Chapter 16 Truth Comes To Light
Xander
This cannot be happening!
I'm in my private office, pacing, angry and frustrated. I have tried confronting the Royal Council once, but they are adamant about keep Vanessa there.
I run a hand through my hair, almost tugging it from the roots.
My wolf is silent still, and I've tried reaching out but he remains silent, I feel a simmering of undercurrent rage and there's nothing I can do to ease it off, because I feel no different.
"Xanny, this isn't going to help, Nessa. What we need to do now is to brainstorm on what we're going to do next," Max voices after patiently watching me for the past hour - legs crossed and slender arms folded over his chest.
He's right. I need to get it together if I'm to get her out of there soon.
"What do you propose we do then?" I ask after I will myself to calm down.
He snaps his fingers as if suddenly remembering something. "Surveillance. Let's start from there."
I frown. "Surveillance?"
"Yes. The magical surveillance which you installed in the hallways a few days ago," he reminds me.
Oh, yes. Of course. I do remember doing that because of the unsettling feeling I had been having then of being watched by someone, or something.
"Thank you. We can start investigating from there, but this stays between us. We can't really trust anyone right now. You know that, right?"
"Of course."
Good. "Alright. Now let's–" I pause mid-sentence at the blaring of the alarm.
That's the sound of the magical alarm set in place, surrounding the dungeons.
Max and I exchange a glance for a second, then we're dashing out of the door in the next.
It better be not what I'm thinking...
When I get to the dungeons, I see the guards whispering harshly to each other but their conversations seize as soon as I appear.
One look at them and I know she's no longer in the cell.
"Where is she?"
They mumble something and a sharp look from me makes one of them respond clearly. 'We have no idea, your Highness. But we're actively looking around the surrounding areas now."
Damn it, Vanessa!
Without another word, I spin on my heels and rush out of the building. That's when I smell her. Then I'm running through the tall, overgrown grasses until I catch sight of her back turned towards me.
I slide up to her and wrap an arm around her waist, pressing her back firmly against my chest. Then I lean into her, the smell of lavender washing over my senses. I growl into her ear, "You're in big trouble, Firecracker." I revel in the shiver that courses through her, and my wolf purrs.
She turns around, still in my arms. "Please, you have to let me go. Something's not right here and I need to know what."
As much as I want to, I can't do that now. Future King or not, there's a decades-long system of procedures established here, and I can't break it when it's my turn. "I might believe you, but the Royal Council doesn't. Running away only makes you look guilty."
"But...I have to prove my innocence somehow," her brows furrow.
"You will. I will and I'll get you out of there," I promise. "For now, you'll have to stay there."
She looks up at me, her tongue darting out to lick her lower lip and my eyes follow the movement involuntarily. "Okay," she whispers.
I tighten my hold on her for a few moments, before leading her back to the dungeons, then march out with renewed rage.
For the next few days, Max and I work endlessly into gathering the evidences needed to free Vanessa, while simultaneously checking up on her at least once a day.
We watch, we survey and try to sniff out anyone or anything that seems suspicious or out of order.
We especially keep a close eye on Melissa; her activities, her friends, whomever she relates with. It had been made known to me that she had been the one to report seeing the object in Vanessa's room.
Seated in one of the armed chairs in my private office with a cup of coffee while looking through one of the files we had, Max bursts into the room, wide-eyed and angry.
"What's wrong?"
"You remember Melissa's statement about her going into Vanessa's room to apologize and how it corresponds with the footage?"
"Yes? And?" I urge.
"Well, there was something we missed." He plays the footage, zooming in on a particular part. "You see here? There's something in her hands that was hidden and we overlooked that." Truly, something was carefully concealed in her hand, but even at that, she didn't look around suspiciously. She must've been convinced that no eyes were on her at that moment.
"How did you find this?"
Max cleared his throat, adjusting an invisible tie. "Well, according to my detective instincts, something smelled fishy about the smoothness of it all, especially the footage. So I headed over to my man, Lucas, y'know the techie? He analyzed the footage and let me know that some parts of it had been cut and edited. It took hours but he finally got it restored and it's now as clear as daylight."
I've always known Melissa is in love with me - has been for a very long time - but it was her competence that allowed me to ignore her feelings and allowed her to keep her job.
I go to give him a heavy pat on the back, my lips tilting up in a genuine smile. "Excellent work, brother. Now, we've got a shewolf to handle."
"Oh, she's as good as dead."
In the next thirty minutes, Melissa gets captured and is brought before the Royal Council. She tries to deny it all but with concrete evidence, she can't escape.
"With the power vested in me, I banish you, Melissa, daughter of Zane, from the MoonVeil Pack to live the rest of your life as a rogue." I pass the verdict, and without a backward glance, dash to the dungeons, Max following right behind me.
With one look from me, the guard immediately lets her out and scurries off.
Vanessa's blue eyes fill with tears, then she sniffs with a wide smile taking over her features. She looks beautiful, even in her tired state.
She jumps up and runs up to us, but the growing smile on my face slips as she bounds into the arms of Max and gives him a loud peck on the cheek.
He laughs and ruffles her hair with a fondness that makes my eye twitch.
A possessive growl rips from my throat and I yank her away from him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"