CHAPTER 204: _YOU CALL THIS PEACE?

I dodged the first slash from Hailey with a side step to the right, my eyes following her movements.

She growled yet again and lunged with more force this time, aiming both her hands at my throat.

"Hey! Halt!" Marcellus was just about to intervene when I raised my right hand at him, signalling him to stop.

Handling this wouldn’t even take much effort.

I swatted the girl’s hands with my right hand, watching with a plain expression as she stumbled backward from the force. She rubbed her wrists before baring her fangs at me.

’Okay, this is just sad.’ Damon blurted in my head with a pitiful tone. ’Put an end to it already.’

I sighed lightly as I watched her charge at me yet again, this time yelling at the top of her voice.

"This is for my father, you fake king!"

Just when her claws were about to connect with my face, I bent to my left and then proceeded to grab her right wrist, causing her to gasp.

I didn’t end there and shoved her with one swift movement to my desk, watching as she hit it and fell to the floor with a thud.

"Enough!" I barked, compelling her with my Alpha King aura which I focused on her.

Unlike during my outburst at the meeting earlier, my aura was no longer visible. I wondered if it was only visible when I was truly stirred emotionally.

I watched as Hailey curled up on the floor, bringing her legs closer to the rest of her body and hugging them. She sniffled, her body shivering as she looked away from me.

" I-I’m sorry." She croaked as she soon began sobbing. "I got carried away and I... I want my father back. He might’ve been a sketchy man and a jerk most times... But he’s the only family I have since my Mom left."

Dear goddess, not a sob story...

I pouted my lips, staring at her before I glanced back at Marcellus who still stood at the door. He relaxed again and folded his arms in front of his chest.

I sighed lightly before I brought my gaze back to the girl.

"Hailey. Again, I want to say I’m sorry it had to come to this." I said calmly, placing my arms in front of my body. "But all I’m trying to do here is make sure people like him don’t go ahead to destroy the peace I’ve built."

She suddenly froze at that moment, slowly bringing her gaze to me and dimming her eyes before she let out a scoff.

"Peace? You call all of this ’peace’?" She asked, shaking her head. "I’m not even politically inclined but even I know all you’ve managed to do is delay the inevitable. The people are divided. Not just the wolves but the witches and humans as well."

I clicked my tongue.

It seems being nice was getting me nowhere.

I took two measured steps forward, keeping my gaze on her as I increased the amount of Alpha King aura that I expended, watching as she gasped and then fell face-first to the floor.

"The fact that you’ve lived in this pack most of your life without having to worry about witches blasting you with a curse or humans sending a nuke is a sign of that peace you look down on, girl."

I clenched my hands ever so slightly, ignoring her sobs on the floor as I continued.

"I’m not here to give myself praise. I know there are still those out there who think the war that has been drawn out for over a century is the best course for our world. I know there are still some underlying problems."

I paused, lowering my right hand and grabbing her shoulder, forcing her to raise her head and stare at me.

"All I’m asking is that you tell me if you noticed anything... Off about your father." I said softly, keeping my calm. "Perhaps he had any ideas of propaganda before or after the Gamma’s death."

She drew in a shaky breath, still managing to maintain eye contact. I withdrew my Alpha King aura to give her space to talk, tilting my head.

"Well? I’m listening."

.

.

I sat behind my desk about thirty minutes later, my hands steepled in front of me as I rested comfortably on my chair while staring at the ceiling.

I had managed to get Hailey to talk and then proceeded to call in guards who carried her father’s body out of my office so she could go do whatever the fuck she wanted with it.

What she told me wasn’t much yet it had me thinking.

"So apparently, she overheard her father discussing with the Gamma about my... Incompetence." I muttered, slowly bringing my gaze to the only other person in my office.

Marcellus.

He sat on the chair in front of my desk, drumming his fingers on the armrest as he nodded.

"It seems he was also in on your uncle and Celine’s plans to betray you but he was more... Laid back while they did all the hard work," Marcellus remarked, stroking his chin. "Maybe he snapped after finding out that they failed. He wanted to secure immunity by giving his daughter to you in marriage."

I scoffed, rubbing my forehead. "At this point, I don’t think I have anyone whom I can trust anymore. First, the Luna Queen, then my uncle, and now the Delta. The only person in my inner circle I can truly trust is Odessa and..."

I paused, staring awkwardly at him. He had a wry smile on his face as he nodded with a knowing look.

"You," I said, sighing lightly. "I’m not good at ’I’m sorry’ but Marcellus I’m—"

"Kaelos, it’s fine." He raised his hand, waving dismissively. "It was what Celine wanted. She wanted us clawing at each other and had all of us fooled. Besides..."

He grinned broadly, giving me a wink. "I would be angry too if I thought my best friend was sleeping with my mate."

I let out a chuckle and so did he... The first time we had laughed together since the Charity Ball.

However, that didn’t last for long as a knock sounded on the office door.