Chapter 71 Chapter 71
Alpha Jacob's POV.
Twenty-four hours passed and Bella had not returned back from pavlopetri city she had gone to visit with her new estranged mother.
Don't get me wrong, I was happy a blood relative had returned to her life who might shed more light on her strange abilities and dazes… but it was Bella leaving the pack with a woman she barely knew that was very frustrating. I loved her greatly but it was the way she objected to me refusing her to leave that got me angry at first but now I was restless that my mate was not by my side.
A day without her felt like torture to the soul while I tirelessly searched for her with the help of the pack but surprisingly she came back with a pack of Rogues and Epsilon Emilio following her like a pack of senseless dogs.
At first, it was strange to witness such an odd incident but then I remembered that she was a hybrid, able to command an army with just her hypnotic voice. But why did she look like that, messy and tired? I scuffed my hair with a smile because I was delighted to see her unharmed.
I wondered what other powers she possessed since her mother was a siren.
I sighed a sigh of relief but soon got worried when she weakly fell into my welcoming arms and passed out lifelessly.
Epsilon Emilio walked up to me looking somewhat spelled and shockingly confessed to his terrible crimes.
He killed my first mate Avery because of selfish sentiments and I could not bring myself to understand why he did it because as soon as he had made his horrendous confession, he snapped out of what seemed like a trance and tried to escape.
"Warriors, arrest this man and lock him up in the dungeon together with his Rogues," I commanded with a serious gaze before carrying Bella to the infirmary.
Hours later, she gained consciousness and smiled weakly, and told me how much she missed me and I did the same, relinquishing all the anger I had after the slight misunderstanding we had before she left.
What was a relationship without a lover's quarrel? Besides even the telenovela soaps we watched, had them.
Thank you, Goddess, I sighed softly even though I had a tough decision to make concerning Epsilon Emilio.
The news of him being Avery's killer angered me greatly but I never wanted to cry over spilled milk but would rather be thankful for Bella's safe return… Elder Emilio needed to be used as an example to the pack members who wanted to conspire against me in the future, and banishing such a kind of wickedness was the best antidote to such an act.
Imagine what could have happened to me just receiving the shocking news that my second chance mate has been murdered by unknown people? My whole world would have shuttered in a blink of an eye.
I lovingly stroked Bella's hand in the infirmary while I waited for her to recuperate her strength. I sat beside the bed while I pondered my mixed emotions about everything that went on in the pack. I put my selfish desires first before everyone else and that is why the Rogue's tireless visits were encouraged by my very own elder.
I heaved a sigh while looking at the wall clock. Time was of the essence because Bella was not awake after waiting for what seemed like an eternity.
The doctor had said that all she needed was rest and lots of fluids hence he attached a running IV to her vein.
Suddenly, the door creaked on its hinges and opened. I peeked at it and Gamma Nick solemnly walked into the room.
He walked closer to me and glanced at Bella momentarily before arching his back to my level. "Alpha, everything has been put in place." Gamma Nick whispered in my ear, then nodded his head in submission and hurriedly walked out.
It was time, the auspicious hour was fast approaching… Everything in the werewolf kingdom had to be done at the right auspicious time so that you do not anger the moon goddess… I leaned in and lightly pressed my lips on her forehead, kissing her before walking out of the room to go question Emilio's misdeeds in the holding cell…
In the holding cell…
"Emilio, you worked with my father diligently but why did you have to kill Avery?" I snarled viciously in the old hag's face who did not seem to be concerned by what was going on.
"Alpha, do your worst. I have confessed my sins and I know what follows next." He snickered without remorse.
His response was agitating and rude but I knew there was more to his admission than what he had confessed.
Who did he work with apart from the Rogues? Such a question was only to be answered by him, but he kept his mouth shut no matter how much pain I inflicted on him while I made an effort to get answers out of his stubborn self...
Massaging my tempos with one hand, I grew impatient with Elder Emilio's answers to why he killed Avery.
All his reasoning was utter nonsense.
"Elder Emilio, you have left me no choice but to publicly banish you from the pack." I sighed heavily and then walked out of the prison cell. I ordered the warriors to drag Emilio behind me to the square garden for his public banishing ritual.
"Alpha, lady Bella has awakened and asked for your presence." Gamma Nick spoke in a low voice while assisting me with my ceremonial clock.
"Send Beta Olivia to her side and tell her I will be with her in a few minutes," I responded with a sense of concern for Bella's safety.
"Yes, Alpha," Nick responded and assigned one of the many warriors who surrounded me to pass on the message to Olivia…
I strolled into the center of the clearing, surrounded by the members of the pack who had received the news of Emilio's betrayal to the pack with mixed emotions.
"Alpha, your robe," Nick said then assisted me in wearing it.
The ceremonial robes I wore together with my elders, were adorned with intricate symbols and imbued with the power of the ancient spirits. Before me stood Epsilon Emilio, a once-respected elder of the pack who had committed the gravest of sins.
"kneel," I growled. Emilio smirked and then plunged to his knees.
His presence alone disgusted me and I wished to revenge my Avery with his blood but him being an Epsilon, forbade me to commit such a heinous act of brutality on an elder who was once an advisor to the throne.
Emilio had killed Avery, my first mate, in order to secure the position of Luna for his own daughter, Samantha.
He was lucky he was once an elder of the pack, otherwise, the things I would have done to him would have been the things you only read in horror novels.
"Alpha, word has gone around about Emilio's misdeeds, and I hear his allies are rallying the pack members to fight your decision." Gamma Nick abruptly whispered to my ear from behind me.
"I would like to see them try." I scoffed at this revelation because I foresaw this as the pack had been thrown into turmoil in the few hours the news has spread… with many of the members refusing to believe that their trusted elder could be capable of such a heinous act. I sneered with a serious gaze then glanced into Emilio's cold-blooded eyes.
In the crowd of people, there stood my royal pack members and those who were not. I clenched my jaws and fists because I had seen the truth in Emilio's eyes, and I knew that justice must be served.
Now, I stood before the pack, raised my arms, and began to chant in a language that few of my pack members understood. The air around me grew thick with the power of the spirits, and the ground beneath my feet began to shake.
Everyone around me murmured with fright expressions on their faces.
Emilio stood stoically, refusing to show any sign of fear or remorse. It's like he knew what was coming, and he accepted his fate. But the other pack members looked on in disbelief, some still clinging to the hope that their beloved elder would be spared.
My chant reached its climax, and the pack members joined in as per tradition, their voices rising in unison. The ritual was a powerful one, designed to send Emilio far away from our territory and prevent him from ever returning. But as the chanting reached its climax, a commotion erupted at the edge of the clearing while I pointed a finger at Emilio, and a beam of light shot forth from my finger, striking the elder squarely in the chest, engraving a banishing symbol on his chest... The midnight pack's imprint faded into his skin.
Emilio let out a cry of pain as his body began to convulse.
Samantha, Emilio's daughter, burst through the mass, tears streaming down her face. "Stop!" she cried out. "It wasn't my father's fault! He was under the control of the Rogue's pack!"