Chapter 53 THE TRAIL
DUKE'S POV
Neither Blayne nor I had a good night's sleep that night. He had arrested Cleo as the pack demanded. It was also done for her own safety from the retaliation of Jeffrey's family or friends. Luckily, Keisha quieted down the social media protest and has been monitoring the feeds. Olivia has been temporarily tapped to have her under control.
The two of us descended the steps and entered the streets after I left Keisha at home. It's another night to investigate.
I started to say, "So," and even in the pitch-blackness of this night, he could have frowned at me, his best friend, because he could tell by the tone of my voice that I was about to be mischievous.
He said, sounding strict, "Whatever you are about to say, just drop it. In addition, we need to inspect the forest. There must be trails somewhere that led to the location where this rogue had attacked Jeffrey."
"Let's go there and take a look around," that was our intention tonight. To visit the scene of the crime and widen the scope to hunt for clues.
His tone instantly turned serious "You're right."
If there was one thing I knew about Blayne, it was that he shared my concern for the members of our pack.
"Do you believe the mountain rogues might be responsible?" I touched on the sensitive topic.
"You mean Cleo," He replied after a few seconds. By now we were reaching the edge of the forest. "Right?"
I was no fool; at this time, I was certain that there was a link between the attack on one of our pack members and the actions of the mountain rogues, given their presence and their vulture-like circling of the pack.
Already, I sensed that she had to be involved in some way. But she was his mate, naturally, he was protective of her, just as I am of Keisha.
After all, she might have been the one to be blamed for the rogue who very well attacked Jeffrey. Even though Cleo is one of the most brutal female rogues in the region, Jeffrey would not have been able to identify her as the person who attacked him if she was well disguised.
Perhaps it was the decaying rogue scent that he detected. However, Cleo smelt like fresh pine trees which was very distinctive from the typical rogue stench.
"I had a suspicion that the rogues might have had something to do with it, right now it's the only plausible explanation," I said with an inflection of anger in my voice. I knew it was difficult to digest that his mate could be a criminal, a murderer of the innocent.
Cleo's impression was one of pure decency who catered to the essential needs of her people. A leader who strived for the best for everyone. That portrayal of her was in contrast to this attack.
At first, I believed she would be beneficial to Blayne. We would be a completed batch where the three of us could build our family unit.
The downside of her guilt would lead to more bloodshed. With 127 persons total, the death rate would be significant.
Why the mountain rogues would engage a pack where they had little chance of surviving defies logic. Being our adversary guaranteed death. To better comprehend how our warrior came to be victimized, how the crime was committed, and their relationship with the offender, I must, nevertheless, maintain my objectivity as the Beta.
"Once I find out who that rogue was who hurt my warrior, I'll be the one to kill him." Blayne spat with a growl, and I chuckled because I could see the argument between Blayne and Cleo.
She is so passionate about her rogue family that I know she would not let bygones be bygones, or that this was justice being served. But deep inside of me I hoped for the best and that this would settle soon.
He gave me a sidelong stare before shaking his head. I believe that he wouldn't allow anyone to drive a wedge between us. Unity was strength and we had that.
"You are speaking to me as if I were trying to stop you. I even considered requesting permission to send the warriors after them. Aimed right at their core." With a sparkle in my amusingly prankish eyes, I made the suggestion.
He shook his head, nevertheless. "Not now. They would have anticipated us sending our warriors if they had intended to carry out this action in the first place. It would be a trap, and our soldiers would get hurt, or worse, lose their lives."
I paused at his solemn tone, and he also stopped walking. A meeting with the elites would be sanctioned to dispatch them to several guarding points to watch over the patrolling team.
"I want to protect the pack, Duke. My top priority is that." He stated firmly. I'm aware that he might think that we questioned where his loyalty would lie if he had to choose between the pack and his mate." Instead of charging headfirst, we need to have some knowledge of what we are up against."
Frankly, I was more worried about him than anything else. His relentless effort to win Cleo, his mate, was now halted.
He sighed heavily.
To now be burdened with encountering an unfavorable situation that has not only him but the entire pack questioning her innocence. This offender used this as the perfect opportunity. Our mates were, after all, our greatest weakness. For them, we would go to war. So Vance and I have to also keep our eyes on Blayne, our best friend.
"You're correct," I said. "Simply put, I really don't want anyone else to be assaulted while we are sitting in our houses acting like fools, twiddling our damn thumbs."
He reassured me, "Trust me," in a firm tone. "We won't."
The remaining distance through the woodland and to the location where Jeffrey was discovered had been contained quickly and silently. Blayne was struggling with this as he stood in that spot, so I gave him some space to think.
"So this is the location?" I queried. As he inhaled the aroma of dried blood on the leaves, Blayne's nostrils opened wide. "Do you believe we could uncover anything that would point to the rogues?"
"We should start inspecting," He replied roughly. "We can only know that when we investigate."
Blayne and I went in separate directions, tracking the signs of scuffles that were visible.
After some time, we both came to a small clearing and stood there. Everything was organized in the clearing, which aroused our skepticism. Everything seemed much too tidy for a location that had recently been occupied.
The Alpha, Gamma, and I occasionally arrived at the same conclusions. Although being the closest of friends for years must have contributed to the impression that we had similar thoughts. We stayed together because we knew that by cooperating in our respective roles, we would one day rule the pack.
We looked all over, but there were no tracks to be found. It appeared as though someone had erased and removed all traces of their existence. Ordinary rogues were not strategic because they lacked rationality.
"Do you believe the perpetrator was the attacker?" I inquired, as though I had already read his thoughts and was taking in the same information as he was. "Or could this be someone who is instigated by others?"
He said, stooping to take a short whiff, "It probably is. And they eliminated the scents for us not to detect. There is no way to pin out the attacker of this."
"This person is an expert in the field." I scoped up some dirt and rubbed my fingers in it. Jeffrey was stationed at the Black Ops Patrol Station. He was doing his rounds in the forest when a woman approached him. "This one operates like one of us. Could she be a lover or someone who holds a grudge against Jeffrey?"
My best friend muttered angrily, "Damn it," with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "That rogue is going down. But if it turns out that she is one of us, I will make her pay for blemishing Cleo's reputation."
"Yes, he or she will." I hoped that helped to affirm him. There was nothing left here to check. Our next point would be to interrogate pack members and review cameras at each checkpoint.
We left the wilderness with determination. However, I knew that it wasn't going to be until the daybreak in the early morning that Blayne would take the first step in dismantling the rogue's scheme.
After all, they messed with a member of our pack. We clearly heard whatever message they were attempting to convey. If they wanted a war, we were ready. Though I hoped that this would be a simpler case.
Blayne returned to his apartment bad-tempered. I entered the pack house silently, made my way down the hallway, and entered my bedroom, where Keisha was fast asleep.
I was out like a light as soon as I hit the pillow.