Chapter 69
Gradel
"Sure, I will. I can't keep fighting with the dead, but that won't stop him from getting the punishment he deserves." I spat bitterly and then I realized that I was far away from letting go of all the hurt he caused me if I still wished for him to be punished.
Hegar could do nothing but shrug and I was glad that he dropped the issue.
I trotted to the window, my hands casually folded behind my back while I drew in a deep breath. "I sent for you so that you can send a message to my brother and inform him of our father's passing. He might feel the same way I did, but I want to satisfy my conscience."
He inclined his head. "I understand you and I'll get on it,"
A knock sounded on the door and Silas announced his presence. I motioned for him to come in and Hegar bowed again and left.
"Greetings, Your Grace, my condolences." He greeted.
"Thank you, Silas. I asked you to come here so that you can do some check-ups on him to ensure that he died naturally. I know that I contributed to his death by asking you to stop his medications, but I'll let you know how deeply I regret my actions. However, Iris told me something that aroused my suspicion,"
I relayed the same thing she told me and he listened intently, his eyes widening. He didn't want for me to finish when he approached my father's body and tore off the white cloth covering him.
He brought out a white mantle and dabbed it into the jar of water on his bedstand then pressed it on the pulse point on his wrist and neck. After that, he cleaned his body thoroughly and stopped suddenly when he got to his mouth.
"What's the matter?" I questioned.
No response, instead, he parted his lips and the odor that escaped from his mouth caused my body to shudder. I'd already gotten used to the stench that emanated from his body but this was different.
Then I stretched and took a closer look at his mouth. Greenish substances stained his lips and his gums were already rotting.
Even flies were beginning to perch on them. Though I'd been trained to contain myself in such situations I couldn't stay still any longer or I'd puke.
"Let's get out of here, please."
"Yes, Your Grace." He agreed and wrapped him up with the cloth again.
As we left the room, I exhaled and let out the question that had been bothering me. "What happened in there?"
"He was poisoned,"
"I thought he had already been poisoned?" I probed.
"That's correct, but this is a different kind of poison stronger than Brion. I can't place what it is but I'm sure that if I see it, I'll be able to identify it. And that poison was meant to kill him quickly without a trace. The reason he died quickly is because of the potency of the toxins in it and we have to bury him quickly or no one will be able to stay in the pack house because of the stench." He explained and my mind reverted to what Iris had said earlier.
She was indeed right. Someone had poisoned, him but who could that be?
********
Iris's POV
Hazel met me on the patio and joined me on the wooden chair where I sipped a pineapple.
"Iris," She called and I forced a smile on my face, snapping my head in her direction as she jolted me out of my train of thought.
"Hi, Hazel, you're here." I laughed nervously.
"Yes. You've been sitting here for hours, doing nothing but staring into space. Is everything alright? You know you can lay it all on me." She encouraged me.
Sharing my problem was the last thing I wanted to do or I'd burst into tears. While I stayed alone in silence, I thought about a hundred and one reason why Gradel would send me away just because I asked him to do the right thing.
Maybe I'd overstepped my boundaries, but he could have treated me better.
By the gods, I was boiling inside.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm alright," I assured her. "Let's forget about me and focus on you. Share the good news with me, Hazel. Did he come over?"
Her lips stretched into a wide grin and she nodded excitedly.
"We are mates now. He came to my house and apologized for how he took off and explained that it was because of how spontaneous everything happened. My parents gave us their blessings and that night I went to his house and the rest is history."
I squealed, hugging her tightly. The news gladdened my heart in ways that I couldn't imagine and even the anger that simmered within was gradually fading off.
"That's wonderful, Hazel. I'm so happy to hear this." I beamed. "You see, I told you that he would come for you. Hegar is not the kind of man to act irrationally and I'm very sure he'll protect you with his life."
"Well, he hasn't told me that but I can feel it from the way he takes care of me. He wants to be sure that I'm comfortable all the time and I'm not lacking anything. Oh Iris, if I'd known that this was how fun being mated was, I'd begged the moon goddess to give me a mate earlier." She admitted and we erupted into a peal of happy laughter.
"You deserve the very best, dear friend, and Hegar is just perfect for you."
"Oh, how come I didn't know that Hegar has gotten a mate," A very familiar voice intruded into our conversation and the anger I thought had dissipated returned in full force.
Hazel took his appearance as a cue to leave and I hissed loudly. Why did he always appear when I was having a good time with my friend?
He placed his hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off and walked away in anger.