The Alpha's Curse The Enemy Within

Chapter 24 Twenty Four

Killian's point of view

It was already way past noon. The sun had dominated the sky already. I was seated in the large castle hall, and to my left was Thea, and to my right were Allen and Mason, my most trusted friends. I watched as the last ranked pack member of the court strode into the hall while more warriors gaited in large numbers. They all had confused and questioning gazes fixed on me.

As Valerie had instructed, I ordered all ranked members of the pack and every warrior in my pack, including those who were in training, to appear in the hall. Today, Sheila will be judged and punished by myself and the Pack's court. Hopefully, things won't go that far though, and she will instead be free of all accusations. Valerie has a plan to expose whosoever shot that arrow that threatened Thea's life and mine, and with the help of the blood found on Sheila's dagger, we will find him.

The large hall was cramped with everyone. I looked around and it seemed like everyone had gathered already.

It was time for the show to begin.

I rose from my seat, halting the subtle whispers at once. Everywhere went absolutely silent, without a single noise stalking the air. Everyone had their gaze directed my way.

I turned to my right to where my best friend and Beta stood. "Mason, bring her in," I said.

He walked back in a minute later, tagging behind him was my mate, Sheila, and at her side was the

Pack's female beta and Allen's mate, Brielle. And to her other side was none other than my brother, Morgan, with a cold and stoic face.

My mate, Sheila, was led to the center of the large hall, with everyone's angry eyes following her every step, while Brielle and Morgan joined the crowd.

She didn't look around, but instead, kept her head high, and her tender gaze fixated on me, looking ever so beautiful in her long, black velvet dress and her silky brown hair cascading from her delicate shoulders down to her full breasts.

I breathed calmly with Ryker, whose presence had roved to the surface of my consciousness.

I moved from my seat, projecting into the crowd. "Everyone of us is aware of the reason we are all gathered here, to witness the trial and judgment of Sheila Callaso, Luna of the Crescent North Pack," I said coldly, stopping a few inches away from her. Her enigmatic and alluring scent invaded my nostrils, almost knocking me off balance and causing my wolf, Ryker, to stir excitedly.

I had to suppress the growl that nearly left my lips, taking careful steps backward. Sheila's gaze was fixed on me, her gaze so blank that I couldn't imagine what lay behind those gorgeous blue eyes of hers.

"She pleads not guilty to the accusations laid against her," loud murmurs were erupting, but I silenced them all with a deathly stare. I turned back to the ranked members who were seated, eagerly waiting to get this over with and have her punished with the maximum punishment, which is death.

"After much deliberation with the court, we have come to a decision." I moved back to my seat,

glancing briefly at the faces of every ranked member of the court. "But before then," their eyes shot up, "there's someone who wishes for an audience."

Another round of whispers and befuddled glances rose in the hall amongst the warriors and the ranked members. I hadn't informed anyone of this change.

"Alpha Killian, we all came to —" A high-ranked member, Henry, foolishly began, but I was hasty to shut him up.

I tilted my head in Morgan's direction, my amber eyes locking with his emerald green irises. "Bring her in," I said to him.

Without much hesitation, Morgan nodded with an impatient smile, walking to the entrance doors, and instantly, Valerie ambled into the hall with two familiar witches from the coven. They were all dressed in similar woolen red cloaks and had their hoods over their heads.

Everyone looked at them, then at me, with puzzled expressions.

"Do not be alarmed. As a matter of fact, the witches are here to help." I spoke to the crowd, answering their unsaid words.

"Help, how?" someone asked from the crowd.

"To find the real traitor who tried to murder both Thea and me," I said, and there were confused whispers.

"But, Sheila Callaso, the Luna—"

"Is not guilty of the accusations laid against her." I turned to find Sheila's innocent gaze on me. Those very same eyes that always managed to turn me on, leaving me completely powerless. The worst part is that she has no idea how much she affected me. How much her crystal blue eyes haunted me, and her body tortured me.

I returned to my seat. Then Valerie stepped closer to where Sheila was standing. She sent a look to the female witches that were by her side, and instinctively, they went to block every exit out of the hall, while Morgan closed the main entrance doors, unmoving from them.

"The Alpha is right. The Luna isn't the one who attempted to murder the Alpha and Thea, someone else did. And that person is here amongst us. I have his blood from the dagger which the Luna injured him with. And with that, we can find whoever the traitor is," Valerie's soft voice filtered into the warm air as she explained everything calmly to every listening ear.

Everyone was surprised, and murmurs rose within the hall, but nobody dared to say a word, even after she was done.

Valerie revealed the small bottle in her hands that contained blood. The blood of the traitor in our midst. She began muttering coherent chants, her coquettish mutters filling the hall, her voice resonating against the walls of the hall as the air in the hall charged with an unfamiliar force. Magic.

The crimson fluid in the bottle began to move, making its way out of the bottle, while Valerie's hands danced skillfully in the air, as her chanting grew fiercer and sharper, holding much intensity and vigor. The crimson fluid in the air began to grow a bright shade of red as Valerie kept on chanting.

In an instant, the red light engulfed the crimson fluid and burned brighter. In an instant, it exploded in

the air, turning into tiny specks of red dust.

Valerie didn't halt her chants; she continued with each word with much passion. The red speck of dust started moving rapaciously in the air like it had some kind of life in it, sweeping through every corner of the large hall when to our utmost surprise, it halted in front of someone. A Pack's warrior, Rowan, stood motionless as the tiny specks of red dust surrounded him before our eyes.

I was surprised. but not as shocked as he was. There was a sharp, terrifying look in his eyes that betrayed his true feelings.

His eyes were round and bulging with surprise. His eyes scanned the faces of every one of us. He took a cautious step backward, but the red speck of the dust trailed behind him. His knowing silence sent a response to those who still held questioning looks.

"That's the man who that blood belongs to," Valerie said, her hands beside her curvy sides. "That's the traitor who attempted to murder Thea and the Alpha," Valerie said. Immediately, at her words, I nodded to the warriors, and they all surrounded Rowan in a circle. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

His gaze darkened, becoming more hardened and murderous. Swiftly, his nails elongated, and his sharp canines extended. He was a good warrior, one of the best out of a few, excluding myself, Allen, and Mason. But he obviously didn't have a chance as he was outnumbered.

Rowan lunged at the warriors, who were also aiming for him. They barked their claws at him, and in a swift motion, he was pinned to the ground.

I ordered that he be taken to the dungeon, where he would be dealt with later. After the warriors left with Rowan, my gaze settled briefly on Sheila, who was boring hard at me, before finally moving to the

ranked members seated around the circle table. They didn't need me to say more. Every one of them had witnessed what had just happened, which proved Sheila's innocence but unfortunately raised a lot of questions within the court.

"I can't believe a warrior of ours was involved in this." Henry was the first to recover from the shock.

Frankly, I couldn't believe it either. Rowan was a member of this pack and has been here for the longest. It didn't make sense why he would want to jeopardize his own fate by murdering me when everyone is aware of the effect it would have. Something just doesn't add up.

"Why would he have done something like that?" Another question came.

I had no idea why he could even dare do something like this. My gaze fell back on the court members.

"We will find out soon. After Rowan has been duly interrogated and tortured, we will get our answers to every question." I promised

I dismissed the court and everyone else that was present in the hall, ensuring the accusation against Sheila had been cleared. It was important that everyone knew she was innocent.

I watched her fade back as she was led back to her chamber by Brielle. I was now alone after seeing Thea to her chamber, and I was heading towards the dungeon when Morgan approached me, blocking my path. His deep irises conveyed a sense of solemnity.

"We need to talk," I said. I sighed, almost rolling my eyes. Before I could speak, he spoke again. "This is serious, and it's about the Blacks,"

And my eyes went dark.