Chapter 99
There was a long, deadly silence.
People all held their breaths in horror. Nobody could believe what they were seeing right now.
Until a piercing cry broke the silence.
Glen pushed through the crowd and darted towards the oak table. He held Veronicaâs body in his arms, trying desperately to call her back to life but in vain.
âNo, no, Veronicaâ¦This canât be happening! No, you canât be deadâ¦NOOO!!!â
He buried his face to Veronicaâs broken chest and uttered a heart-rending shriek. His face was already covered in hot tears.
Janet found everything in front of her surreal.
How could this happen? Veronica was just alive this morning, safe and sound. Janet could still remember the way she smiled and the happy look on her face when she kissed Glen goodbye.
And nowâ¦she was gone?
How could this be?
Still, in a trance, Janet staggered forward and got to the oak table.
She looked down at Veronicaâs dead body.
There was a hole in this poor girlâs chest and her heart was brutally gouged out. A horrified look froze on her face. She must be aghast at the last minute of her life. Janet felt her heartache. Sorrow, anger, confusionâ¦all those feelings clogged her throat, making it hard to breathe.
âJanetâ¦â Angelina came to hold her shoulder. âAre you alright?â
âI donât understandâ¦Why? HOW?!â Janet grabbed Angelinaâs hand and hissed, âYou saw her-WE saw her! She was alright this morning. Who killed her? Why would anyone do this?!â
âYou saw those words.â
Angelina gave a quick nod at those scarlet words on the tablecloth. Her voice was full
of hatred:
âIt was the Rogue King. He killed Veronica and left her body as a
demonstrationâ¦That f ucking son of a bitch wanted us to see how he handled the
traitors!â
âBut how!â Janet cried, her mind racing fast. âAs far as we know, the Rogue King is in the Great Canyon right now. And how did she manage to kill Veronica in the plain daylight?!â
And then she suddenly realized something.
She and Daran discussed this. The Rogue King that showed up in the Great Canyon was probably just a puppet like Sterning, which meant that the real deal could be anywhere right now.
He was probably right here, in this city.
Blended into the crowd. Watching her from the darkness.
A chill was sent down her spine as she raised her head and looked around. The large group of people was still standing by the door, looking frightened and horrified.
Yet Janet felt that none of them could be trusted.
âYOU-It is your fault!!!
Glen jerked up. He was still holding Veronicaâs dead body and was now glaring at Janet with a look of despair.
âYou promised that you would look after her! You promised! And you said that she would be safe and sound when I came back to her!â
Glen roared with tears streaming down his cheek.
âLook at her now! You failed at your own words! Why did I trust you-Why did I agree to help you in the first place!!!â
Janet stood stiffly on her spot, feeling cold inside.
She couldnât dispute with Glen. And frankly speaking, she felt that she was indeed responsible.
If they didnât send Glen away to the warehouse if they didnât leave Veronica by herself, if she checked on Veronica onceâ¦This probably wouldnât happen.
âI was wrongâ¦So wrong! I should know that the Rogue King would come back for us⦠We should never help you!â
Glen approached Janet step by step, still wailing. His hand was still covered in Veronicaâs blood. And he reached out to grab Janetâs collar with that hand.
Just then, a large figure dashed into the dining hall and stopped Glen before he could
get to Janet.
It was Daran.
âAlpha Daran!â Angelina gasped, âYou are back-â
Daran looked freshly off the battlefield with dust on his coat and hair.
Holding Janet in his arms, Daran looked Glen straight in the eye.
âGlen, I know that you are sad. And this is truly tragic.â
Daran said in a deep voice.
âBut none of these is Janetâs fault.â
Glen rounded his eyes with a furious face, âNot her fault?! What the f uck are you talking about! Veronica is dead under her watch! I want to gouge her f ucking heart out if I can-â!
âBut donât you want to know who killed Veronica?â Daran snapped, raising his voice.
âDonât you forget that the murderer is still out there!â
Glenâs jaw clenched.
After a small pause, he said abruptly, âI know who did it.
Everyone was stunned.
Does Glen know who killed Veronica?
Does Glen know who killed Veronica?
Glen jerked around and gazed at the large crowd by the door. He spotted one person among the group and pointed a finger at her:
âYOU!â
Everyone followed his finger and looked at the person he was pointing at.
It was Harper.
âWhatâ¦ME?!â Harper shrieked in panic. âAre you crazy? Why would I kill Veronica?â
âYou were with her all day! And you were the last person being seen with her! And we all knew what a vicious person you truly are!â Glen roared.
âThat is your big reason? You have lost your goddamn mind!â
Harper cried, her high-pitched voice echoing across the large hall.
âI have changed, alright? I am a changed person! Plus, I barely know Veronica. I just met her today. Why would I murder a total stranger?â
âPeople never changed! That is it. I am killing you-I am avenging Veronica right now!!â
He was about to jump at Harper.
But Angelina rushed forward and stood in hist way.
âMOVE ASIDE!â Glen growled.
âListen. Harper was with us all afternoon, alright? Her alibi checks out!â Angelia said urgently, âPlusâ¦Look at the size of that wound. No she-wolf has that huge of a claw. Veronica was killed by a man.â
Glen stood on the spot stiffly.
There was a hopeless look in his dull eyes.
Angelina approached him and carefully put a hand on his shoulder, âI know that this
is traumatic for youâ¦But Harper is not the murderer.â
Glen covered his face with both hands.
After a long pause, he emitted a hoarse low sob.
The party was definitely not going to happen.
Balvina and Kass brought in a few soldiers and together they put a white sheet over Veronicaâs body.
Janet sat in the corner at a loss. She was gazing at Glen, who had sunk onto the floor with silent tears streaming down his face.
He looked as though he had lost his entire soul and all that left was a corpse.
âHey.â
Daran sat down by Janetâs side, âDonât be too hard on yourself. This is notââ
âMy fault?â Janet shook her head. âNo. This is exactly my fault. So just donât say anything nice and try to make me feel better⦠It will only make me feel worse.â
She promised Glen that Veronica was safe with her.
She promised Glen that Veronica was safe with her.
Yet she was too careless.
Her carelessness put Veronica in danger and caused her death.
âI know you feel responsible, and I am not saying this to make you sure better butâ¦â Daran paused before saying deeply. âThis is war. We lost people during the war. It might be cruel, but it is the reality. You are the Gamma. You should know this better than anyone else does.â
âYeahâ¦you are right,â Janet murmured.
She took a deep breath and looked Daran straight in the eyes.
âI think our last triumph has made me forget how much danger we are still in,â she said in a shaky voice. âI was so immersed in this temporary phase of peace that I forgot about how close our enemy is. You are right. We need to take action before it is too late.â
âAre you saying that-â
âYes. We should go to the Great Canyon as soon as possible. Together,â Janet said. firmly.
They looked deep into each otherâs eyes.
âEven if it is dangerous?â Daran asked hoarsely. âIf the Rogue King can somehow manage to have Veronica killed under our watch, he probably already knows that we will be coming into his territory.â
âYes. Even so, it is still worth it.â
Janet nodded.
âWith the higher stake comes the bigger reward. The Rogue King is not as strong as we are. He is only capable of manipulating people and stabbing us in the back. So it is time for us to attack head-on and force him to face us. And if the best case happens, we can even end this war and reclaim our territory one thing for all.â
Daran smiled and held Janetâs hand.
âWith you by my side, that is what will happen,â he said.