"With all due respect, your majesty." Xaden said. "I want to get to the bottom of what’s going on in my pack.
"I am King, and it’s my right to be freed. You’re holding me hostage. What you’re doing is treason." The King said.
"Just let him say what he wants to." The Queen said, annoyed at her husband.
Xaden gave him a grin. "The Queen wishes to hear. And I am not holding you hostage on any accord. I am Simply holding an investigation."
And without any more explanation, Xaden walked away from the royal couple and up towards his throne.
He stood by it and faced everyone.
They were all still murmuring, and the noise was everywhere in the hall room.
"Silence." He said with a profound and powerful effect.
They all went hush.
"You’re probably wondering why I summoned you all here." He said. "Even I don’t understand what’s happening. You see, Alexander, as you all know, was going to be executed."
He looked at all of them. "But before we went to his room, he was dead."
There were gasps and murmurs, along with little whispers around.
"Silence." He said, and they all paid heed. "Found him lying dead with all the guards protecting him dead. Someone killed him before I was even given the chance to."
"Why would someone kill Alexander?" Someone in the crowd asked.
"That’s what I want to find out." Xaden said.
"This is bullshit!" One of the men from Alexander’s pack said. "You falsely accused our Alpha, and then you killed him! You really think you’re going to get away with this?!"
"My nephew was in your custody!" The King swore. "And he mysteriously died? We’re not fools, Xaden."
"If I killed Alexander, then I would have owned
Up to it by now." Xaden said. "Why would I be afraid of admitting it? I’m not scared of anyone, not even the Great King."
"You don’t want to push me Xaden." The King pointed. "You do not want to."
"Like I said, I had no hand in his murder. And moreover, my mistress was there with me." He said. "She can testify to actually being the one who led me into the cell where we both discovered the body."
Xaden came down from the throne. "So it wasn’t me, I’m sure of that by it’s one of you here."
"I wouldn’t take this insult!" The King kicked against it and turned to leave.
But the guards at the doors stood with their spears blocking the way.
"How dare you! This is treason!" The King’s eyes glimmered like fire.
"This is my pack, and an attack on me is an attack on my entire family. And I don’t take threats from anyone likely." He said. "You will all remain here until I’ve fished out the person who did this. Trust me, it’s for our safety."
"You’re not making any sense here." Xaden said as he gritted his teeth.
Erik sighed. "Someone made it so that we would think that it was Alexander, and he would have died that way, and we would have never known, but the body began to show. Loren and Elena found it. When they were about to inform us, someone had stolen the body from the room."
Xaden tilted his head and clenched his jaw. "Are you telling me that the body isn’t anymore?" Xaden asked coldly.
"It was disintegrated into Ash." Erik said. "Elena said so. When the bells were rung, they ran out, and someone got in and got rid of the body."
"So you’re telling me that we have two murderous people in my pack?" Xaden demanded.
"No, worse than that. I am telling you that it’s possible that Alexander was not the one who sent the assassin in the first place. I’m also telling you that it’s possible the real culprit was the one who killed Alexander and got rid of the body. The person is cleaning his mess," Erik said.
Xaden wrapped his face, unable to believe what he was hearing.
There was no way he would tell them back inside the throne room that it was all an error and Alexander was falsely locked up in jail.
Xaden began to pace the room.
Trying to think of something.
Then it hit him.
"Stay with everyone else." He instructed. "I’ll be back."
Without waiting for a response from Erik, he was gone.
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