SWNOVELS Chapter 258
Chapter 258: Theo
I closed out of the video chat with Alpha Harden and Alpha Vincent just as my
dad walked into the office. He had been going almost non- stop the last couple of
days. And who could blame him? He felt better than he had in years. We had the
pack doctor and his specialist do
thorough exams the day after we healed him, and they both agreed he was in
perfect condition. Even for his age.
“Maggie and I have the guard rotation complete for the three days before and
after the eclipse,” he informed me. “The Moonstone has a twenty-four hour
guard.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said. “Zeff and Holly should be here soon. This should be their
last trip. So, they'll be occupying the house from here on out. I'll give him a
walkthrough of the access tunnel and cellar security this afternoon.”
We were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Enter,” I called.
McCabe opened the door and came in, followed by my cousin Will. “I m sorry to
interrupt,” he said seriously. “There's something you should know.”
His tone was concerning and he had my full attention.
“Lloyd is dead,” Will informed.
“What?” I replied, instantly on my feet. “How?”
“Not entirely sure,” McCabe said. “I've got Mina heading down to run
forensics. I thought you might want to check it out.”
I was already heading down. The new tunnel access was complete, so at least
we could avoid attention now. I wasn't exactly upset about Lloyd's death. We
knew we needed to address him soon, but we wanted to wait until after the
ceremony. He would have been executed anyway. What bothered me was how.
I had ensured he was kept fed and healthy enough to keep him sane. I knew
every guard that was assigned to him. There was no reason he should have just
died. Something was up and I didn't like it.
Mina was already there when we entered the cell. The place didn’t smell the
greatest, but Lloyd didn’t look any worse for the wear. There was no apparent
sign of what caused his death.
“Any ideas yet?” I asked Mina as she finished drawing blood and pulled out some
swabs.
“We'll have to wait for the test results for confirmation,” she said. “But my guess,
poison.”
“What makes you say that?” McCabe asked.
“It's strangely subtle but” — Mina reached up and pulled Lloyd's mouth open —
“smell that.”
I moved in and breathed in, instantly pulling back with a grimace.
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
“I'm pretty sure it's wolfsbane hybrid that Harry was working on,” Mina replied. “I
recognize the smell from going through his stuff. Plus, I found this.” She held up
an evidence bag with a small glass tube in it. “It was under him by the wall.”
“How would he have gotten that?” Will asked from the door. “You don’ t think one
of ours gave it to him?”
“We'll question them just in case, but no,” I replied. “Could he have been hiding it
on his person?” I asked McCabe.
“He was searched when we arrested him back at the border,” he stated. “But that
was primarily for weapons. I wouldn't say it was thorough enough to find
something like that.”
I nodded. “We know Harry was working with Grogan and Grogan was working
with the rogues. It's reasonable to think they either crossed paths or it was given
to him at some point. We'll keep looking into this to be on the safe side. I don’t
want to leave anything to chance right
now.
“Yes, Alpha,” they said in unison.
1 left, Will and Mina to finish their work and headed back upstairs.
McCabe followed me.
“How are the rest of the preparations coming?” I asked.
“I've coordinated with Maggie and Alpha Torin,” McCabe said methodically. “I
have a few last-minute personnel issues to address, but it doesn’t seem to be
anything major. I think I've cleared out most of Hawkins’ men. Any that may be
left aren't in a position to do much.”
“Okay, keep me updated,” I replied. There seemed to be something else on his
mind but I wasn't sure if he was going to bring it up or not. Either way, he had
been in a weird mood the last few days and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. “If
there's something else, you can tell me, Finley.”
“Hmm...” he said, pulling out of whatever zone he was in. “Oh, yeah,
well... There's been some issues at the campus. And at the packhouse really. It's
about Luna Ayla’s sister.”
“Kylee?” I asked, stopping in my tracks. “What about her? Has she done
something?”
“No, no,” he rushed. “There's just been a lot of negative comments and rumors
about her. And regarding her relationship with Amy. It's all pretty petty stuff really.
I've just been hearing a lot of it, I guess.”
“Oh,” I replied, continuing on my way. “We can't really be surprised. The truth
about what she did was bound to sink in with the rest of the pack at some point. I
guess I can at least be grateful that Amy's betrayal has made Ayla's position
much more stable.”
“But at the expense of her sister?” McCabe questioned.
I shrugged. “We can't control how they handle the truth of things.”
McCabe pursed his lips with a nod.
“l wasn't here when all that went down,” he said as we walked. “And I haven't
heard the story from you two, but... do you really think she deserves the harsh
treatment she’s receiving.”
It wasn't an accusation, but a genuine curiosity. However, there was something
else in his voice that said this wasn't a purely professional question.
“Are you asking me as your Alpha or as your friend?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Both, I guess.”
“Well, as a friend, yes, I think she does,” I said bluntly. “But I'm also aware that
I'm biased. And that bias isn't inclined to let me view her in a completely fair light.
As the Alpha of the pack, no. She was a pretty
66 HOT
shi tty person. And I think the pack has a right to be disappointed, even a little
angry, with her behavior over the past few years. However, I wouldn't agree that
she should be shunned or made the pack pariah as long as she continues to
make steps to change.”
McCabe nodded and a tension seemed to leave his body.
“Why are you asking?” I asked.
He waved me off. “Oh, it's nothing. Just kept hearing so much about her it's hard
not to think about.”
I nodded and let the subject drop, but something was telling me there was more
to this than he was telling me.
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