CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

The Haiti Pack Headquarters.

Earl, the leader of the Haiti pack for some decades, sat at the round table together with some elders of the clan who helped him in ruling and making sure everything was in perfect place. He had heard rumors some days back about a secret affair going on in the pack. He made rules and no one could alter his reign. He had received several reports the past week but he paid no heed to it, now he wondered how many more affairs would be committed under his very nose if nothing was done to stop the rumors. The rules had been effective ever since the separation, no one had dared to break the rule until an unknown person went against his rules. There was no bond between the Haiti pack and the Colven pack, the disparity would continue till forever. Ever since the fight, no form of amendment was made to prevent future hatred so it transformed into something long lasting.

Ever since they drew the line against their enemy, there was no turning back. 

“I welcome everyone present for this meeting, I apologize for bringing you all out on such short notice, and I Will be swift as possible. You all must have heard the rumors going round the pack? It's so bad that it had to be a rumor. Maybe, most of you are not aware why this meeting was called urgently. I will start by saying that someone has defiled our pact and the pact. The person did not only insult the clan but every single member of this pack,” Earl spoke furiously; he was already standing when he completed his speech.

Everything that involved his pack was his utmost concern and he wouldn't jeopardize the unity they all shared for anything. 

“I called you out here for suggestions,” Earl concluded, still panting from the magnitude at which his voice grew higher and higher the last time, he was no longer standing but pacing round the room. “Let your minds run wild on possible suggestions."

Silence fell at the table, it was obvious everyone had their minds in different locations. 

“We should conduct a search," one of the elders named Michael spoke up innocently. He was the oldest among the clan, always had a specific spot in the round room. He had earned the position of the eldest in the clan due to his bravery and selfless attitude. He had a son who looked almost like him. 

“What do you mean a search? Do you mean a search for the one in an affair, that’s ridiculous,” the bald man who had his eyes fixed to a spot since his entrance spoke up in rejection to what the older man had said. 

Someone chuckled lightly at the corner of the room, it was the man who hated short notice meetings, he grumbled each time he received the letters from the leader. He was always the last get seated each time a meeting was called. 

Earl was getting pissed at the round table unnecessary wants but the older man had a point but none of them allowed him to complete his speech. 

“Michael, you were saying something about conducting a search, what do you mean?” Earl pointed out accurately ignoring the rest who couldn’t stand the wisdom of the old man because he spoke slowly. 

“I meant, appointing a search party. In cases like affair related issues, the first notable thing to search for is a lover's personal item. Lovers tend to have personal items of themselves just to have them close and keep them dear. That’s the most common way to catch a culprit. When we try this and it doesn’t work out, we’d look out for other options. But for now, this idea is the first on my mind because it worked for others in the past.” 

By the time Michael completed what he had to say, heads that were bent looked up to look into the face of the wise man, thoughts that wavered came back, hand that was on the jaw was released, the man at the corner couldn't chuckle anymore. Earl had stopped pacing, his gaze was fixed to the man like he read his mind. He moved to sit on his seat.

Before him was a glass of water the servants had brought round while Michael spoke.  He took down a few gulps of water before facing them again. 

Earl was glad at the suggestion, he had the thought in mind too but he needed a confirmation, he had gotten the confirmation he wanted from the old man. 

“Is anyone in support of his suggestion?” Earl asked the clan, noting the features on their faces.

“I agree,” the first man said sincerely.

“I agree,” the man at the corner spoke up too.

In splits of seconds, they all agreed to Michael’s idea. They cheered at the uniformity of agreement. Earl was eager to fetch the culprit who performed such an abominable act, the thought of it enraged him the more. 

“There will be a search party today,” Earl declared. Immediate measures had to be taken to evict the offender.  “Get the guards,” he commanded one of the servants that stood at the entrance of the room. 

Soon after, the guards marched into the room, saluted the elders, and bowed their heads in submission to their leader. 

“Get an emergency search party ready for work tonight. I want every room in this mansion thoroughly checked. I want you all to search for valuable items that could be linked with an affair, anything at all, search like you have never done, remove items, dig deep, find something. You must have something reasonable to present to me once you return. Do not return to me if you have not found anything linked with an affair. If it’s a strand of hair or a piece of clothing that looks distant. Bring it here. Have I made myself clear?” 

“Yes sir,” they chorused together.

“You may now begin your search. Go!” he commanded with a wave of his fingers. 

Earl called the meeting to a close and assured the clan that everything would be sorted out before 48hours. It was an emergency search so most of the pack members were confused by a sudden search for a clue to an affair. It was a matter of urgency, and the rumor must not leave the pack. If news left the pack, other neighboring towns would mock them. They were the Haiti pack, how was it possible that one of their own was snitching on the whole pack. This also meant that the person must have been feeding the Colven pack with information about the ongoing progress of the pack. Earl decided he was going to hang the culprit once found guilty by the elders and the pack. 

Earl would have none of the rumors after today. He silently hoped that something would be found and it would be linked to the object of rumor, as he settled down on his chair after the departure of his clan, he thought about the past, the conflict…He could hear the guards telling  them to go out of their rooms so they could check properly. It was almost impossible for the pack members to fully understand, he was sure they had questions as to why there was an emergency search and why there was no prior information about the search before that day. Earl wanted the search unannounced so they all wouldn’t be prepared for their entrance including the culprit and it would leave no room for anyone to get out or hide something. 

He remembered years back when there was nothing that would make you form alliance with your enemy, the most annoying form of punishment was the beheading style, once you went against the laws of the clan you would either face the troubles of the clan by their decree or face the punishment as stipulated by the rules guiding the pack so it was better to stay out of trouble than allow yourself to be ruled.

As Earl thought about the search party he wondered what he would decree if it was found, the punishment for this was simple; once you commit a crime, it was dependent on your status in the pack, most of the time, guards got the cell room while some are not spared at all. He promised himself he wasn’t going to be lenient in his decree because the culprit must have taken him for granted. He thought about the two couple that was beheaded because she was in a relationship with one of their enemy packs, her parent knew the rules and didn’t warn her, she knew the rules and didn’t stop herself from going further and that was how she met her doom.

He knew investigations were ongoing, he heard them go inside his chambers and he was sure Sabina wouldn’t like the idea of that and in seconds she would be out complaining but there was nothing he could do now other than wait and hope the rumors were false but if they were true, he would take the necessary actions that was required of him, he couldn’t keep himself from pacing round the room, the main reason for his pacing couldn’t be identified as what he called his, it was hereditary, gotten from his father some years back. His father loved pacing round the room each time things were going sour or there was an issue in the clan. Pacing also gave him the respect he needed. He picked up a pen and began to scribble something, he stopped and started sketching; there were activities that helped his mind get stable-sketching was the first thing he loved doing as a child, growing up, he had mastered the act and sustained with it in the early years of being a college student, now he had a responsibility, a duty to fulfill and perform but there was rarely ever time for him to sketch or hold a pen.

He enjoyed the suspense they must be feeling. He walked out of the room and started pacing in the hallway, groaning. He saw his wife Sabina coming towards him. He knew she was surprised too. Probably angry at something because the color of her dark eyes had changed to purplish black. 

“Really?” she asked with total dismay.

“Really, what?” A raised brow accompanied his repetition of words. 

“You ordered the guards to search the mansion including our chamber?” she queried, very upset at the very thought of it.

“I had asked them to search every corner of the mansion. Our chamber is no exception. I am not an impartial leader. All I want is to find the truth and I am relentless in doing that.” 

“The truth is I am unhappy about the recent rumor but I Had to do what I had to do,” he added after hearing some voices from the upper part of the mansion. The guards were scrambling through the storeroom; he was glad they listened to the “check every part of the house” attentively. 

“Anyways, I decided to come check you myself since you have spent the whole morning in the meeting room with the elders,” she declared with a total frown. "Have some rest, darling."

Sabina was relentless in making sure Earl had ample time to rest, the rest of the day went by with the searching. 

After some hours, the leader was still pacing round the large room, he was getting impatient, deep down he hoped the culprit had not made an escape before the search. He finally had brunch after the servant told him about the readiness of his meal. After eating, he hoped to get out to the yard to watch the open field but the sound of the guards drew him back to the room. Some of the guards were coming back from their mission. 

It was obvious someone had found something valuable because all the others followed the one who walked in front, he could see the smile of victory in his eyes. 

“What have you found?” Earl asked the front line guard 

“A locket, sire,” the guard replied, giving one good look at the valuable item to ensure it was truly a locket. 

“Let me have it,” Earl commanded, stretching his hand to receive it. 

The guard handed the locket over to Earl. Earl took one good look at the item, examined it properly then scrawled. It occurred to him that the rumors were true because the lady in the small case was not a member of his pack. He knew she looked familiar but he couldn’t figure out how or where he knew her from, the major thing he wanted to do was get to the peak of the whole situation, it didn’t matter who it was because he knew every single person in his pack. His eyes widened and he couldn’t quite understand the whole situation.

“Where was it found?” he questioned loudly, getting furious about the sudden findings. 

“I... I found it in Gasher’s closet, inside his drawers,” the guard replied fidgeting.

“Gasher! Impossible, get him at once before I turn this place into a war zone.”

“Get Gasher to me at once," he commanded the guard, all the guards followed suit to get Gasher. Gasher had been in the pack house long enough to know that there should be no relationship with the enemy pack. Earl was furious that a common guard could do such a thing, killing him would be the easiest thing he’d do during his reign. 

While they all stepped out, Earl figured out how impossible it would be for the affair to be done openly considering his busy state. He must have been seeing the lady in private, Earl thought.