Chapter 0370
Alexander
Finn passes his newborn son to me. It’s an Obsidian Howl tradition for the Alpha to greet new pups and formally accept them into the pack.
I press my thumb, marked with a drop of my blood, to the infant’s forehead. He is now a recognized member of our pack. Finn’s blue eyes glow with pride as he smiles.
“Apologies for leaving my post at the gate,” he murmurs. “I couldn’t let my mate face this alone. Though the little one had already arrived by the time I got here.” His mate was supposedly still upstairs, being examined by one of the nurses my sister trained. But I couldn’t catch her scent anywhere.
'We need to investigate,' Titan insists.
'We will,' I assure him. 'Timing is crucial.'
“It’s fine,” I tell Finn, returning the child to his arms.
“Caleb’s a decent man,” Finn says. “I’m grateful he was nearby.”
“Grant wasn’t pleased, though, was he?” Zachary asks.
“Grant is never pleased,” Finn mutters, gazing down at the pup. “That man wouldn’t be happy with a fortune and women fawning over him day and night. But things are shifting in this pack. He can’t cling to the past forever.”
“Is that so?” Zachary probes.
“It is. We have a Lycan Luna. You’re mated to a Wolf. Brianna is mated to a Wolf. Rumor says the Hunter is also bound to a Lycan. Everything’s changing. Maybe that’s what the Moon Goddess always intended.”
“The Moon Goddess,” Zachary echoes thoughtfully. Perhaps he was starting to see things from Lucas’s perspective. Lucas often spoke of higher powers. Truth or not, no one could say for sure.
Finn nods, missing Zachary’s sarcasm. “She has a plan for each of us.”
Zachary stays silent and turns toward the window. “Seems you have another visitor.”
Lucas always knocks the same way, like it’s his secret code announcing his arrival. I open the door to his grim expression. “Is Hannah alright?”
“She’s resting. Theodore says she’ll recover, but there will be scars.” His hazel eyes shift to Finn and the baby, then back to me. “We need to talk.”
'Stay here,' I mind-link Zachary. 'Dig carefully. Be subtle.' Having this connection with him is incredibly useful.
He gives a slight nod as I follow Lucas out. “You’re certain about Hannah?”
“What I said stands. Something strange is happening at the gate.”
“I know Grant is furious about Caleb being there. He made that very clear to Zachary and me.”
“It’s more than that. I sensed Grant was hiding something, yet he was truthful about not seeing Hannah.”
“But you believe he’s involved?”
“I need to look deeper.”
He starts to leave but turns back abruptly. “That pup isn’t Finn’s. And he wasn’t born today. Possibly yesterday, or even the day before. Remember, they arrive with faint soul signatures.”
“Not his?”
“And not his mate’s either.” He walks away. “You should question this.”
'Why does he always have to be so vague?' Titan grumbles.
'It’s just how he is.'
I return to Finn’s home as Zachary is asking, “So you just took him?”
Both men look toward me.
“You won’t believe this,” Zachary says, shaking his head.
I sigh. “Where did you find him?”
“In the city. Yesterday.” Finn sits on the edge of the sofa, holding the pup close.
“But you said your mate went into labor?” I ask, glancing toward the staircase. Zachary shakes his head subtly.
Finn reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crumpled note. He hands it to me. “I should’ve brought this to you when I found it two days ago.”
I look down at the message. 'I can’t stay here with these monsters. They’re taking over. Destroying our pack. They’ll kill us all. I won’t raise my child here.' The handwriting isn’t Chloe’s.
“She took our unborn pup and left.” He takes a shaky breath. “When I went to the city, I found this boy, wrapped up and abandoned in an alley. I thought it was meant to be.”