MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 142: Elder Thomas’s Fury

Chapter 142: Elder Thomas’s Fury

Reana stood in front of a small crowd of elders and warriors, eyes fixed on the rotting corpse before them.

The chest and upper abdomen was caved in, bones crushed. The surrounding areas of his chest were discolored, with bones thicker than humans’, pierced out his skin from different places.

The dried blood formed a dark, brittle crust that seemed to pull his pale skin taut. His eyes were wide in a permanent, terrified stare. His mouth opened as if to scream.

Reana scrunched her nose from the horrible smell. Unlike those covering their noses or gagging and puking, she didn’t. Instead, she was worried.

Whoever or whatever killed Xavier was no ordinary power.

"His chest was stomped on. He died of massive internal trauma," healer Dira announced.

No werewolf could kill another by merely stamping on their chest. Moreover, Xavier was a powerful warrior. There was no way in hell that he couldn’t put up a fight against his opponent, but the dead body right in front of her showed no signs of defensive wounds or struggle — except his chest and upper abdomen, which seemed to be the only focus of the attack.

"Luna, my son is dead," Elder Thomas growled, his eyes piercing, red, and cold glared furiously at Reana with accusations.

"My condolences," she replied passively, her gaze still fixed on the wound on Xavier’s chest, mind a thousand miles ago, lost in thought.

Reana didn’t feel sorry for Xavier. No, far from it. If anything, he deserved it. But she was only worried about the creature out there.

Elder Thomas was already angry, but the Luna’s insincere condolences only served to fuel his outrage and he lost it.

"If you hadn’t pushed him so hard, my son wouldn’t have become a fugitive! He wouldn’t have gone to see refuge in the woods! He would still be alive now!!"

"That’s preposterous!" Kira fired back at him. "How dare you accuse the Luna?!"

Elder Thomas’s eyes blazed with murderous intent as he swiftly half transformed, hand shooting out towards the gamma, ready to tear her apart for daring to talk to him in that manner.

"Enough!" Elder Jaxson bellowed, his voice echoing through the scene. The sound of his roar was like a slap, snapping everyone back to reality.

Elder Thomas’s half-transformation receded, and he stood frozen, his chest heaving with rage and grief. Kira stood her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance, fear in her heart, but she didn’t back down.

Reana, still lost in thought, seemed oblivious to the confrontation that had just erupted, or so it seemed.

Elder Jaxson’s intervention had bought them a moment of tense calm, but it was clear that the situation was precarious, and one wrong move could set off another explosion.

The Elder’s eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping over the group. "We need to focus on finding out what killed Xavier, not tearing each other apart," he growled, his voice firm but controlled.

Reana finally looked up from the corpse, her piercing green eyes fixed intently on Elder Thomas. "So, you knew where your son was, yet lied to me and the council?"

Silence.

A thick, tense, silence that threatened to suck out the very air they breathed.

"Answer me, Elder Thomas..."

Elder Thomas’s eyes lowered to the ground, digging invisible holes into the ground as he struggled to find the words to respond. His face was a map of conflicting emotions - grief, anger, and guilt warring for dominance.

Reana’s piercing gaze never wavered, her eyes demanding truth and accountability.

"My patience is wearing thin, Thomas. Give me a reason why you hid your son’s whereabout, otherwise, there will be no funeral."

All eyes snapped to Reana, including Elder Thomas’s, who looked like he’d taken a deadly punch in the guts.

The threat was clear: Reana wouldn’t hesitate to take drastic action if Elder Thomas didn’t come clean.

The Luna’s words hung in the air, tension cracking in wait for the Elder’s answer.

Reana refused to be deceived by these greedy old men. They were not Ryder.

Well...Ryder was an ancestor, way older than these people, so he could get some elderly privilege. Right...? It would make her filial...right?

’My Luna, now that you know I’m an immortal, could you give me a little more privilege you can’t give anyone else?’

Ryder’s coquettish voice flashed in her mind. Those were the words he said this morning. That jealous little immortal...

Wait! What was she thinking??

Reana caught herself before she got lost in reverie, but couldn’t help the soft blush creeping onto her cheeks, slipping through her cold exterior.

She subtly dropped her gaze back to Xavier’s corpse, pretending to focus on it.

Meanwhile, Elder Thomas’s face twisted in a mix of anger and desperation as he seemed to weigh his options.

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and cold. "I didn’t know where he was," he began, "His friend told me later on."

"Hmm..." Reana began, but just as she was about to speak further, a warrior rushed over, panting.

"Luna! There’s a caravan. They claimed to be from the human village!"

Reana’s eyes flashed. The caravan was finally here. Without another word, she turned and strode out of Elder Thomas’s courtyard, heading for the hall.

Elder Thomas seethed with unchecked rage as he watched her walk away. His son was dead because of her, yet she treated the matter so carelessly! No words for investigation, no words for funeral arrangement, no nothing!

The other elders saw the fury in his eyes and tried to persuade him to drop whatever foolish thought he was cooking up.

However, Elder Thomas was beyond reasoning. He’d just lost his most beloved son. The one who carried the hope of their family!

"You don’t know what it’s like to lose a child!" he snarled at Elder Collins, his voice cracking with raw pain.

Elder Collins was taken aback.

All his years, he didn’t mate anyone, not because he wasn’t interested in women, but because, when he was younger, he sustained injuries in in his groin from fighting monsters.

Not only did he sustain injuries, the monster had cut off his manhood.

Getting over it took him long years – thanks to his sister, Katherine giving birth to children that he partially considered his.

Ever since, no one had dared to remind him of his shortcomings, but now, hearing Elder Thomas casually mentioned it, or rather threw a jab at him, Elder Collins felt a sting.

He withdrew his hand from Elder Thomas’s shoulder, his expression unreadable as he turned and walked away.

Elder Thomas, finally registering what he’d done, but instead of apologizing, he ignored it. Or perhaps, he’d been meaning to remind Elder Collins of his flaws.

Elder Jaxson frowned at that. Thomas was being unreasonable. "As elders, it’s our duty to remind you of your responsibilities to the pack. We can’t afford to let our personal demons consume us."

The words were a gentle rebuke, but Elder Thomas’s eyes flashed with a hint of warning. "Thank you elders, for your condolences. My family and I would like a time alone with our son."

With that, he dismissed the elders, who sighed and shook their heads. They could see that grief had temporarily blinded Elder Thomas.

So, it was best to leave him to mourn his son.