29 The Coin (Book 2)


    ~Sylvester~


    After asking Tamia if she and Amelia had returned, I stared at the strange coin on my desk and


    examined it with gloves. I wondered why wolves would keep something dangerous to them.


    I wondered what was happening in the east and the deal with Leo''s pack.


    We had enjoyed peace for over a year now, and I hoped it would be forever, but the littleints


    that havee up recently didn''t seem like it.


    First, Maxwell nch and his fight with Alexie, the nobody that took over his pack. I knew there was


    more to it because Devinined of the same thing. Why couldn''t we have peace for once?


    Looking at the coin, I knew only one person could exin it. The writing was ancient, and it wasn''t


    something I could easily ce. It did not look like currency spent at any time, and the ranking stars


    on the back indicated ''Delta'' did not make sense. Why would anyone use silver to hold their ranks?


    Only one person could exin what the coin was, Marcel''s father, Lucas.


    The man had been bored since he returned. He had gotten back with his mate, but there was


    sadness in his eyes. I guess the fact that he had killed his best friends, who were also his distant


    cousins, would haunt him for the rest of his life.


    He was lonely even though he tried to hide it.


    I imagined what I would do without Marcel and Theodore and knew I would be just as miserable.


    Maybe not as bleak as he was because I had made more friends and built connections, but I knew


    what he was going through. I understood it.


    The fact that they died by his hands worsened his depression. It was a pain he would never heal


    from, no matter how hard the people around him tried. The truth was, he was better off dead with


    them.


    I expected he would be overzealous about helping with this task, so I discussed it with Marcel


    before involving his father.


    I linked Marcel toe to my office, and he said he was on his way.


    I looked at the time, and it was three in the afternoon.


    Usually, this was when I closed from the office to spend time with my wife and children, but this coin


    thing would take my time, and I knew it.


    I was willing to sacrifice today, so I could have peace tomorrow. I hoped it wouldn''t be anything


    serious because we all need peace.


    While I waited for Marcel toe, a call came through on my phone, and I answered immediately,


    knowing it had to be someone dear because it was my personal line.


    "Hello," I said, and there was silence before the voice mustered the courage to speak.


    "Sylvester, it''s Vino," I heard my brother''s voice and froze.


    He had been gone for four months, and no one knew where he was. I pretended that I wasn''t


    worried, but I was. I had sent people to search for him to no avail.


    "Where the hell have you been, Vino? We have been looking for you. David and Dominic have been


    travelling searching. I would have joined in, too, if I wasn''t king. Why would you just disappear like


    that? Four months Vino. Why?" I asked him, and he sighed.


    "I am sorry, Sylvester. Honestly, I am, but I needed space. Not everyone heals quickly, you know. I


    needed time away," He said, and I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustrated because he was


    talking about Amanda. Amanda hadmitted suicide, where she was kept five months ago, and


    even though he tried to hide it, I knew it got to him. Honestly, as wicked as she was, none of us was


    ready to kill her because of the triplets, but her selfishness never changed, and she chose to end


    things on her terms.


    "So when are youing home?" I asked him, and he sighed.


    "Until I prove myself to you, Sylvester. I can''te and sit around as if I did nothing wrong. I sat


    there on the council and let them run circles around you. I am just as guilty as they are. I am on a


    mission to redeem myself," he said, and I became scared because whatever he was saying did not


    sound good.


    He had three daughters with him. Other than the two nannies that followed him, he was alone. Why


    would he put himself in such a precarious situation?


    "All is forgiven, Vino. You have nothing to prove to me or anyone, not even yourself. Juste


    back. If you want to make yourself useful, I have a job for you in the east. I am sure you will like the


    assignment." I said, and he paused.


    "What assignment?" He asked, and I knew I had tickled his curiosity.


    I hoped there wouldn''t be anything serious in the east, but I would make it sound interesting enough


    to tickle his curiosity and bring him home.


    "Some silver-immune Alphas taking over packs in the east and south," I said, and he was silent.


    "No way, Sylvester, there is no such thing," He said, and Iughed.


    "Apparently, there is. Why don''t youe home and help me solve this mystery? I will take your


    participation as penance. Tamia misses the girls, and I am sure Nicole and Katya would love to help


    too. My mother wasn''t happy that you took them with you. They deserve a home, Vino, and you


    need a job of which I have just given you one. Will you please return?" I said, and he paused a


    while.


    "I will take the first flight back from Gad," he said, and I wondered what he was doing in Gad.


    "What are you doing in Gad?" I asked him.


    "Keeping an eye on Alpha Sean. There have been some serious illegal takeovers in the west that


    the council isn''t really aware of. Leo brought it up several times, but Sean said they were pack


    members of Alphas tried for treason.


    I checked it out, and he was right, but the takeovers'' formation and concentration baffled me the


    most.


    While some are actually what he says they are, others are alpha challenges of packs that share


    borders with the east and south.


    I think it is a secret activity. I know I sound crazy and might just be overthinking things, but I think it


    was worth looking into.


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    Alpha Jake Brighton has been spared because his pack shares a border with Devin''s pack. I do not


    know why. The baffling part of all this is that the three alphas that have taken up packs that share


    the border with the east and south are new alphas, and I am hearing rumours that they are Delta


    breeds. I haven''t checked it out yet.


    I can''t exin it to you, but something is off. The other western takeovers are just as Sean has


    described, but these ones are different. I am still investigating it, but I wille home tomorrow.


    Once Leo''s matter is concluded, I will return because I think I am on to something," He exined,


    and he did not have to exin any further than he had.


    What he said did sound like he was on to something.


    Leo hadined bitterly about the sudden inflow of disced persons to the east and how they


    were overcrowding the system there.


    I just hoped this inflow of people was actually disced people, not people like Alexie.


    Vino said goodbye, and we both hung up. Iposed myself, and Marcel walked in. His shirt had


    baby food, and I knew he was with his son, Marvin.


    "Sorry I pulled you away from family time," I apologised, and he smiled at me.


    "Whatever it is must be serious because you should be with Harper and Liam, too," he said, and I


    was grateful that he wasn''t angry.


    "So what is it?" he asked, and I showed him the coin.


    "Leo found this in his woods," I said and told him all Leo told me about the attack in his woods.


    "He looked at the coin and was confused.


    "Why would wolves have silver coins with ranks on them?" he asked, and I nodded.


    "More reason why I called you. The writing is an ancientnguage. It says the strength of evolution


    is stronger than death. I do not understand what the wolf with a leaf in the mouth means," I said,


    and he nodded.


    "Let me take a photo and send it to my father. He would understand it better. I would have said, we


    asked your mother, but she wasn''t in the system like my father was," He said, and I nodded.


    "That was precisely why I called you. I wanted to discuss this with your father," I said, and he took


    out his phone.


    He ced a call to Lucas immediately.


    "Hello, Father," Marcel said, and I rested my pack on my chair to listen to their conversation. He put


    his phone on speaker and ced the phone on my desk. They exchanged pleasantries, and Lucas


    asked Marcel when he would bring Marvin over. Instead of responding, Marcel went straight to the


    point and tabled the matter at hand.


    "Leonardo brought a strange silver coin he found in his woods in the east. We do not understand


    what it means. We were hoping you could identify it and tell us the meaning," Marcel said.


    "Silver coin?" Lucas said, surprised that the coin was made from silver.


    "Take a picture and send it to me. I will figure it out from there," Lucas said, and Marcel thanked him


    and hung up.


    Marcel diligently took pictures of the coin, ensuring he did so on both sides and sent it to his father.


    "Why did you change the topic when he asked for Marvin?" I asked Marcel, and he smiled.


    "Avery and I are nning a surprise visit, and we have good news to share with them too. The


    impact would be best if he feels something is off," He said with a devious grin, and Iughed.


    Even though Marcel thought it was a well-kept secret, I already knew Avery was pregnant. The


    doctor had informed me, but I n to act surprised when they decide to tell us.


    We both sat in the office, waiting for Lucas''s response.


    I would lie if I said I wasn''t nervous. I prayed that it wasn''t anything serious.


    After waiting an hour, Lucas called back, and Marcel put him on speaker.


    "Are you sure Leo found this coin in his woods?" he asked perturbingly.


    "Yes, father. He brought it to us," Marcel replied, and I heard Lucas sigh.


    "This is confusing," He said.


    No one interrupted, so he continued to speak.


    "The wolf and leaf is a family insignia symbolising the Stepanovs'' evolution. The leaf represents the


    practice of alchemy, and the coin symbolises their evolution and immunity to silver. What baffles me


    is that Adrik and his entire bloodline were in by Marcel''s father, Dimitri. What is their family


    insignia doing in the woods of Mountain?" He asked, and I was just as shocked and confused as


    Marcel. What was going on in the east?