CHAPTER TWO

By dawn, the commotion had grown tremendously. Not only from within the palace but also outside; everyone was in a state of panic.

Outside the heavy Gold gates, a desperate crowd of bereaved parents stood outside the palace gates. They banged on the metal screaming for justice. Some threw stones that shattered against the stone facade, while others wept openly, their grief quickly escalating into a protest.

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was suffocating. The eight council elders sat in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

"I don't see why the grand heiress is in that dangerous dungeon." Beta Roran broke the silence, his voice tight. "How does throwing an innocent omega in a cell solve this issue?"

"Her scent lingered directly around the nursery doorway." Storm replied, slamming his hands on the table to maintain fierce eye contact with his beta. "That makes her the main suspect."

"And who exactly picked up her scent?" Roran asked. His sharp eyes darted between Storm, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and Liora, who sat closely by the Alpha's side.

Liora's eyes were rimmed with red. She kept dabbing at them with hands.

"I did," she sniffed, her voice trembling as she blew her nose. "I... I just don't understand why Tatsumi would do something so monstrous. "

"You don't understand why your sister would do it, and yet she's already locked away like an animal?" Roran snapped, leaning forward. " Absurd!"

The council elders immediately broke out into frantic whispering amongst themselves.

"Order!" Storm bellowed, his anger flaring as he slammed his fist onto the massive mahogany table. "Roran, I will not tolerate you throwing derogatory remarks at the Royal family!"

"I am stating facts. As a matter of fact, Liora..." Roran turned his full predatory gaze onto her , daring her to look away. "What were you doing roaming the halls at twelve in the morning when you supposedly picked up Tatsumi's scent?"

Liora shrunk back, her bottom lip quivering as she looked at Storm for protection. " Do you have a personal problem with me, Beta Roran? Are you trying to accuse me of butchering our pack's children?"

"Enough Beta Roran!" Chief Marcus ordered, his booming voice cutting through the tension. As the leader of the Eight chiefs, his words carried weight. "These petty jabs at each other will not bring back the dead, neither would it bring justice."

"You're right, Elder Marcus. But why should Tatsumi be condemned without proper investigation being carried out? Besides she's the heiress to the throne." Roran demanded, his chest heaving with a mix of fury and terror. He had been Tatsumi's official guardian for years. The one night he was off duty, she was framed for mass murder. The timing was entirely too convenient.

"We didn't just fold our arms, Roran," Storm growled, trying to regain control of the room. "The royal guards are conducting a thorough sweep of her quarters as we speak."

Right on cue, the heavy double doors burst open. The head guard marched in. On his arm, was a tattered blood soiled garment.

The entire room fell dead silent. Roran's breath hitched, his eyes widening in horror.

The garment laid out on the table, so happened to be Tatsumi's favourite lilac floral dress- the exact one she had worn to a public tea date with Storm just yesterday afternoon.

Everyone in the pack house had seen her in it.

"Oh gods..." Liora collapsed against Storm's shoulder, bursting into a fresh wave of tears. "I knew it... she murdered them. Those poor, sweet pups."

Storm wrapped an arm around her, pressing a handkerchief into her hand, his own face hardening.

"Is this not enough evidence for you, Roran?" Chief Emmett, one of the lower - ranked chiefs, asked quietly.

"No it isn't!" His dark irises locked onto Liora, catching the briefest, triumphant glint in her eyes before she buried her face again. "It's too convenient. Don't any of you see how clean this is? This screams setup,"

"What do you mean Roran?" Emmett asked again.

"Well, isn't this all weird and..."

"Cut to the chase Roran." Storm hissed, rising slowly from his chair. He had had enough. "Quit spinning conspiracy theories."

"Fine. Let's look at the facts," Roran said, matching the Alpha's stance. "Liora claims she smelled her sister's scent by the nursery, yet didn't confront her- which is entirely weird for someone as notoriously nosy as Liora. Hours later, the pups are slaughtered. And the only people awake and roaming the palace at that exact hour just happen to be you, Alpha and Liora."

A collective gasp echoed through the Council.

"Furthermore," Roran pressed on, delivering the final blow, "the nursery guards reported passing out right before the attack, waking up only after the bloodbath. That requires an inside agent. A wolf with high-ranking access."

With a roar of pure, unbridled fury, Storm vaulted across the table. His hand clamped around Roran's throat like a vice, slamming the Beta backward into the stone wall with a bone-shattering thud.

"Do you have a death wish, Roran?" Storm snarled, his fangs elongating, pressing his weight into Roran's windpipe. "I have had enough of your treasonous mouth!"

Beta Roran chuckled grimly, the sound vibrating across the room. Without breaking eye contact, he grabbed Storm's wrist while sending him crashing hard against the opposite stone wall.

The council elders and the guards quickly scrambled to a corner of the room.

Storm bared his fangs, his chest heaving as he instantly regained his footing. His eyes glowed a dangerous gold colour. He was just about to launch himself back at Roran to reclaim his dominance when Liora suddenly threw herself between them.

Stop... Please! Stop fighting!" Liora’s voice cracked, sounding utterly devastated. She collapsed to her knees right there on the floor, burying her face in her hands. "This is all my fault... I must have been so wrong to turn in my own flesh and blood. Please, Storm, let her go. Take me instead! Let me replace her in the dungeons!"

"What nonsense are you uttering?" Storm’s fury instantly melted into deep concern. He rushed forward, gently lifting her trembling form from the floor and wrapping his arms around her.

From across the room, Roran watched the theatrical display, his lip curling in disgust. "Isn't it funny, Alpha? Your actual fiancée is rotting in a silver cell without a single shred of protection, yet you’re standing right here, bonding with her sister over her downfall."

Humiliated, embarrassed, and thoroughly exposed in front of his council, Storm’s blood boiled. He growled, preparing to tear Roran apart regardless of Liora's grip, when the head guard stepped forward, clearing his throat loudly.

"Alpha... there is one more thing," the guard interrupted, his face pale as he held up a velvet-lined box. "We also found Tatsumi's silver dagger, the family heirloom, left directly at the center of the crime scene."

The words struck the room like a physical blow. Even Roran went completely rigid, the smug look instantly vanishing from his face.