The Royal Alpha King's Witch Prince

Chapter Four

IÑIGO’S POV

-----

As soon as Diego reported the discovery of a body, Nicolas and I left the breakfast right on the table and shifted into our wolf forms, sprinting towards the forest.

By mid-way, Diego was next to us. Only Gamma and Beta can mind-link me, so I was expecting him to join us anyway. We bolted to the place where the body was located.

This was the third body I was notified of. So, I had to go and inspect it this time. The last two times, Diego took care of it. I had told him to inform me the next time because these unusual activities needed to be sorted out and know what was being conspired and by whom.

I shifted back into my human form and someone handed me a pair of shorts. I slipped them on and just examined the man.

The species was unrecognisable. It seemed like a human but in a terrible state. The body was bleeding and had cuts all over the place.

“Is this done by our community?” I questioned, looking up at others to know their opinions. Nicolas went ahead and had a closer look at the body.

“The marks do seem like werewolf’s marks but they are not. They are a bit thin in that case,” Nicolas answered, and I nodded. It was confirmed that we weren’t the ones who butchered this being.

“I agree because I don’t smell any werewolves on this body. Right now, just take evidence of the marks and then dispose of this body. Dio, search for this and let me know what you discover.” I instructed him and he nodded.

I let them do the work and stood beside Nicolas. We both had different thoughts going on in our minds. These bodies being found here on the border of the forest were going to cause chaos if not handled correctly.

“Nico, this is not as simple as it looks,” I expressed, and he nodded in agreement.

“I know. We have to find the root cause of this. This is the third one and both the previous ones, just like this one, seemed human. I’m not sure how this affects the human community.” Nicolas professed his thoughts and I had to agree he had a point.

“Why would someone even press a foot into the human territory? And even if we did, we wouldn't need to kill them like this,” Nicolas contended.

“We’ll find out if this is werewolves, humans or someone else altogether,” I stated, and he just sighed. We had to sort this out sooner and in a discreet way.

“Third body in a month; not a good sign. I wish you’d find out about this a little sooner.” I voiced this to him and he nodded.

“There would be other details, too. Like the last time, the body was found at another place. The locations have been different, but at the same time, the condition of the bodies keeps getting worse. I wonder what the next body will look like.” Nicolas informed me and I considered his words.

Since I hadn’t seen the last two bodies, I didn’t know how bad the situation was, but surely, things were only getting worse. In any case, things have to be contained as soon as possible.

“Dio, are all the things done?” I asked him and he nodded.

“Dispose of the body because the smell is spreading and people from the pack may catch it. Disinfect this place, as well.” I instructed him and he nodded. Soon, I saw them pick up the body and take it somewhere.

“Nico, let’s go back,” I told him, and we just walked back discussing the pack and the eventful things that had been occurring the past few days.

“Don’t worry much. We can find all of the answers soon.” Nicolas reassured me and I chuckled.

“I would’ve been fine if I didn’t have an entire pack and also another few packs under me to look after,” I responded and he scoffed.

“Such a show-off,” He commented, and I smiled.

“I have to, Royal Beta,” I enunciated to him while I reminded him of his position.

“I know I have responsibilities, too. Don’t need to remind me every time, Royal Alpha King.” He remarked and I chuckled.

“We do have a lot of responsibilities. We’ve been chosen for a tough life.” I articulated and we both just sighed.

Soon, we reached back at the pack and went to our house to fetch some clothes. Once done with that, I finally took the chance to have breakfast after heating it.

I quickly washed the dishes to avoid doing it at night. I knew I had a long day ahead. I had to be prepared to face the big day and then survive it.

Me - Eliphas, what are your thoughts on the situation? I asked my wolf. He was quite smart and gave me good suggestions at times.

Eliphas - It’s still unclear to me. We should find the motive first and we'll find the culprit soon. He described and I agreed with his point.

Me - I agree, but at the same time, the motive is just too random, so it is hard to know anything. I told him and he agreed. After a little more discussion, he went back and I left the house to attend to my duties.

-----

I flung the file down on the ground, putting all of my anger into it. I couldn’t believe that I had such useless people working for me.

“I can’t believe you couldn’t find anything on that man!” I yelled at Steven and he just looked down. The door was pushed open and Nicolas strode in.

“Kieran, calm down.” He urged, and I shook my head in disappointment.

“Steven, go back and try to find anything you can,” Nicolas instructed him, and he gave us a bow.

“I know you’re upset about this, but do not lash out like that. What’s getting you so mad?” Nicolas asked, but I couldn’t answer. I was pissed at something but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Weirdly, I can’t point it out, but I’m a lot stressed. Eliphas has been annoying me.” I told him and he sighed.

“Try talking to him again or you could go on a run for a while,” Nicolas suggested, and I nodded.

“Leave me alone for a while,” I instructed him, and he gave me a curt bow before leaving.

Me - What’s wrong with you, Eliphas?! You’ve been annoying me for a long time now. I scolded Eliphas through the mind-link.

Eliphas - I don’t know. I’m restless, too. Who else could I bother, anyway? He defended himself and then went ahead to behave like a brat.

Me - That’s the reason I don’t let you familiarize yourself with Dio. He’s been teaching you bad habits. I rebuked him and he rolled his eyes at me.

Eliphas - Just try and remember with whom I spend more time. You’ll find your answer. He retorted and I groaned.

Me - You don’t seem annoyed now, rather like enjoying the situation, I responded and he just jerked in my mind. I could feel the itch to do something but I didn’t know what it was.

Eliphas - It’s not true. I’m telling you something big is going to happen soon. I just need to settle down for a while. He spoke before going down to the back of my mind and cutting off his connection with me.

I sighed.

I knew what he was saying was true. Maybe all the cases were overwhelming him or he had thought too much about it that he was so irritable.

I decided to just keep quiet and try to let him take his time to come out and let me know what he was annoyed with while he figured it out on his own.

I went back to working on the finance file. We were having too much cover-up from somewhere and the pack wasn’t receiving enough money. My business in the city was working well and was even blooming, but something was not right.

I called Ares, my cousin and the King in the North. He was younger than me and I always called him when something was bothering me. We were not the closest cousins but at the times I needed him, he was always there.

“What makes you remind me, cousin?” He greeted me with that statement. Well, this was another thing that annoyed me about him. His arrogance matched my level, but he was a little on the sane side, unlike me.

“I would’ve loved to retort on that but I have a serious matter to discuss. I’ve been encountering bodies on the territory border. I don’t know if it's rogues or something else. It’s weighing on me.” I told him, illustrating my part.

“That’s weird and sounds like a disaster. You should find the motive first. What species are those bodies?” He asked me, now in a completely serious tone.

“They seem human, but I doubt they are not human. You know we can only trace a vampire's smell but they don’t even have those. It’s all bodies and no one has been found alive, yet.” I elaborated and hummed.

“Human or not, this all seems like a part of a plan which is not a good thing for you and the packs underneath you.” He expressed, sounding more mature. I was proud of him.

“I agree. Have you experienced anything like this or experiencing one now? I want to classify this into rogue attacks and deal with this, but I’m not sure.” I elucidated to him.

“No, I have nothing like this going on and nor have I dealt with such a situation. I will still consult others about this,” He answered, and I sighed.

“No, don’t. That will cause chaos, which is what I’m trying to avoid. I’ll try to find an answer on my own.” I implied and he agreed. Even he comprehended what amount of chaos could arise with this little slip of situation.

“Also, can you send your accountant to study my numbers? There seems to be something missing.” I told him and he nodded.

“I’ll send him to your company. Let Nicolas deal with him because you scare him a lot.” Ares warned, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“A stupid accountant, not my problem.” I shrugged and he chuckled.

“And you still want him.” He retorted and I chucked in response.

“Be within your limits and don’t try to play with me while I’m worrying. Have some sense and be of help, Ares.” I chastised him.

“Okay. If you still need any help, do call me whenever you'd like. Just like now when you are breaking my sleep, but I won’t comment.” He taunted me and I chuckled. Surely, he was a brother raised by me and influenced by me.

“I have all the rights, little cousin. Now, get lost and go back to sleep. I have things I have to tend to.” I conveyed and hung up before he could speak anything else.

In any case, the matter at hand was risky. I had to know what it was and then solve this. There was no way that it could extend. But on the other hand, I also have to consult with the Alpha Council.

If such things are being found in other neighbouring packs, we’ll be able to find some clues regarding them.

I decided to host a meeting in two days if we find another body or to host a meeting in the next week, whatever the condition be. The situation had to be discussed and a countermeasure should be found for this.

“Kieran!” The door to my cabin was pushed open in a hurry and I looked up to see Nicolas huffing. I had a confused face because I didn’t know what caused him to sprint like that.

“Why did you dash all the way here?” I asked him and he just panted. After a moment, he looked up at me with hope in his eyes.

“I’ve been trying to mind-link you but I couldn’t reach you. The network was blocked.” He explained and a realization hit me.

“Eliphas had locked it. I only now realised.” I answered and he nodded.

“The reason?” I inquired and he nodded frantically.

“We’ve found another man but he seems to be in a bad condition but breathing. Nobody touched him and we have to go right now and inspect it.” He explained and my eyes widened.

“Let’s go,” I declared, and wanted to shift when I couldn’t. It was Eliphas who was unreachable and wouldn’t let me shift.

“Let’s run out and then you carry me. Eliphas is throwing a tantrum.” I explained to him and he nodded. We both wanted to run like a madman because I had many questions for the man before he died, but we still just had blank faces while walking out of the packhouse.

Once outside the packhouse, Nicolas shifted into his dark brown wolf and I sat on him. He rushed to the location and I was glad about his wolf's speed even after carrying my weight.

Running through the forest, I felt Eliphas come back. I was just glad to feel a little bit of him inside me. He was the other part that I couldn’t ignore.

Me - Eliphas. I called out through the mind-link, but no response. I just kept quiet and let him contact me while I worked on the case.

We were at the location soon. Nicolas shifted back and put on a pair of shorts.

“I swear, this is too much. I have to find the answers from this man no matter what. I’ll accomplish anything to make him survive because I need answers from him.” I expressed, feeling rage inside of me. I finally had one link through which I would find the answers to the questions that were lingering in my brain.

Diego was right in front and I could see a man's legs lying on the ground. Two other guards were also standing right next to him.

“Dio, what’s the situation?” I asked and he whirled to face me.

“Still alive and breathing,” He answered, and then I stepped ahead, coming to view the man on the ground.

There was something about this man that made me lose my breath right at the first glance.

The face was bloodied but that can’t be a reason that I’d have such a reaction. I have seen a lot of bloodshed in my life, but it was not blood.

It was something else.

Eliphas came rushing out and I could feel his surge in my body. All my senses opened. Like a magical moment, I sensed a wonderful scent that was enticing me.

It belonged to the unconscious man.

Mate

Eliphas and I whispered at the same time.