Chapter 89 Inconsiderate
~ Kael's POV ~
Arriving at the office that morning without getting the result I had expected settled heavily on my chest and refused to lift.
The weight of disappointment pressed down on me until it felt almost impossible to breathe, leaving me feeling both hopeless and helpless in a way I could not easily explain.
I had gone straight to the chief guard the moment I reached his post, my patience already thin, and I demanded that he tell me exactly what had happened the night before. I needed answers. I needed something concrete to hold on to. But he gave me nothing of value.
According to him, I had looked like I drank far too much, unsteady and unfocused, and I had personally instructed him to let Brenda in. Beyond that, he claimed to know nothing else. There were no details, no suspicious movements, no unusual occurrences that could help me piece together the disaster of the night. Just that single statement, repeated with irritating calm, as if it explained everything.
With frustration simmering beneath my skin, I proceeded to the room that had been assigned to Brenda. I needed to speak to her immediately. I needed to ask her how Lyra had found out she was in my room the night before, and more importantly, what exactly she had done or said to cause such a mess.
My steps were quick and purposeful, my mind racing with questions and anger that had nowhere to go. However, when I arrived at her room, it was empty, and the emptiness of the space only deepened my irritation.
After a moment of standing there, staring at the vacant room, I made the decision to deal with Brenda later. Chasing her now would only waste more time and feed my growing frustration.
I turned away and moved decisively toward my office, determined to focus on something I could actually control. Lyra had pointed out several issues to me that morning, things that I had already intended to address but never found the time to sit down and properly handle.
Today would be different. I would resolve those matters once and for all. I convinced myself that doing so might help her see that I meant well for her, and that I was trying, even if my efforts were not enough.
Minutes passed as I immersed myself in the stack of documents on my desk, forcing my mind to concentrate on the work in front of me. I was just finishing up with a few papers that demanded my immediate attention when the door opened and Elder Rowan walked into my office. The moment I looked up at him, something about his expression unsettled me. There was a tightness in his face, a seriousness that I could not quite read, and it made my unease deepen.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him as he took his seat across from me, my voice steady despite the growing tension inside me.
“What exactly is this I hear going on between you and Brenda?” he asked, and his words caught me completely off guard. Confusion flickered through my mind because I was certain I had not spoken to him about Brenda yet. Unless someone else had already filled in the gaps for him.
“I don't understand. What are you talking about?” I replied, deliberately feigning ignorance so he would reveal everything he knew instead of holding anything back.
“Well, she just left the house,” he said calmly, though his tone carried a sharp edge. “But not before announcing to everyone who cared to listen that you betrayed her in the cruelest way this morning. She said you pleaded with her to spend the night with you, only for you to discard her this morning like a piece of garbage. So tell me, what exactly happened between the two of you?”
I let out a slow, weary sigh, feeling my patience being stretched to its absolute limit. Even now, it seemed Brenda was determined to test me.
“I honestly don't know,” I said truthfully. “I was actually just looking for her myself to get some clarity, not knowing she had already left.” I then went on to narrate the events of the night and everything that had happened that morning, laying it all out as clearly as I could.
As he listened, his expression shifted into one of disbelief, and I could not blame him for it. If I had not lived through it myself, I would have struggled to believe such a story too. When I finished, he remained silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on me, shock written plainly across his face.
“This is bad news, Kael,” he finally said. “This is very bad news. How did you even end up in such a situation?”
“I am still trying to find out,” I replied, frustration seeping into my voice. “But I have no clues and no leads whatsoever. Even now, as we are speaking, my memory of last night is still completely blank.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Dagan appeared at the entrance of my office. I allowed him in, and the sight of his face immediately set my nerves on edge. His features were twisted into a terrible frown, one that told me without a single word that whatever he had come to say would only make things worse.
“Alpha, is it true?” Dagan asked the moment the door closed behind him, his voice tight with restrained agitation.
“Is what true?” I replied, lifting my gaze to meet his, already sensing where this was headed.
“What Brenda said,” he continued without hesitation. “Did you really plead with her to spend the night in your room last night, only to chase her out this morning?”
I took a steady breath before answering, determined not to let my irritation spill over. “I do not remember asking her to spend the night with me,” I said evenly. “So I cannot confirm that claim. As for chasing her out this morning, yes, I did that. I did it because I cannot remember how she ended up in my room in the first place.” I explained this calmly, believing reason would prevail, but his reaction caught me completely off guard.
“That is extremely inconsiderate, Alpha,” Dagan burst out, his voice rising sharply. “You know very well that Brenda is the respected daughter of an alpha from an allied pack. You should never have treated her in such a manner. You really hurt her feelings, and she left here crying. That does not speak well of you, and it certainly does not speak well of our Pack.”
Before I could respond, Elder Rowan spoke, his tone firm as he turned toward Dagan. “Beta Dagan, it is well known that betas and their alphas disagree and argue from time to time. However, I honestly believe yours has gone far beyond that. You seem to find a strange joy in constantly disagreeing with and countering the one person you are meant to stand in agreement with.”
Those words did nothing to calm my beta. If anything, they only fueled his irritation.
“For the sake of the little respect I still have for you, Elder Rowan,” Dagan said stiffly, “please refrain from interfering in my conversation with my Alpha. You are not his beta. I am. So let me handle my duties the way I see fit.” He pushed back against his annoyance, but it was evident in every word he spoke.
Elder Rowan did not back down. “I was once a beta myself,” he said patiently. “If I had treated my alpha the way you are treating yours now, this Pack would most certainly not be what it is today. When something like this happens, the person you should be backing is your alpha, not a stranger who may have cooked up a story out of nothing but spite.”
Dagan scoffed, clearly in no mood to be lectured. “Spare me that nonsense,” he snapped. “Mere spite, you say? Have you forgotten who Brenda is? Why would she make up such a story if it did not actually happen?”
“Enough. Both of you,” I said sharply, stepping in before the argument spiraled any further. My ears had heard enough, and my patience was wearing dangerously thin. “We have far more important pack matters to attend to. Brenda’s issue will be addressed later.”
I shifted my gaze until it rested firmly on Dagan. “Gather the cabinet members for an urgent meeting. I want everyone seated within twenty minutes.”
He hesitated briefly, clearly displeased, then shot Elder Rowan a hard glare before turning and walking out of my office without another word.
No sooner had he left than Taren arrived. I allowed him in immediately, already bracing myself for whatever news he carried.
“What have you got?” I asked.
He relayed everything he had obtained from Lyra. He confirmed that she complained about still being imprisoned and that she had not been marked. Those were facts I already knew from our discussion earlier that morning. However, what truly shocked me was when he added that Brenda had been so loud that Lyra heard every despicable thing she said.
“Thank you. You may leave,” I told him once he was done. I dismissed Elder Rowan as well, leaving the office finally quiet.
I needed that silence. I needed time alone to arrange my thoughts, weigh my options carefully, and plan my next course of action with a clear and steady mind.