. Melinda. The one who is mated to your cousin, Fabian."

A sudden flare of hope ignited in Dorian’s chest. "Do you think she knows what Alyssa is?"

"Only one way to find out," Jake said. "We bring her in for questioning."

Dorian nodded sharply. "Perfect. But don’t bring her in yet. This will all be addressed after the Moon Ceremony. In the meantime, keep a close eye on her. If someone killed the stepmother for a particular reason, they might be out to get the stepsister next."

"Will do, Alpha," Jake nodded.

"Any information about Samantha and her brother?"

Jake shook his head. "None yet, Alpha. They’ve been lying low since the night of the wedding."

"Continue to watch them," Dorian ordered. "There’s an old saying about keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer. I think my marriage to Alyssa is about to cause a violent stir."

​"I think it started already," Anthony muttered. "Your uncle and his mate are here. Joffrey and his siblings moved back to the North after years of being away. It’s not a coincidence that they’re returning now. They have a plan."

"When they strike, I will be ready," Dorian snarled, his eyes flashing dangerous gold. "I always knew Conri wanted the throne for his son. Over the years, he has tried to usurp me. He will try again, but I will be ready when he does."

A sudden knock sounded on the door, cutting through the heavy tension. Alec opened it, and a guard bowed his head quickly before delivering his message.

"Alpha, Sir Conri asked that I send for you. He is getting increasingly impatient."

"LET HIM WAIT!" Dorian roared, the raw, dominant power of his Alpha voice slamming into the minds of the other lycans.

The guard winced, stumbling back quickly in fear. Alec shut the door, his ears still ringing from the sheer force of the roar.

"You’re dismissed, Jake, Alec," Dorian continued, his voice dropping to a much calmer, quieter register. "Be alert. Keep an eye out for everything."

"Yes, Alpha," Alec and Jake bowed, silently slipping out of the room.

Finally alone with Dorian, Anthony stepped forward. "I’ve never doubted your instincts, Dorian. I have spent enough time with you since our childhood to know they’re never wrong."

"What exactly are you getting at?" Dorian asked, turning to glance at him.

"If you’re right, and Alyssa is an Onyx, what will you do?"

Dorian slowly looked away. That was one question he did not have an answer to.