COMEBACK OF THE ALPHA KING

Chapter 3- Questions

Once again, every activity in the room slowed down to a halt.

Everyone speculated about what uniformed soldiers were doing in there.

The answer wasn't far, though. A fugitive had just returned, and he was amongst them. Of course, the soldiers had come back to arrest him.

The whispers couldn't be contained.

"What have you done again?" King heard Lillian whisper behind him.

Brutal accusations laced her harsh tone. King didn't respond. He bounded his hands into fists, visibly angry at his assistant.

He was trying to lie low and here she was, doing her very best to sell him off to the entire world.

Her salute had prompted the other two with her to do the same thing. Thankfully, she remained at the door.

King lunged towards her before anyone else could.

"Nova?" He questioned in a whisper, nudging her with his eyes to drop her salute.

The other two synchronized her motion.

"Sir, I've got some report on..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed the contorted look on King's face.

It wasn't a look of pain, it was a look of rage. Had she done something wrong? Her gaze flickered away from him to access the room.

She noticed everyone was straining to hear the conversation. Why were they all acting with suspicion?

Was now the right time to give her a report? Her gaze came back to King's.

Too excited to hold her news in, she continued in a whisper that matched his previous one.

"I've got some news on Operation KRI."

She knew he was going to be pleased by the news she had and he'd willingly drop whatever he was doing to attend to it.

He had to. The news she had was terrific.

"What about it?" King whispered back, feeling his anger dissolve.

Just like his assistant, he cast a wary assessment around the room, then turned back to cast her a look of admonition.

No matter how eager he was to hear the news she had, this was too sensitive a topic to discuss here.

"Nova, wait in the car. I'd be there in a few minutes."

Nova's perfect eyebrows quirked, and her mouth flew open in protest.

"Would you like to discuss a sensitive topic here, Agent Nova?"

King straightened, folded his arms, and scowled at her.

She needed to learn how to take orders without question.

"Oh. No... no, sir I..." Nova stumbled through her words, contemplating how best to explain herself.

One arched brow later, she finally decided King was right. This was a private discussion.

"We'd wait outside, Sir." She muttered, looking around the room again.

King nodded at her, his face etched into a frown.

He waited for her to leave, and not until the soldiers closed the door behind them did he turn to face the crowd again.

"Well..." Aunty B spoke first. She stood close to her younger sister, Karla. Arms folded, face defensive.

"Would you kindly explain what that was?" Karla completed her sister's unspoken words.

"You can lie if you want to. We are all ears." Aunty B added.

At the sound of this, the murmurings in the room intensified.

King looked away from these two instigators to study every person around him.

Although their words were muttered, his heightened sense picked out every single conversation.

He didn't have to explain to them, but he did it for his beloved family, who were glaring at him.

"It's work-related." King couldn't admit more than that without divulging all the details he wanted to keep discreet.

He was still working on things, and he wasn't ready to spill anything until he was certain of his suspicions.

"Do you expect us to believe that?" Lillian's scoff was piercing.

Her cold eyes held a look of disappointment. Without having to say anything, King could tell what she was thinking.

He knew she was thinking about the conversations they had on the balcony.

She had warned him not to bring further embarrassment to the family, and now he was doing exactly that.

"Did you mean to say prison-related duties?"

Karla smirked at him, gaining his attention.

King shot her a look of scorn. Already done with her malicious intent, he turned to the only people that mattered to him at that moment. His parents.

"It is work-related, and it's quite urgent. I'm sorry to have to leave on such abrupt notice, but..."

"Son, it's alright. A man's gotta fend for himself, after all. Go on now." Ace smiled at him, leaving his place in the dining to pat his son.

His eyes communicated his acceptance and pride. It didn't matter what anyone had to say. He trusted King.

King struggled to return his smile, but couldn't bring himself to. His body was here, but his mind was long gone with his staff.

Nova had some reports? She seemed unable to keep it in. Whatever it was must be major, and he couldn't wait to find out what it was.

Maybe, just maybe, his suspicions were correct, and he'd finally be able to vindicate himself.

"This is your home..." Ace was saying. King looked at him to try to catch his words.

"Do not hesitate to drop by any chance you've got. You are always welcome here."

There was a knowing look in Ace's eyes as though he was trying to communicate something to King.

"Yes." King nodded at him, not noting the strange look. His gaze flickered to Lillian.

"When's the wedding?" He lowered his voice to an unfathomable whisper, looking back at his father.

"Tomorrow." Ace frowned.

"Listen, if you want to crash it and steal your bride, I'm all up for it."

King froze at Ace's frank suggestion. He studied the old man's numb expression. Ace couldn't be serious, could he?

He breathed a sigh of relief when Ace's face broke into a grin.

"Dad." King chided, feeling his body tremble. How could he forget how much of a joker Ace was?

The old man had a wicked sense of humour that could be scary sometimes.

"I'd be here tomorrow." King shook his head, finally able to give a not-so-genuine smile.

Even if he couldn't have Lillian anymore, he still owed it to her to be present on her happiest day.

They'd once made that pact in the past. He dreaded the day, but he had to be there.

He might be weak now, broken, stripped of his rightful place as the heir of this pack, but he was still a man and a man fulfilled his promises, no matter the circumstances.

Giving the room a last look, King stepped out of the Salvator's home.

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

Outside, dusk was slowly creeping in on Leytan City. The once bright sun was hiding behind the clouds, slowly losing its crown to a barely visible moon.

The once blue sky now had a dash of pastel orange staining it. For the first time, King noticed this beautiful phenomenon.

He also noticed that the weather had dropped to a considerable chill. The soft wind caressed his skin with a gentility that comforted his heavy heart.

He thought back to that time five years ago when his world came spiralling down, altering everything he ever knew.

That moment five years ago, when everything he ever knew became changed.

He was in his office as usual, having spent the night there working on the new business model they had to launch later in the day.

His other workers were there with him. All except Sage, the company's Vice President.

King had sent her on the important task of welcoming their potential buyers from the airport.

A task he assumed she would do excellently well. If only he knew what she had planned.

Thinking back to that moment now, King realized he had trusted her too much.

He had given her so much leverage over him to an extent in which he didn't question her decisions.

He was the company's president, but Sage had as much power over his staff as he did.

That is why, when she called him to meet her in that basement, he had gone without question.

He barely remembered what happened next. All he knew was him waking up in the city's prison with several of the system's officers slamming these bizarre accusations at him.

He had been so dumbstruck that he didn't defend himself against their inaccurate words.

The most shocking of the situation was that they had actual evidence for their claims. There were pictures.

Incriminating pictures that told a story he did not remember. When he looked at the pictures, he saw his naked self next to a helpless and injured Sage.

He knew something was wrong about what he was seeing, but he couldn't prove it.

This person in the picture was not him, yet there was no proof to back this claim. The authorities must have suspected foul play, too.

They isolated him from the main prison, giving him a special centre to serve his time. The authorities didn't properly convict him.

They just passed a public judgment on the media and kept him under lock.

In his time in isolation, King had a lot of leisure to reflect.

No matter how much he played the moments in his head, he did not remember being with Sage in that way.

However, there was a vague memory in his head that sufficed days later. A memory he couldn't bring himself to admit just yet.

There had been a woman. Her face wasn't defined, but he remembered the outlines of her dark, glossy hair.

He also remembered a fleeting intimate moment with her. He couldn't be so sure. All he could recollect was a picture and not the full details.

He was in a weak state and his wolf had most of his body's control, but he knew he had done something intimate with her.

For all he knew, it could have been a dream. The picture he had in his head from that moment had occurred in the woods, not in the cold, empty basement Sage had called him into.

The same basement the authorities claimed he had supposedly woken up in.

This strange memory kept gnawing at him for days. It seemed all too real, yet surreal.

He kept it to himself for months, never speaking to anyone about it except Nova.

King met Nova when he began his secret mission to the city.

General Andre Istavan, the overall Alpha of the Kingdom had come down to King's private cell to discuss with him an opportunity to redeem himself.

This opportunity involved King's service in the city's special forces.

The job was to investigate and clear off an underlying problem that posed a threat to the City.

King was going to reject the offer until he heard the catch to it.

If he took up the offer, he'd have access to the Kingdom's private investigators, a standard financial budget, some fixed assets, and a trained military personal assistant.

In that state, King needed all the help he could get, and this seemed too good to be true.

The best part was that he would regain his freedom if the mission was successful.

King didn't need any more convincing. He took the offer in a heartbeat. The mission took 5 years to complete.

It was a dangerous and arduous task which saw him facing years of military training.

He was also exposed to horrifying battles that could have made anyone quit life.

It was a sickening experience, but he persevered knowing that he had a life to return to.

A life he wasn't too sure of anymore. He thought back to what had just happened.

The unsparing judgment the people he once called family had thrown at him.

Rape was a terrible crime, but that was no reason to reject him.

Although there was no outright proclamation of his rejection yet, King was all too familiar with the system to know a meeting would soon be called for this cause.

Judging from the look of things, the meeting would be called soon. King tore his gaze away from the skies to shoot at his waiting staff.

"What's the report, Nova?" He demanded, stepping off the patio towards her.

There were two black jeeps parked in front of the Salvator's home. His bodyguards stood next to one, and Nova stood next to the other.

They were all at attention, patiently waiting for him. King stopped Nova from opening the door for him, doing the task himself.

"Get in." He demanded through gritted teeth, already anxious for the news she had.

Without a word, she did as instructed. King got into the passenger seat next to Nova, then ordered the driver out of the car.

This operation was too much of a fragile topic to discuss within the hearing of his other staff.

After everything he had gone through in his past, he trusted limited people, his staff weren't included.

He used his mind link to place a barrier around him and Nova so they could discuss in stealth.

"Report, Nova." He urged her when he was sure they had their privacy.

Nova quickly brought out the file she had been hiding, handing it to him.

King cast a wary glance at the file first before taking it from her.

"I've got leads on Operation KRI. Your suspicions were right, sir. You were indeed involved with a woman and it was around the same time as your... your..."

Nova looked to King for help, not knowing how best to say her next words.

"Arrest?" King offered, almost rolling his eyes at her.

"Yes, that." Nova nodded her appreciation and then continued.

"The woman in question, I got her details and they are all in the file you have now."

She looked down at the file in King's idle grasp.

His grip on the file tightened when the words tumbled out of her mouth.

King snatched his attention from her, tearing open the file to bring out some documents and a picture.

He let the documents fall into his lap, taking up the picture to access it.

The woman in the picture was enrapturing. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her delicate features.

The midnight black eyes that stared back at him bared a dangerous glint that absorbed his soul.

It threatened a permanent searing to whoever gazed at it.

Her plum lips were curved into a smile that made King's heart malfunction.

Her perfect button nose gave her cheekbones an attractive defined appearance.

She wasn't someone he recognised, but there was something about her that felt familiar.

"Her name is Onyx." Nova delivered.

"She is the daughter of Gregory Jameson, Alpha of the Luminescence pack."

Nova paused, gauging King's reaction. She contemplated if she should say her next words.

King already looked shaken by this strange woman. She feared her next news would cause a more extreme effect on him.

She decided to continue. He would hear it all, anyway.

"5 years ago, when you were... were... in a vulnerable state, she tried to save you, but you...you jumped her."

King's gaze snapped up from the entrancing picture to Nova.

"Whatever do you mean?" He shot out clenching his fists. The picture in his hands creased in response to his firm hold.

Nova looked away from this disturbing action, continuing her tale with renewed dread.

"My source reported that Sage initially sedated you with a foreign aphrodisiac. Her motives are unclear.

She left you in the basement to stage her plan, but when she returned to you, you were nowhere to be found."

"What?" King couldn't believe his ears. That happened? Why didn't he remember it?

Nova nodded, then proceeded.

"It was gathered that she went into a raging fit and placed a bounty on you.

Offering a reward to whoever found you, one of her men found you first, and it was in a compromising situation. Sage took it up from there."

"What?" King repeated, unable to say anything else.

"Where was I found?" He asked after a moment's pause. His voice was so low if Nova were human, she might not have heard it.

Thanks to her wolf's hearing, she picked it up. "In lacklustre wood, Sir."

Silence bathed the whole car. King's breathing became rapid and loud. This time, it wasn't his current ill state that took a toll on him.

It was the emotional distress of the truth. Nova remained seated, feeling her heart drop for this man.

She was yet to say the whole truth, and seeing him in this state made her want to keep the rest to herself.

But she couldn't. It needed to be said. "Sir?" She called out tentatively. King didn't respond.

She knew he was listening, so she continued.

"After the... Incident... Arrest... Incident..."

"Would you speak in logical terms, Nova!" King snapped picking up the picture and documents to replace them in the file.

He'd study them much later.

"Yes, sir." Nova took in a deep breath, preparing for the final blow.

"You have a child, sir. From the... the... Incident."

Nova swallowed. It was difficult for her to call it what it was.

Such a term didn't belong in the same sentence as King's name. King was a dignified man, not a... not a... what the media called him.

She took in another deep breath, cautioning herself to be professional.

Why did she think this would be easy to say at first? Now that she was facing the situation, she was beginning to regret her choices.

"All we know about her is that it's a little girl. Onyx is very protective of her, and all attempts to get information on her are proving futile."

"Well, keep trying," King muttered, looking out the window. He clenched his hands, feeling his physical pain struggle with his emotional one.

This was all too much to handle. Too much to take in at once. He had numerous questions that needed answers and rectification.

A lot had been misunderstood, and he needed a plan to get all misunderstandings cleared.

Nova studied him, noting King was trying to contain his quivering.

She wanted to throw out words of comfort, but she kept them to herself.

Now wasn't the time to do that. She knew King would soon gain his composure.

"Call in the driver. I'd like to go to my quarters for a rest." He mumbled, not looking away from the window.

His gaze was seeing everything out there, but his mind was registering nothing.

"Yes sir," Nova responded, happy to do something order than talking.

It wasn't until the car bounded off the Salvatore home, gliding onto the streets, that King finally opened his mouth to speak.

Still not looking away from the window, he declared in a clear voice.

"You'd need to stop wearing that uniform, Nova."