The Alpha's Stolen Luna - Chapter 190: Chapter 190

: Lucas
We left at dawn the next morning. Taking off from the airfield as the sun came up. Sutton hadn’t slept much the night before, so I gave her something to help her sleep and settled her in at the back of the private plane. Once I knew she was asleep, I sat down with Max and Soloman.
“Soloman, I need to know — what kind of behavior should I expect from Prince Raphe moving forward?” I asked the only person I knew who could answer that question.
Soloman kept his expression even. Not giving away any sense of concern or acceptance.
“Persistent,” he stated. “But perhaps not as much as Osric. If Raphe does hold off on telling him, for whatever reason, it will buy you some time to get things in order.”
“What do they need to get in order?” Max questioned uncomfortably.
“Someone to run the pack in our absence,” I told him.
“What?”
“He’s right,” Soloman agreed. “Eventually, Raphe and Osric will want Sutton to be close to them as they welcome her into the family. They won’t be satisfied with her being in the Ironpaw territory. They’ll pressure her to move to the palace, at least temporarily.”
“My concern is how close they want to get to her and why,” I stated. “Leannetta was going into hiding when the attack happened. She was hiding from Raphe. Or so she believed.”
“How do you know that?” Soloman interrupted.
“The letter,” I told him. “Had Sutton received it when she was meant at eighteen, there would have been helpful information in it. Unfortunately, we had already deduced most of it and we’re left with more questions. But Leanetta left us clues to track down the person who helped her escape and go into hiding. From the sound of it, the woman is supposed to help Sutton stop Raphe from assuming the throne. That doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Why would she push her daughter into something so dangerous?” Soloman said, shaking his head.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t make me feel that Leannetta was as innocent as she was trying to portray herself,” I said. “We’re going to need to know all that happened back then, Soloman. Because if Raphe has any suspicion that Sutton could be chasing some vendetta that Leanetta set out on, it’s Sutton who will end up in danger.”
“It was a complicated mess,” Soloman replied. “Your use of the word ‘vendetta’ may not be far from the truth. However, Leanetta had good reason and the authority to challenge her brother once she was named successor.”
“Do you believe Raphe was responsible for the death of his mate?” I asked Soloman.
He pursed his lips at the question. Briefly caught off guard by the accusation.
“Leanetta did try to convince me he had a hand in it,” he admitted. “She was so sure the sickness that took Alana wasn’t natural. There was no evidence to support that belief.”
“So you didn’t believe her?” Max questioned.
Soloman gave us each a look. “I didn’t say that,” he replied. “There were details that were… suspicious. But none of them pointed to her brother.”
“What about Princess Nomi?” I asked.
Soloman winced. “Nomi was part of her accusations,” he confirmed. “And I will admit that she was a strong reason why I entertained Leanetta’s concerns. The same goes for Osric. Nomi had shown an interest in Raphe before Alana came along. She was not pleased when Raphe’s fated mate turned up.”
“That doesn’t mean she would kill her,” Max said. “That would be one hell of a risk to take. First, because there was no guarantee Raphe would be with her after losing his fated mate. And second, a chosen mate could never hold the same authority in the royal family as a fated mate.”
“Don’t underestimate Nomi,” Soloman said. “She’s a cunning woman who understands the workings of court life among the royals. She plays her role well.”
“Yet she still doesn’t have the power to go against any claim that Sutton has within the family,” I stated. “For that, my main concern lies with Raphe. If you have any doubts about his involvement in the feud back then, we need to know. We need to know if he could see Sutton as a threat.”
Soloman steepled his hands, thinking seriously about the implications I was providing. I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation for him. He may have been closer to Leanetta in the past, but he still carried a fondness for Raphe, if not an inherent trust in him. If there was no evidence against him back then, it would be nearly impossible to find any now. So, to move against him now would cause more than just a rift for Soloman.
“I trusted Leanetta’s instincts,” he finally spoke. “Whether I truly believe Raphe was capable of killing his own mate or not, I can’t say he is not able to be manipulated into some kind of involvement. Even unwittingly.”
“The letter also mentioned some questionable political views that were feeding her suspicions,” I commented. “That lines up with the hearsay I know of that time, as well. Can you tell me what those views were?”
Soloman pursed his lips again. This time fidgeting in his seat.
“Yes, somewhat,” he said. “But I will stick with what I witnessed myself. Let’s just say that Raphe had started to voice some perspectives on humans that were reminiscent of some very old practices. Practices that were eradicated for good reason.”
Rhonen expressed a muffled snarl at the tone in which Soloman spoke.
“Were the perspectives similar to the beliefs of a certain Alpha we are familiar with?” I pressed, knots forming in my gut.
“Yes,” he confirmed.