Is It Wrong To Love My StepBrother Alpha Mate?
Chapter 115: The Hunt

Chapter 115: The Hunt

’Romeo a word,’ Helena said through their link. ’And send someone to take Carl back to his cell. Make sure they check his injuries and he’s fed.’

’You know they are fed and checked,’ Romeo grumbled.

"I’ll ask them to bring you back to your cell, but don’t worry, we don’t harm prisoners here," she told Carl with as much a reassuring smile as she could.

The door opened to the interrogation room, and Carl began to panic.

"It’s okay, they won’t hurt you," Helena said in a calm voice.

Carl thrashed against the warrior’s hold, panicking.

"You guys killed her," he sobbed.

"If my mate says you won’t be harmed, I promise you you’ll be safe," Romeo said in a dark tone as he entered the room.

Carl’s eyes went wide with fear.

Of course, he’d seen Romeo fighting that day.

"Romeo," Helena growled.

"You have my word," Romeo told Carl.

Carl looked to Helena before visibly relaxing and allowing the warriors to take him away.

"I know what you’re thinking, Helena," Romeo growled, clearly he was pissed about what he though was Helena’s plan.

’He’s probably right, you know,’ Hera teased.

’And my plan is most likely to correct one,’ Helena huffed.

"And what do you think I’m thinking, Romeo?" Helena asked him.

Romeo paced across the room as he ran his fingers through his hair. He sighed and shook his head.

"You want to find the rogue commune," he said as a matter of factly.

"I do," Helena didn’t even bother to deny or reason out.

"It’s not safe," Romeo argued.

"I’m more than capable of protecting myself, and I don’t plan on going there alone," Helena hissed.

"And what if it’s a trap?" Romeo asked her.

"For your information, I’m not as naive as you’d like to think," Helena argued back.

Romeo let out an exasperated sigh.

"I don’t think you’re naive, Helena," he said in a much calmer tone.

Helena reached out and held his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes.

She could see the worry and his fear. She knew that fear, it’s what came before her mother lost her father, before Alpha Raul lost his wife.

It was the worry that the most precious thing in your life could be taken away from you in an instant.

It was the very control she refused to give over to the mate bond, the same control she didn’t want Romeo to be under.

He was an excellent Alpha, and having him constantly worry about her put his pack at risk.

Him worrying about her safety over the pack’s isn’t what his pack deserved.

"I think you’re forgetting about where I went after I left Blackmoon," Helena reminded him. "I trained with the most promising warriors of our generation just as you trained with other Alphas, give me some credit, Romeo."

Romeo closed his eyes and let out a breath.

"I’m sorry, I just can’t help but worry about you," he said as he leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.

Helena nodded and gave his hand a squeeze.

She did understand his worry, but the same worry made her fear that she was a distraction to him.

"Let’s continue the interrogations," Helena told Romeo. "And I think you should stay out of it."

"What?!" Romeo demanded. "The boy earlier was fine, but the rest they are full grown wolves. They can hurt you."

"Most of the ones we managed to round up were children, Romeo," Helena hissed. "Plus I doubt they will be honest with you in the room."

"What makes you say that?" Romeo asked Helena, challening her.

"Because they saw you kill their friends, they know you’re the Alpha." Helena sighed.

"You were there too," he pointed out.

"But I’m a she-wolf," she said with a smirk on her lips. "They come from packs that banished them for as little as females wanting to fight. They will ignore the fact that I was there simply because I’m female."

Romeo balled his fists.

There was nothing he could do or say to argue with her logic.

"They’ll be bound," Helena reminded him. "And I am healed."

Roemo let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Fine, but I’ll put someone right outside that door," he said as he pointed at the only entrance to the interrogation room.

"Deal," Helena said, smiling.

Romoe gave her one final kisse before standing up and leaving to move to the other room where he could observe the interrogation.

Not long after, an older man was let into the room.

Just like Carl, he had a defeated expression. His shoulders sagged as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

And just like Carl, he told the same story.

He and his family had been banished from their pack for unjust reasons. This time, his daughter refused to be their Alpha’s mistress.

He’d accepted the offer to fight in the hopes that they would find a pack where his daughters and wife would be safe.

It was the same story of a man introducing himself as the Beta of the Dark Ridge pack and offering them a home.

Once again, Romeo reacted to the name of the pack, and again, Helena wondered what history lay there.

The next five wolves told the same story.

One of them was the daughter of a man who refused to hand her over.

Their Alpha killed her father, and they fled.

At the end of the interrogation, Helena’s heart felt heavy, and when Romeo joined her, she collapsed in his arms.

"What’s wrong, love?" he asked as he gently caressed the top of her head.

"These wolves, if their stories are true, they’ve gone through so much only to be used as pawns," Helena sighed.

"Helena, I don’t think their stories are true," Romeo finally said. "There’s one detail that they all keep messing up."

Helena looked up at him and blinked.

"There is no Dark Ridge pack because I dismanteled that pack and killed its Alpha years ago."

Romeo was lost in his thoughts while Helena was waiting for him to tell her more.

"It’s funny how the day I lost control was also the day I was branded our generation’s strongest Alpha," Romeo laughed at the thought.

"You won," Helena said.

There was no way he had lost.

Had Romeo lost she wouldn’t be in his arms right now.

An Alpha challenge was to the death or till submission, by the sound of it, the Alpha of Dark Ridge Pack was not the kind to accept submission.

"I won," Romeo nodded. "The Alpha refused to submit, and I killed him. His Beta and Gamma and some of the ranked wolves attacked, and the Alphas I was with retaliated."

An Alpha Challenge was sacred.

Its results were honored by everyone, and to challenge it’s results was to spit on the Moon Goddess’ will.

"What happened to the pack?" Helena asked.

Romeo’s aura lightened.

"A hundred thrity three members join Blackmoon that day," Romeo said. "That’s one of the reason why there are so many pack members you don’t know."

"Yeah, like this pack wasn’t big when I left," Helena grumbled and Romeo simply laughed in response.

"We have over two thousand members now," he told Helena.

"Two thousand?" Helena asked as he stepped back and looked at him.

"Stonehill has what, another thousand?" Romeo asked her.

"One Thousand Three hundred more or less," Helena shrugged.

"We are the biggest threat to every pack in the world. Combined we are probably the biggest pack," Romeo explained. "People either want to ally with us or they see us as a threat."

"That’s why you think they’re lying, cause you killed the Dark Ridge’s Alpha," Helena said. "What happened to his son?"

Romeo shrugged in response.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "We were too young to care to tie up loose ends."

"If he survived, I bet he thinks he has the right to be called Alpha," Helena pointed out. "And he might be the one sending his Beta."

"He would be someone with motivation to attack, yes," Romeo said, nodding.

"Do you think it could be him?" Helena asked.

"We have many enemies, Helena," Romeo reminded her. "Those that know my history would use him to bring up the shadows of the past, to make us fear my mistakes."

"So it’s someone who at least knows about Dark Ridge," Helena said.

"We need to be vigilant, but we should also look into this," Romeo said with a sigh.

"What was his name, the Alpha Heir?" Helena asked.

Romeo closed his eyes as he tried to remember.

"It was Mark Darkridge," he said. "But I doubt that’s the name he would go by now."

"I’ll ask the friends I’ve made over the years, maybe they can help," Helena said as she thought of what she could do to make sure that a vengeful former Alpha Heir wasn’t using innocent rogues.

"And will you still try to visit the commune?" Romeo asked.

"You already know the answer to that question Romeo," Helena said marching out of the interrogation room with Romeo chasing after her.