Chapter Forty

Lucien's POV.

The body reeked of death and the air was chilly to the bones. From the scent and marks on the body, I could tell this one was different. His death took much time and precision, he was killed slowly.

I stood beside Detective Rhea at the long table in the cold mortuary wing of the pack's police department, looking down at the newest victim. Another high-ranking wolf taken down like a prey.

"This one is different from the rest of the murders." She said.

I moved closer to it. The young male's body was a mess, his hands were purple, and had fingers that were crooked and swollen.

"What's different about him?" I asked.

"Something about him must have made our killer take his time,"

"His fingernails were pulled out." Rhea said, voice low, almost mechanical. "One by one."

I looked at the body, frowning.

"The killer is getting bold because this takes guts,"

"He was strangled after that, and there are tight ligature marks on the neck. Something strong and thin, probably wire or string, was used to kill him painfully. See how angry the lines are? This wasn't a clean kill, this was very much personal.

I still didn't speak.

"Are you okay, Alpha?"

"Who found him?" I asked.

"Two of our scouts near the eastern ridge. They said that the body was dumped close to the riverbank but dragged halfway back to the woods. Weird location choice."

I nodded slowly, eyes dropping back to the man's face. There was something familiar about the man. I couldn’t exactly figure out why he looked so familiar, but I knew he did.

Rhea lifted the rest of the cover.

“This is the third royal in two weeks. All with the same style of death, all tortured. What has happened within the royal family?” She asked. "You think it's someone with a vendetta?"

"I think we're not dealing with random targets.” I said. "I want to see the place where the body was found."

Rhea hesitated.

“Alpha, it's—"

"Did you not hear me? I said that I want to see it."

She nodded quickly.

“Yes, sir. I'll grab the team."

-

The woods smelled like damp earth and old blood. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, so shadows still clung to everything like leeches. Rhea led the way with two scouts behind her, both looking around nervously, just like they had expected something to leap out at them.

"This way!” She said, pointing to a small dirt trail.

I followed them silently. My wolf was restless, and scratching at the edges of my mind. Something was wrong here. Something had been wrong for a long time, but I couldn’t tell what.”

We reached the spot after fifteen minutes. The dirt had been disturbed, and dragged in rough lines. Dried blood had painted the leaves, and beside a tree was the imprint of a boot.

I crouched.

“This isn't from any of our guards and it still smells fresh, very fresh,”

"No.” Rhea agreed,

"It has to be another victim that was just dumped,"

I turned to her.

“In less than twelve hours, things keep on getting interesting,"

"One of the natives that lives nearby. She said that she saw a black truck driving into the woods last night, around midnight."

"Did she get the plates?"

"She was smart enough to take a photo." Rhea pulled out her phone and showed me the image. The photo was a bit blurry, but clear enough to read.

The license was registered to Crescent.

Chase's territory.

My jaw ticked.

“So he’s sending his men this deep to our territory now?"

“It looks like it. He's either cocky…” Rhea said. “Or he’s trying to make a statement."

"I think both."

I stood up and sniffed the air again. That was when I caught the scent.

But there was something familiar about that particular scent. It was nostalgic, crushing my memory as I tried to process where I could had been from.

"Stay here.” I said to the detectives.

"Alpha—"

"Just stay," I urged witha fiercer look.

"I will have an easier time tracking the person down without your scents and noise interrupting,"

I took off into the trees, following the scent through the forest. It got stronger as I moved closer to the riverbank. The stronger it got, the faster I hunted it. My curiosity was piqued and I needed to know who it was. Until finally, I spotted someone lying lifeless on the ground.

Angelina!

She was crumpled near the edge of the water, one hand clutching her stomach, the other dragging weakly at the grass. Blood pooled beneath her like a dying flower.

"Fuck!" I ran to her and dropped to my knees. "Angelina—"

Her eyes fluttered open. I couldn’t believe it! Angelina was the sister of my former mate. What could have happened to her?

“Lucien..."

"I've got you now.” I said quickly. "Don't move."

"I didn't know where else to go..."

"Shhh, that’s okay. Save your strength." I pulled her into my arms, pressing down on her stomach to slow the bleeding. "Who did this to you?"

Her lips trembled and her eyes started to water.

"They were going to kill me."

"Who was?"

She started to cry.

“Am I going to die?”

"You won’t, I won’t let that happen." I said, looking at her wound. It was quite deep.

I hoisted her into my arms and stood up. Her blood soaked through my shirt instantly.

"I've got you.” I whispered again. "You're going to be fine, just do your best to stay awake."

On my way out of the woods, a memory flashed in my mind. A memory that was triggered when I gazed at Angelina. Everything came rushing back to me.

The scar on his face, that look. I wondered how I didn't notice him at first.

His name was Eric. The one my mate dated before she chose to be with me. The same one I had an encounter with in college.

I froze when I realized the connection between their deaths. They were all connected to us back in college.