Chapter 106 - LUNA'S BAGGAGE

Power in exchange for silence. Why would a selfish man like Martin say no to such an eye-catching proposal? I probably would do the same thing. The truth is, he wasn't going to say anything. After all, what did human lives have to do with him? Sacrificing puny humans for the greater good of his people wasn't a bad thing. Just like most of the werewolf community, he hated humans. It didn't matter to him whether they lived or not.

He was only going to say hi and be on his way when an anxious king decided to bribe him with a higher position. The king's guilty conscience was working overtime. For an ambitious man like Martin, this was as if manna had fallen from heaven right into his lap. Why would he refuse such a blessing? He was no saint. So, in the presence of Dr. Hann, he swore not to let anyone know what he had heard on that day.

If the king knew he had gone through all that for nothing, what would he say? He nearly went on his knees to plead with Martin not to say anything. All that trouble to please an insatiable man had been in vain. It was true that the council members had equal standing, but that was before the king had decided to butter up Martin. Martin, on the other hand, was more than happy to be an important person.

As much as Martin tried to explain that he had worked hard for his position in the council, he was just the little servant boy that the king had felt pity for. None of them treated him right but, unexpectedly, everything changed. It started with small things, someone getting scolded because Martin wasn't pleased with their actions, then it changed to punishment.

Slowly, Martin realized just how much power he wielded in the council and the once ambitious man turned into an obnoxious power-hungry ass wipe. The king let him do anything he wanted out of fear that his secret would be revealed, never once batting an eyelid. Not even when a council member ended up dead. "He was annoying anyway. I will finally get you that replacement you've always wanted."

The business with Dr. Hann boomed, he was called aside and was handsomely awarded. According to the king, none of this would have been possible had Martin told on them back then. "Instead of doing all this, why not give me a small number of shares in the business?" he chuckled. When he proposed the idea, he was ready to get his ass kicked but it went better than he had anticipated. He wasn't given the shares he asked for but he was promised a small percentage of the profit the hospital made. Otherwise, why would a man like him that nothing suddenly become rich?

Should the king be considered smart or foolish? He could have just killed on the first day, dead men told no tales after all. Martin simply had to exist and he would make money. Maybe it was because there was no loss to be made that he had no qualms about paying the guy. Hann did all the work yet he collected most of the money.

Why had the king kept him by his side all this while? Martin was enjoying the benefits of having insider information too much to think that far. He had money, power, and influence, all the things he longed for while doing dishes in the palace kitchens. With his new position, he abandoned his destined mate. A member of the werewolf council could not be mated to a servant omega. He wasn't short of girls throwing themselves at him. So, he went for the one with the most impressive background. His poor heartbroken mate had disappeared, never to be seen again.

When everything broke out, Martin was one of the first people to take note of it. No, it was Chris that saw it and reported it to him. Breaking into a cold sweat, he had called the king to let him know what had happened. The fear of being implicated was strong. What if he ended up in trouble? He wasn't one of the main culprits, but he had known about everything that was going on but had chosen personal benefits over the right thing. Things couldn't go wrong, a small fry like him wouldn't be able to survive if all hell broke loose.

The other members of the council were kept out of the loop of the shady dealings. Martin did not want anyone living as good a life as him, so he covertly asked around without making things obvious. When he was sure they had no idea what was the truth and what wasn't, he decided to use them to his benefit.

Seeking out Asher might have been the king's idea, but it was Martin who pushed for it. If it was possible, he was hoping to end the younger alpha before the whole thing blew up. That is why when the post went viral because of an additional comment, he lost it. Asher was making things harder. Too bad this time the king had not used his suggestion.

"Martin! Are we going to get Chris? Did the king think of a way to make Asher let him go?" Loud banging at the door woke him up from his thoughts. He still couldn't believe that the king had hung up on him. Usually, he went along with his ideas. "Elder Martin! Are you there? It is getting late already."

It was only when he looked out of the window that he realized why they were panicking. They had been kicked out of the Thompson Springs Pack early in the afternoon. The sky was already dark yet nothing had been done. "I remember specifically saying that no one should disturb me." He could not release his frustrations on the king but these idiots decided to throw themselves in his face.

"We are just worried, it is getting late already. Will Asher kill Chris? He doesn't seem to like us very much." While the council members were panicking on the other side of the door, Martin hoped that their prediction would come true.

He nearly laughed out loud at their hypocrisy. If they were that concerned about Chris, why hadn't any of them made a move to save him back there? Didn't they just miss having their errand boy around?

"We will go back and check for him tomorrow morning." His bad mood was suddenly lifted. He was thoughtful enough to give Asher more time to finish Chris off. He hoped he wouldn't let him down. He couldn't help but smile at himself, already imagining what would happen to Asher for the murder of a council member. "Hopefully we find him in good condition." Of course, he had to say some good words. People couldn't suspect him.

Despite everything going on, he went to bed in a good mood. He could not wait to make Asher pay for humiliating him over and over again. "Let us go get Chris. Poor boy must be so scared of that savage Asher." This was the first time he was up before everyone else. "I was so worried about the young man that I could barely sleep. I hope he is doing OK." Silence! He was expecting some kind of reaction. Weren't they worried the previous night?

He made it to the door by himself, "I guess I will go get him by myself." The fake determination in his voice was very convincing.

"Elder Martin, Chris is back. You should have heard him since you weren't asleep." It was only then that he noticed the weird looks. Used to walking with his head held high among them, he had failed to see a bruised Chris sitting among them drinking warm soup. Chris was back with nothing but a little bruising. His wish hadn't come true. How sad!

With irritation, he walked over to Chris. His rush movement knocked over the bowl of soup, making Chris wince in pain, but Martin did not care. He pulled him out of the seat before giving him a once-over. "Why are... how did you manage to escape? Surely, a hot-headed man like Asher couldn't just have let you go, right? What did he do to you?" He almost slipped up at the beginning.

"I escaped." Asher had let him go but they didn't need to know that.

"Why? I mean how?"Martin's voice was shrill. This was the second time he had slipped up, which made it more noticeable.

"What do you mean why? Did you hope that something bad would happen to me? Is that why you left me behind?" The other council members who would have jumped up to his defense were now looking at him in doubt. They could tell that Martin wasn't happy with Chris' return. They just didn't understand why.

"It is good that you are back. Get some rest."

None of them saw the glint in Chris' eye.