six

Scarlett smiled at him, "what the hell are you talking about? Kill Who?"

"Don't you dare play smart with me", Oliver whispered coldly, grabbing Scarlett by the collar.

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Scarlett replied angrily, staring at Oliver.

"Scarlett, I really misjudged you. How could you kill your only sister because of a trivial feeling like jealousy?"

"You think I killed her because of you? You think too highly of yourself, "Scarlett replied chuckling.

"So you admit that you actually killed your sister"

"What if I did? Can you provide the evidence that it was me? It could have been an assassin, "Scarlett said, smirking.

"Yeah, I really misjudged you. Am only seeing the monster that you're right now. Is it because of the properties and inheritance?" 

"How did you know about the inheritance?" Scarlett asked, shocked.

"I know your father left everything to Aurelia. You must have hated her. Why? Did you feel overshadowed by her beauty and intelligence? I always saw your expression each time the results were pasted and she topped her class. 

You must have hated her more when you found out she was my mate. Did you kill her because you felt threatened?" Oliver roared, drawing Scarlett closer.

"I loved you, Scarlett. Despite knowing that Aurelia was the heiress chosen by your father, I still chose you. You, the clingy girl that follows me everywhere. When I found out she was my mate, I rejected her immediately. Just because I didn't want your feelings to be hurt. When I saw your face filled with rage in the school garden, I knew you would hurt her. But rather than believe my instincts, I chose to believe in you. I believed you're good deep down, that you won't cause any major harm to her '' Oliver said as his tears choked him. He looked up at Scarlett, "why did I realize it now? She's so much better than you. I shouldn't have rejected her, I should have cherished and protected the goddess's gift rather than choose a monster like you! It's over between us. I hate you!" Oliver pushed her away and turned to leave.

"Oliver! Don't you dare take my love for granted. It's over, because of what? A useless trash?" Scarlett asked angrily.

"I would rather be with a useless person than someone who is only useful for wicked deeds. I don't want to see your face again. If you could kill your sister, you could also kill me! Your poor father, you didn't even feel sorry for him. He has just two children, and you decided to kill one. I hate myself for contributing to your father's pain. If only I didn't reject her. If only I gave in to my desire and made love to her right in the forest. If only I marked her that night, I could have felt her pain. I could have rushed to save her from your hands before it got too late. Go to the river Scarlett! Go and see how your father is crying like a baby. A general! A warrior, the backbone of the pack! Am going to tell him right away "Oliver said and stalked off. 

Scarlett drew him back angrily. "You desire her? My father only loves her. I didn't kill her; I will never admit it. But what if I do? Do you think you're helping my father by telling him? My mom and I are the only family he has left, if you force him to execute us, he will have nothing. And you! She's no longer here! Am the only one you have" Scarlett said with a deranged look in her eyes.

Oliver started laughing loudly "I must have been blind. I treated you well because of your father, but after causing him such pain. I can't look at your face anymore. I will feel like I betrayed him every moment I look at your disgusting face. You don't know what he means to me! When I was kidnapped by rogues and rebel forces, the battle was so fierce that no one dared to cross into the enemy border to save me. Not even my father! But Beta Francis did! He broke through the enemy camp with much difficulty and saved me. His body was riddled with bullets and bruises from different weapons, yet he still smiled at me and protected me! Even when he spent a month at death's door because of me, he still told me it was not my fault. Don't feel guilty. However right now am feeling all the guilt he told me not to. Scarlett, I will deal with you myself! No matter how long it takes!"

Oliver pushed her away and ran out, into the dark night.

Scarlett clenched her fist angrily as tears rushed to her eyes. "Even in her grave this useless bastard still annoys me. I will kill you again if I can" Scarlett thought. She howled angrily when she remembered Oliver's words. She gasped in anger and began to laugh like a mad person. "Ah! Heaven's favorite trash. Beta's Angel. Oliver's secret crush. You're gone and I will finally take everything that belongs to me!"

***

Francis knelt by the bank still crying profusely.

"Have you found her?" He asked a soldier that came out from the submarine he had ordered to search the sea bed. 

"Am sorry sir, we searched all the water bodies that this river opens up to, but there was no trace of her," the soldier whispered in trepidation.

Francis howled in pain and the weak soldiers around him began to vomit blood from the shock waves. Jack quickly ordered the weak ones home, leaving only captains, colonels, generals and other high ranking wolf soldiers.

"Am so sorry honey, am so sorry. I couldn't protect her. I have failed her just like I failed you" francis cried pitifully, hugging the slippers.

"When I failed to protect your life, I promised you to protect and cherish our daughter. Heaven knows I love her more than life itself, however am still as useless as before. I still failed her. I still couldn't protect our child, so sorry sweetheart. I feel really ashamed to meet you. I have failed you again. Why did I leave her at home unprotected? Why didn't I take her along?" Francis said, crying and hiccuping. "Why?!!!" He roared into the dark night. Some of the generals turned away in tears, especially those that have been close to Francis from his youth. 

Everyone knew how much he had loved his late mate. They were the paragon of how strong and unbreakable the mate bond could be. She was an extension of his arm, always following him about. People laughed at Francis for loving and worshiping a weak omega slave like she was gold. However, Francis never cared. He never made his love for her a secret. Whenever he wasn't sent on a mission, you must always see them together. Cuddling or being all lovey-dovey. Even though she was weak, no one dared humiliate her. The last time someone tried, the person ended up almost dead in Francis's hands. When she died during childbirth, he had been broken. But he held onto his baby tightly, taking care of the little baby alone. He transferred all his love to her. He only survived his mate's death by holding unto Aurelia tightly. Now that she's also dead, most of them fear that he will die too. The grief will kill him, however they pitied the killer even more. Francis will upturn heaven and earth to find the killer and finish him/her off. He will search every grain of sand during his investigation, and when he finds the culprit he will torture the person till they wish that they were never born. Jake looked at the crying and furious Francis, that mad look in his eyes. He's going feral, and if he ever finds the culprit, they would have wished they died in the womb. Jake knelt beside him

"General, there was no corpse. So, there's no proof she's dead, she might be lost somewhere. As long as we don't lose faith, we will definitely find her. No matter how long it takes" Jake said to Francis softly while others nodded in agreement. They knew it was a lie, Aurelia was dead and gone for good. However they can't have Beta francis mope around like this, what if he goes feral due to rage? Just like eighteen years ago, they need to give him a reason to hold on. Even if they knew it was just a mirage.

Beta francis nodded. He believed them anyway. His baby could still be alive. He needs to find the culprit then look for leads. A dangerous thought began to form in his heart. He was a powerful man who feared no one, not even heaven itself. 'If I must, I will use forbidden magic to find her. If she's dead, I will resurrect her with forbidden magic. No matter how many souls it will take. And the person that attacked her must be sent as an offering for her' he thought angrily. He stood up and turned to go home. His men sighed in relief, seeing that he had calmed down. However they were oblivious to his thoughts. Another thought suddenly occurred to Beta francis making him stop in his tracks. "What if the killer was Scarlett as I suspected? Can I really bring myself to hurt my own daughter? No, scarlett can't be that cruel''

However no matter how much Beta francis tried to convince himself that scarlett was innocent, his intuition told him it was her. His gut feeling has never been wrong all his life, that was what made him into a powerful and undefeated general. That mad look of guilt and rage in Scarlett's eyes when he asked about Aurelia. "No!" He whispered as tears rushed to his eyes, immediately his knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground. He knelt there and clutched his chest as he felt a sharp pang in his heart. How did she become like this? Silent tears began to flow from his eyes and once again, he felt like a failure.

*** 

Beta francis went home angrily, sabina rushed to him. "You're home. Are you hungry? There's steak, abalone porridge.."

"Shut up before I wring your neck, woman. Stay far away from me. And tell your daughter, if any of you is related to what happened to Aurelia. I will show no mercy. You took my love and indulgence for granted. Rather than feel satisfied, you kept getting greedier by the day. You kept decaying into a rotten apple. Sabina, I'm trying my best not to hurt the both of you, but have you ever appreciated me for once?. Each and everytime you hurt me I let it slide, but you have drawn my patience to Its elastic limit" francis roared in anger.

"What the heck are you talking about? What did I do to you? When have I ever hurt you?" Sabina said, faking a hurt look. Sabina was simply too happy to mind Francis's rants. Finally the bone choking her has been removed.

Francis laughed and nodded. He turned to go upstairs and saw Scarlett by the staircase with a glass of milk-rum mixture, he smiled coldly at her and walked past her.

"Scarlett, you're my child and I love you. I pray it's not true. I pray that you have not betrayed my trust in you, I pray that you have not disappointed me. Because if you have, I will show you why the bat flies only at night" he stopped and said before entering his study. 

Scarlett shook. Her father looks like he wants to hurt her. Why does it look like everyone believes she's the culprit? She didn't leave evidence right? She breathed in. ' I didn't do anything wrong' she thought before going downstairs.

Francis opened his secret control room and opened all the CCTVs In his mansion and the houses around. He only saw a vague shadow. He quickly picked up his phone and called a hacker. "Yeah diamond. I need you to gather footage from last week till now. I want to know what happened in her party" he looked up at the screen and sighed. He remembered that she was crying in the forest, was she attacked? What happened?. He sighed, he must get to the end of this. He quickly sneaked down into his hidden library beneath his study. His eyes went to the various forbidden books he had seized on his various conquests because they are dangerous. Now he's being forced to use the same evil he detests, just to find his baby. He shut his eyes In pain and opened the Atema chronicles.