"Are you sure you had nothing to do with Alpha Damon's disappearance?", Alpha Isaac asked Axel sternly.
Axel thought it was interesting that his parents were only concerned about Damon. What about Talia? They definitely knew she was also missing. Did they think Talia was not important?
Axel looked to the side to see his mother.
Alpha Sophia was staring out of the window absentmindedly, but the silver light in her eyes was a giveaway of her using the ability to search for Damon and Talia; sweeping through the hallways, rooms, and forest with the goal to spot them.
"I was with mom. And just in case you forgot, you were there also.", Axel gave the same answer for the third time.
Alpha Isaac narrowed his eyes at Axel. "Don't play with me. I didn't ask you if you were with Alpha Damon. I asked you if you had something to do with it. Why were you with Sophia in the middle of the night?"
"I didn't think it was right to use black runes on Alpha Damon. I hoped we can find another solution, and since you told Cassandra to start right away, I didn't think that waiting for the morning was wise. I wanted to talk. I wanted to understand. I wanted…"
"The truth!", Alpha Isaac cut him off angrily.
Axel pressed his lips into a line. "It seems you are determined that I had something to do with it. Did you see me or any of my people on the security feed near that area?"
Alpha Isaac glared at Axel. "Cameras don't show anything, but that's the strange part. How did Talia and Alpha Damon leave without any camera catching them?"
Axel relaxed a bit. Tyler told him that he can alter security videos, and unless someone knows what to look for, the changes won't be detected. Alpha Isaac's displeasure about the lack of evidence confirmed to Axel that the operation was successful. Tyler will be an excellent Gamma.
"If you have no evidence, why are you on my case? I should be the least suspect because my abilities didn't awaken, and I was with mom for nearly two hours before the anomaly was reported." Axel made a thoughtful expression. "Or did Cassandra say something? She was incompetent and she decided to shift the blame on me because she witnessed me challenging your decision to use black runes. Is that the case?"
"She is not saying anything.", Alpha Isaac said and shoved a hand into his hair.
"Then why are you here accusing me? Make her talk."
Alpha Isaac shook his head. "She said it was the Moon Goddess."
Axel blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "The Moon Goddess made them disappear? And you believe that?"
"Of course, not!"
Axel snorted. "Now I see why you are on my case. Cassandra's story doesn't make sense, so you decided that I did something."
Alpha Isaac knew that Axel's argument was valid, but he also had a point. "Only the four of us knew what was about to happen. The timing of Alpha Damon's disappearance is too convenient to be accidental."
Axel frowned at this father. "So, it's not you nor mother. Which leaves me and Cassandra. Considering that you are accusing me instead of her tells me all I need to know about where your trust is. Cassandra didn't accuse me, but you are."
"Listen, Axel. This is important. Did you tell anyone about Cassandra using black runes on Alpha Damon?"
"To whom would I talk about it? After we parted, I went to my room, but my nerves were acting out and I couldn't sleep so I went to seek my mother. I told you that already. Why are we having this conversation? Cassandra was right there when it happened. Force her to tell the truth. Or do you believe it was the Moon Goddess?", Axel said mockingly and when Alpha Isaac's expression didn't change, Axel looked at him in disbelief.
"You actually believe Cassandra's story. But you know that's impossible."
"I know it sounds crazy but…", Alpha Isaac paused.
"But?"
"Alpha Damon and Talia are missing. Nothing is disturbed, it's like they disappeared into thin air. As for Cassandra, she lost her powers."
Axel's expression was a pure shock as he processed this information.
Didn't they agree that Meg will make a mess? The commotion would distract Cassandra long enough for Talia to inject her with the potion that causes short-term memory loss. How did they pull it off without disturbing anything? And there was the point, "Did you say that Cassandra has no powers?"
Alpha Isaac confirmed. "She has no powers. I checked."
They stood in silence for some time and Axel remembered the scene of Talia healing his father's arm. Her healing ability was top-notch, but even with that, he had a feeling that was not the only thing she could do.
Does she have the ability to strip others of their powers? If she can do that, Talia will definitely become a target of the ones with powers, and the ones who seek them, which was nearly everyone.
Talia definitely helped Meg that time in the car. Kai and Meg didn't tell him details, but both of them said how they owe Talia, and considering that Meg was stable during their ride, Axel could conclude with certainty that Talia is the one he should thank for keeping their secrets from outsiders.
He thought how it's ironic that instead of thanking her, his parents are set on catching her, and then… Axel didn't know what the plan was. Did they want to imprison her? Use Alpha Damon as a bargaining chip to force Talia into obedience? And if Axel's hunch that Talia is his sister was correct, this whole thing would become morbidly disturbing because his parents would definitely know who Talia truly is.
"Is Cassandra OK?", Axel asked, hoping to probe for more information.
"How can she be OK? She is praying constantly, saying how her faith in the Moon Goddess was corrupted and that only by praying she can get her powers back."
Axel had no clue what exactly happened, but the fact that his father was grilling him in the study, meant that Talia and Damon were really out, hopefully safe.
Axel thought of reminding his father about one thing everyone conveniently forgot. "You know that this confirms my theory. This is not about Alpha Damon. This is about Talia. She IS the girl from the prophecy."
Alpha Isaac's eyes flashed. Was it anger? Dejection? Axel wasn't sure.
"So now you believe that Moon Goddess came for her?", Alpha Isaac asked.
"Would you rather go with the theory of how I sneaked them out of here while I was with mother?", Axel asked flatly. "Talia is the child blessed by the Moon Goddess. By harming Damon, we would harm Talia, and the Moon Goddess couldn't allow it. That's why they disappeared. It's either that or they didn't leave the center at all. Talia went to the cafeteria several times. Maybe she spotted a storage room or an air vent where they could hide. I assume that you have people looking for them. How can I help?"
"You want to help?", Alpha Isaac asked suspiciously.
Axel nodded seriously. "Regardless of how I feel about the methods used, this concerns the safety of our pack. Once we catch them, we can see to mend our relationship with Talia. If she joins our pack willingly, we can only prosper."
