Chosen by Fate, Rejected by the Alpha

1014 Chapter 199- Epilogue 10 (VOLUME 5)

Trouble Brewing?

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Rawlynne

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Well, since we had confessions from all the Jaegan involved, it was easy to wrap up the case and call it closed. They had been sent to trial where they were all pronounced guilty and sentenced to the Faerton County Correctional Facility. It was a new facility that was only taking the nonhumans from other facilities. In fact, these Jaegan that were being sent there were the only humans that would ever be housed in a place like that.

There were more than just their crimes that were sending them to that place though. In truth, a lot of it had to do with them having those runes. Yes, they had been removed from them, but what if they managed to put them back somehow? We didn’t want to risk that they would have powers over other people. That was why they needed to be in such a secure place. And where better than the special prison that was built just outside of Faerie. That whole county was actually more Faerie than human lands, so it made perfect sense if you thought about it.

I had spent the last week and a half cleaning things up and making sure that all the loose ends were tied off. I had to make sure that Trinity and Reece weren’t implicated in this more than they were. They already had reporters poking their nose in on things, so we had to make sure that they stayed safe. And it wasn’t just me. The entire Colorado Springs office of the FBI consisted of members of the supernatural world. And we all wanted to make sure that our queen and king were safe. Novᴇ(l)Fɪre.net

At the moment, I was putting some finishing touches onto some of the paperwork. A lot of things had to be fabricated, but they would hold up to even the most in depth probes. I knew that there was nothing at all for me to worry about. This was going to be as open and shut as all the previous cases.

Yeah, OK, this case had taken a lot longer to close, but there was nothing to leave up in the air. Everything was settled. The criminals confessed. And the threat was gone. The world was once again safe thanks to the collected efforts.

.....

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I heard Jackson’s surprised tone of voice as he called out in the pen. I was in my office, not paying much attention to the others.

“Hey, Jack.” That was a familiar voice that I didn’t expect to hear.

“Harris?” I said as I rose to my feet and hurried toward the other part of the building. I hadn’t even scented him coming into the building. Then again, being a Djinn, he didn’t have a strong odor. He was often able to get past a lot of werewolves and other shifters. I knew his scent though, and it was hard to mistake. Once you pick up on it that is. He smelled like rich and exotic spices and a hint of liquor. He was definitely an acquired taste, or uhm, smell.

“Hey Raw, how have you been?” He asked me as he came in for a hug. Harris had been like family to me. And if it wasn’t for him sending me to check out the kidnappings all those years ago, then I wouldn’t have met David and mated with him. He was the reason that I had my mate.

“I am good. I’m really good. Especially with these murders finally stopped for good. How has Lydia been? And the rest of the family.” Like me, Harris was mated to his soulmate. She was a witch by the name of Lydia, and they had four children that had long since grown up. The witches, warlocks, and other magic folks had already enjoyed long lives before Trinity made us immortal. Now we all enjoyed that along with him.

“They are doing great.” He smiled while pulling away from me. I saw that he was moving to sit in the chair across from my desk, so I wanted to sit as well. We could talk about whatever he needed to tell me, then I could invite him to dinner with David and the kids. They loved seeing their Uncle Terrie.

“So, Harris, what brings you here?” I asked him with a calm and cool expression. It made me a little nervous when he looked behind him, rose from his chair to close the door, and then sat back down again. He didn’t want this conversation heard. And he knew that my office was sound proofed. Mostly so that the supernaturally good at hearing wouldn’t eavesdrop on me. And he was wanting to make sure of that now as well. “What is it, Terrie? Tell me what is going on? Th..there aren’t more murders, are there?” I felt like there was a brick of ice that just fell into my stomach. It was huge, kept me from breathing properly, and it froze me from the inside out.

“No, there are no murders.” He assured me with a smile, but the look was strained. Whatever was happening here, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. At least I didn’t need to add more deaths to the issue that was plaguing my friend and boss.

“So, Harris, go on and spit it out. Don’t keep me in suspense so long. I will die of anticipation if you do that.” That got a smile and a light chuckle out of him, but it died out all too soon, and the expression on his face turned from jovial to pained.

“Alright Rawlynne, I am not going to beat around the bush here. We have a problem.” He looked up then and I saw that his smile was completely gone, as was any of the light that was in his eyes. They had gone dark and filled with worry and anger. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew that it was affecting him deeply, and that made me instantly hate it.

“A problem?” I asked in a probing tone, hoping to get him talking some more. When it didn’t work, I spoke again. “What sort of problem, Harris?” I asked him as I started to tap my foot anxiously. It was either that or getting up to pace. I usually hide my anxieties a lot better, but this felt like it was beyond me.

“Well, some people have noticed some things that we never intended them to see. For one thing, there are certain big wigs that are above my head that asked me why I allowed you to bring Trinity and Reece in on the investigation, along with their slew of private detectives. They are questioning my abilities to lead and whether or not I should be left in charge of the office. And whether or not they shouldn’t just fire the entire crew that I employ, if they can’t do their jobs.” His blue green eyes were shining with fury and anger as he said that. “I don’t have a problem stepping down. Hell, I have been planning it for a while. I am not getting older, but I ought to be. And the fact that I still look so young in my line of work, people are wondering if there might be something going on here.”

“So, they are suspicious of you and me.” I asked him in a tone that was barely holding back my anger.

“Not you yet, Rawlynne. Right now, they are focusing on me. I am going to do my best to minimize the effects of what is going on. I don’t want others getting into trouble for this, and like I said, I wanted to retire soon anyway. I can take some time and reinvent my life before I rejoin the workforce in about thirty or forty years. Maybe even fifty. Enough time that anyone that knows me right now will no longer be around and working. Well, none of the humans anyway.”

“Harris?” I sounded a lot like I felt. Pissed off and angry with a little bit of pity thrown in. “You can just tell them that it was me. I will come up with something to tell them. Don’t throw away your career.”

“No, it’s time, Rawlynne, trust me. And the time will come for you as well. We can’t hide what we are from the humans forever. And that means that we need to take time away from the public eyes and pretend to pass on. Then we become someone else. We can have a similar name, and we will be listed as a descendant of the person that we used to be. There is nothing wrong with it, Rawlynne. I have done it before, and I can do it again.”

“I am sorry, Harris. I didn’t mean to have this affect your life at all.”

“No, it’s OK. Just, be on guard, OK?” He looked a little apprehensive as he said that. “I don’t know if they will be satisfied with me. If they come after you as well, Rawlynne, I will support you anyway that I can. Even if I have retired by then. I won’t let them do anything to you.”

“Harris, y..you don’t think that they would be able to figure out the truth, do you? You don’t think that they will be able to tell that we aren’t humans, do you?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “The world isn’t the same as it was before, but there was a time when people believed in all of our kinds. They didn’t care if it was a legend or not, they knew it to be true. If history truly does repeat itself, then they are bound to find out eventually, I just hope that we’re ready for it when they do.”

His words rang with an ominous truth that made me shiver. What would happen if the humans did know about us? What will it mean?