Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Seven Years Later
Royce
“Alpha, the council is here to see you. They are stating it’s official business,” Beta Daniel said.
I put down the documents I’m reviewing and raised an eyebrow at my beta. “Let them in.”
“They have council warriors with them, Alpha.”
I paused. That’s strange. Usually whenever the council visits me, it’s just the councilman. This time they brought warriors. It doesn’t make a difference to me.
“Let them in, Daniel. Keep an eye on Camren for me, okay?” I asked, entrusting my four-year-old daughter to him.
"Of course, Alpha.”
He led Councilman Pratt into my office, and the two warriors stood at the door entrance. Councilman Pratt is older, but not as old as some of the other councilmen. He isn’t balding and is still in relatively good shape. His hair is silver, combed back, and he is clean-shaven. He has a scar that goes from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone. He told me that he got it trying to save his parents when he was a younger wolf. His shoulders are broad, and his arms are muscular. He clearly still works out. I hope I’m still in that kind of shape when I’m his age.
“Councilman Pratt, what brings you to Ashcrest?” I asked politely as I shook his hand. “Can I offer you a drink?”
He sighs, “No, Alpha Royce. This is official business.”
I gesture for him to sit down, and he takes a seat. I sit on the other side of my desk and ask, “What business did you want to discuss?”
“Last night, around eleven-thirty in the evening, Alpha Dustin Birch of Blue Ridge was murdered,” the councilman said.
I’m shocked, though not surprised. He was popular for his ‘generosity’. Generosity that came from my pack, and he stole the credit in the name of Blue Ridge.
“I’m sorry to hear of his passing. What does that have to do with Ashcrest or me, councilman?”
He sighed again, “Alpha Royce, typically, the council is able to figure out pretty quickly the suspects for crimes around our realm. However, in this instance, it’s not as easy.”
“Are you asking for assistance?” I asked.
“No. There was no scent or trail of any particular wolf that committed this crime. However…,” he said, trailing off. He was looking at me with suspicion. Where is he going with this?
“However?”
There are clues that suggest you murdered Alpha Dustin.”
I feel my mouth open. I couldn’t help myself. I started laughing. The audacity. “Councilman Pratt, are you saying I’m your number one suspect?”
“The evidence, while circumstantial, points to you, Alpha Royce,” he said seriously.
I stopped laughing, and I now feel anger rising. “I don’t care what kind of evidence you have. I didn’t kill him. I was here last night. Last night was the anniversary of my late mate’s death. I went to her memorial with flowers and sat there until midnight.”
Pratt sits back and breathes a sigh of relief. “I see, and can anyone corroborate your alibi?”
I sat back in my chair. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. Everyone knew what day it was, and usually, I am left alone at that time. “No. Everyone steers clear of me during that time, because they know how emotional I am about the loss of my mate.”
Pratt’s eyes narrow slightly, but then he covers it just as quickly. “So no one can vouch for you, and we found Enabower in Alpha Dustin’s office, on his body.”
“You found Enabower? That’s absurd. That stays in our pack. We use it for medicinal remedies and then distribute the medicine. It doesn’t leave our pack, councilman,” I said.
The councilman takes out his phone and shows me a picture of the crime scene. It looks gruesome. Alpha Dustin is lying on the floor face down, and his head looks practically caved in. Beneath him is a pool of blood, and the office clearly shows signs of a struggle. Lying on his back, conveniently, is the Enabower flower.
By itself, Enabower will dissipate the scent of other wolves. When mixed with other plants, it can help tame and neutralize the scent heat in she-wolves, which is important during full moons for she-wolves that have mates fighting in battles and can’t be home to help their needs. It was a discovery that my late mate made before she died.
Enabower is specific to this pack, though. We don’t distribute the plant in its plant form to any other packs. That is a proprietary plant, and we keep a close eye on the fields where it is grown. There is no way to get to it unless you are authorized to work the field or a ranked member is there to inspect it.
“I don’t understand. I’m telling you, councilman, I’m not your guy. Clearly, something is going on. I would like to review the security footage from last night to see who took the plant from our fields, since I spend a lot of time on its security and privacy. Also, isn’t there surveillance at Blue Ridge?” I asked.
“Yes, but whoever did this took out the surveillance,” Pratt said.
I mind-linked my beta, ‘Daniel, I need security footage from last night now.’
‘On my way,’ he said.
“My beta will be here with the security footage from last night, councilman.”
“How do you know that it wasn’t taken sooner, Alpha Royce?”
“Because Enabower only dissipates the scent of other wolves within the first six hours after it is harvested. After that, it’s like any other plant. That’s why we keep it under tight security. When we harvest the plant, it goes immediately for processing to make the she-wolf heat medication,” I said. “Once it’s extracted and processed with the rest of the formula, it holds its shelf-life for up to one year.”
“I see. That’s good. So we just need to see who, between five in the evening and midnight, would have taken that plant?”
“Yes.”
After a few minutes, my beta comes in. He has a concerned look on his face. “Alpha, we have a problem.”
“What problem?” I asked.
“Last night, around ten in the evening, we had problems with the surveillance cameras. It was out for approximately forty-five minutes before we were able to get it up and running again. You were gone during that time to the memorial.”
Shit. Fucking hell. This is all too convenient. I’m being framed for that asshole’s murder, but I didn’t do it.
“Let’s see the footage. Maybe there is something there we can still see,” I said.
He opened the laptop, we accelerated the video, and there was nothing. That convenient lapse of forty-five minutes, I’m sure, is when the actual suspect grabbed the plant.
“Alpha Royce, I’m afraid without any proof of someone tampering with your plants, or anyone around to witness your alibi, things are not looking good. The plant was found in Alpha Dustin’s office, on his body. Plus, you had a history of conflict with him. From where I stand, you had motive, means, and opportunity,” Pratt said.
“What are you saying, councilman?” I asked. I have a feeling I know what he is going to say, but I want to hear him say it.
“I am saying, Alpha Royce, that you are under arrest for suspicion of murdering Alpha Dustin Birch of the Blue Ridge Pack,” Pratt said. He signaled to the warriors to grab me, but I stood and looked at the councilman.
“Councilman Pratt, I’m an innocent man. Someone is framing this to make me look like the murderer. There is no need to cuff me; I will come willingly. Just please allow me to speak to my daughter before we go,” I said. I felt like I was about to break down. Why is this happening to me?
“Very well, Alpha Royce.”
I looked at Daniel, and he nodded. “I’ll be right back, Alpha.”
I nodded. I sat back down. I feel like the world is crumbling around me. How in the hell did this happen? Who the fuck did I piss off that he or she would want to frame me for murder?
