Cassian's POV
I watched from a distance, as Alpha Ronan and the elders Serenya and Kaelen talked.
I couldn't help but feel like something wasn't right.
As long as it was Alpha Ronan, it wasn't going to be something good. Gulping down my drink, I was tempted to walk to where they were standing and get in on their conversation.
If anything, I would've been able to tell if whatever they were talking about was anything good or bad.
Alpha Kade was nowhere to be seen. He was probably somewhere where in the crowd, surrounded by Alphas that wanted to lick his feet so that he could be a bit more lenient with them.
It was the one chance that most of them were looking forward to to make a name for themselves so that when the one month peace agreement expires, they would still be exempted from the chaos that might follow.
Making sure that I wasn't seen by Ronan and the elders, I watched as Kaelen stepped closer to the two, looking interested in what was being discussed.
That wasn't the same body language that I had seen from him when Ronan got to them.
So, whatever he was selling to them, they were buying it like crazy.
Every once in a while, they looked around as if they were scanning to see if anyone was watching them.
If they weren't doing anything wrong, they wouldn't have been doing that. And that was my cue not to lose sight of them, and to make sure that they don't see me entirely.
Their conversation lasted way longer than I had anticipated it would. And around the time before Ronan walked off, I saw him leaning in close as if he was about to tell them a secret.
They didn't even hesitate.
Once he had talked, the two were left speechless and looking at each other like ghost, as Ronan walked away without looking back.
Despite the number of people that were constantly walking between me and the elders, I will say that I still had very good vision.
And this is because as Ronan was walking away, I couldn't help but notice the way his lips shifted.
I was watching him from the side, but even I know how someone's lips look like when they smirk.
And I was am willing to bet my last dollar to this day, that Ronan was smirking and smiling as he walked away and disappeared into the crowd.
I didn't hesitate, I needed to find him fast and try to see if he would try the same tactic with me.
Moving through the crowd, I walked towards the direction that he was headed, knowing that I was going to cut him off at one point.
That was, unless he was going to change direction.
Before long , I realized that I was walking towards the entrance, where most of the guests had arrived and were leaving.
'No. No. No. He can't be leaving. Not when I'm about to talk to him.' I muttered to myself as I walked even faster.
However, I was too late.
By the time I was breaking through the crowd, I came face to face with a luxurious, four by four, double cabin pickup truck that had the Shadowmoon insignia on the side.
And seated in the back seat of the car with the windows rolled down, was none other than Alpha Ronan.
He was looking straight ahead and deep in thought.
I couldn't call out his name, so I waited to see whether he was going to turn his head to my direction.
He did. But that was just around the same time that the car was being revved, ready to leave the party.
We locked eyes for a second, as I was telling myself that I needed to find out what he had done and said to the elders.
There was no way that I was going to stop him from leaving so that he could tell me everything. And neither was I intentionally going to let him know that I was onto him.
I needed to find another way to know what he was up to. And there was.
So, I watched as he rolled his window up and the car drove off.
'Kaelen and Serenya know exactly what he is up to.' my wolf said to me.
'More than that, they could be blinded by his sneaky tactics.' I said to myself, realizing that it could be worse because they might actually fall for it.
I had to rush to where they were. And as soon as the car was far from sight, I made my way back with my fingers crossed that the elders hadn't moved from where I had left them.
Much to my relief, I saw them from a distance and they were still where I had left them.
I walked to where they were, and I guess they looked kind of relieved to so see me walking in their direction, as if they were already waiting for me.
Playing stupid, I started the conversation with something mild.
"Have you guys seen Alpha Kade?"
They looked at each other and both of them shook their heads.
"I think I last saw him with the Alpha of the Voidclaw Pack."
"I saw him with some of the judges."
Two different sightings. That seemed rather unusual.
But, I could play stupid and have them spill what Ronan might have pushed towards them.
And for that to happen, I took a step back and pretended like I was trying to find Alpha Kade.
I knew they couldn't hold it in that long. The look on their faces said it all.
"Beta Cassian." Kaelen said my name.
When I lowered my eyes and looked at, I caught him glancing over at Serenya.
It was as if they were trying to make sure that they were on the same page.
I guess they figured that they couldn't stay with it that long and had to talk to someone about it.
So, as I looked at them, I waited for them to talk, making it seem like they were wasting the time that I could be spending looking for Kade.
"We.....have come across some information that you might be interested in." Serenya said.
"That can wait. I need to find Alpha Kade first." I said to them, faking like I was about to walk away.
Knowing that when someone is at crossroads as to whether to say something or not, there's a higher chance for them to spill it if they see the best chance about to slip away.
"It's about Thalia." Kaelen immediately jumped in, getting me to stop in my tracks.
"That's Luna Thalia to all of us." I corrected him, waiting to see his reaction.
His eyes squinted and he clenched his jaws, while Serenya was grinding her teeth.
Nothing about Thalia being in that position made them happy.
The anger was visible.
'And I bet that whatever Ronan told them just catalized whatever they were already thinking about her.' I said to myself.
"Fine, it's about Luna Thalia." Serenya said in a low tone, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear what she was saying.
"And what might that be?" I questioned them.
"We have come to learn that Thalia not having her wolf is not just by some sheer coincidence." Kaelen said, as he turned to Serenya who probably had more to say on that matter.
"Not this again. You had your chance to talk to her about it and you blew it....you nearly had Alpha Kade snap your neck in two." I reminded her immediately.
"That isn't something that I've forgotten. However, the information is more damning than what we thought of the first time." She insisted
Realizing that Ronan had probably preyed on the one thing that he knew would only set the entire council of Elders on fire, I lost interest to even listen to them.
"I've had enough of that. Let it rest." I said to them.
"But Beta Cassian." Serenya called for me as she looked really fired up and eager to share what she had learnt about Thalia.
And I wasn't even playing. I was obviously going to want to hear what she was talking about.
But the moment I heard that it involved Thalia and her wolfless situation, I knew that I had enough of that for that night.
"We'll handle this another time." I said to them as I just walked away without looking back.
'What do you think that was about?' my wolf asked me as he was pacing around, inside my head.
'It has to be Ronan and his way of trying to get inside the minds of the elders.
As long as Kade managed to take Thalia from his pack, he will never rest until he gets her back.
With every passing day, believe me when I say that he'll plant seeds, waiting for them to sprout and spread chaos and commotion.'