Chapter 75: _Another One Bites The Dust

Chapter 75: _Another One Bites The Dust "Well, it seems you’re going to be busy, Kaelos." Alpha King Leonardo muttered after Gamma Zane came with his report. "I hope you and your territory manage to... Pull through with this." I parted my lips to say something but before I could, he locked his car door, allowing his driver to drive off alongside all the other cars containing his delegates. I clenched my jaw, watching as the cars drove out of the compound. "Do you have any news about the welcoming ball last night or what?" I asked my uncle, Gamma Zane, glancing at him before I walked toward Marcellus. Marcellus had a wry smile on his face as he tapped me on my shoulder. "You had no control over that situation with Alpha King Leonardo. You tried your best if you ask me." I simply nodded my head at him before focusing my gaze on my uncle. His lips parted open before he let out a sigh and began. "A dead body was found in front of the house of pack doctor Abel." He announced, causing a cold shiver to run down my spine. I glanced at Marcellus who also had a stunned expression on his face. Pack doctor Abel was the man who treated his wound last night. "Have you been able to identify who the victim is? Or the cause of death?" I queried, my expression and voice calm. I couldn’t let myself get shaken by such news. "The victim is Abel’s wife, Elsa. And her corpse was burnt badly but we aren’t even sure if that’s the cause of her death." Gamma Zane said solemnly. Not sure of the cause of death? I tensed, thinking hard about all the possibilities. This was the second death since Odessa arrived and if it weren’t for her potions and Elder Davina’s interference, it might’ve made it four thanks to last night. Why was this the case? "Any signs of magic in the deceased?" Beta Marcellus suddenly asked, stepping forward with a somber tone. I dimmed my eyes, wondering why he was asking that until my uncle nodded in response, taking me by surprise. "There is in fact. There are no signs of gasoline or fuel of any kind. No traces of a source for the fire that burnt her. Almost as if the flames came out of nowhere." I balled my hands into fists, feeling a growing irritation growing inside me. But I knew I had to step up in this case. "Take us to the scene," I muttered, walking toward one of my cars and stepping inside alongside Marcellus and my uncle. . . When we finally got in front of the pack doctor’s residence in the middle part of the pack, I stepped down first before Marcellus and my uncle did the same. The house was a simple and quiet duplex away from most of the noise of the pack. But now, it was covered by yellow police tape with the words "crime scene" written on it, and there were several pack soldiers at the scene. Just then, Marcellus sighed before he mumbled. "Another one bites the dust." "Where’s the husband?" I asked, glancing at my uncle as we stepped over the yellow tapes and got close to the entrance of the house. There weren’t any gates or fences... Just like most houses in this region of the pack. The elites are usually the ones who go to such lengths. Anyway, as we got to the body which was positioned in front of the house and covered by a black cloth after getting greetings from the pack soldiers, Gamma Zane responded to my last question. "There aren’t any signs of the husband which is why I wanted the Beta to come along with us." I couldn’t help but turn my gaze to Marcellus who quickly shrugged. "I have no idea. He came to my house, advised me to rest after checking on the wound one last time, and then left. That’s the end of it." I dimmed my eyes. Even though I believed Marcellus’ story, my instincts told me there was something more at play here. And it was annoying knowing that there was a killer under our noses and we couldn’t get any helpful clues on catching them. I folded my arms in front of my chest before I spoke. "We still haven’t even solved the case with the dead maid at elder Davina’s residence. Talk less of the attack at the welcoming ball last night, and now..." I paused, squatting to get a closer look at the corpse covered with a cloth. I scrutinized it closely before stretching my right hand and taking off the cloth from the face to the chest. My eyes widened with a mixture of shock and anger. The body was indeed burnt to a crisp, so burnt that it was black like charcoal and I could even see the teeth and skull. Her eyes were closed but the way her mouth was left open easily told me that she went through excruciating pain before she died. "Yup. This looks like there’s magic involved." Marcellus remarked, causing me to glance back at him. I let out a sigh before I covered her face again and got back on my feet. I cleared my throat before I continued what I was originally talking about. "... And now, there’s this case. If our theory about this being the cause of magic has any substance then that means we’re dealing with one culprit." Just then, my mind flashed back to the mysterious masked woman who had shot Marcellus and nearly shot Odessa. I remembered the cold smile on her face when I had chased her out of the event hall and the last thing she told me before disappearing. ’You’ll have to find them out for yourself.’ I thought to myself, sniggering silently before I turned my gaze to Gamma Zane. He furrowed his eyebrows, probably in response to the stern expression on my face. "About last night... What happened, Gamma?" I queried, my voice increasing slightly. "I sponsored your men, the pack soldiers who we’re now using for this investigation. You assured me that they would be ready. But now there’s one innocent woman dead, a pack doctor missing, and the tension from a public attack still lingering." Gamma Zane gritted his teeth but cleared his throat before he responded. "In my defense, this seems to all be the work of a powerful and crafty witch. Someone who probably either has someone on the inside or... Who is probably hiding among us." My eyes twitched just then and it was hard to hide my anger. I knew what he was trying to say and honestly, I’ve had enough of that bullshit idea. "For the last time, Odessa is a powerless witch and has no affiliation whatsoever with the witch responsible for the attack last night," I said calmly even though my voice was completely devoid of warmth. "Any arguments you have to that would–" "Not be so far-fetched, Alpha King." Gamma Zane interrupted with a firm voice, his previous subordinate behavior dissolving like sugar under the rain. I tilted my head, an amused smile on my face. It seems he’s finally grown tired of pretending to be in support of me or my leadership. "Last night proved that Odessa can make potions and knows her way around these rare ingredients. Including wolfsbane." Gamma Zane began with a calm voice, taking a step forward. "The South American king’s drink couldn’t have possibly been poisoned by that witch who attacked. She didn’t have a chance." As annoying as my uncle’s voice was and as annoying as the idea of agreeing with him was... I couldn’t help but acknowledge the fact that all his words were valid. I also couldn’t help but wonder how Alpha King Leonardo had been poisoned by Wolfsbane when he was around me, his wife, and Odessa most of the night. Not to mention the fact that no one else was allowed up there, except my Beta and the South American king’s Beta. "Oh, please." Marcellus suddenly blurted with a scoff, shaking his head. "There’s no way Odessa could be colluding with that witch from last night." I knew he loved disagreeing with the Gamma any chance he got because he knew I hated the man’s guts. But this time, I felt like Marcellus was being serious, especially since he didn’t have a smile on his face. "Blaming a powerless witch for colluding with an enemy is a far reach, Gamma. And it seems like an easy way out from this sticky situation." Marcellus added, ignoring the glare from my uncle. However, just when it seemed like the tension had spiked up and my uncle was about to say something in rebuttal, I cleared my throat and spoke up instead. "That’s enough. The only way we can find out the truth is by investigating." I turned my gaze to my uncle after saying that, sighing lightly. "Find the husband of the deceased. Search through any security cameras around the vicinity and report back to me if you find anything substantial." I didn’t even wait for him to respond and turned away before walking out of there. I needed to speak with Odessa.