Chapter 47 — Crime Equals Punishment

I followed Lucian into some sort of conference room. He was seething with anger. I grabbed his arm and rubbed it to keep him in check.

"Stay calm, love," I said in his mind.

"Alright, go ahead." Lucian folded his massive arms and commanded his Betas to report.

"As per your command, we have been scanning all the CCTV footage in the area around the burned-down cabin. We didn’t find any clues until we came upon a blurry image."

Damon darkened the room and started the projector. A few images appeared on the white screen. It was too blurry because of the darkness. But there was one image that seemed to have a bit of red among the thick foliage. On a first look, one might dismiss it as a flower or some bird.

Damon zoomed in, and there it was—the image of a human. I mean, not exactly human, but a shapeshifter in a human form. He or she was covered in a red hoodie. Nothing else was visible.

Lucian clenched his fists and growled.

"Is that all?"

"No, Alpha. This morning, we found a shredded red hoodie deep in the forest but not far from the cabin. It seemed to have been lying there for the last few days. Probably from the night the cabin burned down."

"And?" Lucian asked.

"We cannot smell anyone from it because it's been washed away by the rain, but we were able to trace the owner of this hoodie."

"Who is it?" Lucian snapped the pen he had been fiddling with.

"It's Eliza, Alpha Lucian," Savannah added.

I could hear his teeth grinding. Lucian was that furious. Hair covered his hands and his claws protruded. His green eyes flashed gold.

"Please calm down, love." I placed my arm around him and nuzzled his neck. He buried his nose in the crook of my neck and took several deep breaths.

The Betas looked on perplexed.

"You can't be impulsive, my love. Let's think this through." My soothing words finally seemed to work. His claws and hair faded away.

"I would like to have a word with the Alpha, in private," I said, addressing the Betas.

Savannah and Damon nodded with a grim expression and left the room.

"Is this place soundproof?" I asked Lucian.

He looked up from my shoulder and nodded.

"It's not Eliza," I said.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I don't know. It just seems too easy and dumb. She does have her eyes on you, I agree, but I just have this feeling it's not her," I said.

He sighed.

"Well, if you knew what she did, you would agree with me." He smirked and sent me the mental image of Eliza in a hideous pink satin gown on our bed.

I lost it!

A growl escaped my throat, and I lunged at him, pushing him into the wall. My claws had protruded, and I was holding his neck.

"When did this happen? Did you…"

"Whoa! Easy love. Do you think I could ever cheat on you?" he said, circling his hand around my waist.

"She tried to seduce me after you left…"

"That bitch!" I growled.

"Exactly! She is that desperate, so I am not surprised she tried to kill you," he hissed, pulling me tighter.

I thought for a moment.

"On the contrary, if she is dumb enough to try seducing an Alpha with a mate, I don’t think she could pull this off."

I relaxed, and my claws disappeared. We sat back in our chairs, and I just could not shake the feeling that there was more to this.

"The evidence points to her," he stated.

"I know, but the evidence can be planted," I said.

"We'll interrogate her and get the truth."

"She will deny it, of course, or might confess due to fear."

He ran his hand through his hair.

"Do you have any better suggestions?"

"No," I said dejectedly.

"That settles it. Eliza will be punished," he said with finality.

"What will you do with her?" I asked

"The punishment for attacking the Alpha is death," he stated.

I shuddered. Wolves were swift and ruthless; any form of dissent was dealt with extreme severity.

"Please don't kill her," I said softly.

"Why?"

"Because I am still not convinced it's her. There is more to this."

"That would be against the pack rules, Alice. As an Alpha, I can't be soft on them."

"Banish her," I said.

Getting banished from a pack was worse than death for any wolf. Most lone wolves either died or led an extremely hard life.

He frowned.

"You don't trust my judgment?"

"I do, and I don't want to oppose it. But please, just once. Please spare her life," I pleaded. It was funny that I was pleading with him to spare Eliza’s life, who had her eyes on my mate. But I just had this feeling that it was not over. There would be more attacks.

"Alright, I will heed your request," he replied.

We walked out of the conference room.

"Get Eliza to the hall," Lucian commanded while I sprinted along with him to match his steps.

The crowd had already started to gather in the hall as we stood on the steps. This seemed to be a practice here.

A quivering Eliza was dragged in by some warriors and Beta Damon.

"Why are you doing this? I said I was sorry,” she said while looking at Lucian.

"Don't you dare disrespectfully address the Alpha," Savannah seethed.

"Eliza, when my mate and I were in the cabin, where were you?" Lucian asked.

"I was in my home doing the usual things,” she responded.

"A red hoodie that belongs to you was found near the cabin. Do you have anything to say about it?" Lucian asked with a stern face.

"Red hoodie?” she mumbled. “I lost my hoodie. You can ask my best friend." She pointed to a woman. "Christine, remember I lost my hoodie at the gym? "

Lucian turned towards a pale blonde girl who cringed in fear.

"Is it true?" Lucian asked.

"I…I…do not know, Alpha. She claimed to have lost it. But I don't know what happened," the girl stammered fearfully.

"This doesn't prove your claim, Eliza." Lucian's eyes bored into her.

Despite my resentment, I could not help pitying Eliza.

"Alpha, please, believe me. I did nothing. Please, Lucian, you know me. I admit I have done some stupid things in the past, but I would never try to kill anyone," she pleaded.

"Enough now! It's not a trial. It's a judgment."

Lucian warned.

"Elizabeth Davis, you are banished from the Crimson Shadow Pack for attempting to murder my mate and your Luna. You deserve death, but my mate wants me to show mercy. So, I am banishing you. Leave within 24 hours." He gave out the command in an authoritative voice. I could feel the surge of power. I could sense his feelings through our connection.

Eliza sobbed, and I could do nothing other than pity her.

Lucian clenched his jaws and turned back, walking up the stairs. I followed him, concerned.

"Lucian, what happened?" I asked as he stopped in his now restored study.

"You were right. Eliza didn’t do it," he spoke.

"So why did you banish her?"

"To ensure that whoever did it, does it again, and this time we catch him or her because Eliza has been framed," he said grimly.

"Hmm, that seems to be a smart move," I replied.

He looked down thoughtfully.

"You seem worried?" I asked cautiously.

"It's someone from the pack. It's like how things were ten years ago. My pack members tried to harm me, my family," he said.

I could feel his sorrow. I instinctively hugged him, resting my head on his chest.

"This time, you are not alone, Lucian. Your mate is here with you. We'll confront all problems together."