Chapter 128: Chapter 128

I saw the Alpha's breath getting stuck in his throat as he stared wide-eyed. The air in the room felt like it was vacuumed out, the hair on the back of my neck rising. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, a pained sound leaving from his throat. The blood on my hands dried, darkened to a strange, brown colour that matched the hideous carpet covering most of the floor.

A tear slid down my eyes despite my best attempt to hold it back. The matter was of grave importance, especially knowing the murder was close to the boundaries. It made my stomach curl in anxiety.

The silence was broken by an unwavering Slyvie who turned her gaze towards my mate with a snicker, "Is this for real? Why are you both getting so overworked over a nobody?"

Something uneasy settled in my stomach at her dismissive tone, jaw clenched tightly as I turned to her. Before I could open my mouth to reply, Aiden cut me off, pinning her with a glare. "All the pack members are equal here. No one is a nobody, Slyvie, so I would appreciate it if you could please stop talking."

The omega dismissed the angered look he was giving her and fell back into the chair nearby, defeated and shaking her head in irritation, chin resting on her palm as she huffed with impatience. What was her problem anyway? I thought under my breath, feeling the heat practically radiate off the woman, her eyes sending sharp and aggressive daggers my way. I sent the same glance back to her, arms crossing together.

The Alpha made a humming noise as he looked down towards the ground. Aiden didn't speak his thoughts, but by the way, his knuckle pressed tightly, and he kept his leg shaking; he was in some pose. I waited for my mate to perk up and speak, to get up and send Liam as quick as he could or anyone else for that matter.

"What exactly did you see, Rose?" He cleared his throat finally, turning to face me, colour draining from his features. The pressure of both eyes on me made my legs press together, fingers tangled together.

Taking a deep breath, I explained the situation as detailed as possible. "My mother and I were in wolves form, prowling the end of our boundary trails when we discovered the body. H-Her throat was ripped out and mercilessly thrown on the rocks, like some sick display. One close look, and I could tell that she belonged to our pack." I abruptly stopped myself, swiping my tongue over the dried chapped lips. "It's an unmated omega, Aiden. My mother is keeping an eye on her till we get there and do further procedures."

He slowly bobbed his head, his eyes meeting my widened orbs. "R-Rose, did you happen to catch who the smell belonged to? Foot prints or anything else?"

"No," I shook my head, my gaze lowered as I tried to think back of the sight. A shiver ran down my spine, my brows furrowed as I continued. "I was blanked out for a long time, but I don't think there was any strange scent in the mix."

"This is getting boring." Slyvie suddenly stood up, her heels clicking against the carpeted floor. Crossing her lean arms together, the omega let out a huff. "Aiden, I have come here to discuss something important. It's disrespectful of you to focus on something else when I am standing right here. We need to finish our meeting."

I gaped at her openly, my irritation going through the roof by now. My knuckles were white from clenching my fists too hard, breathing uneven from the sudden infuriating sense that overcame me. How could she be so selfish? There's an omega, one of our kind dead in the woods, and there was no empathy from her.

Aiden turned on his feet, nose flaring as he angled his body to meet her eyes. Rage took over the Alpha, teeth grinding together as though he was barely holding it inside. "It's Alpha Aiden to you, Luna. Let me make this clear—I only entertained the opportunity of meeting you because you are a person of authority. That's the only reason, and I do not want your help. Thank you so much. You know the way to the door."

I almost held in a snicker at the look on her face, as if she was slapped across the face. The omega fumed, appearing a minute away from stomping her feet like a spoiled brat. She did look like the type anyway.

"How could you turn down such a selfless offer?"

"Funny hearing that word from you, Luna." Aiden rolled his eyes.

"If you are upset over what happened all those years ago, then please let me explain..."

"Please stop." Aiden gritted his teeth together, his hand wrapping around my waist to pull me closer, our sides pressed together. "This is my mate, and we are happy together. I want to keep it that way forever, Luna."

Red in the face, Slyvie barely managed to nod her head before making a dash for the exit. I watched as she slammed the door with extra force than necessary, almost making the windows vibrate. A sigh escaped my lips, hand placed on the left side of the chest to calm my racing heart.

Aiden slowly raised his hand to brush his fingertips against my cheek gently, my knees going weak at the warm touch. I watched as his eyes surveyed my face, gathering every detail and crevice hidden within before he opened his mouth.

"You must have been startled."

"It's nothing," I said, still facing the door.

He shook his head. "I mean about the body, Rose."

"Oh." I exhaled. "Yes, it scared me."

"I can see that." The Alpha pushed the loose strands sticking to the side of my face, tucking them behind my ear. "Why don't you go home and rest? I will take Liam to the sight."

"No!" I shook my head. "I want to be there with you. Besides, the place is not easily located, so I can show you the way."

Aiden fell in a deep thought at that, twisting his mouth as if he was still not sure before nodding. "Fine."

***

My body felt overwhelmed, and my chest still hurt, and on top of everything, I suddenly realised everything was quiet – unusually so. There are always twigs and branches snapping and shrubs rustling and birds fluttering around the woods, a constant humming and whispering no matter the time, no matter the season.

It's silent, standing in such contrast with the strange howling wind that had almost deafened my ears earlier, and it only crept me further. I wondered if Aiden noticed it, if he realised it as well. Perhaps not. The Alpha looked unsettled yet somehow also composed. I knew him well enough to know that were he to notice anything suspicious; he'd never show it on his face.

Liam followed us silently with a small group of guards to carry the body back to the pack.

"Do you realise how bad this situation is?" The beta mumbled. "There hasn't been a murder within our borders since way before Aiden was decided as the Pack Alpha. People are going to be scared."

The Pack Alpha looked over his shoulder, a sigh escaping his mouth, body slouching. "We can never be prepared for this kind of situations, Liam."

"Yeah, I know."

A few seconds later, we were standing at the foot of the rocks, my body exhaling with relief upon finding my mother. She came to stand by my side, placing a gentle hand on my back. "Do you want to go back?"

"No, it's fine."

Liam and Aiden started sniffing the air, looking around the dried leaves for any clues. They both carefully carried her and placed her on the sheet laid on the ground.

The murderer did not leave anything behind, not a single clue to track on.

"I believe they dumped her body here." My mother cleared her throat. "The crime must have taken place somewhere else because there's no other scent in here. It's a meticulous work as if planned for a while before executed."

The Pack Alpha turned on his feet, bowing to my mother and introducing himself. "Thank you for the helpful insight. I think the guards should still look around the place for a while."

"Absolutely." My mother hummed.

"I would request you to come with us." Aiden slowly started before watching her eyes narrow at him. "Not as a suspect or anything but my mates mother. It's not safe to be in here alone at this time. Rose will be constantly worried about you."

At that, I bobbed my head, widening an arm around my mother. "Yes, mom. Please. For my sake, come back and stay with us."

She hesitated, looking around before nodding her head. "Alright."

***