Chapter 23: _First Trial

Chapter 23: _First Trial "What are you doing here?" I asked Odessa sternly as soon as she got in front of our group. I had my arms placed behind my back and stared at her with a plain expression on my face, scrutinizing her. She’d finally gotten rid of the tomato stains and scented fresh. However, what stuck out more than anything was her clothes. She wore a form-fitting black jean trouser and a white bohemian silk top that had the shoulders exposed. To top it off, her blonde hair was tied up into a ponytail, causing my gaze to travel to her neck. Goddess, why was I suddenly getting the urge to sink my fangs into her and mark her? ’Because our mate is hot!’ Damon responded to my silent question with a whistle, sounding like he wanted to claw his way out just to be around Odessa. Ugh, he’s such a simp. Anyway, her eyebrows snapped into a frown as she scanned her gaze around all the faces present before she bowed slightly in a show of respect. "Well, pardon me, but I heard when your..." She paused in the middle of her sentence, raising her head and staring at Layla who frowned, tilting her head in return. Soon enough, Odessa continued. "... Well, when your assistant announced that there was a murder. I thought I could–" "Come inspect the scene of the crime to get rid of any of the evidence?" My uncle interrupted with a snarl, stepping forward. My eyebrows knitted into a frown as I watched him size Odessa up, the latter shrinking back in a mix of surprise and fear. "What were you up to last night, witch?" He asked, pointing a finger at her. Bloody hell... The man sure had bolts for brains. Didn’t Elder Davina’s advice a few minutes ago that we shouldn’t point accusatory fingers without proper investigations sink into his head? ’This guy’s lobotomy is long overdue.’ Damon remarked in my head just then, growling when he saw the way Gamma Zane pointed at Odessa. Our mate... Admitting that still felt off. Meanwhile, as I thought about all this, Odessa defended herself after a little hesitation. "I was in my room all night, sir." She revealed, glancing at me with an implicating look in her eyes. Oh right... I did lock her up in her room after she proved to be a stubborn brat. And I’d do it again without a second thought. "In your room all night doing what?" My uncle pushed further, taking another step forward until he was mere inches away from Odessa. I subconsciously clenched my jaw, getting irritated by how close he was getting to her. My mind already flashed with several vivid images of how I could easily sever his limbs and spine from his body. However, before I could do anything rash, Odessa spoke up with a sharper tone this time. "Doing exactly nothing, sir. I haven’t had much of a choice in anything since I stepped foot in this pack. After all, I’m supposed to only seek certain people’s presence when I’ve been summoned." She glanced at me just then, as if to silently say: Fuck you. My jaw clenched but I was more intrigued than annoyed by the fact that she flouted a simple order without caring about the consequences. "Is that any way to speak to your elders, witch?" The Delta spoke up just then, seeming like he was going to give her another slap like last night at the witches’ territory. I couldn’t take it anymore. "Enough!" I thundered. Instantly, everyone present tensed up and kept silent, even though the Gamma stared at me begrudgingly. But I ignored that and continued. "This is getting us nowhere. I thought it’s already been established that Odessa can’t hurt a fly since she’s without magic?" The Gamma was now even more silent, but he still glanced at Odessa with suspicion in his eyes. I sighed at this but before I could say anything else, the Delta spoke up. "That’s no way to dress as the Alpha king’s wife." He blurted, gesturing at Odessa’s clothing. Her eyebrows arched with confusion as she touched her top before bringing her gaze back to the Delta. "I’m sorry, but huh?" She blurted mindlessly, seeming like she was seconds away from lashing out. I was already at my wits end at this point and couldn’t take it anymore so I stepped forward, brushing past my uncle and grabbing Odessa’s wrist. She gasped, squirming and trying to wriggle out of my grip but when I glared at her, she shriveled like a sack of dried fruits under the sun. The members of my council and Elder Davina watched as I dragged Odessa to the back of the duplex until we got to the pond where the murder had taken place. I hadn’t seen the victim yet but I was able to pick up the smell of death from this spot and followed it easily. There was also the fact that I could see some pack soldiers moving around the place. "What do you think you’re doing?" Odessa asked with gritted teeth, managing to slip out of my hold. "You don’t have to be such a brute, you know? Also, I–" "No, Odessa! What do you think YOU’RE doing?" I snapped at her, my voice probably booming around the compound. Some of the pack soldiers standing around and securing the scene glanced at me anxiously but also with curiosity that irritated me, causing me to glare at them. "Leave. All of you!" I yelled out, scanning my gaze through the faces of every last one of them. They seemed hesitant at first until I let out the monstrous aura of my wolf, forcing them to scurry out of the garden without looking back. With them gone, I grabbed Odessa by the wrist without saying a word again and then flung her close to the pond, causing her to fall to her knees. "Look at that, Odessa." I pointed at the body of the deceased which was already wrapped up in a black cloth. "That’s the result of magic. Magic only practiced by witches." To give her a clearer picture, I stepped forward and unzipped the cloth, revealing the pale body of the maid. "By the triple goddess!" Odessa exclaimed, her hands going to her mouth in shock. But I only scoffed before I stood back on my feet. "You are the top suspect for the killing of this girl. The fact that it happened on the same night that you came to this pack doesn’t help either." I remarked. She gazed at the dead body, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to regain her composure. She seemed... Disturbed. I’d assumed that she would’ve gotten used to seeing dead bodies by now since the witches faced lots of deaths at certain points of the war. Anyway, I sighed before I spoke again. "The agreement for the truce is for you to contribute to the pack with your magic. And you’re going to start by using your expertise to decipher what happened to this girl and prove your innocence." As soon those words came out of my mouth, Odessa whipped her head to face me, her eyes opened wide in shock.