Alpha Prime: Her Retribution

Chapter Thirty One

JACOB

I watched for a few seconds as she ran into her cousin's arms and he embraced her before I headed into the cottage. I knew the assassination attempt had shaken her up.

I strolled to my office where Tony was waiting.

“So, how did it go?” He inquired.

“It's a funeral Tony… how'd you think it went?”

He winced. I sat down and he followed suit.

“We are literally at a dead end on this investigation with his face mutilated beyond recognition, we can't even check the surveillance cameras.”

I stared intently at my desk, my mind thinking of a solution.

“Is Lloyd still on holiday?” I inquired.

“Yes Prime.”

I brought out my phone and dialled his number. He answered immediately.

“Good day Prime.”

“Lloyd, how are you? I’m sorry to draw you away from your holiday but I need your expertise. I’m sure you've seen the news.”

“Yes Prime, I’ll be on the next available flight back to Yellowstone.” He replied.

“I’ll be expecting you.” I ended the call.

“If there’s anyone who can find out who that wolf is, it's Lloyd.” I uttered, Tony nodded and looked at the window. From where I sat I could see Adelaide speaking with her cousin. Her arms wrapped around her body, shoulders sagging. I could sense her despair and it clung to her like a shroud.

“Can I speak freely Prime?” Tony asked.

“When have I ever stopped you from doing so?” I asked, my eyes still on her.

“Do you… suspect the Luna Prime?”

I stared at her before turning to my Beta Prime.

“Killing me is a personal mission for Adelaide, she won't involve someone else. This isn't her.”

I turned to the window once more.

“Whoever it is will pay with their lives, that I am sure of.”

ADELAIDE

A few days went by, I could barely eat, sleep or concentrate. My dreams were a nightmare filled with Liam dead at my feet instead of Sam Hartley that left me awake for most of the night.

My phone rang and I answered it.

“Hello?”

“Prime?” Magnus said.

“Oh hello Magnus.” I replied, I couldn't remember the last time we spoke.

“I have been trying to reach you but Liam suggested I give you some space. How are you feeling?” He inquired.

“I- I'm okay, just a bit shaken up.” I replied.

“I don't mean to bother you but there are some documents here that need your attention, I can have someone send them to you.”

The thought of getting out of Yellowstone excited me.

“Don't worry, I'll come to the Consulate.”

“A-are you sure?” He asked.

“Yes, I'll be there in a few minutes.” I ended the call and got dressed and headed downstairs towards the front door.

“Where are you going?”

I spun around to see Jacob standing at the entrance to the living room. I cleared my throat, folding my arms over my chest.

“The Consulate.”

“It's not safe” He stated. “We are yet to find out the people involved in this.”

“I have a duty to my people.” I argued. “I refuse to stay here and neglect them because of some fear you have.”

His eyes darkened and he approached me.

“Very well, but you will be escorted there by my security.”

I frowned.

“I have my own security.”

“Listen Adelaide, the only way you're leaving this place is if my security escorts you.” His voice had a sense of finality to it.

“Fine.” I snapped, brushing past him when his hand shot out to grip my upper arm.

“What are…”

The words died on my tongue as I looked up at him, his dark eyes staring down at me.

“I want you back here at the first sign of danger.” He uttered, his voice soft, a searing intensity in his eyes. Unable to say anything, I nod.

He let go of my hand and stepped back. I stared at him for a few seconds before making my way out of the house to the waiting car. On the way out of Yellowstone, we were joined by two armoured jeeps. I sighed and watched as one overtook us so my car was in the middle. The drive to the Consulate was a short one and as I alighted from the car and walked into the Consulate, I could feel eyes on me.

I made my way up the grand stairs to my office where several stacks of documents were on my table. I dropped my bag and settled on my chair, closing my eyes.

This too shall pass Adelaide, you are a freaking Alpha Prime, act like one!!!

I rolled my shoulders back and got to work.

********** ************ ***************

I shook my head and stared at the papers in front of me. Unable to fully concentrate, my mind kept going back to Sam Hartley and his family.

Magnus?

Yes Prime.

Can you please come in here?

I turned on the TV, surfing through the channels until Sam's face appeared on one. I stared at the image, my mind replacing his smiling face with his dead face. I closed my eyes, fighting the nausea.

The door opened.

“You wanted to see me?”

I opened my eyes to see Magnus standing by the door.

“Yes.” I took my cheque book from my drawer and wrote two cheques. “I want you to cash these cheques and send the money to Sam Hartley’s wife and his parents.”

He nodded, taking the cheques.

“Would you like me to notify them.”

I shook my head

“No, no one needs to know.” I replied. He nodded and got to his feet.

“I’m sure they will appreciate it.”

I watched him leave and I sagged back in my chair. Giving them money didn't make me feel any better, instead it made me feel shitier, as if I was trying to buy them.

Hey I killed your son, it was a mistake, here's a couple of hundreds of thousands of dollars to make up for it.

I groaned into my hands.

“Am I interrupting?”

I looked up to see Atka.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, getting to my feet. He frowned, taken aback by my reaction.

“I-I just wanted to check up on you.” He explained. I sighed, sitting back down.

“I’m sorry, I'm just on edge, please come in.”

He closed the door and walked in, taking a seat.

“Are you okay?”

I shook my head, looking at him.

“How do I live with myself Atka, I killed a man.”

He was quiet, looking down at his hands.

“I really don't know, that's the thing about revenge, it never stops on the person you want it to stop on.” He whispered. I let out a humourless laugh.

“I don't even know what to do, Adlartok doesn't care that an innocent man died.”

“Everyone is expendable according to Prime Adlartok.” He whispered, glancing at me.

“I’m beginning to realise that.” I mumbled. “Should you be here? I mean is it safe? I don't want you to get into trouble.”

He smiled.

“I'll be fine, don't worry about me but I should get going.”

He stood, bowed before leaving.

I sighed, about to turn my attention back to the papers in front of me when the TV caught my attention. They were talking about the assassination attempt.

“... so I have a take on this whole assassination attempt.” A dark haired woman began.

“Here comes Vivian with her daring takes” the anchor joked.

“No one has ever dared an assassination attempt on our Alpha Prime, doing so is suicide and then Adelaide Silverstone comes into the picture and there's an assassination attempt? Come on, there has to be some connection here. This woman literally organised a press conference telling the entire wolfkind that our Prime is keeping her prisoner, what do you expect will follow such a proclamation?”

My heart slammed in my chest and I swallowed hard.

Shit… s**t… this can't be happening.

“So are you saying the Luna Prime has something to do with the assassination attempt?”

Vivian pursed her lips.

“I'm not saying that, I'm just saying it's pretty suspicious how this happened after her emergence and press conference.”

I closed my eyes

“Well it's a good thing we have someone from the Silverstone Representative Office in Washington here with us on video call. Good afternoon Mr Taylor, I'm sure you've heard all that Vivian has said, what do you think?”

A man wearing glasses appeared on the screen.

“Good afternoon, thank you for having me on the show, first of all I would like to point out that Jacob Mont Blanc has been the target of several assassination attempts so saying Alpha Prime Adelaide Silverstone's press conference has anything to do with this current attempt is just an attempt to smear the good name of Prime Adelaide.”

Vivian let out a scoff.

“But we haven't had an attempt of this kind of magnitude.”

Taylor ignored her and continued speaking.

“Besides Alpha Prime Adelaide called for peace even after what Jacob MontBlanc did to her family.”

A humourless chuckle escaped the woman.

“Oh please, what did you expect her to say? Help me kill Alpha Prime Jacob? The moment she told the wolf world she was been kept a prisoner, she indirectly placed a target on the Alpha Prime's back. In fact if anything happens to him, I'll hold her personally responsible.” She snarled. Taylor glared at her, leaning in closer to the camera.

“You're talking as if Jacob is some saint, he is a cold blooded murderer and if I had the chance I would kill him for my Alpha Prime.” He snapped, making Vivian rise to her feet, slamming her hands on the table.

“Continue talking like that and you'll hang for your words.”

He tipped his head back and laughed.

“My loyalty lies with my Alpha Prime, not some f*****g killer.”

The show immediately went offline and I could only stare at the TV screen.

“Adelaide?”

I turned to see Liam standing by the door.

“Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

I shook my head, as he walked into the office.

“I… I think I may inadvertently start a new wolf war.” I whispered, running my fingers through my hair and tugging on it slightly.

“Is this about Sam Hartley?”

“Amongst other things.” I mumbled, looking at him. “I donated money to his parents and wife and I feel even shittier. It's almost as if I am saying ‘oh sorry I accidentally killed your son, here's some money to make up for it.’”

He sat down.

“Well when you put it that way, it does sound bad.” He reached over and held my hand.

"I'm so tired Lili, I feel like I have aged another ten years within these few days." I whispered, running my fingers through my hair.

"Everything will be fine Adelaide, it always turns out fine." He said, placing a chocolate bar in front of me. I laughed at the gesture, tears welling in my eyes.

"Remember when Uncle Charlie would always give us a chocolate bar whenever we were studying for a hard test in Secondary School?"

I nodded.

"A chocolate a day to chase the blues away." I whispered, playing with the wrapper.

"Exactly."

"Everything will work out Adelaide, trust me."

I nodded, he sqeeuzed my hand once more before leaving my office. I took a bite of the chocolate and smiled before I continued with my work.

*************** ***************** ****************

The car stopped in front of Jacob's cottage and I stepped out, making my way up the steps to the front door. I got in about to close the door behind me.

“Oh, I'm right behind you.”

I turned to see a man standing behind me, he had a goofy smile.

“Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there.” I said, stepping aside. He waved his hand, smiling.

“It's fine. It's nice to unofficially meet our Luna.” He offered his hand and I shook it, forcing a smile. I opened my lips about to ask him who he was when Tony walked in

“You're here.”

“Yeah, I just got in. Is Prime in his office?” He asked.

“No, he's actually waiting for you at the morgue.” Tony replied. “Let's head there now. Hello Luna.”

I nodded, brows furrowed, wondering why they were heading to the morgue. Sam had already been buried so it couldn't possibly be him. I watched them head out and a feeling of foreboding washed over me. I swallowed hard, staring at them until they disappeared round the bend.

Sighing, I headed up the stairs to my room.

JACOB

“Prime” Lloyd bowed as he walked into the room with Tony.

“Lloyd, thank you for coming on such short notice.”

He grinned

“It's nothing Prime, I live to serve you. So Where's the body?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

I nodded at the morgue director who walked into the cold room and wheeled out a covered dead body.

I walked over and removed the sheet, stepping back. The man's face was an unrecognizable burnt mess, it was clear whoever killed him wanted to burn his body completely but hadn't done it properly.

“He's all yours.”

We watched as he disinfected himself before slipping on a pair of gloves and a surgical apron before walking over to the body.

“Do you need fingerprints?” He inquired.

“Yes” I replied, watching as he took the fingerprints. We would input that into our database and see if it matched but for now, I needed to narrow down the scope of the search.

Once he was done, he picked up the scalpel and made a Y shaped incision peeling the skin back. The sounds of the ribcage being split filled the room.

“Alright there Tony?” I asked, he glanced at me looking positively green in the face.

“Y-yeah”

The doors swung open and Christopher walked in. Tony and I exchanged glances.

“I hope I'm not late.” He bowed to me and turned to the table.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, raising a brow. “I don't recall asking any member of my cabinet to join us.”

He smiled at me, stepping closer and placing a hand on my arm.

“I'm not here as a cabinet member but as a concerned member of this pack. I mean you are like a son to me even if you and Oliv…”

“Complete that statement at the risk of losing your ability to speak permanently.” I warned, the beast within me wanting nothing more than to rip his voice box out of his throat. He immediately dropped his hand and stepped back.

“Apologies Prime.”

“Do you need to have a complete autopsy done?” Lloyd asked.

“No, just enough to figure out where he's from.” I answered. He nodded and moved to the lungs.

“He has bigger lungs than the average wolf.” he pointed out. “He must be a wolf belonging to the icy regions.”

“I'm going to need you to be more specific than that.”

“Denmark, Norway, Sweden, basically Northern Europe.”

Christopher leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement and something else.

“Europe you say?”

I met Tony's gaze, the implication of Lloyd’s words hanging over us

“It could also be Antarctica.”

“Is there any way of narrowing my search any further?” I asked.

He pursed his lips before nodding and moving lower to the abdomen.

“Antarctic wolves have an additional organ that secretes a special type of acid that aids in the digestion of seal and whale blubber.” He explained, lifting out the stomach and large intestines. “It should be in here somewhere.”

Tony and I exchanged glances once more. I folded my arms as we watched him work.

“Yep! Here it is.” He said, producing the small looking egg shaped organ.

“Oh” I could see the visible disappointment on Christopher’s face. It made my lips curl in anger and disgust. A part of me felt some relief knowing Adelaide wasn't involved in this.

“A-are you sure? Maybe some European Wolves have developed the organ?”

Lloyd shook his head.

“No, that is something local to the Antarctic wolves.” He replied, before turning to me.

“This is as far as I can narrow your search Prime.”

I nodded.

“That's more than enough. Tony, I want the fingerprints analysed, and also have the team go through every CCTV footage at the airports and around the square a month before the incident.” I instructed.

“Right away.” Tony said before leaving. Christopher and I stayed back and watched as Lloyd patched up the body. Once he was done, he turned to us.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He bowed and I walked out, Christopher following me.

“I think you should get a second opinion on this, Jacob.”

“And why is that?” I inquired, glancing at my wrist watch.

“Well, it wouldn't hurt to get another opinion, it might reveal… something unexpected.”

I chuckled at his words.

“Something unexpected huh?”

“Of course Prime, we don't know what Lloyd might have missed or mistook.”

“Like the wolf being a European Wolf sent by my Luna right?” I turned to him. He clasped his hands behind his back.

“I do have my suspicions Prime, she challenged your authority on Live TV, who knows what else she's capable of doing?”

I nodded.

“Christopher?”

“Yes Prime?”

“What is your designation in my pack?”

He puffed his shoulders, straightening his spine as he spoke.

“Advisor on Security and Defence matters within the Continent.”

“And you enjoy the position and the privileges that come with it?”

“Without a doubt” He answered, I took a step closer.

“Then you'll do well to hold your tongue or a demotion will be the least of your worries.”

He swallowed hard, taking a step back, his fear permeating his scent.

“Apologies Prime, this shall not repeat itself.” He said.

“It better not.”

I left him standing there while I made my way back to the cottage, my mind on several things. If Adlartok had anything to do with this, I would rain hell on him and his continent.