✔️| The Gift of a Curse

CHPATER TWENTY SEVEN

“Why would you question the necklace?” Nick’s eyebrows knot together as he tries to come up with an answer.

“Nick, you just confirmed that the necklace turns red when the person wearing it is being lied to. When Owen expressed how grateful he is for the help I provided the pack, my necklace turned red. Please help me understand it, because I certainly cannot.” I pant as I scream in my friend’s face.

“You are right, something is definitely wrong.” Nick gives me a thoughtful look.

“What do you think?” I turn to his older brother.

“The necklace does not lie, it has been in our family for centuries, and never once did it mislead the one wearing it.” Joshua gapes at the necklace around my neck in deep thought.

“Maybe it is being inaccurate because I do not share your blood?” I too look down at the piece of jewelry.

“No, I granted it to you willingly, and since I am a Fairchild, the necklace should be loyal to you.”

“Then why did it glow red?” I start to grow frustrated with all the answered questions that keep emerging out of smoke.

“I can only think of one explanation. However, it can be considered as an unforgivable accusation if it is wrong or if we fail to prove it.” Joshua sits by the living room’s window.

“What do you mean brother?”

“Owen must have lied to Shadow, which means he is not our friend or our alley.” The witch gives his brother and I his back as he stares at the nature beyond.

“You are right, it is an inexcusable accusation. Thus, we cannot share it with anyone, not even Xander.” Nick throws a piece of wood in the fireplace.

“So you plan to lie to him?” I give my witch friend a disappointed glare.

“Yes Shadow, because I do not know if you noticed, but Xander is the kind of alpha to trust every member of his pack. If we go to him with this kind of impeachment he will not believe us unless we have a proof. It will not matter that he regards us as his family, he will not believe it.” Joshua tells me.

As I digest the witch’s words, I can see that he has a point. Alec seems to be like me; he does not relinquish his trust in others unless there is a valid proof.

“So, what do we do?” I ask bitterly not liking the fact that I will have to lie to Alec even though I know that it is the right thing to do.

“We will have to find a way to support our claim before we go to anyone.” Nick replies.

“You sound like a literary student.” I chuckle. Immediately, the air in the room becomes a little lighter as they both smile at my senseless joke.

“Seriously though, do you think that Owen is somehow for some reason betraying Alec?” I dare ask the one question that neither one of the men before me dare to say out loud.

“I really do not want to consider it, but it seems to be the only thing that makes sense.” Joshua moves away from the window and sits next to me on the couch.

“If he is against us, then we have been playing a losing game, because he must have been spying on us.” Nick places his hand on the wall above the fireplace as he glares at the burning wood.

“Can we please not talk about him anymore, even remembering his face gives me chills.” I shudder.

“I thought you no longer wore the necklace.” Nick fulfills my wish, and changes the subject.

“When I woke up from the coma, it was under my pillow, but I actually only wore it before the ceremony, so that if I get cold feet I can easily turn invisible and run to my room.” I say the second part in shame as I look down at my lap.

Both witches laugh at me. Thus, I take one of my boots off and I throw it at Nick’s head. Joshua chuckles at his brother’s face as he rubs the back of his head. His amusement vanishes, however, when he sees me take off my second boot.

“Shadow, do not be an idiot.” He puts both his arms before him to protect his face. Consequently, I throw it at his stomach which has him grunting.

Honey, where are you? Alec’s voice appears in my head cutting my fun short.

I am in Joshua’s house. Is everything alright?

Can you along with the brothers come to the dungeons? He answers my question with one of his own.

I have no idea where that is.

The brothers do, come here as fast as you can, and whatever you do, do not leave Josh and Nick’s side, okay honey?

Okay. I find his request rather bizarre, but I decide that the faster the conversation is over, the faster I can get to the dungeons and know what is wrong.

Good. He cuts off the link.

“Alec wants all three of us to head to the dungeons right away.” I inform the two men in the room.

“Why would he want us to go there?” Nick asks, although it is lucid that he does not expect to receive an answer.

“Well, whatever it is, it has him acting weird.”

“Fantastic, let us go then, we would not want the alpha to wait for us.” Joshua leads us out of the house.

“What do you mean they are dead?” Joshua nearly screams as we watch the warriors’ dead bodies behind the bars of the dungeons.

“I came down here to continue interrogating them, and I found them like that.” Owen gestures at the almost decayed bodies.

Alpha, I thought you said that Owen has been interrogating them every single day since they started to wake up? Clay asks through the mind-link. Now that we are all part of the same pack, they can hear him. I am not sure, however, if Nick and Joshua can as well.

“One, call me Xander. Two, you are right.” Alec responds.

Then how on earth the bodies have already started decaying?

“You have a point brother that is really weird.” I mutter as I catch the witches’ eyes. Both of them mirror my look; full of doubt and unsafe.

“Perhaps it is the alphas’ doing?” Chance suggests.

“If that were true, then why would the alphas sacrifice their people? I do not take them as people who care about their own, but from what I heard; Stefan Prior does not do anything without a purpose. I fail to see a point of this.” Nolan waves disgustingly at the bodies. I almost shudder at the mention of my brother’s name, and I can see Clay hold in a growl.

“And the guards did not hear or see anyone come in. Something does not add up.” I can see Amoux fighting to come out, I want to comfort him, but it is neither the right time nor the right place to do so.

My attention turns to Brook who uses the hand scan in order to open the thick bars. She takes careful steps into the cells, and examines the first body she reaches.

“Brook?” Chance asks his sister.

“Whatever happened to these men, it was not natural; someone did this to them. Can you get me a glove?” She asks no one in particular. Joshua waves his hands and immediately a pair of gloves appears in her hands.

She puts them on before she grabs one the body’s hand and examines it.

“You see this?” She points at a distinctive mark with her second hand.

“It is like a mark of some sort. I do not know what caused it, but it seems like some kind of infection.” She puts the hand down to check the rest of the body.

“Can you tell us anything else?” Alec asks her in a neutral voice.

“Only that they decayed to death; they literally started decaying before they died.” She answers as she takes a deep breath, as if she imagines how they died.

“How is that even possible?” Nolan joins the she-wolf in the cells to take a closer look at the bodies.

“Anything else?”

“They will have to be moved to the morgue as quickly as possible or else we will not be able to examine them further.” She takes the gloves off and looks directly at her alpha as she secures her blonde locks behind her ears.

I exploit the silent moment to study Brook’s features. Her hair is short; it barely reaches her shoulders, her eyes are hazel, and both of her nose and lips are thin. Also she seems to be a little too thin. Although I suspect that that is what happens when your job literally consists of examining dead bodies.

“Very well, Nolan, can you please take care of the bodies’ transport to the morgue.”

“Of course alpha.” Nolan gives him a nod before he leaves the room, I assume to mind-link the people who will transport the corpses. My eyes turn to Owen who seems to glare at Nolan’s back.

He must have wanted to be the one responsible of the transport. Accalia nearly growls.

But why? This guy makes me incredibly uncomfortable, like I want to escape from my own skin just so I can be away from him.

Well I wish to bury my fangs in his neck.

That seems like a pleasant suggestion Accalia.

It is indeed. My wolf mutters, I am sure that she imagines how exactly she would bite him.

“Just when I thought things cannot be any more complicated.” Chance mutters as he runs his fingers through his curly locks.

“What do you make of this Xander?” Owen asks Alec as he takes a step towards him.

“I do not know. What I do know for sure is that there is someone on this territory who is against us.” My eyes make contact with Nick who gives me a look that suggests that he completely believes that Owen is an enemy of ours.

“When I find that person, I am going to show them how short tempered I can be.” His eyes turn to black.

“Inform me when the bodies are in the morgue.” Amoux orders before he runs out of the room. Seconds later, I hear clothes getting ripped to shreds.

“When I said I want a little excitement in my life, this is not what I meant.” Brook muttered as she played with her perfectly manicured nails.

“Not now Brook.” Chance snaps at her.

“I am going to go and check up on Alec.” I look at Joshua who gives me a gentle nod.

“I am not sure that is a good idea.” Owen stands by the door blocking my way.

“And why not?” I snap at him. I really do not want to be in his presence.

“I just do not want you to get hurt in case he has one of his episodes. He could…”

“What happens between my mate and I is none of your concern. I do not care whether you are his friend or his head warrior, what I do is none of your business.” I growl as I come face to face with him.

“I was just…”

“I do not need your justifications; I need you to get out of my bloody way!” When he does not oblige, I grab his huge bicep, and push him into the wall to the right.

I leave the room with a loud growl. If Nick believes that Owen is indeed a traitor, then so do I, and I hate traitors.