After the historic event of the crimson moon appearance, most of my former prisoners had chosen to stay and improve themselves.
However, following the Crimson Moon event, they could no longer be considered prisoners unless they committed another offense.
As I was absorbing this information, I was abruptly interrupted by a mindlink.
'Alpha, the she-wolf Alpha Zach warned us about has arrived at the gate and refuses to leave,' a security guard informed me.
My beta, Madai, had already briefed me about the message from the Crimson Moon Tribe. I had to admit that my twin brother, Zachary, had achieved a lot in building such a strong pack within just seven years of exile.
'Alpha, should we inform Alpha Zach or send her away? She appears to be in a distressed state,' the security guard informed me once more. I pursed my lips and left the comfort of my bedroom.
'I will meet with her first.' Without any expectations, I arrived to find a severely injured she-wolf. I wondered why her wolf hadn't healed her and why she was so frightened of me.
"No, it can't be," she murmured before fainting. I acted on instinct, carrying her to the healer's hut before the warriors arrived, unsure of why I was doing it.
"Alpha, should we inform Alpha Zach?" the security guard who had mindlinked me earlier asked, his voice aggravating my inner demons.
"Really? Why? Does he lead this pack?" My voice turned cold. It had been seven years, yet they still treated Zach with the same respect as before. However, my focus shifted to the she-wolf in question.
'Who is she?' I asked my wolf, Javan. 'Why does Zach want her dead?'
'I don't know, but she isn't our mate. Her scent is strange, so let's not get involved,' Javan replied.
Indeed, she emitted a toxic scent, which I assumed was due to her injuries. It appeared that Zach had tortured her, and the information we received during the appearance of the Crimson Moon indicated that he had been compelled to release her.
My father used to say, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Zach couldn't defeat me because I was smarter, and whatever his reason for hating this she-wolf, I might just use it against him to prove he was never better than me.
"Alpha, what happened?" the healer asked me when I reached her hut. Dina has always chosen to live in a hut amidst her planted herbs for reasons best known to her.
"I don't know, but do whatever it takes to make her better," I commanded. She nodded and allowed me to place the she-wolf on the bed.
Her hut was specially designed by me, and though it looked small on the outside, the inside was rather huge and comfortable.
"You have to turn around for me to undress her. She suffered burns, and her body is covered in blisters, most of which are bleeding," she said after briefly examining the she-wolf.
Zach couldn't have done what I was thinking, right? It took three days for her to regain consciousness. During that time, I cautioned the pack members not to mention her presence to avoid word reaching Zach.
No tribe would dare defy him, but I am not like them. My twin brother, I feel like I have won once again.
'Alpha, she has woken up and is screaming that she's innocent. She's having nightmares, and it's difficult to calm her,' came the mindlink. 'Can I sedate her?'
After three days of waiting for her recovery, I couldn't wait any longer. 'Hold on, I'm coming.'
When I arrived, she was covered in bandages from head to toe, except for her eyes. She began shivering at the sight of me.
"No, don't come close. I won't go back in there," she said. I had a feeling it was because of the torture she had endured.
"I don't know why I scare you, but my name is Alpha Zion Ziglar," I introduced. She went stiff, which I felt was better than seeing her shiver in her state.
Even with the scent of the herbs, I had to agree that her scent was strange. At one point, I would smell something sweet, but then it would turn earthy before briefly changing to something like a hibiscus flower.
None of the scents dominated each other. "Why do you look like Alpha Zach?" she asked. I guessed that was where the problem lay and explained,
"Because we are twin brothers. So if you want my protection, you have to be honest with me." A brief silence transpired before she narrated everything, and worry nudged me.
"What are you saying? Iris?" She left this pack with Ivy to attend Zach's engagement ceremony, insisting that I tag along, but I refused. The fact that Zach found his mate before me was already a pain.
Perhaps things might not have gone this bad if I had indeed attended. "Are you sure you don't know anything about it? She is my sister," I explained, unable to curb my worry.
My parents had twin boys first, followed by a set of twin girls. After that, they constantly argued until they both chose different paths.
Mom was the first to leave, but Dad stayed to hand over his title to me after I defeated Zach, which I succeeded in by tricking him.
After winning against him, he tried to expose me, but Dad didn't believe him. A year after leaving, I heard he had formed his own tribe and strives to be better than Father because he couldn't give him justice.
Two years ago, I heard that things were going fine and his pack was growing. I also heard he had become the best Alpha and best judge, never making mistakes like Dad did in not giving him justice.
Over time, I prohibited my tribe from casually mentioning his name because they still believe he should be the rightful Alpha of the pack, but we shall see about that.
"Alpha Zion, if you want to kick me out of your pack, I can understand, but I will keep saying the same thing. I didn't do it, and I suspect Kari and Ivy."
For some reason, I didn't know what to believe. My sisters were behaving strangely before leaving the pack, but what did it have to do with suicide? Something was wrong, and I have to find Iris's corpse before confirming anything.
"It's alright, I believe you, but if you have to live here, it has to be on my terms," I informed her, her voice turning sad.
"What are your terms?" I wished to see her facial expressions, but due to the bandage, I couldn't.
Zach has indeed had the reputation of never making mistakes, so was I making one by letting her in here against his order?