Veiled In Darkness

Chapter 13

"What?!"

Sapphire exclaimed as her brain stuttered, barely able to register the words Ryan had uttered. She didn't understand. How could he say that wolves in her care were found dead?

"The guards patrolling this morning had found them at the clearing," Ryan hesitated, words hanging in his throat as he thought of different ways he could relay the news of their death to her without alerting and worrying her. He wanted to shield her from the news of their deaths, but he also knew that she had the right to know. She was his Alpha after all.

"And their reports? Did it say as to what the cause of their deaths is?" Sapphire asked jaw tightened and eyebrows raised. She wanted to know what the cause of their deaths was. She had never inquired about it since the attacks began, but she needed to know since it had worsened.

Ryan's back flexed, hands gripping onto the file that held their reports tightly. "No." He wasn't lying, but he wasn't being entirely honest too.

Her eyes followed the outlines of his movements, latching onto the blue file he clutched tightly. A deep sigh emanates from her throat as she glared at Ryan intently, her eyebrows slightly raising at the odd behavior he displayed.

"Hand it over," Said Sapphire, with hands slightly placed above her hips.

"What?" Ryan shrugged indifferently, his gaze lowered, not out of respect, but he just couldn't face her.

"The reports." She said, her head cocked, watching him with narrowed eyes, clearly disgruntled by Ryan's oblivious act to her demand. She knew something was up with him because he never avoided her gaze unless he had something to hide and she was hell-bent on finding out what it was.

Ryan's eyes widened, shocked at the fact that Sapphire had requested the forensic reports of the deceased. Since the attacks had begun, he had always made sure to keep her away from their reports and cause of deaths, he had made sure that all reports were sent directly to him and not to Sapphire.

"I-I-" Ryan stuttered, barely able to form coherent words to escape her questions. "I forgot to collect them." He clears his throat, trying to sound as genuine as he possibly could, but he knew it was only a matter of seconds before she would catch onto his act.

Anger ripples in her.

"Really, Ryan?" Sapphire huffed, amused at the fact that despite calling his bluff, Ryan had still tried to tell an untruth. "I can see them in your hands, now stop with the drama and hand them over."

Her beast was quickly getting irritated at the constant back and forth.

Ryan was caught, he knew he had no way out of the current situation than to come clean and be honest about the attacks, so without the slightest opposition, Ryan's arm rose forward, passing her the file that held their reports, along with the state in which the deceased was found.

Sapphire snatched the file from his outstretched hands, soon flicking through pages that held the profiles of the wolves who had been murdered.

With each page and profile, she flicked through, her eyes widened and her mouth opened wide.

"They were all found the same way," Ryan said, his voice barely a whisper.

He sucked in a breath, back turned to her as he continued. "Throats slit and hearts ripped from them. Alec and the rest of the team believe it's intentional and that their deaths aren't coincidences. They think it's a message." He didn't turn back, afraid that if he did, he might meet her broken and defeated eyes. He couldn't bear to see that, so he avoided her gaze.

Sapphire stumbled, mouth slightly opened as she tried to comprehend the words he had spoken. A message? Someone was intentionally harming wolves from her pack? These were thoughts that passed through her head as she let her gaze drop back to the picture attached to the profile of a younger warrior.