Ben
I ran straight to the venue in my wolf form the moment Omar told me they caught a spy. As soon as I got there the whole police force is there blocking every entrance and path. I quickly change into my human and got clothes from Omar.
"Alpha" Omar said bowing his head.
"What's the status?" I asked walking out of the bathroom. I stopped walking once the scent of blood filled my nose.
That's Imani's scent. My wolf said.
"Alpha wa---" I quickly ran and followed the scent of Imani's. Leading me to the stairs door.
"A-alpha" I look over to see Zoe in tears. I passed by her feeling my heart beat even faster. As soon as I open the door the smell of blood is even stronger. I see Imani's body on the floor laying in a pool of blood. My heart stops and I quickly run towards her.
"IMANI!" I yell carefully picking up her body.
Doctor. I called using pack-link.
I here. He answered.
"Zoe come on." I said as I walk out. Zoe comes and follows behind me.
Omar quickly comes with towels and covers Imani's body.
"Find a room for her so the doctor can tend to her." I told one of the staff.
"I take it that person lying dead next to her is the spy." I asked Zoe.
"Yes, Alpha" She answered.
Looking down at Imani's face I see she is in so much pain. I can't believe this happened. I am so angry right now. I want to go and tracked down a hunter right now and torturer them for what they did to my daughter.
Since this venue is also connected to a hotel we were able to find an empty room with a bed.
"Get me some warm water," I ordered as I laid her body on the bed. "I am so sorry baby girl" I said brushing the side of her face. Staff comes back with a bowl of warm water. I take a towel and wet it in the bowl. I wipe off some of the blood from her face, neck, and arm. I notice many cuts on her arms.
"Alpha," The doctor says running into the room. "Oh, my--" He says in shock looking down at Imani. He quickly checks her body and her cuts. "Do you have the weapon that caused these cuts?" He asked looking at her arms.
"On it!" Omar said running out of the room.
"Zoe tell me what happened?" I said using my Alpha tone.
Zoe took a deep breath before she answered. "Well, Imani and I were at the kitchen taking a break when Imani kept looking at a man who was being suspicious around the food. Once he left he smelled that he may have poisoned the food. So we quickly ran to go find him before he can space. We thought he may have been a hunter. We were able to follow him up to the roof of the building and there we saw him talking with Oliva."
"Oliva?" I said in shock.
"Yes, we caught her scent with his and saw them talking." She said.
"Was the man a hired staff?"I asked.
"I--I don't know. I assume at first because he was in the kitchen with the rest of the cooks but once he ran away from us I realized he wasn't". She answered.
"Okay, keep going," I said as I watch the doctor tend to Imani.
"Imani came charging towards him and they both started to fight."
"What was Oliva doing that time?" I asked.
Hey, I need you to find the security cameras and see if you can find out what happened. I said calling Omar in the pack-link.
"She was just standing there watching everything. She spoke as if she as so glad to see Imani come in. Almost like Imani was saving her from him." Zoe said. I continued to listen.
"So as Imani was fighting him I was waiting for an opening to jump in. The man had a knife and was using that to fight Imani. I was able to find an opening and catch him off guard. Imani and I were able to pin him down and take away the knife. I suggest I could paralyze him with my venom and take until back came. But Oliva distracted us and that caused him to break free from our hold and run away."
As I am listening to the story I am getting angrier. Oliva sounds very suspicious and this isn't a good look. Why would she speak to an unknown man? and why did she stand there and watch my daughter fight him and not call for help?
Zoe continues the story and tells me how she took the lead in catching him but she became weak because of the smell of blood coming from Imani. Imani took the lead and had no choice but to shift which I was really afraid of happening. The man and Imani ended up falling down the flight of stairs and Imani bit his arm off. She shifted back to her human form and passed out.
A hunter was able to get into my territory and almost kill my pack members and my daughter. I am in a rage.
"Doc. What's the status?" I asked as I see him and his female staff lift her body and take her to the bathroom.
"Your daughter has been poisoned." He answers "That weapon had a piece of poison in it and that's why it's taking her longer to heal. And it doesn't help that the kife was made out of silver. I need the weapon so I can run some test to see what type of poison it is." He says.
"Right now I can heal her wounds by soaking her body in an herbal bath. But we need to find a way to stop the spread of the poison" He said sounding worried.
"Alpha!" Omar said coming running into the room.
"Bad news. The weapon and the security camera tape is gone." He says.
"Are you kidding me?" I said.
Get her! My wolf yelled. I ran out of the room and quickly followed Oliva's scent leading to the kitchen.
"Ben--" I grabbed her by throat and everyone backs away and gasp in shock. I push her body up against the wall staring her down. Oliva looks up at me in fear as she tries to gasp for air.
"A hunter was found poisoning the food, He poisoned my daughter, the weapon and security camera is found missing," I said squeezing her throat tighter.
"Now tell me why you. The person who is organizing this event shouldn't be held responsible?" I asked using my Alpha tone. I slowly ease up on my hold to give her enough air to speak.
"Benjamin! How---Ho--could you do this to me?" She says.
"My daughter is fighting her life right now. And you were there for everything. You better answer quickly Oliva. This is your Alpha speaking!" I yelled.
"I--I didn't hire him. I don't know how he got in here. When I caught him running away he--He was trying to use me as bait to escape." She says. I don't believe the bull shit she is selling to me right now.
"Mark and Victor!" I yelled and they both appear next to me.
"Yes, Alpha" They answered.
"Take my wife in holding until she decides to sell me a better story." I said glaring down at her.
"Benjamin! I am your wife how could you?!" She screams as I let her go.
"I am an Alpha first and you know that. What you did has put everyone at risk. I let can't that go even for you." I said backing up so they could take her.
When Omar told me that the spy was hired to help by Oliva I was a little shocked because I have been keeping my eyes on Eric, not my wife. I am starting to question everything. We are less than a couple of weeks away from the King coming and everything is getting worse.
Neema we are going to need a witch. I said calling her through the pack-link.
You should have never taken her as a mate. My wolf said sounding so angry.
Hey, I am upset too but we have to be cool. Imani needs us right now. I said.
I tell all the staff to go home and that everything is on hold. I take statements from the staff working in the kitchen. A lot of them were impressed by how Imani took charge of everything and was to be cool about the situation. They said she acted like a real alpha.
From everyone's statement, I got that they thought he was a staff member hired by Oliva. Because the kitchen is small and there are a lot of different scents it was hard for them to pick up on his scent and realize he wasn't supposed to be here.
By the time I go back to the room, Neema is here with the witch.
"This poison is a poison when use with sliver can affect a wolf's blood. It can cause hallucinations, loss of taste and smell, and weakness of the wolf's spirit." The witch says.
"Normally you'll need blood from a direct descendent of Mawu to fight off this type of poison, but luckily since she is of royal----"
"Wait what makes you think she is Mawu descendent?" I said.
"With all due respect Alpha, I know you can feel it right? Your daughter's wolf is different from yours and the pack. Her wolf is bigger and powerful than anyone here." She says confirming what I been very suspicious of.
"The color of her wolf explains it all," The witch says.
"Wait but that would mean Imani would be related to the Alpha King right?" Neema asked.
"It's likely." She answers. Too many things are happening at once and I don't think I'll be able to keep up. I knew from Imani's wolf that she is of royal blood, but to be related to the Alpha King who is planning to come here in a few weeks is too much. What should I do if the Alpha King finds out? What if he wants to take Imani to the capital to confirm her blood? And I still don't know the reason why Zora left the capital in the first place.
"Okay, but do what you got to do to take out the poison," I said.
"We will need to awake her wolf spirit again and allow her wolf to use its power to save her." The witch says. I agree with her plan and let them clean Imani's body and give her a change of clothes. We lay her on the bed and the witch gets to work. The witch is going to do the ritual that allows me to call upon Alpha. I'll ask Alpha to use me and allow me to use my wolf spirit to awaken Imani's wolf.
It took two hours to complete the ritual. Normally doing something like this would take 30 minutes but because Imani's severely hurt and this poison is deadly it took longer.
Now we have to wait until Imani's body heal and she wakes up on her own. I pray that Imani is able to wake up. I hate waiting. I feel that I have failed as a father and as an alpha. This should have never happened. And the fact my daughter had to be caught in the middle of it.
"Once her body is stable transfer her to the pack's hospital," I said.
"Zoe comes with me," I said. Omar also follows behind me.
"Omar take us to holding," I said letting him take the led towards his car.
"Zoe are you okay? Do you need to feed?" I asked before we got into Omar's car.
"No, I'm fine now. " She says looking down. We get into his car and Omar goes into the glove compartment and takes out a few napkins to give to Zoe.
"Thank You," She says and wipes her face.
"Zoe, is there any other information we should know that will be useful?" I asked. As Omar started driving off.
"Um...Today Imani told me Oliva left her phone on the kitchen counter." She said.
"The caller ID said E on it and so Imani picked up curious to see who the person was."
"And who the person?" I asked already knowing the answer.
"Eric. It was Eric's voice on the phone." She answered.
"Did he say anything once she answered the call?" I asked.
"He warned her to be careful and that he'll meet her tonight." She answered. Omar and I looked over at each other.
We arrive at the office station where Oliva is in a holding cell. I get out of the car and take a deep breath before I enter the station. I leave Zoe to wait in the waiting room while Omar and I go to the holding cell.
Oliva looks up at me. I thought she would be a crying mess but surprisingly she is calm.
"Move her to the integration room," I said and walked past the cell.
Omar is watching behind a glass mirror while I am sitting across Oliva who is handcuffed. Oliva's hair is pulled up in a bun and she is staring at me.
"Would you like some water?" I asked.
"No." She answered. "Alpha,"
I know she is angry with me for how I treated her but I can't help it. The pack comes first. We knew what she was getting into when she married me. I even offered to take care of Benjy myself when she got pregnant because I knew this life wouldn't be easy for a human. But still, she stayed all these years.
I took a deep breath before speaking. "For this ball how many workers did you hire?" I asked.
"300 alpha," She answered.
"How did you get this many workers?" I asked.
"Most of the volunteers are from the pack or family members of the staff who wanted to help." She answered.
"Do you have a list of all the workers you hired?" I asked.
"No, Alpha."
"Why not?" I asked confused.
"Because I did not think too. There are many things that needed my attention that I was happy for any additional help. I did not think to keep a list." She says.
"Okay, that's understandable. So why didn't you hire an assistant to help with some of the minor details? You even had the council offering their assistants to you." I said.
"I wanted to prove myself." She answered. I crossed my arms as I waited for her to explain. "I--I wanted to prove myself to the pack. I have been part of this pack for over 18 years. And as the first and only human of this pack, I always felt like the odd one out. No one respects me nor sees me are their Luna. I feel everyone puts up with me because Benjy is your son." She says while looking into my eyes.
"I thought by planning everything on my own and impressing the Alpha King. I thought I could finally show my worth to be part of this pack." I uncross my arms and take a deep breath.
"I understand Oliva---"
"No, no you don't. You will never understand how it feels to be brought into a world you knew existed in books and movies. And to give birth to one." As she was talking her tone got deeper. "The pain and fear of carrying a child you had no idea wasn't human. I--I have no home and no family. This is all I know. And every day I am reminded that I don't belong here." She says finally breaking the eye contact. I reach over the table to hold Oliva's hand.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you felt that way. If only I didn't drink that day you wouldn't---"
"No," She said looking up at me. "I--I don't regret it. Meeting you and having Benjy is the best thing that could have happened to me." I reach over to wipe her tears. I slowly pull away and sit back in my seat.
"So was that man hired by you?" I asked. Oliva takes a deep breath before she answers.
"No." She says. I take a moment to think of my next question.
"How was he able to get into the kitchen if he wasn't a staff?" I asked.
"I---I don't know." She answers. I let out a sigh. I am getting tired of her answers.
"Did you hire any security?" I asked.
"No---"
"Okay, so can you explain why were you seen on the roof with the man if you didn't know him?" I asked finally asking the question I really wanted to get to.
Oliva's voice and body started to shake. "I--I--I was on my to the kitchen when he came and threatened me." She said.
"Threatened you?"
"Yes, He told me to come with me quietly unless I wanted to die." She says.
"A witness said it seemed like you and he were talking up on the roof. What did you talk about with him?" I asked.
"I was trying to make a deal with him so he could let me go. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt." She answered.
"Why didn't you use the whistle I gave you to call for help?" I asked looking down at her necklace. When Oliva and I got married I gave her a whistle that can be heard by any wolf in the pack. The sound will send out a signal that the Luna is in danger. Because she is human I knew she would always be a target.
Oliva looks down at her necklace as if she just noticed it.
"Alright Oliva, could you tell when and how long has Eric had your number?"
"What?" She said in shock.
"You do know that Eric is not only a rouge wolf staying in our territory but he is also a wolf that's an endangered species. He was been put under surveillance since we met him." I said.
"We also have reasons to believe that he---" I stopped my face as I looked at her face. I want Oliva to tell me the truth. I know she has very important information. And right now she isn't being truthful. All her responses have been the same and I find it hard to believe she would be this careless when planning an event this big. It's not like she doesn't know the dangers we are facing with the rise of the hunter's attacks.
"You know a lot of people could have died today," I said. "Everyone who is working hard to make sure this ball that you are working so hard for goes well could have died. Imani is fighting for her life right now. She put her life on the for this pack." I said.
I let out a growl and get up from my chair.
"You're not going to leave me are you?" She asked as I was about to open the door.
"If I had it my way there would be no-ball," I said not looking back at her.
"Neema be taking care of the preparations until the time being."
"You--you don't believe me?" Oliva asked.
"I'm sorry but your answers don't match with the evidence that has been shown. So until you---"
"BENJAMIN!" She yelled cutting me off. "I AM YOUR WIFE!" She yells.
"Yes," I slowly turn around.
"You can't keep me locked in here like some kind of animal. I am still the Luna of this pack too." She says.
"And I am Benjamin Kiba. Alpha of the Sliver Fang pack. And as the Luna of the pack, you failed." I said and walk out of the room shutting the door behind me. I lean up against the door and take a deep breath. I close my eyes.
She is hiding something. My wolf tells me.
I know.
I know.
I know she is hiding something. I always felt that way. Ever since she agreed to marry me. I just pray making that decision doesn't come at the expense of my pack. I get off the door and Omar comes out of the room from where he was watching.
We talk to my office so we can talk.
"Could you send someone to tell Zoe home please," I said as went to the mini kitchen to pour myself a drink.
"Yes, Alpha," Omar says pulling out his phone to make a call. Once he is done he puts his phone back into his pocket and takes a seat across from my desk. I make another drink for him and hand it to him.
"Thanks," He says and takes a huge sip.
I take a seat at my desk. "So what did you think?" I asked.
"I honestly think she is stupid. No offense alpha." He says bowing his head. I shake my head letting him know it's okay. "Given the state of our pack is in you would think she would have more self-awareness. A random guy who happens to be a hunter was able to come in and poison the food without anyone noticing. If it wasn't for Imani---. What a mess everything would have been. Give thanks to Mawu that she of royal blood and she has a fighting chance against this poison. Because this could have been one the biggest attacks against us and we wouldn't believe have been able to do anything. And most of our volunteers are our youths. So many kids could have died today." Omar said getting upset which he has every right to be. Those workers are the future of our pack and we could have lost a lot of lives today because of Oliva.
"What is her motive behind all this?" He asks.
"I don't," I said taking another sip of my drink.
"I have a question Alpha." He says.
"Yes," I say waiting for him to ask.
"You think she is lying right?" I asked.
"Yes,"
"Why do you think she is lying. She married you and has a child with you. She is the Luna of this pack. Why would she lie and be so reckless ?" He asks. I don't answer because I don't know the answer. I have spent my whole marriage trying to understand Oliva's behavior and I still haven't figured it out.
I finish the rest of my brandy and get up. "I'm going home for a bit and then I'm going to the hospital. Tell everyone to go home for the day and make sure they finish the clean up that body." I said as I get ready to leave.
I actually don't want to go home because I would have explained to Benjy what happened. Because of the bullying he and his mother have faced from his pack he is very protective of her. And I know he is not going to approve my method of leaving her in a jail cell. I just pray Imani wakes up soon. I don't know many more surprises I can take.
A word from Jojo:
Hey, bookworms! There are only a few more chapters until the Sliver Fang is done. This book will be a series. And as some of you know I love to make a soundtrack at the end of every book. So if you have any suggestions for a song please write a comment for that chapter. No judgment. Any song in any language, genre, or instrumental.
Please and thank you <3