บท 97: Chapter 91: Cairin Pack's past

Cairin Oaks.

Isaiah Cairin looked down at the lone amputated finger that was laying on the table in front of him. He was alone in his room, together with his Beta, Ezekiel Fernsby. His Beta, who actually used to be his son's Beta, had received the finger, wrapped in a package a couple of hours ago.

Looking down at the finger, he knew that this was his granddaughter, Makena's finger. This was the second time that they had sent a finger of hers. The first one was when they used it to threaten the Cairin pack to not search for her. And this one.... Apparently, it was a warning related to the Kendall pack. It seems like that they knew that the Kendall pack had visited them recently.

Isaiah let out a sigh.

The Cairin pack was a bit unique in a sense where when Isaiah was the Alpha, he stepped down as the Alpha and passed the power to his son, Ivor. It was a peaceful few years during Ivor's reign. Isaiah, who thought that the calm and tranquil atmosphere in the Oak would last long, left the town and went on a journey.

It was during the midst of his journey that a lone man visited the Cairin Oaks. The shifters in the Cairin pack did not expect this man to bring with him chaos. They welcomed him with open arms filled with warmth and happiness. But they got thrown back with vicious and bitter aftermath.

It wasn't surprising as to why they welcome him with a friendly gesture at first. Because that man was a shifter as well. Similarly to them, a werewolf. However, the Cairin pack did not know that he had left behind a destroyed pack with all the pack members dead by his hand.

That man lived in the Cairin pack as an honoured guest for nearly a year. It was unsure what was his plan but after what had happened in the Oaks, they realized that it was his plot to get close to the pack, earning their trust before killing it.

Before Isaiah could return back to his pack, he had received a sudden pain in his head. Feeling that something must have gone wrong in the Oaks, he quickly rushed back home. Unfortunately, he was too late. He arrived a few minutes later. He could still remember the scene that greeted him as he stepped in the Oaks soil.

A man was standing before his son's limp body. He had his hand around the neck of his son who was no longer moving. To add more to his torment, he could only watch in shock as the man thrusted his hand in his son's chest, pulling out his heart. And in front of his eyes, he watched as the man crushed his son's heart in his hand.

Isaiah had screamed in pain at the loss of his son. He immediately shifted and began to attack the man. He didn't know who the man was but for him, he was an enemy that he had to kill straight away.

Unfortunately, he was too blinded with fury that his attacks weren't as strong as was expected. He went down after many attacks, turning him back to human. Before he could get up, he saw the man had taken his granddaughter, using her as a shield. She was only five years old at that time.

Rage filled him once more as he watched the man grab his granddaughter and held her up in front of him, her feet off the ground. She looked helpless as she tried to grab the hand that was holding her neck up.

Isaiah was about to attack once more but both of his arms were held back. And when he turned around, he saw the devastated face of his son's mate, Grace, holding back his right arm and his son's Beta, Ezekiel, holding back his left arm.

"Father, it's enough," Grace pleaded, tears still flowing down her cheeks. "Please."

Isaiah turned to Ezekiel who had also shook his head, silently.

He then cursed himself for being weak. He then looked up and was shocked to see that the man had his wounds heal. He then looked at his granddaughter and saw her arm slashed, bleeding.

He was about to pull his arms away from the two when the man said, "Oh, you still want to attack? Come. But I won't be responsible for your granddaughter's death."

"What the hell do you want?" Isaiah roared with anger.

"Your granddaughter," the man said simply. "To be exact, her blood."

He swiped his finger at her blood and licked it. "Hmmm. Seems like it's true that the blood of the Cairin pack is quite unique. Having a fast healing rate can be such great power. Makes you want to drain all of their blood," he said sneakily.

Isaiah gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury.

Just then his eyes widened as he watched the man snap his fingers and suddenly, there was a warlock standing beside him.

"Rehan."

After the man called out the name, Isaiah and the other shifters felt a pounding ache beating inside their mind, almost making them all unconscious. And then they suddenly felt something shoot into their forehead.

Isaiah gritted his teeth more, enduring the pain until he screamed.

Rehan stopped his spell and looked over at the man, saying, "Seems like it doesn't work for the previous Alpha."

The man tsk-tsked. "Your power isn't powerful enough for the direct line of the Cairin."

"My apologies, my lord," Rehan said, bowing his head.

"Never mind."

Isaiah glared up at the man and roared, "Why is there a warlock with you? Have you become one of them now?"

The man burst out in huge laughter. "One of them?" he repeated, smirking. He leaned forward and continued, "They are under MY COMMAND!"

Isaiah stared at him in incredibility. 'How can that be?' he thought as he turned his gaze towards the warlock who was respectfully standing behind the man.

Unbeknownst to Isaiah, before the man had pillaged the Cairin Oak, he had gone to venture further to a warlocks' territory where he had destroyed almost everyone there, except for this one man named Rehan. Apparently, Rehan was deemed as a traitor that time, just because he had mated with a werewolf. But because his mate was killed by his fellow warlocks, he had tried to take revenge yet failed. He was awaiting his punishment in the underground cell at the warlocks' territory when the man came.

The man went and destroyed everything there and had found Rehan in the cell. The latter immediately pledged his loyalty to the man after he had rescued him. At first, the man did not trust him but after decades together, he finally sees Rehan as his right hand man.

Eventually, the man left the Cairin Oaks, together with Rehan. Unfortunately, he also brought with him, Makena, much to Grace's sadness and sorrow. Apparently, he wasn't done with the pack because there was something that he was looking for. And he needed the Cairin pack to be his eyes when it comes to the shifterworld.

A year after Makena's finger was cut the first time, Grace fell sick and eventually died of a broken heart. Because the previous Alpha had no heir and there wasn't anyone appropriate to take the place as they were under Rehan's spell, Isaiah had to take over the Alpha role once more. And that was fifteen years ago.

Evidently, they found that the spell that Rehan had placed on them was an 'eye' that helps the warlock to look through whatever they see. It was not a possession of a person but rather like a 'third eye'.

Isaiah looked up at Ezekiel, who stood next to the table, with his hands behind his back. "Did you see who had sent this?" he asked, a grave look on his face.

Ezekiel shook his head.

Isaiah let out another sigh. 'This cannot go on,' he thought as he sadly looked out of the window. 'It seems that I need to push all caution aside and reach out for help.'

He turned to Ezekiel and said, "I'll be away for a couple of weeks. Please take care of the Oaks for me."

Ezekiel nodded. He knew better than to ask. Although Rehan would not be able to read his mind nor listen to his conversation with the Alpha, it was still good to be wary.