Chapter 219: Moonwater
I hoped Whisperwind’s Alpha got a wake-up call, for his pack’s sake. In the presence of multiple power-hungry packs, it would only be a matter of time before they were swallowed up one way or another. There was a particularly predatory look in Alpha Thorton’s eyes that I did not like as his gaze lingered on the recently vacated table. But he did not speak, for the oracles had stepped forward.
I gulped. It was the moment of truth. Now that they had gotten rid of the unworthy, they began to pour moonwater into the silver-colored bowl, filling it to the brim without spilling a drop. Even the way the water moved seemed to be extraordinary, for it didn’t make a single splash upon impact.
The surface evened out to form Darach’s face, with an oxygen mask strapped on top of his nose and mouth. His eyes were closed, but he was in no way restful, as he struggled to breathe with the help of the mask.
I gasped as my heart lurched in my chest. Was the moonwater showing what was happening to Darach in real time? Did the lunar eclipse worsen his frail condition, since it completely severed his already tenuous connection to his wolf?
Nicole couldn’t even let us know, since the pack link wasn’t active. And I had not received any messages from her since we entered the Forest of Selene. Who knows if this place even had signal towers?
Meanwhile, Alpha Thorton immediately stood up and brandished a triumphant finger in Damon’s direction.
"The Moon Goddess is forever wise, for she has already shown you the truth!" His lips were twisted into a wicked snarl. "Look at the state Damon Valentine has left my son in― nothing more than a mere vegetable after he dared to snatch him from my grounds. I dare say he might not even survive this lunar eclipse."
I bristled at his ridiculous accusations, but I held my tongue. The only one who had the ability and the right to rebut him was Damon since it was his character that was getting slandered.
"First things first, Alpha Thorton Elrod, let us clarify a few points with the Moon Goddess as our witness," Damon said, his low gravelly voice automatically commanding the attention of other wolves.
Even Dahlia, who now wanted nothing more than to claw Damon’s eyes out, was staring at him in rapt attention.
"We did not snatch your son from your grounds. Your son was being chased down by your own pack members, to the point of grievous injury. We were the ones that helped him get medical attention―"
Alpha Thorton didn’t even wait for Damon to address the other points; he snorted so loudly and rudely that it was impossible for others not to focus on him.
"A likely story! How fortunate for you that my son is unable to contest this claim. But I know better. Everyone, do not be fooled by his words. Do you think Darach would willingly run into the arms of a man who had tormented him as a child? The arms of a warmonger, the reason why our numbers are thinner than they used to be?"
Damon froze minutely, his nostrils flaring in anger at the insult. Several other pack alphas narrowed their eyes at our table when they recalled Damon’s past actions.
No one liked the thought of a young upstart alpha annihilating and swallowing packs whole. They would definitely side with Alpha Thorton to shut him down before Damon decided that their pack was next on the hit list. They didn’t know what I did.
The only vaguely friendly faces I saw were from Hornstead’s table.
"Alpha Thorton, If you’re looking for his tormentors, you should look closer to home. For a start, you’ll find his tormentor when you look in the mirror. My healer found―"
Alpha Thorton scoffed, interrupting Damon once again. This time, there was no mistaking the irritated twitch of Damon’s eyebrow. I wasn’t feeling all too happy either― Alpha Thorton, like his daughter, simply could not shut the everloving hell up and let other people talk. It was as though they had a pressing need to hear their own voice at all times.
"Now you’re trying to lie your way out of this mess in front of your peers," Alpha Thorton, sounding like an upset elder chastising a wayward pup. He shook his head in angry disappointment, addressing his next words to an enraptured audience.
If I had no personal stake in the matter, I knew my eyes would be swiveling between the both of them as though I was watching a tennis match. Unfortunately, since I was fully aware of Alpha Thorton’s bullshit, I wanted nothing more than to stuff a tennis ball in his face to stop him from speaking.
"I know some of you were present back then when I first raised this issue many years ago..."
I blinked in surprise, wondering what he was referring to. But there were a few nods from the older members of the pack. Even Alpha Burke had to give the smallest reluctant nod.
"I found my son living a fate worse than death in a pack that should have offered him shelter and guidance. Oh, it pains this old heart of mine to have made such a foolish mistake all those years ago, when I sent my son to foster at Fangborne!"
Alpha Thorton thumped his own chest dramatically with his fist, his face turning a ruddy red. I was reluctantly impressed by his dramatics; Dahlia had to have inherited this from him.
Unfortunately, such dramatics painted a huge target on Damon’s back.
"The Oracles have the records of your past misdeeds," Alpha Thorton continued viciously. "Should we get them to pull them out again so that everyone can witness the brutality you inflicted on my son back then, a peer your age?"
I sucked in a quick breath, while a muscle jumped in Damon’s jaw. This was bad. Damon was effectively stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he refused to let others witness his past mistakes, then everyone else would simply think he was unrepentant and unregretful of his past actions.
But if he agreed to let everyone see his past mistakes, he would be effectively handing Alpha Thorton a gun to shoot him with. Damon’s past behavior was not a stellar example of an altruistic youth.
We had the truth on our side, but with Darach effectively unconscious, how could anyone prove it?
"Fine then," Damon growled out, "Let’s pull up the records."
