After the conversation with Uncle Knox ends. I searched my phone for Alpha Nate's number and called him. His phone rings for a while without an answer. I call him again and he answers immediately this time. But instead of a male voice that I was expecting to hear. A soft and enticing female voice drifts into my ear.
"Hello..." The mesmerizing voice says. It sounds familiar but I can't place where I first heard it from.
"Yeah... I'm sorry. I don't know, did I dial the wrong number? I thought this was Alpha Nate's number?"
"Yes, it is his number. I saw he stored your name as Beta Eric. I picked it because I thought it might be important.
I'm Raina, by the way. I'm his mate. Anyway, he's in the bathroom. I'll have him call you back when he's done– oh, never mind, he's here already. Please hold on for him." She says and the line goes quiet before I can tell her thank you.
Wao! She's Alpha Nate's mate. If my theory turns out to be right, she could be Ash's biological mother. No wonder I found her voice familiar.
"After waiting for some minutes, Alpha Nate's voice finally comes online.
"Eric... I'm sorry for delaying you. I was getting dressed."
"Yeah. You don't have to apologize. I understand."
"Thank you. I heard what happened to you. I'm sorry about that and I hope you're much better now?"
"Yes, I am, Alpha. Thank you for your concern. Actually, I would have called much earlier than today but a lot of things happened in the pack that we had to take care of, and you know as the pack's Beta, I have a lot of responsibilities resting on me..."
"I understand, Eric. I try to keep abreast of everything that has been happening in your pack myself. I'm not going out of my way to be a busybody, mind you. Knox asked me to keep my eyes and ears open and I've been doing that.
I heard about the fence that was vandalized, about your elders, Cyrus's ambush, and the petition written by the patrol members against the elders. Everyone knows about that one though.
"Wao, Alpha!" I say and chuckle. "You've surely been keeping your ears open."
He laughs
"Sure I have. Why didn't you tell Knox about the fence and Cyrus's ambush though? You know he still thinks the bald bastard is a good man. He's in for a big surprise when he hears what his supposed respectable elders have been doing, I tell you"
"Yeah, he is. And we didn't tell him because the pack's problem is not his to deal with anymore. He's officially on vacation and needs to rest. What about you? Why didn't you tell him? He's your good friend. Isn't that why he asked you to keep your eyes and ears open? You know, spy on us and report back to him"
He laughs again.
"Yes, it is. And I didn't update him because it seems we're thinking along the same line. He's been through a lot and needs to rest. I don't want him to concern himself with the pack's problems for now. Not after the heart attack he suffered and the near-death experience...
Aside from that, you boys are doing a great job. I'm not sure if Knox would have done any better himself. So there was no need to tell him anything.
I would have retired myself if I had someone I trusted enough to leave everything for. Someone like my daughter's fated mate but it seems that dream is now becoming impossible. My daughter isn't my real daughter..."
He exhales
"I heard about what Miranda did to Thor. What I know for a fact is that whoever arranged this knew what they were doing. Just like what Knox and I talked about, they had it all planned out. They must have known something about our two families and already had their plan in place way before you kids were born."
"They know something about the two families? Something like what, Alpha? If I may ask."
"Eric..." He says and chuckles.
"Knox, Drew, your father and I, have come a very long way with each other. We know each other's deepest family secrets. I wasn't in the picture that much because I had pack duties to care for. With Drew being Knox's Beta, they were always together and closer to each other. So that was probably why you don't really see me as part of the family as you see Knox.
I even proposed for you boys to come stay with me after your parents' demise but Knox insisted it's safer if you both went far away and lived with Elias. Now I'm glad he didn't agree with me to let you stay with me. It would have been worse."
Well, it's good to hear he was also friends with my dad and I've already heard about him wanting Thor and me to come to stay with him at his pack from Uncle Knox but that isn't what I want to hear right now. I'm more interested in knowing about the family secret he mentioned than anything else.
"Alpha Nate, is this family secret that you talked about something that I already know about?" I ask him directly. I want to know if he was beating about the bush just to avoid telling me about the said family secret or not
"Yes, you already know about it. Knox told me how you both recently found out about Thor being the chosen one of House War-Cloud."
I took a sharp intake of breath the moment I heard that Uncle Knox already told his friend about Thor's original status.
He chuckles
"You don't have to be shocked, Eric. Like I said before, your father, Knox, and I have come a long way with each other. Since you already know about Thor, I guess there's no harm in me telling you that my mate, Raina is first generation original herself"
"Holy shit!" I didn't know when I exclaimed loudly to him in surprise
"You're surprised." He says and chuckles.
"I am indeed, Alpha..." I reply half-heartedly, my mind already fitting the pieces of puzzles together...
• The seer's words said Thor and his mate are going to achieve great things together with the help of my mate and me.
• Ash is Thor's fated mate and they have a special mate bond between them. They each cannot be with any other person but each other
• Ash is Alpha but was raised as Omega
• Then I remembered Anders' words about Ash's pregnancy...
'If Thor and his mate are originals then it's possible for Thor to mate with her three days ago and their fetus would develop within that space of time and be as old as a two-three month old fetus today.'
With all these puzzles that fit perfectly together. I can stake my life on the fact that Ash is Alpha Nate's missing daughter.
"Raina is from House Howel. Their emblem is the sun." He continues saying
"Emblem?" I ask since I don't know each of the Houses' insignia
"Yes. I meant like what they are known for. You know, the special powers that they each wield. You know, as House War cloud are known for their prowess on the battlefield, House Howel has the power of the sun or anything related to the sun, say like fire. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, Alpha. I do..."
"So, I know for certain that whoever took my daughter and replaced her with an Omega child must have already known that my mate is original, just as they knew about Viveka. I guess they wanted to make sure my daughter and Nate's son missed out on their fated mates, hence the setup."