Chapter 77
Gradel
My father's burial was done in a hushed manner and today when I was supposed to rest from a backlog of stress that had piled up during the week and have a sober reflection, my mind was dominated with thoughts of yesterday's events.
I was bothered by the accusations made at her and it was hard for me to believe that she could do such a thing. She might be innocent-no, she should be innocent but all evidence pointed toward her and sadly, I didn't know how to defend her.
The guard that Hegar had spoken to concerning my father's death approached me, his gait slow and uncertain. I'd sent for him so that he could be properly interrogated.
It was time to hear from the horse's mouth.
"Good morning, Your Grace," He inclined his head, his hands behind him.
"Morning. I have questions for you," I went straight to the point. "Tell me everything you said to Hegar about my late father's death," I ordered.
He raised his face and shifted uncomfortably. His lips parted slightly as if he was at a loss of what to say, and then he scratched his head, his gaze wandering everywhere apart from my face.
My nerves were frayed and I was surviving on my last crumbs of patience. I didn't mind throwing him into the cell if he decided to test my patience.
"Speak, young man!" I barked when I couldn't hold it in any longer.
He bowed again and shifted his weight to the other foot. "I'm sorry, Your Grace. I was just caught off guard."
A snort left my lips before I could stop myself. "You were caught off guard? That means everything you told Hegar was a lie?" I moved a little closer to him.
He shook his head vehemently. "No, Prince, I just didn't-"
"Go straight to the point, damn it!"
My wolf was restless and cranky as he understood the capriciousness of the situation, coupled with the fact that I hadn't been giving him attention.
I couldn't remember the last time we went for a run.
"On that fateful morning, My Lady came to the late Alpha's chambers to see him. It was odd because she had never visited since that incident but I had to let her in because of her status. After some time she left for the toilet, stayed for a moment and returned to his room. We noticed nothing out of the ordinary until I heard a painful groan from the room. I didn't bother checking on him because he usually groans when he's in pain but after a while, it became more consistent and loud."
I palmed my face, mentally scolding myself for being so nonchalant. It was appalling that my father went through different stages of pain and I couldn't be there for him.
A small voice in my head tried to justify my actions but I silenced it, reminding myself that I was wrong.
"We tried to open the door but it wouldn't bulge and then there was silence. We were surprised, awestruck, even and we heard a scream from the future Luna that he had passed on." He concluded.
His explanation should have brought some enlightenment but I was more confused than before. I could have interpreted the method of murder to be that of suffocation but there was no traces of finger marks on his neck.
And Silas had affirmed that he was poisoned with a strange substance which wasn't from this pack.
I'd asked him to run a check-up on late Dalian as well and truthfully, I didn't want to know what would be the result of his diagnosis.
It would break my heart if I found out that the poison used on my father was the same given to Dalian.
Thinking of the Devil...
I dismissed the guard after thanking him for his input . My heart raced faster with each passing minute and I was almost forced to ask him to leave.
But the matter couldn't be postponed anymore. Whoever was behind the deaths of these people had to be found and sentenced gruesomely, not minding who they were.
'It shouldn't be you' I said to myself and braced up for Silas' report.
"Good morning, Prince Gradel. I hope you had a wonderful night's rest?" His question was rhetorical because anyone close to me knew that I was in a dilemma.
Without further ado, I asked, "What do you have on the case?"
He sighed and rubbed his palms. "I don't bring goodnews, Your Grace," He rarely smiled, but his countenance was dull, rather depressing.
"Bring it on," I sighed.
Slowly he opened his bag and produced a squeezed wrapping of a pastry. "I got this from late Dalian's mother who informed me that this was the same sweet he consumed before he started reacting to it and made my research." He paused, spiking my curiosity and lengthening the suspense.
"And?" I pressed on curtly.
"The leaves used in making this poison have gone extinct which means that the person in possession of the poison only has a few left. All he or she needs to kill his target is to add a little to their food or make them taste it and it will begin to work against their system. Your Grace, whoever has this poison won't rest until he or she wipes out everyone from this pack so we need to find the perpetrator soon."
I sprang to my feet and paced to and fro, pondering on who was capable of committing such a hideous act.
Only one person came to my mind but I didn't want to believe that she was capable of doing that who else had the ulterior motive?
She had no reason to like the pack after they treated her badly, but why did she have to show her true colors now?
"Argh!" I growled in frustration.
Thinking in this state wouldn't solve my problem as my wolf wasn't even in sync with my mind. And this could also mean that he was angry at me for suspecting our mate.
Enough! I had to go for a run and now.