The Alpha King And His Chosen Luna novel Chapter 298

< The keeper’s son

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The keeper’s son

(Isla)

We left Wraithbone the next morning with Pryor, Zeron, and Raith traveling with us. Caius had the black box again, along with the records Pryor had found the night before. Nobody had contacted Halvon to tell him we were coming. I preferred it that way.

The journey into the western territories took several hours. I had never traveled this far west before, and under different circumstances I might have enjoyed seeing somewhere new. Instead, I kept thinking about Halvon and the Council meetings at Wraithbone. I wondered how much he’d known while sitting across from me.

Vaela came closer.

‘He’ll know why we’re there.’

‘Probably.’

‘Watch him.’

‘I will.’

We crossed into Halvon’s home territory before midday. The guards at the border recognized Caius and immediately sent word ahead. We hadn’t tried to hide our arrival once we reached his territory. There was no point now.

One of the guards approached.

“Councilor Halvon is at the main pack house.”

Caius looked at him.

“Take us there.”

The guard nodded and led the way. I noticed he’d still called Halvon Councilor even though he wasn’t currently sitting in a Council meeting. Years in that position had made the title part of who he was to the wolves here. I wondered how much his territory knew about the Valdyrs.

We reached the pack house less than an hour later. Several wolves were waiting outside, including the territory’s Alpha. He greeted Caius first before looking at me. Nothing about our arrival seemed to have been expected.

“Is Halvon inside?”

The Alpha nodded.

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“He is.”

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Caius didn’t explain why we’d come. The Alpha didn’t ask either, though his face showed that he wanted to. He led us inside and sent someone to find Halvon. We waited in a meeting room near the entrance.

Pryor placed the records on the table. The black box remained with Caius while Zeron and Raith stood near the door. I sat beside Pryor and looked at the Keeper symbol on the first page. Halvon would recognize it if Evander had told us the truth.

Footsteps came from the hallway.

The door opened.

Halvon entered alone. His attention went to Caius before moving to me, then Pryor. He stopped when he noticed the records on the table.

“Alpha King.”

Caius remained where he was.

“Sit.”

Halvon looked at him for a moment before taking the chair across from us. He didn’t ask why we’d traveled all this way to see him. That interested me. Most wolves would have asked

immediately.

I watched him.

“Do you know why we’re here?”

Halvon looked at me.

“No.”

I didn’t believe him. Maybe he didn’t know exactly what we’d found, but something about the records had already caught his attention. I reached for the page with the Keeper symbol.

“Do you recognize this?”

Halvon looked down.

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation. He hadn’t tried to pretend the symbol meant nothing. I glanced at Caius before returning my attention to Halvon.

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“What is it?”

Halvon looked at Pryor.

“You already know.”

Pryor didn’t answer him. Halvon’s eyes returned to me. I could see him beginning to understand why we’d come.

“The Keepers.”

Halvon sat back.

“So you found them.”

That answer told me more than I expected.

“You knew we were searching?”

“No.”

I pointed toward the symbol.

“Then what did you mean?”

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Halvon looked at me for several seconds. He seemed to be deciding whether there was any reason left to keep denying what he knew. Finally, his attention moved to the black box.

“Where did you find that?”

I remembered Evander asking almost the same question.

“Do you recognize it?”

“Yes.”

Caius placed the box on the table.

“How?”

Halvon looked at the symbol carved into the lid. Something passed through his face that I couldn’t understand. He reached toward it before stopping himself.

“My father made it.”

I stared at him.

“Orin?”

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Halvon’s eyes came directly to mine.

“How do you know that name?”

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Now I had his full attention. I hadn’t expected the box itself to belong to Orin. If Halvon was telling the truth, his father hadn’t simply watched what happened to me.

“He visited Ashcrest.”

Halvon became still.

“When?”

“When I was five.”

Surprise crossed Halvon’s face. He hadn’t known about the visit. Orin had apparently kept things from his own son too.

I opened the box.

Halvon stared at the letter.

Then he saw the silver seal.

His face changed.

“Where did you get that?”

“It was inside.”

Halvon looked at the seal without touching it. I could tell he recognized the family name carved into it. What I couldn’t tell was whether seeing it frightened him.

“Whose was it?”

Halvon raised his eyes.

“Evander’s grandfather.”

I already knew that.

“Why was it beside me?”

Halvon looked at Caius, then Pryor. He understood now that we’d discovered far more than the Keeper symbol. There was little reason left for him to hide his family connection.

“Because it proved who helped my father.”

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I stared at him.

“Helped him do what?”

“Hide you.”

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That changed everything again. Evander had told us his grandfather helped remove me from Garron. Halvon was saying Orin had been part of it too.

“Your father helped put me into protected sleep.”

Halvon nodded.

“He did.”

Vaela came forward.

‘He knows.’

I kept my attention on Halvon.

“Who else was there?”

“I don’t know every name.”

Caius leaned toward the table.

“Give us the ones you do know.”

Halvon looked at him.

“Three Keepers helped remove her from the Thornes.”

He explained that Orin had been the youngest of them. Evander’s grandfather had arranged the removal after discovering what Varen intended. A third Keeper had prepared the chamber.

“Who was the third?”

Halvon looked at me.

“Maelor.”

I didn’t recognize the name. Neither did Vaela. Pryor immediately opened one of the records and began searching.

“Family name?”

“Serath.”

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Pryor stopped.

His finger rested on an entry.

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