Chapter 30

• HAERA
• Everything around me felt like it would come under as the news that was just delivered sank into me, soaking up all other emotions, feelings thoughts that I have been having before Ulric barreled into the dinning hall. Just hours ago... Mere hours ago...barely even a day. He was still in that kitchen scrunching his nose as we talked about what I was going through. Before that, he was in one of my favourite moments with him, cooking heartily because that was what he loved doing the most. I always cherished that scene of him, thinking about how perfect he was and how crazy as certain female was for rejection such a man. His excitement when he figured out that I had found my mate. The joy on his face was indescribable even if what I was feeling at that time was nothing close to that. The concern his face held when I told him about my mate and the way his eyes held worry. All of those things that happened while I was with him mere hours ago were the things I failed to cherish because I never even imagined what was currently happening to me. It was just Balfour right? I see everyday. I'll see again the next day or a week after because of the confinement I was put in. Everything that I saw of him began to spin like clockwork in my head. But now...he's dead? How could he be dead when I just stood by him, cooked with him and spoke with him mere hours ago? My head spun and ached as the thought further sank into me. It had to be a lie. It has to be a misunderstanding or a misconception. Balfour never leaves the kitchen. Why would he go to the lake? Yes. They must be wrong about it. Maybe it was someone else they saw and not Balfour. From beside the princess, I looked at Ulric with pleading eyes, hoping that his eyes will betray him and tell me he's lying. His eyes didn't. If anything, when he looked at me, he felt sorry. Sorry for me because one of the best people to ever come into my life is now pronounced dead. My legs wanted to have way but the shock I was was enough to keep me there, rooted and rigid like a rock. Death... It was something I never imagined. Not to myself and not to anyone. Wolves are nearly immortal. We live a pretty long life that you don't even believe the concept of death applies to us anymore. The concept only comes in when our wolves get tired as weary and most times, it is after we've taken a break from everything we used to be involved in. Guns don't kill us. Iron knifes don't even come close. Snake bites were nothing. Mention more deadly things and we'd just be sitting right here, waiting to tell it to your face that you can't kill us off that easily. The only tested things that could kill werewolves are Silver and a particular flower whose liquid is a deadly poison, the only Poison that can kill us; Wolfsbane. Growing of the flower was prohibited and you can never even find one in the woodlands werewolf community. The only occasions that can call for the use of both deadly things are during punishments of pack offenders and these things were only accessible to the Alpha of the pack. No one knows where they come from or how they suddenly appear to be used but they were known to be under the control of the Alpha. It's why everything felt and looked bizarre to me. I wanted to run out of here and go looking for Balfour. To see for myself what was going on. Damn! It was driving me to the point of madness and I guessed it wasn't only me who was shocked because the room fell silent. Well...not until the Alpha broke the silence. "Are...are you sure about what you're saying?" Ulric took in a sharp breath. I didn't know why I expected him to still go back on his words even when I already knew it was the truth. Balfour... He was really dead. "Yes... Alpha... apparently, he drowned in the lake." "Oh my God!" The Luna gasped emphatically. "Nonsense! How could a wolf drown?" The Alpha sounded angry. He seemed to be mirroring my words and my emotions. "We are not so clear on that Alpha... We're trying to get hold of the situation. No one saw him leave the kitchen or even the lake." The Alpha rose to his feet. Everyone rose as well. "It's better you get me some better information as soon as possible! You expect me to believe my chef, the best in the entire pack couldn't swim and then drowned in a fucking lake!" Ulric cowered under the Alpha's threatening stance. I would too if I were him. I guess I didn't expect the Alpha to react this way. I didn't think he would care that some chef died but there he was in all of the rage I never seen roll off of someone. "I...I don't know the details of what happened...but the Chef has lost his wolf for years now, following his rejection from his mate...he is just like every normal human." No one said anything after that. The whole room fell silent as if we were already having a minute of silence for him. As if we have already accepted that he was truly dead as hard as it was. My eyes wandered about the room, checking out the expressions of all the other people in the room. I was unable to cry. I wasn't sure if it was from the shock or because there was something wrong with my tear glands. Why couldn't I cry? I cried when my mate announced another woman as his mate but I couldn't cry after I learnt that my favourite person died? I felt horrible. The pain was there. Thawing at my heart but it failed to go past that. It failed to form tears in my eyes "Everyone, back to your Chambers. This dinner is over," the Alpha said, and then turned to Ulric. "You, find the Beta and get to the bottom of this. I want this investigated and wrapped up as soon as possible. Leave no stone unturned. Till then, the mate bond ritual shall remain postponed." The Princess's face head shot up as she faced her father. "What?" "You heard me Ilvira." "I heard you loud and clear father but I'm trying not to believe it! You're going to postpone my ritual because someone died?" She yelled out. I knew she was horrible but I couldn't believe her right now! How could she be so heartless and inconsiderate? "Well, that someone is chef! A wolf in my pack who died of cause I don't want to believe! We have to get to the bottom of this, Chef or not!" "Dad!" "I won't go back on my words Ilvira! That's it!" The Alpha said with a voice that left no room for more arguments. He then turned away from his daughter and stormed out of the room with Ulric and the Luna on his tail. Princess Ilvira stood there in the middle of the room with a look of rage in her eyes. I wanted to gut those horrible eyes out so bad because they made me sick. Alpha Zachary was right there. Observing and saying nothing. His gaze shifted from me to princess Ilvira but I was too heartbroken to care about what he was thinking right then. "Ughhhh!" Princess Ilvira grunted before turning on her heels and storming off without even sparing both me and her supposed mate a glance. It took a few seconds of me wallowing in my misery and staring at my mate before I turned around and followed her. I didn't want to. I wanted to go out there and see Balfour for myself. I wanted to hold him and hug him. I haven't done that since my last birthday and now I hate myself so much for brooding over my stolen mate and not cherishing the last moments we had together. The princess was fast and I tried to keep up with her. Her anger rolled off of her in waves and I could really get myself electrocuted if I got too close to her. She was already in her room before I knew it, swinging the door open and barging into the room. She screamed as she began to destroy everything in her room, dumping them on the floor and all over the place. I had to shift closer to the door so some of her things wouldn't hurt me. She screamed and grabbed her hair, yanking it out of it's perfect mass as her anger took hold of her entirely. What was she so angry about? It was just a fucking ritual! It could wait. Someone died yet all she cared about was her ritual that was going to be delayed? "That slimy Chef!" She yelled out. My hands bunched into a fist. I was holding back. I have been holding back. But I could really lose control now and let Dezra do her thing. "Even in his death, he's still about ruining things for me," She said again. That's it! I let Dezra push me to the back of my mind and take over me instead. She was enraged and there's no telling what she is capable of. "You don't speak about dead people like that." Dezra backed out at her. Princess Ilvira turned, eyes blazing and angry. "You fucking moron! How dare you go all wolfy on me?" She inched towards me and I could see with the way her eyes flashed between brown and black that she was fighting her wolf from taking over. It made me suspicious. Why was she fighting her wolf? She's of Alpha blood. Her Wolf was probably bigger than mine no matter how big Dezra was and she could tear us both apart. Why was she fighting it? "Why are you fighting your wolf? Go ahead. Shift and beat me up!" Dezra barked again. "I won't waste painful cracking of bones on a twerp like you!" She replied and out of nowhere struck me on my face. "I shouldn't have let you come here! I should have just let you die with him if only I didn't need your fucking ass!" Dezra seemed to realize something before I did because she calmed and I paled. "You killed him... didn't you?" Dezra asked quietly. I fought to gain control again. I was confused as hell. My heart was beating fast. Who killed whom?