Chapter 35: Chapter 35

KEVIN’S POV

I had asked Collins to arrange a meeting with all the important members of the pack on the lawn. It was Seven days since father died yet these useless morons had not found out the killer.

After a quick shower, I threw on a random shirt, a pair of jeans, and a jacket. I was about to leave when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

A sense of déjà vu assaulted me as I recalled the day Kiara had picked clothes for my meeting. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. No! I wasn’t allowed to go there. I couldn’t let myself have even a single moment’s joy till my father’s killer was on the loose.

Letting out a long, deep sigh; I trotted outside. I had just entered the lawn when I noticed an unfamiliar scent, no several unfamiliar scents.

“Alpha Kevin,” a man in a silver-colored suit stepped forward and bowed to me.

“Alpha Rodriek… I didn’t know I am entertaining guests…” I said, eyeing the other werewolves accompanying him.

Following my line of sight, he said, “Please don’t mind them. They are here to help you with your search.”

There was no way he just popped in to help me. He must need something in return. I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms across my chest. “To what do I owe your kindness, Alpha Rodriek?”

His face flushed slightly and he said, “Several wolves from my pack have gone missing over the past few days. This could mean only one thing… they are creating more poisoned wolves. I wanted to know if your doctor has managed to create the antidote…”

“You have come to the wrong place, Alpha. This has got nothing to do with me…” I snapped, cutting him off in between.

“But… I had heard that your…”

“Go and see the Alpha of Rustic pack if you need help. It would be great if you can leave us alone…” My words came out harsher than intended.

He glared at me with fury before turning around and stomping away.

“Take your men along! I don’t need your help!” I called out as I motioned the other men to leave.

He paused for a moment near the exit and spat, “Don’t be so arrogant, Alpha! There will be a day when you will beg me for help. I will keep this insult etched in my mind until then…”

I ignored his words and turned my attention to Collins. “Who let him in?”

He lowered his head and said, “He was your father’s friend. So, I thought….”

I really didn’t have the patience to listen to his explanation. I raised my hand and said, “Next time you let anyone inside without my permission you will be punished!”

He bowed low and said in a slightly breaking voice, “I am sorry Alpha…”

“I am sick of apologies, Collins! I want results. Has anyone found out the identity of the killer?”

Collins lowered his head and stood there quietly. I swept my eyes around the hall to find that everyone was standing similarly.

I opened my mouth to reprimand them when something whizzed through the air and fell next to my feet. It looked like a stone wrapped with a piece of paper.

Unwrapping the paper, I saw a message scrawled on it ‘If you want to meet the killer meet me at the Plankton warehouse and yes come alone…’

“Alpha, this looks like a trap,” Collins said, peeking at the message. He seemed concerned but I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I had found a lead after so long and I wasn’t going to miss it.

“It doesn’t matter… I will pursue the lead no matter what!” I said in a decisive tone.

“Then, please let us all come with you…”

I was about to refuse but then I thought about it. The person who called me at the warehouse would expect me to come alone. If I took the men with me, I would have an upper hand.

“Fine, prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario… We have no idea what or whom we are dealing with…” I commanded before returning to the room.

I took off my jacket and shirt and wore armor made of lead. The cold metal pressed against my skin as I wore a tight fit inner over it.

I wore another t-shirt of sturdy material. It had about a dozen pockets on the sides. I strapped on my gloves before opening a drawer and inserting various silver weapons in the pockets. They would come in handy if there was a fight.

I completed my attire by pulling on a thick, leather jacket and some sturdy boots. I was about to leave when the jade ring in the drawer caught my attention.

Valence had given me this ring for good luck. I had taken it off after breaking up with Kiara.

On a whim, I slipped the ring onto my finger and trotted out to meet the others. Collins had picked a group of hundred men to accompany me.

I cleared my throat and spoke, “We are just going to pursue a lead but anything can happen. Be alert at all times and don’t hesitate in retaliating if attacked.

Use your silver weapons and fight in your human form if you are attacked by poisoned wolves… else you can shift… depending on the situation … Am I clear?”

“Yes, Alpha!” their collective voice reverberated on the lawn.

“Collins, I will be the first to go inside the warehouse… If I don't return after thirty minutes, I want you to barge inside with full force…”

“Understood, Alpha Kevin… We will not let you down... if Moon Goddess wants we will bring justice to all those who were involved in killing our beloved Alpha…,” He said in a passionate voice, before bowing to me.

I swept my eyes over the werewolves who had volunteered to accompany me. Every single one of them seemed to share the same sentiments. I had full confidence that we could do this…

Half an hour later, I parked my BMW in a clearing a few meters away from the warehouse. I drew in a deep breath as I stepped out of the car and locked the door.

The dry leaves crunched under my boots as I walked through the meandering path. My senses were high on alert as I tried to analyze the surroundings, looking for a possible threat…

The warehouse appeared totally empty. The guards that were present the last time were gone too. My heart pounded in my ears as I trudged in through the open gate.

The moment I stepped in through the gate a plethora of sounds assaulted my ears suddenly. It took me a few moments to realize that that there was nothing unusual about the sounds; the soft twittering of birds, rustling and crunching of the leaves, and howling of the winds…

My grip on the hilt of the knife tightened as I pushed open the door. The metallic door creaked due to impact and crashed against the wall with a loud clank.

My eyes darted around the room warily. It seemed to be completely empty except for the huge boxes.

“Kevin Gilkins! The great alpha of the Mystical Pack is finally here to meet this puny little man…” A gruff voice sounded behind me. I spun around and struck at the bearded man but he dodged quickly.

He raised his eyebrows and waved his hand and the next moment the knife was in his hand. It was then it dawned on me that I was dealing with a warlock. I wasn’t prepared for this…

I took a few steps backward, keeping my eyes fixed on his movements. Looking at my wary expression, he burst into loud guffaws.

I clenched my teeth as anger bubbled within me, filling me with an intense urge to rip open his throat. My nails dug into my arms as I struggled to remain calm. I wasn’t here on a suicide mission. I was here to avenge my father’s death.

“You didn’t bring your mate… what is her name?... yeah… Kiara along… I was looking forward to meeting her…,” A sickly sweet voice sounded as a woman appeared out of the thin air.

By the looks of it, she was a witch too. I was at a disadvantage here. I had to stall till others arrived.

There was no way they could win against a hundred werewolves, witch or not…

I drew in a deep breath and said, “I got your message… you said that you can tell me about my father’s murderer…”

“I would have told you but…”

“But… what?”

“You attacked my husband… I don’t think I want to help anymore…”

I pretended to appear flustered and explained, “He appeared suddenly from behind and I acted reflexively…”

One look at their gloating faces and I knew that they were the ones responsible for killing my father. It was a miracle that I was still waiting patiently for the others to arrive rather than skinning them alive.

The bearded man walked around me with slow deliberate steps and said, “Don’t say like that, Ariana… I am a very kind person… if he goes down on his knees and begs me… I might tell him the name of his father’s killer…”

The ground slipped out from underneath my feet when I heard the name ‘Ariana.’ Wasn’t she the one who had blackmailed Kiara to plot against me…

My fists clenched and the veins on my head popped out. They had gone too far… I would do anything to see them bite the dust.

I swallowed my pride and went down on my knees. My eyes burned with fury yet I remained seated. I drew in a deep breath and said, “Tell me who killed my father…” Looking at his raised eyebrows, I gritted out, “Please…”

He pretended to clear his ears with his finger and said, “I couldn’t hear a word you said Alpha….” Turning towards Ariana, he added, “Did you?”

“Nah! If you want answers you have to do better than this Kevin!”

I could hear the chatter of my teeth as they gnashed against each other. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Jumping to my feet, I roared, “I know that YOU killed my father… I just want to know WHY?”

Ariana’s lips pursed into a thin line and she flashed a wicked smile at me, “And here I thought… we were toying with you…”

I cast a sideward glance at my watch. I just had to keep them busy for ten more minutes.

I tore my hair and said, “Can you at least tell me why you killed my father?”

I tried not to cringe as Ariana came closer to me and ran her index finger along the middle of my face. She brought her face close to my ears and whispered, “Nothing personal, hun. He was just a hurdle in my mission…”

“What mission?”

“Ariana! I don’t think you should tell him too much…” The man glared at me as he stopped Ariana from talking ahead.

Ariana scoffed and said, “Anderson, my dear husband… you worry too much. I think I can tell him everything given that he won’t live to tell the tale…”

So, Collin’s assumption was right. This was indeed a trap to lure me to the warehouse and kill me.

“You have got a point love… You can continue with the story as far as he stays where he is….” He propelled himself onto a box and added, “I like the view.”

I couldn’t wait for the others to arrive. I would enjoy ripping his throat. “Just seven more minutes… just seven more minutes…” I repeated in my head as I focused on breathing evenly.

Ariana walked around me as she said, “I thought werewolves are hot-tempered yet you haven’t attacked us even after knowing that we killed your father… Why?”

“I know my strength is useless against your magic. I am hot-headed NOT stupid!”

“You are absolutely right. Witches should have been ruling this world but… but that old man used moonstone to make Auroville a haven. We can’t use our magic to hurt anyone till we are within the perimeter of Auroville.”

Her footsteps punctuated every sentence she spoke. “So, I created my own army of poisoned wolves. I would have been ruling Auroville if it wasn’t for your pesky, nosy father. He managed to acquire an antidote. Hell! He even found a way to cure the poisoned wolves…”

So, it was like this. They thought that my father had found the antidote and cure. Was that why they killed him?

“Now that the spell is broken we can reclaim our reign on Auroville….”

My nose picked on the familiar scent. The others were here. The sound of footsteps sounded as my men surrounded Ariana and her husband. I jumped to my feet and flashed them a victorious smile.

Everything happened very quickly after that. One moment I was standing in front of Ariana and the next I had crashed against the wall.

Boom! A large explosion sent everyone spiraling in all directions. The entire warehouse went up in flames. I saw Collins get caught up in the inferno.

A scream escaped my throat and I tried to get up but my legs were pinned down by a heavyweight. Stretching my hands forward I made a last attempt to save him before everything went dark…