Chapter 19

RENZO'S POV

"His Majesty is here!" the guard announced, pushing open the double doors to announce my arrival.

I glanced at my Beta from the corner of my eye, watching him fidget with his fingers. For some reason, he seemed nervous, and I hoped to the moon he had nothing to do with what had happened.

"It would pain me to have to kill you," I muttered to myself.

After one last look at him, I nodded and drew in a sharp breath.

"Let's go in. It wouldn't be nice to keep the old men waiting."

I smirked as I walked into the boardroom, my jaw clenched, my eyes burning with rage, and my shoulders tense.

Whatever was ruining my reign was in that boardroom, waiting for me. Whoever was behind the string of failed missions we'd experienced so far was in that room.

But how would I know who it was? Would they give themselves away through strange behavior or some suspicious expression?

I had no idea.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the King," the elders greeted in unison.

Everyone was already on their feet by the time I approached them.

The three elders stood on the right side of the table, while the two representatives of the Blackwood family stood on the left, exactly where their seats had always been.

"Greetings, wise elders."

I stopped in front of them, studying their faces as though I were meeting them for the first time.

The Blackwoods stared at me. I could feel their gazes stabbing into the back of my head. I took my time, letting them stare before shifting my attention from the elders to the Blackwoods.

"It's a pleasure to be here, Your Majesty!" the Blackwoods greeted.

I nodded and walked past them, taking my seat at the head of the table.

Were they truly pleased to be there, as they'd claimed?

I doubted it.

Even I wasn't pleased to be holding this meeting, so why would they be delighted to be in my presence?

Hypocrisy ran in the Blackwood family.

"Greetings, wise elders," Alfonso greeted the old fools warmly, a bright smile plastered across his face. He then turned toward the Blackwoods. "Greetings, honorable guardians."

He bowed to the head of the Blackwood family, Orson Blackwood, Leila's father.

The man exchanged a knowing smile with him, his upper lip curling into what I could only describe as a smirk.

I didn't miss a single movement or facial expression.

I wanted to know who had been betraying the Lycan pack. I wanted to know who my enemy was, and I'd be damned if this meeting ended without giving me a few clues.

"Let's begin the meeting," I announced, gesturing for them to take their seats.

"With open minds and free hearts," they replied in unison before sitting down.

Alfonso approached me and placed a file on my desk.

I paid little attention to his movements. My focus remained on Elder Sullivan, the oldest of the three elders. He seemed restless, but he'd always been that way ever since what happened to my mother.

"All of you must already know that I was away from the pack for a few days," I began. "I'm sure you've heard about it by now. Your messengers certainly take their jobs seriously."

I smiled, interlocking my fingers and resting my elbows on the table.

Murmurs filled the room.

For a moment, I was tempted to believe that none of the men sitting around the table had the nerve to stab me in the back. They all knew what I was capable of.

But I couldn't be certain.

None of them could be trusted.

"Yes," Elder Tanner, the youngest of the elders, spoke first. "We heard that you had just returned from Mooncrest Pack."

He shifted his gaze between Elder Sullivan and Alfonso.

I wondered what was going through his mind. Did the youngest elder know something, or was he simply nervous?

Sometimes, I wondered who in their right mind had appointed an eighty-two-year-old man with such a faint heart as an elder.

Still, I had no intention of questioning an appointment I hadn't made myself.

Not unless the people responsible continued to undermine my reign.

"Something happened while I was away."

I turned to face Guardian Orson. He must have heard about the incident, considering his daughter had been hurt that night.

"We all know how the faceless rogue leader has been attacking our people. We also know how I've been working day and night to put an end to these attacks. My men captured two of the rogues and locked them up in the underground dungeon. Unfortunately, they disappeared while I was away."

I paused, watching their reactions.

"And my fiancée was injured that same night."

Orson's expression darkened at the mention of his daughter.

He hated the idea of me marrying her, even though he had been the one to propose the arrangement. He hated it whenever I called her my fiancée, and I never missed an opportunity to rub it in his face.

He should have called off the arrangement if he hated it so much.

But the greedy bastard wanted something from me, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Elder Lorcan."

I turned toward the most deceitful man among them.

"You are the Minister of Environment and Defence. You oversee the security of this pack and have the guards at your beck and call. I want you to explain how two rogues locked away in the underground dungeon managed to escape such tight security. How did they get out without any of your men noticing?"

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat, watching the elder shift uncomfortably.

His hands trembled as he tried to conceal them inside his robe.

"Your Majesty," he began with a sigh, adjusting himself in his seat. "The incident is indeed unclear."

He sighed again.

If my assumption was correct, the man looked ready to surrender his position.

"I had my strongest men stationed at the underground dungeon. It was devastating to find them all dead and the rogues missing. The guards stationed at the entrance were locked up and interrogated, but none of them seemed to have any idea how it happened."

A dark grin spread across my lips.

I threw my head back, trying to process the most ridiculous report I'd heard in my entire life.

"Surely, you're either incapable of performing your duties or too old to carry that title."

"I assure you, Your Majesty, that what happened was beyond my control," he replied, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"Does anyone have any idea what happened? Can anyone tell me anything useful?"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

As much as I enjoyed being king, I'd never planned to spend my days dealing with the foolish men on the council.

It was a disgrace to have so many foolish, greedy old men sitting on the council.

"We questioned everyone in the royal building, but none of them seemed to have seen the rogues. They all claimed to have retired for the night—"

"Except Leila, who was apparently roaming the royal offices at the time."

I cut Elder Sullivan off, keeping my eyes on Orson as I mentioned his daughter.

He slowly raised his head and shot me a glare.

"Surely, you're not suspecting my daughter, Your Majesty?" he scoffed, rising from his seat.

I smiled and tapped my fingers against the table.

"Of course not," I replied with a shrug. "But no one should be exempt from scrutiny when we're dealing with a matter this serious."

"Leila is innocent. I urge you not to cast an evil eye on her."

Reid, Orson's eldest son and the next in line to become a guardian, slammed his fists against the table.

"With all due respect to the guardians, I'd advise you to remain silent while I'm speaking, Reid Blackwood," I growled, anger surging through my body like an electric current.

"Noted, Your Majesty," he mumbled, settling back into his seat.

Orson remained standing, glaring daggers at me.

If any of them knew what I'd endured at my father's hands, they'd understand that their little displays of defiance meant nothing to me.

"Leila wasn't alone. She had her maid and one of her personal guards with her, but they were so concerned about her safety that they couldn't put up a fight."

Orson exhaled sharply and pressed his fingers against his temple.

"I've had both of them interrogated, but they knew nothing."

"Either your interrogation skills have deteriorated, or you simply didn't care enough to do a proper job."

I twisted my mouth, watching Alfonso shift uncomfortably in his seat.

There was definitely something going on between him and the Blackwoods. He'd been on edge ever since I'd started questioning the family.

"Whatever the case, I hope none of the suspects have been released. I'll be taking over the interrogations myself."

"As Your Majesty pleases," Elder Lorcan mumbled.

I didn't care whether he was happy about my decision or not.

"Since none of you seem to have anything useful to tell me, we can end this meeting here."

I stood up, and everyone rose to their feet, murmuring among themselves.

"I'll meet with the head of the Blackwood family tomorrow. My Beta will inform you of the details."

After giving them one last look, I shook my head, disappointed that I hadn't uncovered any clues about the traitor among them.

I turned and headed toward the exit, my shoulders tense with anger.

"Would you have a moment to discuss something over tea, Guardian Orson?" I heard Alfonso ask just as I reached the door.

I paused, forced a smile, and walked out.

Whatever that was about, I was beginning to suspect I'd just found my first suspect.