Kael.
Anger was an understatement to describe how I felt right now.
In fact, I was boiling.
I clutched my wine glass in hand, snarling as I squeezed it tighter and tighter until…
*Crack*
It shattered into pieces. Scattering some of its broken shards into the floor while the remaining pierced my skin, drawing blood. But at the moment, I didn't feel the pain. I didn't even turn to acknowledge my brothers that had turned to stare at me in surprise before glancing away without a word.
Caelum snorted derisively while Zevran, the one who looked most shaken, stared at me for a long time before sighing.
I knew why we were all sulking.
And I also knew that none of us would take the initiative to speak first about it.
But we were all worried about Leilani. All pissed at whoever that sharp-looking young man was that had plucked her from right under our noses earlier.
The image of his strong arms wrapped protectively around her body flashed across my mind again, and in rage, I picked up the flower vase closest to me and hauled it at the wall.
The ceramic pot shattered against the wall, but still, my brothers were unfazed. They didn't even say a word.
Just then, a maidservant rushed into the room, her blue eyes wide with worry when she noticed the state of my hands, but just as she tried to touch me, I shoved her away, snarling; "Don't touch me!"
The girl stumbled backward, almost falling; But then quickly regained her composure, obeying as she scampered away, only returning moments later to clean the mess I'd made.
Even though I was standing close to my brothers, they were just as inattentive as I was, seeming just as lost in thoughts as I was.
However, the girl had just finished cleaning up when Zevran turned to me, his face serious. He asked; "What is the matter with you?"
Oh, like it's not the same thing bothering us.
I scoffed. "Nothing."
Now, that caught Caelum's attention. He peeked at me from beside Zevran, ran his eyes over my body slowly and nodded. "Yeah right, that looks exactly like nothing."
It took me a moment to notice that he was staring pointedly at my bloody hands, and I do not know why, but that instantly made me feel self conscious. I folded my hand behind my back and muttered;
"It's none of your business."
Silence.
Nobody spoke. No one even tried to counter my words. When it dawned on me that they wouldn't talk about Leilani, I glanced up. "Do any of you know who that guy that took her away is?"
At that, Caelum looked up, making me see the conflict in his eyes as well before he quickly masked it with indifference. He shrugged; "I don't know, I can't even find anything on him."
"Do you think he's one of her cohorts?" Now, it was Zevran who asked, his voice straining with tension. "I mean, you remember what Chalice said about…"
I know what Chalice said. I could remember it like it was branded into my memory. But for some reason right now, I couldn't bring myself to believe it.
That guy back there was far too charismatic. I even feared he had more charisma than I did. And then realizing that I was comparing myself to him, I shook my head. "No."
"No, what?"
"He doesn't look like that… he seemed—"
"Charismatic?" Zevran finished for me, but I didn't miss the stubborn set of his jaw and the way his eyes hardened even more than it had been moments ago. "He had Alpha aura."
And at that, Caelum scoffed. "We know that Leilani would never be with him if he was someone important. Do you guys suddenly forget that she's a reject? A wolfless cunt? The pack's runt?"
The more he spoke, the angrier I became…
"SHUT UP!" The words left my mouth before I could stop myself, momentarily stunning myself and my brothers.
Caelum recoiled as if physically struck while Zevran looked away, seemingly on the same page as me. I turned to him instead.
"Send someone to dig deeper." I simply said, "I need to find out who the man is… and the relationship he shares with Leilani," I momentarily recalled how he had called her 'Baby', and that in itself riled me up more than I cared to admit.
I turned away and with that marched out of the room. However, I had just stepped outside when I ran into Chalice and Gavin, and as soon as she saw me approaching, she smiled.
"Kael… I was just coming to see you!"
I lowered my gaze. "Is anything the matter?"
"Oh, no no!" She rushed out, and then draping an arm casually around my neck, she muttered; "I was only worried about you."
Her voice calmed my raging wolf infinitesimally but just as she reached to pull my face into a kiss, I shrunk back unconsciously, her eyes widening when she realized what I'd just done. Gavin seemed taken aback.
"I'm sorry!" I offered immediately. "I didn't mean to… I wasn't feeling too—"
However, my voice trailed off when I noticed presence behind us, and I didn't even need to turn to know that it was my brothers.
They probably must've witnessed me recoiling from Chalice moments ago, but they said nothing. They must think I am mad.
And truthfully, I feared they might be right.
~***~
"I know nothing besides the fact that he works for Frostclaw Inc. I've been trying to dig deeper into him but members of that organization are usually well protected— too protected, I fear that's why we cannot get anything else." My friend, Jorge, said from the other end of the phone, his voice a monotone.
At his words, I raised my eyebrows and turned to my brothers who were equally just as stunned as I was.
However, we were soon snapped out of our momentary shock when Chalice coughed slightly, dropping her eyes in that way that always managed to thaw at my heart.
She whispered; "Why are we trying to find out who this guy is?"
It was Caelum who responded to her. He said; "We want to find out the relationship between him and Leilani."
"Why?"
"Because of what you told us!" He answered, his voice sharper than was necessary.
Chalice, catching up on the sharpness in his voice turned her head away, but I didn't miss how devastated she now appeared. Her smile had worn off, replaced instead with a frown so deep, it dirtied her porcelain face.
"Oh." She whispered, then turning to me, she added; "…maybe I was wrong and he's not a rogue, but Frostclaw Inc? Maybe Leilani has gone to pitch my idea to them!"
At that, I was momentarily stunned. I turned to her. "What does that mean?"
She shrugged. "I noticed that a folder containing some ideas I'd drafted about my last research work was missing but I never thought so much about it, until…"
My face darkened. "She's a thief too?"
"We cannot be so sure." She dropped her voice, then looking at me, she added; "Maybe I should go check my room again, even though the last person I saw in there before it went missing was Leilani."
I understood what that meant, and my brothers did too because Caelum immediately snapped;
"That wench!"
Zevran said nothing.
And I… I, on the other hand, immediately got a very very bright idea.
Let's just say that if Leilani plans to work with Frostclaw. Inc and thus, the reason she's been acting up recently, then she doesn't know what she has coming.