Chapter Six
Part Two
“Of course,” she said. “If you think of anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. Dhimant, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you my dear,” he said as she turned to leave. “Please close the library door behind you.”
Hara nodded in acquiescence and left them to their tea. Dhimant did not begin speaking again until after he heard the library door click shut.
“Now,” Dhimant said after he poured himself a cup and resumed his seat. “What was so blasted urgent you needed to interrupt my evening for it?”
“There is something wrong,” Leonardo said. “Inside the pack.” He poured himself a cup also as he considered his next words. “Have you noticed anything strange with the alpha?”
“To be frank, we don’t talk very much,” Dhimant replied. “We suffer a…. Conflict of personality, motivation and not to mention we’re dangerously close in dominance. Every encounter is one inch closer to a fight so we… keep our distance.”
Leonardo nodded and sipped. This much he knew. “When was the last time you spoke to him?”
“Last week, over the phone. I was calling to find out the details of the next full moon.”
“Did you notice anything odd about him then?” Leonardo pressed.
“Odd in what way?” Dhimant hedged. “The man is odd no matter how you look at him.”
That made Leonardo pause. “How do you find him odd?”
“Well for one thing, you can tell just by looking at his face that he is not who he says he is,” Dhimant gestured. “He’s a complete outsider. He has no Modesto blood in his veins at all.”
Leonardo slowly settled his cup back onto its saucer. “You mean he is an imposter.”
“Perhaps. He is married to a Modesto woman, he has the right to the name I suppose. But when you think about it, do you really know anything about him? Where is he from? Where was he born? Has he ever told tales of his childhood?” Dhimant posed the question and Leonardo was very suddenly and vividly uncomfortable with the fact that he’d never even considered it before and yet everything Dhimant was saying rang true
.
Dhimant, having finished the last of his cup, held it in his palm as he leaned forward. “You are concerned about what is going on in the pack over the last few weeks. I think you should look back further. Look back at how he decided wolves should never under any circumstances turn a human into a wolf. Look back at how quickly he scaled back werewolf hunts. Look back at how fast he was to isolate us.”
Leonardo weighed these statements. “You think he was a human at one point?”
“It’s one theory,” Dhimant agreed. “A name carries a lot of power in our world. To invent himself as a top drawer noble wolf takes some knowledge of us.”
“That’s quite a conspiracy theory,” Leo said. “I’m currently more worried about why my father has suddenly become good friends with him. Why my sister was unceremoniously dumped out of the asylum. What my father might want with her.”
Leonardo put his teacup back onto the table. “Karisme returned covered in warding tattoos. She’s no more stable than she was when she went in, so what purpose do they serve? What could they possibly be containing? She’s a tiny thing with no strength to speak of. Her wolf is nearly as timid as she is skinny.”
“And you’re suspicious because of her new ink?”
“I’m suspicious because my father did not want her in his house but he still wants to see her. Very badly, as he’s had my mother ring me repeatedly. I’m no fool, my father didn’t suddenly gain a conscious and feels like reconciling. There is something he needs from her.”
“So why do you come to me? Are you accusing me of being involved?” Dhimant asked, his expression annoyed. “Why should I help you? You are only trying to stir up trouble and we have enough of that from outsiders already. I believe you should look to your alpha, not to me, for answers.”
“I will go to my alpha for answers,” Leonardo rebutted. “I am here because I need information that I believe you have. You are involved at every level with pack business and I would think it was burn your precious tail feathers quite a bit that my father, a lowly Colmillo man, was weaseling his way into the Alpha’s confidence.”
Dhimant’s jaw tightened very subtly. Oh yes, he’d found a nerve.
Leonardo sat back and crossed his arms. “Is it just pride keeping you from talking to me? You don’t want to give up your precious secrets?” Watching the man’s face for a moment, Leo nodded and continued. “Well if you won’t cooperate I’ll be forced to use pack authority to force you to, I’m afraid. There’s criminal activity being concealed in this town and I intend to sniff it out, whether the status quo will be upset or not.” He knew the indignity of having a lower born man force him to talk would upset Dhimant more than anything else he could possibly say. Imagine, a Colmillo having power over a Valome. People would talk and it would be like a knife in the man’s stomach, twisting just a little more every time it was mentioned.
There was a long moment of silence as the older man considered Leonardo. “Very well,” he said. “I will tell you what I know. I want to remain anonymous in this, though. Don’t repeat my name back to the alpha or anyone else.”
Leonardo nodded. “Alright.”
“Your father sent that girl away, yes, but not to the kind of place you are thinking. I encourage you to go and investigate it for yourself, though. Honestly, I’m curious to see if you’re as good a policeman as I hear tell.”
“So you’re saying my father locked her away with some malicious intention other than simply abandoning her to a negligent care facility,” Leonardo said slowly.
“Yes. I’ll also add that Berenguer had a hand in it also. He recommended the place, I recall the conversation with perfect clarity. He said to your father, it is a place where they can make her useful. She is already unstable, it would only take a small nudge to turn her into a well timed explosion.”
Cold chills ran down Leonardo’s spine. “That is a serious accusation,” he said slowly, trying to keep his calm. Rage was building deep in the pit of his stomach as he turned the thought over in his mind. As much as he loathed to admit it, it rang true of his father’s personality. He’d been offered a chance to turn a troublesome child into a chance at a promotion.
“Indeed. I am a great reservoir of volatile secrets, my boy. This pack is built on them. You look for integrity among people who shun the day’s honest light. The truth is, we’re all criminals on some level and some of us just happen to be masterminds and a few have that twisted serial killer instinct. For instance, when was the last time you observed your alpha interacting with his mate?”
“I… I haven’t seen Berenguer and Sigrun in the same room unless it’s some kind of pack meeting. They don’t really interact at all,” Leonardo frowned.
“Exactly my point. No other mated couple behaves this way,” he said. “They hate each other. They use each other for their own purposes and there is no affection between them at all.”
Slowly, it was beginning to dawn on Leonardo what Dhimant was saying. “They’re running a long con.”
“The longest con,” Dhimant chuckled. “But to what end? I cannot say.”
It was a lot to take in. His father had sent his kind hearted sister off to some dark prison to be tortured and turned into what, a time bomb? What had they filled her with there, requiring all those warding tattoos? Now she was scared senseless and refused to speak a word of it, which Leonardo could only guess was some knowledge of what had been done and too much fear that she might hurt those she loved. All of that information was heavy enough on its own.
Now he was also faced with a sickening understanding that the threads in the pack he’d grown up with had been so thickly interwoven with lies and treachery. Their own alpha was a deception. Here he was, an honest man, surrounded by people he couldn’t trust. Up to his eyes in shit, that’s where he sat.
”I suppose it’s all hard to take in,” Dhimant mused. “These men were plotting our destruction before you were even born.”
“And you just went along with it?” Leonardo pressed.
“My boy, I’ve done what I could. I have my ways of keeping the man in line but it only goes so far. He has dirt on me as well, I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Your father is working to undermine the pack hierarchy. I’d almost stretch to say he’s working to undermine the pack entirely. Both he and the alpha share a…. Dislike for their own kind.”
“Dislike for their own kind?” Leo echoed in disbelief. “What sense does that make?”
“None to a rational mind.” Dhimant could see that Leonardo was struggling with this. “Your father we both know is not as rational as one would hope. Our alpha…. I have seen a side of him that few have. You will as well, before long, unless this threat you fear strikes you sooner rather than later.”
“Threat?”
“I’m aware of recent circumstances that have put you on the defensive,” Dhimant said. “Something about a truck crash that you should have been in? Don’t worry, I was not involved but unfortunately I also do not have any information about that specific event. You believe you have cause to worry, yes?”
“I am concerned for my family’s safety,” he agreed quietly. “Do you believe the alpha is behind these attacks? Does it have to do with me keeping Karisme out of their reach?”
“It is a plausible enough reason,” Dhimant said considerately.. “I suppose knocking your block off would make it easier for them to get to Karisme. Especially since they’ve moved your family to that nice house that the Alpha conveniently.. Owns. Get you out of the way and he can stroll right in with whoever he pleases.”
Leonardo rubbed the back of his neck in worry. “Beware of enemies bearing gifts,” he mumbled. “Would have been nice to know the alpha was an enemy beforehand.”
“You seem like a good man, Leonardo,” Dhimant said. “I’d hate to see you die. Good men are rare and die too young. Keep a level head on you and be careful in your investigations.”
“Thank you for your help and your concern,” said Leonardo as he placed his cup back onto the table and stood. “I should be getting out of your hair now, my wife is undoubtedly worried about me.”
“I’d be very careful if I were you,” said Dhimant. “If you aren’t careful, you could put your whole family in the line of fire. You seem to be the only Colmillo capable of holding his own. I’d hate to see your branch burned off the tree.”
“How… generous of you,” Leonardo said. “Good night Mr. Valome. Thank you for the tea and for you time.” Nodding to the man, he saw himself out of the house and back into the cold evening air. He was surprised at how the evening had gone, frankly, he’d gotten a lot more out of the man than he’d really anticipated. Standing in the crisp breeze, Leonardo fumbled absently for the keys in his pocket while turning the night’s revelations over in his mind.
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