Chapter 40. This Is ridiculous
Lia
More silence. Then everyone started talking at once, voices rising in protest and accusation.
"Enough," Elder Miriam's voice cut through the chaos. "Alpha Kai is right. The killer is likely someone with intimate pack knowledge. Which means we need to examine everyone's movements on the night in question."
"You can't seriously be suggesting we're all suspects," Marcus protested.
"I'm suggesting that until we find the traitor, everyone is a suspect," Miriam said coolly. "Including me."
"This is ridiculous…"
"Three wolves are dead," Kai's voice dropped to a lethal growl. "And my mate nearly joined them. So yes, we will investigate everyone. And whoever is responsible..." His eyes glowed gold. "Will pray for a quick death. Because they won't get one."
The threat hung in the air.
One by one, the council members agreed to the investigation, some reluctantly, others eagerly. But I watched their faces, trying to see beneath the masks.
Who here had killed Lyanna? Who had murdered seven treaty brides? Who wanted me dead badly enough to risk war within the pack?
My wolf stirred, hackles raised. She could sense danger but couldn't pinpoint it. Not yet.
As the meeting dragged on, discussing security measures and investigation protocols, I found my attention drifting. The voices became background noise as my enhanced hearing picked up other sounds.
Footsteps in distant corridors. Whispered conversations. And something else...
A heartbeat. Faster than the others. Nervous.
I turned my head slightly, trying to locate the source.
There. One of the younger council members, Adrian, a wolf who'd joined after Lyanna's death. His hands were clenched on the table, knuckles white. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool temperature.
And his scent... there was something off about it. Acrid. Like fear mixed with guilt.
My wolf snarled inside me. Threat. Danger. Kill.
I forced her down, but Kai had noticed my tension. Through the bond, I felt his question.
I glanced meaningfully at Adrian.
Kai's expression didn't change, but I felt his acknowledgement through the bond.
The meeting continued, but now Kai was watching Adrian too. And so was Seraphina, I noticed. Her eyes kept flicking to the young council member, suspicion clear on her face.
When the meeting finally ended, council members filed out one by one.
Adrian was one of the last to leave, his movements jerky and nervous.
"Adrian," Kai called. "A word."
The young wolf froze, then slowly turned. "Yes, Alpha?"
"You seem nervous tonight."
"I…no, I'm fine. Just concerned about the attacks." His laugh was forced. "We all are."
"Of course." Kai's smile was predatory. "Still, I'd like you to stay behind. There are some questions about access logs for the storage facilities. Since you oversee inventory..."
"I…I can get those to you tomorrow…”
"Now would be better."
Adrian's face went pale. For a moment, I thought he might run. His muscles tensed, his eyes darted to the door.
Then Seraphina stepped in front of the exit, arms crossed.
"The Alpha asked you a question," she said softly. "Running would be... unwise."
Adrian looked trapped. Desperate.
And then he did something that confirmed every suspicion.
He shifted.
His wolf form burst through his clothes, smaller than Kai's, gray and wiry. He lunged not at Kai, but at me.
My wolf roared to the surface, instinct taking over. My hand shot up, and I felt something tear through my skin, claws, long and sharp.
I caught Adrian mid-lunge, my claws sinking into his shoulder. He yelped, twisting away, but I held on with strength I didn't know I had.
Then Kai was there, his own wolf surging forward. He grabbed Adrian by the throat, slamming him into the wall hard enough to crack stone.
"Shift. Back. Now," Kai snarled, his voice barely human.
Adrian shifted back, naked and bleeding, Kai's hand still around his throat.
"Why?" Kai demanded. "Why did you try to kill her?"
"I…I wasn't…"
Kai's grip tightened. "Don't. Lie. To. Me."
"They paid me!" Adrian gasped. "I needed the money, my family…"
"Who paid you?" Seraphina demanded, moving closer. "Who hired you to kill the Luna?"
"I don't know! I swear, I never saw their face. They left instructions, payment, supplies. I just had to…" He choked as Kai's grip tightened further.
"Had to what?" I asked, my voice cold. "Poison me? Kill patrol wolves? Murder how many treaty brides before me?"
Adrian's eyes widened. "No! No, I only started a few months ago. I didn't…the others weren't me!"
"Liar," Seraphina spat.
"I'm not lying!" Adrian was crying now. "I swear, I was only hired to kill the Luna. That's all. The letters started coming after she arrived, after the bond was completed. Before that, I never…"
"So there's someone else," I said slowly. "Someone who killed the others. Someone who hired you to finish what they started."
Adrian nodded frantically.
Kai released him, letting him collapse to the floor. "Where are the letters? The payment?"
"Hidden. In my quarters. I'll show you, I'll give you everything, just please…"
"Guards," Kai called.
They entered immediately, as if they'd been waiting.
"Take him to the cells. And search his quarters. I want every scrap of paper, every coin, every piece of evidence." Kai's eyes burned gold. "And if I find out you're lying, if you're protecting someone, I'll make sure you beg for death long before I grant it."
Adrian was dragged away, still sobbing.
The moment the door closed, Seraphina turned to me. "You have claws."
I looked down at my hand. She was right—five long, sharp claws extended from my fingertips, gleaming in the candlelight. They were beautiful and terrifying.
"I... I didn't mean to…"
"You partially shifted," Kai said, with wonder and pride in his voice. "In the middle of an attack, your wolf came to your defense. Perfectly controlled."
"That wasn't controlled," I protested. "That was pure instinct."