Mystery of the Rejected Alpha ✔

Chapter Thirty-Five

James

Defining the sight in front of me was difficult. It was unexpected, hell it was more than a shock for us to adapt especially after finding a slaughtered body inside the pack, that too of a pack member.

Something didn't feel right. The death seemed uncouth, filled with mystery and the pieces just didn't seem to fit together. It was impossible for any pack member to be the central target of the attacks made by the rogues, at least not after the placement of the gates which ensured security. And I was fully aware of that.

However, the view in front of us cried out a different story of its own. It was..bloody. The ground filled with fresh blood as the body laid there pale and torn. I was used to it, the smell of blood and corpse but today, it bothered me to an extent where it was unbearably difficult to tolerate. The word bother would be an understatement to describe how much the smell was affecting me, making my stomach turn, threatening to spill all the food I had a few hours ago. The sight of the soil- soaked in blood was not helping either.

He must have suffered a painful death. My wolf said.

I nodded in agreement as I stood there looking at the body of our patrol guard. The roots of the tree stained red due to the spillage of blood near it. The body laid flat in front of us, head resting near the roots with the veins slit open, displaying some traces of silver. While the body was properly dressed in the patrol suit provided by us.

Silver...

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Drake asked slowly.

I stared at the corpse, amazed by the look of his clothes which were fully intact, excluding some stains of blood. The fabrics of his suit were as good as new, not even a single bit of scratch.

How unexpected. My wolf snorted.

"He didn't even try to shift," Drake stated, reading my thoughts aloud. Indeed that was true.

"Exactly," I said, tilting my head a little to the side. "Strange, very strange."

Anyone on the verge of being killed would fight for survival, for sure. It was a natural reflex instinct, to protect oneself from the enemies no matter whether one was a human or an animal like us. But this case seemed to contradict the nature itself.

"But I don't get it. What was he doing near the grounds anyway?" Drake mumbled.

"Call Jace," I ordered.

"Wait, seriously?" He frowned looking at me. I turned my head towards him and glared, "Yes."

"But you-"

"-Now."

"Yes, Alpha." He obliged and mumbled something, sending a message to Jace though a mind-link formed by only the two of them. I never understood why he had to form a mind-link with Jace, to begin with, especially after I rejected his offer of joining out with mine.

Forming a mind-link needed mental acceptance, allowing someone to contact just by the thought of their name. However, only hatred had the power to void any sort of mind-links and maybe that was the reason why I denied any access to Jace.

"Did he respond?" I asked impatiently.

"He'll be here in a few minutes," Drake informed. His posture softened as a sigh escaped his lips. 

***

"Why is it taking so long for him to arrive here." I stomped my feet impatiently, moving around the grounds, in hopes of the time to fly by quickly. How irresponsible it was for Jace to take so long, especially when the matter was urgent.

A chuckle erupted from Drake's mouth which caught my attention. I looked at him, "Why are you laughing like a freak?"

He quickly shook his head, "It's just funny, now that you understand how I feel."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

A smile appeared on his face, "Patience, my friend is the key to success. For an Alpha, it's the most essential factor required. And I know a lot about it because that's something I apply in my everyday schedule waiting for you to show up, you know, the same as usual."

I growled, "Stop comparing me with him. I'm not as irresponsible as he is."

"Sure, whatever you say." He smiled, "You are the boss here."

Sarcasm.

"I don't get it-"

"-Something smells so-" A sudden voice interrupted, "Ah, bloody." Jace appeared, making his way towards us. "Are you hurt or something?" He furrowed his eyebrow looking at me with a tension-filled look on his face as he scanned around.

Was he really worried?

I didn't know the answer to it. The look he had pulled was enough to convince anyone to believe that he was genuinely worried. But for a certain reason, the bait didn't seem to be effective on me.

"No." I narrowed my eyes, moving away letting him access of the view that laid ahead.

His eyes instinctively shifted towards the dead body, "Ah. How did this happen?"

"That's why I called you," I stated.

"Dude! Are you saying I'm the one who killed him?" He frowned. His expression stiffened as he stood there ahead of us.

"Maybe?" I questioned.

"That's cheap." He cringed. I looked at Drake with a blank expression, "The way of the murder, I mean." He continued, "It kind of looks..I don't know, unprofessional."

"As if you are one hell of a professional." I scoffed.

"Maybe I am, you never know," he smirked looking at him. "Anyway, isn't this area like restricted or something?" He asked looking around.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "That's what bothers me. I don't remember setting any patrol routes. Wait, how do you know that?" I gaped.

He gasped in return, "I'm not supposed to know, not even though I'm living here for like six months for your protection. Oh, and you didn't set up the routes."

"Fine!" I sighed, "All credit goes to you, my brother." The words slipped out of my mouth accidentally.

A smile appeared on his face, "Thanks." I stood there, my lips pressed into a thin line.

"If I remember correctly," Jace muttered, "That route connects to the graveyard of doom, doesn't it?" He asked pointing towards the north.

"Yes." Drake nodded.

"So what was he doing there anyway?" He asked looking at the corpse.

"Wait, what?" Both Drake and I gasped in unison.

"His shoes," he said pointing at them, "Black soil."

Author's Note:

I'll be updating again tomorrow.

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