Suits and Rogues

Chapter 12

    Mortal: a term for any creature that do not belong in the supernatural world like humans, normal animals, and plants.

*****

    Odin’s screwed alright.

    In the next 5 minutes, he and his workers looked at each other in shock. And instead of thinking of ways to get out of the mess he’s in like he is suppose to, his mind is instead thinking of other unnecessary things like “Oh crap, they’ve seen me.”, “The hellhound is a f*cking coward! How dare he leave me?!”, “He smells good though. Was that blood I smelt on him?”, “Why the hell is my secretary missing a shoe? And why does the cleaning crew captain smell of p*ssy?”, “D*mn it! Someone’s smoking a cigarette in my company! I need to fire that guy.”, “Wait...did they saw us kissing?”, “What is going on in their mind?”, “There’s...one, two, three, four...19 of them in total. So if they saw us kissing, it will mean I have to prepare 19 body bags, 19 burial sites, 1 plausible excuse for their death, 19 million to compensate their families, and-why the hell am I thinking of killing them?! They’re my subjects, for goddess’ sake!”, and “What am I doing again?”

    Just then, someone coughed and that seemed break the trance they are all in. Everyone shifted uneasily and even Odin had to turn sideways and pretend to fix his tie to hide his embarrassment. It’s only then that he noticed that his entire body smells like the hellhound that made a slight blush color his cheeks.

    ‘Stop it! Alphas don’t blush, you moron!’ he scolded himself.

    Just then, someone cleared their throat. “Uhh...sir-“

    “You saw nothing.” Odin hastily ordered; not letting them have any idea that whatever they saw could be true.

    His workers looked at each other in confusion and unease. Odin knew that the seed of truth was already planted inside them so he needs to do something that will make sure they won’t speak a word of what they saw.

    “No one is allowed to disclose any information gathered in this scenario. What you hear, what you see, what you smell or touch, leave.it.here.” he ordered them using his alpha voice. The flaw of that is that there are some humans among them and the tone won’t always work. The only thing Odin has that can keep them in line is their fear of his power, but even fear will not be enough to control them if they are not loyal to him. Knowing how he’s been losing the loyalty and respect of everyone beneath his rule due to his complicated situation, Odin is certain that what he’s doing will not be enough to keep that secret.

    Even after decades of the l***q+ people coming out in the open and living their lives with the rest of the world, many people are still not open to that idea. Heck, even the gender wars between males and females are still ongoing. If this goes out, Odin will be ruined and his pack and company will fall along with him. His subjects do not deserve that so Odin is willing to do anything to prevent that from happening. As much as Odin dislikes it, he has to use greater measures to keep things under wraps.

    Still, first things first; he needs to solve the discolored wolf-eye first. That’s the priority since it will affect his whole specie. Then he’ll deal with the cleanup and keeping things secret.

    “What are you all waiting for? Go do your work!” Odin barked and that snapped all of them to attention. “Investigation team, find out how that bastard got in and who painted the eyes red. If there are any inside accomplices, kill them. Cleaning crew, be on standby. Miss Reid, supervise them.” he ordered and they all went to work. That gives Odin time to ponder on his next move.

    In Odin’s world, in order to keep a secret, one should make sure the others won’t be able to disclose that secret. There are many options to do that. The most obvious and effective one is to eliminate the others. Second is to blackmail them. Third, is to cut off their tongue, finger, or the whole hand. And last, to get rid of the secret in their memory.

    Ever since the mortal and supernatural creatures started coexisting, eliminating someone who knows a secret in order to keep it was forbidden when it comes to mortals. However, creatures are still free to do it as long as it does not involve a mortal. Since Odin has mortals working under him, he can’t do that. He can’t use blackmailing either because it is not that effective. Cutting of their tongue and other body parts used for communication will also raise questions so he can’t do that too. That leaves him to the last option. It is very effective, more effective than elimination, but its risks are very high. As much as possible, Odin doesn’t want to use that option because it brings more trouble than benefits. Still, what choice does he have?

    “Miss Reid, call the HR department and tell them to stay away from this floor. Also, tell them to initiate lockdown. Breaks and lunches will be spent inside the company. They may use delivery services for their food or outside resources but they must receive them at the entrance after the guards check those out if they are safe. The deliverers are not allowed to go in. Once the investigation is done and the results are finalized, the lockdown be lifted.” Odin told his secretary and she bowed before quickly doing as instructed. He watched her limp as she did so because of her missing shoe and Odin wondered where she left it.

    Not wanting her to be injured, Odin called one of the cleaning crew to go to the lounge area where her desk is and told him to look for her missing shoe there or any pair of shoes for her. The male nodded and bowed before doing as he’s ordered while Odin continued on supervising them. He swept his eyes over the scene and memorized as much details as he can. The investigation team roams around the floor, taking pictures, samples, and exchanging observations with each other.

    It didn’t take long before one by one; the investigation team approached Odin to report their findings.

    “Sir, the paint on the eyes was confirmed as blood. When our team tested it, more than one DNA appeared; making it hard to decipher whose blood it came from.” One of them said.

    ‘Just as I thought.’ Odin said internally.

    “We tried looking for its trail but the floor seemed freshly clean. Our crew found the bleach and cleaning materials in the bathroom storage room just recently used but there are no thumb marks or any clue found about who used them.”

    “How about gloves?” Odin asked. Per their company policy, cleaners are to use gloves for protection when cleaning and if it’s one of the cleaning crew, then they’ll know who used them.

    “Our men are currently searching the bins and other storage rooms beneath this floor, sir, but we didn’t find any in here.” The male replied. Odin nodded in acknowledgement just as another male came to state his report.

    “We checked all the CCTVs and got in touch with all the guards and employees and they all claim to not have seen anyone strange get inside the company, sir. However, we saw a disturbing footage.”

    Odin frowned as some men approached with laptops and other devices before showing the screen to him. It was a footage from a camera at the lounge area that is attached beside the windows. The main view was the center of the lounge area where the couches and coffee tables are. Odin’s eyes widened when he detected movement at the corner where the light doesn’t reach. It’s a fairly shadowy area but what shocked him is seeing a pair of long muscular legs emerging from the shadows and landed smoothly on the tiled floor. Odin pushed some buttons and rewound the whole thing over and over again, not quite believing what he’s seeing. By the 11th rewind, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. That f*cking pair of legs...he knows those legs. ‘F*ck! What is he planning to do?’ Odin thought in irritation.

    “Sir...there’s more.” The guy from earlier told him and fast forwarded the scene up to the last scene Odin saw. What he saw next further complicates things. The very moment the legs landed, a silhouetted familiar body appeared and in his hands is a head that slowly revealed a tied up limp body. The screen showed how the mysterious man strolled through the place like he owned it, all the while dragging the limp body that is actually tied with...one, two, three, four....Odin got horrified upon counting 57 other bodies tied to the first one.

    “What the f*ck?!” Odin cursed. Pausing the video and running his hands through his hair and face as he starts pacing in agitation. What the heck had he gotten himself into?!

    Just as he is about to lose his mind, the guy he sent to fetch his secretary’s shoes earlier came back with a horrified look on his face. “S-sir, the-there’s...there’s a-a-a...” the guy stuttered, pointing at the direction of the lounge area.

    The hellhound said something about a gift in the lounge area. Suddenly, something clicked in Odin’s mind. ‘Oh hell no!’ he thought angrily before angrily rushing towards lounge area. The second he went through the door, the overwhelming scent of blood took over his senses, making him and the rest of the creatures with him throw up at the overwhelming odor.

    “M-masks...” he managed to utter as his secretary rushed to aid him. She quickly went to get a mask as Odin wiped his mouth and used his arm to try and block the scent. His wolf is howling and growling angrily in his mind – angry at the whole situation and at having his nose attacked by the foul odor.

    Despite being overwhelmed with the smell of blood, Odin forced himself to look at the c*****e in front of him. The whole place is literally painted in blood. Everything from the walls, the furnitures, the technology, and the decorations are all coated or splashed with blood. The window at the other side that is identical to Odin’s office is also painted in blood red. But the very worst of the scenario is what’s carelessly thrown at the centermost couch. Piles of dead bodies, torn stomachs, overflowing intestines, and dripping blood greeted Odin’s horrified eyes and from the loud gasps behind him, he’s not the only one. Dead faces, all 57 of them including the ripped, crushed, and clawed one stare at all of them lifelessly. Some of them are familiar to Odin and things got from worse to worst. And it’s as if that’s not enough, an innocent-looking golden-yellow and silvery-gray colored ribbon was placed at the top of the pile – completely unaffected from the bloody mess around it. Odin realized the startling similarity of the ribbon’s color to his eyes and...

    ‘F*ck! That a**hole!’ This just confirmed Odin’s suspicion.

    “This is horrible!”

    “Th-that’s a lot...”

    “We need to alert the council now.”

    “F*ck that’s a lot of blood!”

    Odin’s employees started fussing as Odin stood there in shock.

    “Who would do such a thing?”

    Odin knows. There’s only one male he knows that could go places undetected, one male daring enough to slaughter and leave his mess, one male annoying enough to give him all these troubles, and one male who has the same color as the one in the ribbon.

    ‘I’ll f*cking kill him when I see him. He better not show himself to me if he wants to live.’ Odin vowed darkly as his wolf snorted at his thoughts. Contrary to Odin’s thoughts, his wolf is actually praising the hellhound for his bloody gift. He’s huffing and purring contently and proudly at their mate’s gift.

    ‘You’re seriously pleased at this mess when you were just angry a while ago at the f*cking scent!’ Odin exclaimed exasperatedly at his wolf.

    His wolf’s reply was only a huff that says “You should be proud of your mate.”

    ‘Over my dead body and non-existent spirit!’ was Odin’s reply that got ignored by his wolf with a flick of a tail.

    Odin sighed in irritation at his wolf and at himself. He got to admit, the c*****e appeals to his alpha nature and by instinct, he’s pleased at his mate’s gift for it shows his confidence and power. However, that doesn’t mean Odin will admit it nor will he appreciate the trouble he’ll face because of it.

    Odin recognized 5 of the mangled bodies and heads. They were part of their pursuers when Odin and the hellhound nearly...mated. He may have been disoriented from the s****l haze that time and he barely saw who interrupted them but Odin’s photographic memory managed to process some information, and those information just happened to be the faces of their pursuers along with the unmistakable enforcers badge on their right breast. Odin hopes no one could recognize them.

    “Wait...that’s Enforcer Lyal of the West...”

    Odin bit back a curse when a few of the creatures with him started recognizing the bodies. A hand tapped him in the shoulder and he turned around to find his secretary handing him a mask. Odin thanked her and she left but not without Odin catching the look in her eyes – the very same look that people have when they pieced the clues together, and the same look that some of the creatures and mortals with him are sporting.

    ‘Dang it!’ Odin cursed once again; knowing that if this situation continues to get out of control then Odin and everyone in his care will fall. There’s only one person alive that infiltrated the building, one suspect responsible for the c*****e, one person caught in the act, and only one person that wasn’t supposed to be in the building. That person just happens to be the hellhound and everyone in the floor saw them kissing.

    ‘f**k! f**k! f**k!’ Odin cursed as he tried coming up with solutions but ending up with nothing but the last choice. He has to erase their memory of everything that is connected to the situation. The method was deemed illegal by their specie to prevent further abuse to its uses. Using it is also very risky to both sides because they are left vulnerable and will take hours to complete. If Odin wants to succeed, he needs to make sure all of them in the floor are safe, no interruptions, no interference, and no one is to know what he’s about to do.

    Heaving out a breath, he composed himself and faced his fussing subjects that are looking at him in accusation, doubt, and eyes asking for explanation. “Did you relay my message?” Odin asked his secretary who flinched when he talked to her.

    “Y-yes, sir.” She answered nervously with a weird sense in the way her heartbeat is not beating steadily and not meeting his eyes.

    “Was it received?”

    “Yes, sir. The building is in a temporary lockdown and no one is allowed in or out of the floor and the building until you state otherwise, sir.” She replied.

    Odin nodded and turned back to look at the c*****e; pretending to mull over some things. “Investigation team, continue the investigation. Cleaning crew, conduct deep cleaning in the-“ Odin didn’t finish his words as he flashed to the nearest person, whispered an apology, and knocked him unconscious. The crew’s shock delayed them and Odin used it to his advantage knock as many of them unconscious. It only took a few seconds before the remaining ones tried fighting him. They attacked in groups and the individuals left took turns in attacking consecutively whenever the opportunity arose. The mortals went down easily but Odin had a harder time with his pack mates. His alpha instincts are refusing his body to harm their pack mates without fault, so instead of knocking them out, Odin only manages to dodge their attacks.

    Amidst the commotion, no one was able to notice that an unwanted person managed to get to their floor and is holding a device in her hand facing the scene.

    “Why are you doing this?!” one of Odin’s pack mate asked as they fought.

    Odin’s heart ached at the betrayed look on his pack mate’s face. As much as Odin wants to explain things to them, he can’t. They are already distrustful of him, many of them have lost their loyalty towards him, many fear him, and almost all of his pack mates already don’t want him as an alpha. If they know that Odin is mated to a male – the hellhound of all things – and found out that he’s the one responsible for this c*****e and possibly more bad things and discover that Odin used the forbidden method of erasing one’s memories, they will shun Odin even though he doesn’t accept the hellhound as his mate because of his complicated situation and also because that forbidden method was abused by his ancestors that earned the hate of their specie to their family.

    An alpha being shunned and rejected by his pack is as worse as losing a mate - perhaps even worse. While mates only lose one part of their soul once losing a mate, an alpha losing his pack literally and/or figuratively loses as many as his pack members. Any alpha that goes through it usually dies. The rare ones who don’t end up the same way ended up insane or forever damaged emotionally and/or mentally. And for an alpha who has 5, 769 members...Odin will surely end up with the former.

    “I’m sorry.” Was the only thing Odin could offer as he knocks them all out – ignoring his father’s teachings that Alphas never apologize.

    Before he knew it, he succeeded in knocking everyone unconscious. As he stood there with blood painting his windows, a lounge area filled with gore and blood, the whole place trashed from the commotion, and unconscious bodies surrounding him; Odin couldn’t help the tears of guilt and pain from falling.

    With tears steadily leaking out of his eyes, he picked the first person to erase his memory as his whispered apologies surround the silent place. With a heavy heart, he grew his claws and sunk them at the male’s nape. His claws sunk at the tender skin and reached deep until it connected with the male’s spinal cord. The moment Odin’s claws reached the spinal cord, his consciousness went dormant and he entered the male’s mind – leaving his body along with the male’s body vulnerable to any harm.

    The unknown spectator continued to face the device at Odin before slowly approaching. Soft clicks from her pointed footwear resounded around the silent place as she approached the frozen bodies. Clicking the stop button, the spectator reached a hand out to Odin – caressing his hair before trailing down his face to cup his cheek.

    “It’s a shame, really, that I can only hold you while you’re unconscious.” A soft voice whispered at Odin’s frozen body; silver-gray eyes staring into nothingness as delicate fingers caress his lips.

    “Don’t worry, my king. You’ll be mine soon.”