The Genius Delta
Chapter 13 - Silvercloud

I felt terrible for Hana. Honestly, I do, but at the same time, she knows I'm not her mate, and I can’t and won't fault Persephone for what she did. Show me a werewolf who would shrug off someone throwing themselves at their mate, especially their unmarked mate, and I'll show you that you're really on a movie set, and it's just make-believe. No werewolf would be chill about that. Mila was bad enough trying to touch and flirt with me. But she didn't push the limit of Persephone’s patience by trying to kiss me. Even if I knew Hana would kiss my cheek, Persephone didn't.

I'm glad Logan and Aurelia didn't get angry at Persephone. Not that I'd have expected Aurelia to, she was the first person to put Hana in her place. Plus, she’s had to put horny bitches in their place when it comes to Logan. She understands all too well that you can't let others try to force themselves between you and your mate. And while it's a hard lesson, it's one Hana needs to learn. So I might have left Persephone to the metaphoric wolves, but I know Logan won't do anything. Even if it was his daughter she put on her ass, Persephone is his future Delta female and the sister- in-law of our ally Alec. So she’s fine, and my brain laser-focused on wanting to dig into Mila's background more. Jaci and I both had a gut feeling about that girl, which wasn't good.

I don't have an official office at the packhouse. I suppose I should be sharing an office with Charles and John, or more likely, I should be sharing an office with Charles while John shares with Logan or gets his own, but that's beside the point. I've never needed an office of my own. I don't officially meet with anyone to require one. I think my office at Silvercloud HQ is a waste of lab space, but I was told I needed it for appearances.

So I went to Logan's to use his computer and dig into Mila. It didn't take me very long to find her request for permission to be within Bloodmoon territory for the three-month internship program. We only had three requests for this year on file. Persephone and Delilah, of course, are the other two. I've already looked at Persephone’s request when I was researching her.

I started scanning Mila’s file looking for anything that stood out. And then I saw it. I saw one word that made my blood freeze. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, wishing the word would disappear or change to anything else. But there it was, staring at me, and it was probably my imagination, but I think it was laughing. The word in a p*f on a computer is laughing at me.

I quickly jumped up from the chair, my heart beating irregularly as I glanced at the computer and that word taunting me. Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps I remembered things wrong. I know I'm not. I wouldn't forget that word, EVER. But I needed confirmation. And suddenly, feeling more like the scared boy I was when I first came to Bloodmoon than a grown-ass man who's now the Delta of the pack, I rushed to the office's doorway.

“LOGAN! Get in here!” I shouted, needing him to calm me down.

Shit, I haven't needed Logan like this since I was eight, and the nightmares that plagued me of the massacre of my birth pack finally stopped. I haven't had a nightmare, at least of the massacre. It took two years of therapy with Charles and a sleep device I invented to work through my nightmares and turn them into something else. But right now, I feel like I'm in a waking nightmare. “Silvercloud? What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost.” Logan frowned as he entered the office, Persephone right on his heels.

She doesn’t know me even a fraction as well as Logan, but even she seems to know something is wrong. There's worry in her green eyes, and it's like she’s resting the urge to hug me. If that word is on that file, I will need many hugs.

“I need you to look at the file and tell me if I'm seeing things.” I pointed to the laptop.

“Um... okay. I can't imagine what would be in a file to make you this out of sorts.” Logan frowned as he patted my arm to walk around me.

“Jonathan?” Persephone asked, her voice soft and laced with concern as she stepped closer and took my hand. “What's going on?”

“I... want to be wrong.” I shook my head. “Tell me I'm wrong, Logan. Say I'm overworked and losing my mind and should see an optometrist or schedule a session with Charles to get my head shrunk.” I pleaded as I looked at my Alpha, brother, and quasi-father figure.

Logan frowned as he looked at the p*f. I don't know if that frown is because he sees what I saw or that he’s still a slow reader. I should have highlighted the word, but I didn’t want to because somehow that could make it real. His frown turned into a scowl and a low growl. Shit, shit, shit. That means I didn't see things.

“Want to clue a girl in? What's going on? What does the file on Mila say?” Persephone asked. “Demonclaw,” Logan growled the vile word.

I shuddered involuntarily as he saw the word. I haven't heard that name since I was a kid. The mention of it essentially became taboo. I'm sure some people may have still said it, whispered it, but always away from me.

“Um, hello. Not from here. Who or what is Demonclaw? And why is everyone losing their shit?” Persephone asked

Logan looked at me with rare sympathy in his eyes as he sighed.

“Do you want me to tell her? That way, you don't have to.’ Logan offered through the link.

It was a nice gesture. Logan knows that talking about it hurts me, like someone wanting Kurt to discuss Seigfried. Under any other circumstances, I'd have let Logan explain, but Persephone isn't just anyone, she’s mine, and it would be cowardly for me to let my Alpha explain my life story.

“I told you that my parents died when I was young. About how my pack was massacred.” I sighed, instinctively squeezing her hand.

"Yes. So was Demonclaw your birth pack or the ones that attacked?” Persephone asked, squeezing my hand back, leveraging the bond to try and offer me an anchor.

“They...they are the ones that attacked my back,” I confirmed.

"And you didn't end that pack? Or at least end their Alpha?” Persephone’s gaze locked on Logan. "Or were you not the Alpha yet?”

“I was the Alpha when Silvercloud came to us.” Logan nodded. “It's not all that simple. Jacira told us it was Demonclaw, and I believed her. We went to what was left of Wildclaw to search for survivors and to catch some Demonclaw warriors, hopefully.”

"And? I won't say you did nothing since you gave Jonathan sanctuary in your pack. But come on. Alec at least ripped Ignazio's head off and avenged my parents.” Persephone arched her brow. “There were no survivors—just me. I'm the last of the Wildclaw pack. They found a massive pile of ashes from where all the bodies had been burned. Nothing around the pack village indicated that Demonclaw or even werewolves attacked us. The only scents were from the Wildclaw pack.” I explained, closing my eyes.

"So they covered their tracks. Weren't their signs of the struggle? Paw prints to show it was another pack?” Persephone pressed.

"All we found was the ashes of the dead. They erased themselves from the village completely. I had my best trackers scouring every inch of the village and out twenty miles.” Logan explained.

“That doesn't seem possible. To cover up an attack like that would require not only manpower but a lot of strategies and possibly witchcraft.” Persephone frowned.

“We found nothing that indicated it was a werewolf pack that attacked. I still went to Demonclaw and demanded answers.” Logan said. “I met with their Alpha Lucian Buri. He said he didn't know what I was talking about and told me to go home before he sent me there in a body bag.” Logan snorted.

“I was ready to fight him then and there. He wouldn't have been the first or the last to underestimate. He'd be the second in the time of me being Alpha I'd have put in his place.” Logan sighed.

“So why didn't you? I've heard a lot about your wolf. I've been told about the Bloodmoon wolf and how the Bloodmoon spirit is as powerful as Darkness and Light. That Bloodmoon is the brother of Darkness. If you possess such an extraordinary wolf, why didn’t you?” Persephone demanded. “Because of Silvercloud,” Logan admitted.

"What do you mean? I may have been six, but I'd have cheered you the fuck on to take the head of the Alpha who ordered the destruction of my people. The one responsible for me being an orphan.” I furrowed my brow because that was a part of this story I didn’t know.

“It was for your safety.” Logan ran his hand through his hair.

“As far as Demonclaw and anyone else was concerned, the Wildclaw pack was extinct. We had no evidence linking the Demonclaw to the attack beyond your mother's word. But if we revealed that Jacira came to us, we'd have revealed you survived. To this day, we don't know why Demonclaw attacked. They are in Vancouver with plenty of territory and far enough away from the Wildclaw.” He sighed.

“So, to avoid revealing my identity and possibly giving Demonclaw a reason to attack Bloodmoon, you left.” I nodded.

“It was more John's idea than mine. I figured if I killed Lucian, his pack couldn't do shit, but John was diplomatic and said without evidence that didn't involve putting you in the line of fire, we should back off.” Logan sighed.

“And he was right. As eager for blood as I was, I wouldn't do anything that put you in danger. I promised Jacira to protect you, and I don't break promises.” He shrugged. “So we dropped it and kept your connection to Wildclaw a secret.”

"Okay... so I guess I can't fault you for that. You chose to protect Jonathan.” Persephone sighed. “But back to why that pack is mentioned in Mila's file. Are you saying that's her pack?”

"Yes. According to Mila's request form, she is from Demonclaw.” Logan nodded. “She was only a toddler when Silvercloud's pack was attacked. So not like she's at fault for the damage caused.” “But that does mean we need to keep a closer eye on her.” I agreed.

“If she finds out who you are...” Persephone gasped.

“Exactly. If this girl finds out that Jonny Weaver is Jonathan Silvercloud, it could be reported back to Demonclaw, and depending on how vindictive they are, and it could lead to war.” Logan nodded. “But won't she also recognize the surname Weaver? Silvercloud was his mother's surname, but Weaver was his father's. Her being at the office, let alone the territory, is dangerous, period.” Persephone shook her head.

“That's possible, but of my parents, my mother's family was more well known. Plus, my father wasn't originally from Wildclaw.” I pointed out.

“Not to mention kicking her out of the program and the territory would only raise suspicions.” Logan sighed. “I'm going to pull Azriel from Sarael guard duties and include Cillian MacCarthy to watch Mila’s every move.” Logan started putting a plan together.

It made sense to pick a Delaney, and Cillian was also a good choice. He's shown himself to be a highly skilled warrior and spy. Cillian may not be able to turn himself invisible, but he can hide his scent using some pheromone the FireClaw pack designed, and his gift of x-ray vision would help track her without being too close.

“I'll also give them access to the tracking program on her work tablet and provide which temporary residence she’s been assigned,” I said. It was a good start. I'll have to be extra careful from this point on regarding her.

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