Chapter 31 Chapter 31

Chapter 31 Chapter 31
_Leon’s POV_

I left Talia’s house feeling sick.

The moment I stepped outside and the front door closed behind me, the fake expression disappeared from my face completely. My jaw tightened so hard it hurt. Rage burned through my chest like poison.

Shadow growled darkly inside me. She enjoyed humiliating us.

“I know.”

I could still feel the cold marble floor beneath my knees. I could still hear Beta Taylor ordering me to beg while Talia stood there pretending to cry.

My hands clenched into fists.

One day, they would regret this.

Every single one of them.

But right now, revenge had to wait. I needed proof first. Without proof, nobody would believe me. They already thought I had lost my mind.

I got inside my car and drove through the dark streets silently. My thoughts kept circling around the same thing.

The doctor.

The doctor had been the only person who could expose Talia. He was the only witness who knew the truth about Anya’s fake poisoning. Then suddenly he died before he could speak.

That was not a coincidence.

I refused to believe it.

“He was murdered,” I muttered.

Shadow agreed immediately. Talia silenced him.

“Yes. But how?”

Heart attack.

That stupid report still made no sense to me.

The doctor had looked perfectly healthy when I met him. He was nervous and a bit frightened. But not like a man about to die.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “No matter what anyone says, I know something happened in that house.”

Then go find proof.

That was exactly what I intended to do.

About twenty minutes later, I reached the doctor’s neighborhood again. The streets were quiet and dark. Most houses already had their lights off.

I parked near the curb and stared at the doctor’s home. Yellow police tape still blocked the front gate. The house looked abandoned now.

I stepped out of the car and walked toward the property carefully. The gate was locked. Every window had been sealed from the inside and the front door was shut tightly.

I looked around the yard slowly.

If the doctor had truly been murdered, then maybe the killers had made a mistake. Maybe they had left something behind.

I searched carefully around the garden first. Then near the windows. I even checked beside the garbage bins and the side path leading behind the house.

But there was nothing....no evidence.

The night air felt cold against my skin as frustration built inside me.

“Damn it.”

Shadow stayed alert inside me. Think carefully.

“I am trying.”

I walked slowly around the property again while forcing myself to calm down. If there had been foul play, then someone had entered this house before the doctor died.

Someone dangerous....someone desperate enough to silence him forever.

My eyes moved toward the neighboring houses. That was when I noticed it; a security camera.

I froze.

The house directly across from the doctor’s property had two cameras attached near the roof. One pointed toward the street and part of the doctor’s front yard.

My pulse quickened instantly.

Maybe….Maybe they had recorded something.

Hope surged through me so suddenly that I immediately crossed the street. Lights were still on inside the neighboring house.

I walked up the pathway and rang the bell. A few moments later, the door opened slowly.

An elderly man stood there. He was wearing glasses and a grey sweater. Behind him, I could see an older woman peeking curiously from the hallway.

“Yes?” the old man asked cautiously.

I forced a tired expression onto my face. “Good evening. I am sorry to disturb you this late.”

The man studied me carefully. “Can I help you?”

I nodded. “I was a close friend of Doctor Mike.”

That part was not entirely a lie.

The old man’s expression softened immediately. “Oh… poor man. Such a terrible thing.”

His wife sighed sadly from behind him. “He was such a kind person.”

I lowered my head slightly. “Yes. He was.”

The old man opened the door a little wider. “What do you need, son?”

I forced concern into my face. “Actually… after the doctor passed away, someone broke into his house.”

The old woman gasped loudly. “What?”

I nodded grimly. “Some valuable items are missing. I was hoping your cameras may have captured something.”

The couple looked horrified instantly.

“That is disgusting,” the old woman said angrily. “People nowadays have no shame at all. Stealing from a dead man?”

The old man shook his head. “Doctor Mike helped so many people in this neighborhood. He treated my wife for free several times when we struggled financially.”

My chest tightened slightly.

They did not know that behind that kind smile, the doctor had been greedy enough to sell his conscience for money. He had even helped Talia frame Anya because she paid him well enough to betray the truth.

“I know,” I said quietly. “That is why I want to find whoever did this.”

The old man exchanged a glance with his wife before nodding slowly. “Of course. Come inside.”

I instantly felt relieved. “Thank you.”

They led me into a warm living room filled with old furniture and family pictures. The old woman immediately started talking while the man moved toward a computer desk.

“This world is becoming terrible,” she muttered. “First the poor doctor dies suddenly and now thieves rob his home.”

I forced myself to nod sympathetically even though my entire focus was on the computer.

The old man sat down and adjusted his glasses. “Our cameras record everything outside. Let me pull up the footage.”

My heart began pounding harder. Please let there be something.

The footage appeared on the screen. The quality surprised me immediately. Even during nighttime, the image remained sharp and clear. The camera showed most of the doctor’s front yard and driveway.

Perfect.

The old man clicked through several dates. “When exactly did the robbery happen?”

“I am not sure,” I lied smoothly. “Maybe one night after his death or the same night.”

“Well,” the man said, “we can check.”

I stood beside him while trying to stay calm. Minutes passed as we reviewed footage. Cars drove by. People walked dogs. There was nothing unusual.

Then finally, I saw myself appear on the screen.

I froze.

The footage showed my car arriving outside the doctor’s house the night I visited him. I watched myself walk to the front door before disappearing inside.

The old woman frowned slightly. “That was you?”

“Yes,” I answered quickly. “I came to check on him.”

My eyes narrowed at the screen.

If I arrived around that time…

Then what happened earlier?

“Can you rewind about an hour before that?” I asked carefully.

The old man nodded and dragged the footage backward.

Then suddenly…

A black SUV appeared on the screen.

My body stiffened instantly.

The vehicle parked outside the doctor’s house. Several men stepped out.

There were at least eight of them.

My pulse quickened sharply.

The men moved quickly toward the house. Some wore dark hoodies while others had caps pulled low over their faces. Even through the screen, something about them looked dangerous.

The old woman frowned. “Those men look suspicious.”

“Yes,” I said slowly.

Very suspicious.

The men entered the doctor’s house. Then the footage continued. Ten minutes later, they came back out.

One of them looked around carefully before getting inside the SUV again. Then the vehicle drove away.

The old man shook his head. “Maybe they were the burglars.”

But I barely heard him anymore. Because I was staring at one of the men. He had dark hair, a sharp jaw and a tall build.

I knew that face.

My heartbeat slammed violently against my ribs.

Where had I seen him before?

Think.

Think.

Shadow growled suddenly inside me. Fireblood.

My eyes widened.

Then I remembered. Yess...he was Dominic. Jacob's Beta.

I almost stopped breathing due to the shock.

No.

That was impossible.

I leaned closer to the screen and replayed the footage again in slow motion. The image became clearer.

It was definitely him: Dominic.

I had met him personally when I went to the Fireblood Pack.

“What is wrong?” the old man asked.

I quickly forced my face back under control. “Nothing. I just… thought one of the men looked familiar.”

But my mind was spiraling wildly now.

Why would Dominic be at the doctor’s house?

Why would Jacob’s Beta visit the doctor only an hour before his death?

That was not a coincidence.

No.

Absolutely not.

Shadow growled darkly. They killed him.

I swallowed hard. The realization made my stomach twist.

Dominic and those men had gone there for a reason. And shortly afterward, the doctor ended up dead. That meant Jacob’s pack was somehow involved.

But why?

I stared at the paused image of Dominic’s face.

“What are you hiding?” I whispered.

The old couple exchanged confused glances.

I forced myself to straighten up. “Thank you for showing me this footage.”

“Did it help?” the old woman asked hopefully.

“Yes,” I said slowly. “More than you realize.”

The old man nodded kindly. “I hope you catch whoever stole from the doctor.”

I forced a faint smile. “So do I.”

A few minutes later, I left the house and returned to my car. But the moment I shut the door behind me, my calm expression shattered completely. My breathing turned uneven.

None of this made sense.

Why would Jacob’s Beta be connected to the doctor’s death?

And more importantly…

What did Jacob gain from silencing the doctor?

I gripped the steering wheel tightly while thoughts crashed through my mind one after another.

Unless…

Unless Jacob already knew about Anya.

Unless he knew that she had been framed.

But that only created more questions.

Why would he help Talia?

There had to be some connection between them.

Talia could not possibly order men from another powerful pack around unless someone important was backing her.

But why would Jacob risk his own Beta for her?

Jacob was not stupid. He would never involve Dominic in murder unless the reason was extremely important.

My chest tightened.

“What are you planning?” I muttered darkly.

Shadow’s voice turned grim inside me. We are missing something important.

“Yes.”

Something huge.

I leaned back against the seat while replaying every moment in my head.

Talia framing Anya.

The doctor dying.

Dominic secretly visiting the doctor before his death.

None of it felt random anymore.

It felt connected.

But I still could not see the full picture.

And somehow…

That frightened me more than anything else.