The Wannabe Warrior
Chapter 38

Zane POV

I found Karen, putting food out onto the table. I waited for her to put the tray down and turned back to the kitchen. In the kitchen, Alpha tells her to follow him. She turned to run, but I was behind her and all she managed to do was hit me in the chest as she turned quickly and I put out my hands to stop her from falling, grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to Alpha and we left the kitchen through the back door.

We took her to Alpha’s office.

Dad dismissed the warriors for the night and then sat behind his desk.

The warriors bared their necks to dad and nodded to me before leaving.

‘Why am I here?’ Karen demanded, standing, glaring at dad, her arms crossed in front of her.

‘You are here, because you were in the herb garden.’ Dad said as he got up from behind the desk and walked around towards her, stopping in front of her.

‘No, I was not. Who ever said I was, is a liar. I know nothing of herbs.’ Karen denied vehemently.’

‘We have searched your room and found the herbs you collected. Now tell me, who is the liar?’ I said, not having yet told dad that Madison had found the contraband.

‘Someone must have put it in there to try and implicate me.’ Growled Karen.

‘You should have been put in the cells after being caught with a track app on your phone and using it to replace Zane’s where-abouts. Then you put wolfbane in the future Luna’s bed. Both times, Luna asked me not to put you in the cells, but to put you to work in the barracks and both times, I gave in to Luna’s request. Well, not this time.’ Dad said angrily.

‘Where do you think I got the wolfbane from? and what herbs to pick?’ Karen tried to implicate the Luna.

I put on some gloves and grabbed a bag from a drawer.

Behind her, I pulled out a silver collar, laced with wolfbane from the bag, and I grabbed her and she struggled against me, surprised at first, then, as she understood what I was doing, started to wiggle more desperately, as I placed the collar around her neck. The struggle was short, the collar secured around her neck with a click, I would not know if she had managed to tell the advisor of her removal from the kitchens, too late now, to do anything about that, her ability to contact her wolf or mind-link was now gone, panic shone in her eyes, before she managed to put up a brave front and placed a blank expression on her face.

Karen’s face turned pale and she almost fell on the floor. I caught her and dad placed a cover over her head and I picked her up, legs kicking wildly in the air. I slapped her on her bottom and told her to be still and I followed dad to the dungeons.

I took her to one of the cells far away from the men, one that was at the other side of the dungeon, one where she could scream and shout and no one would hear her screams, a sort of solitary confinement. The collar will be left on, and a long chain is connected to a bolt on the wall, that will be connected to a loop on the back of the collar. I intended to leave her there for a few days with no food or water, a bucket for her to do her business, a concrete cot with old straw as bedding and an old torn blanket. There are no windows or bars, just four stone walls, and a thick steel door that has a little drop-down inner door, which is opened from the outside, to place food through at the bottom of the door and the same at eye level. The room has no lighting, we have a microphone and camera set high in the ceiling, but it is so small that she most likely won’t see it in that dark dank room.

I returned to Alpha’s office and dad sat down in his chair with a heavy thud. He seemed suddenly to be exhausted, making two cups of coffee. I placed one in front of dad and sat on the sofa and waited, watching the conflict going on with dad as his face changed with the different emotions.

‘Son, do you think Karen was telling the truth?’

‘About what dad?’

‘Luna.’

‘Don’t tell mum anything about our suspicions and if she asks where Karen is, just say you have not seen her recently. That won’t be a lie. If she asks tomorrow or the next day, unless you go to the dungeons, you won’t have seen her. Let mum reveal her hand, sooner or later. If she is guilty of being a traitor, it will show. We have put so many cameras around the packhouse and outside, if mum meets up with the advisor or any of those that we suspect are traitors, you will have your answer. Did you tell mum what was going on?’

‘No, I did not want to worry her, she only knew about Karen, because she walked in the office as I was telling a warrior to take her to the cells.’

‘Does Mum have a history with the Advisor?’

‘Yes, she was his girlfriend before we found out I was her mate. That is why I now have my doubts. If I was to die, he would take her as his mate. I have given her everything, son, and yet at the moment I feel betrayed.’

‘Don’t. Dad. You have no idea if Karen is telling the truth. Karen may have said what she did to make a rift between you and mum and if she succeeded in your losing your trust in your mate, she could have weakened you. Please don’t let her do that to you dad.’

‘Before he was recommended as the advisor, I had my doubts. We had not seen or heard from him since school, but your mother said that it was in the past t should stay there. Macolm may have changed, and we had the pups and a happy life, so I took her advice and let the advisor in. He did not visit often in the beginning, and it is only the last two years that he has been here at least once a month, chatting as if we are old friends. We were never old friends. We were in the same senior high school. Your mother came from his pack and had been together for a couple of years. When she turned eighteen, we found out we were mates. Malcolm wanted your mother to reject me, but she refused, saying I was who the goddess chose. He was furious, but could do nothing.’

‘Dad, you did the right thing, giving Malcolm a chance, it is hard to know. If he has become the rogue leader, is it because of his love for mum, or power, or both, what was the catalyst for him to go so evil? Bitter and hurt can make strange, ugly changes to some, but taking you down, would be his ultimate insult to you after you took his girlfriend.’

‘I hear you, son; I will wait for proof before doubting my mate, and hope she is not involved in this madness.’