Chapter 41

41

KILLIAN

T heo touches his earpiece, and I watch as his eyes narrow, and his lips turn down in a scowl. Immediately, he moves toward Zane, motioning for Ryker to take his place at my side.

I pretend to be engrossed in the story one of Zane's alphas is telling me. It's all about a young pup in his pack who's decided to follow the alpha around, day and night, and I'm sure it's highly entertaining, if I weren't completely distracted by the frown on Zane's face.

He sets down his knife and fork, his gaze drifting down the table to where Charlotte's grandfather is enjoying his meal. Standing slowly, Zane circles around to my side, and leans down, very carefully angling his head so nobody can see his lips move, or the wolf shining in his eyes.

"Theo just confirmed with Charlotte's pack, the only visitors to Cressida's home since you got back, the only ones who would have had access to Charlotte's things, are George and Tammy, her grandparents." Zane keeps his voice quiet enough that nobody else can hear, but still, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, as I feel the weight of someone's stare on us.

"Theo says the family's wealth came from pharmaceuticals and dentistry supplies."

Which potentially means lots of access to strong painkillers and sedatives.

I fight the urge to look their way as Zane steps back, his eyes locked on mine.

Charlotte's grandfather. He was having an affair with the queen, there's no doubt about that in my mind, but I always thought that her death was proof that he wasn't involved. Maybe something went horribly wrong when they tried to escape together, or maybe she found out he attacked the king and threatened to turn him in?

Who knows, but this is pretty damning evidence that he had motive and means. I look around at the other guards in the room, most of whose training was paid for by George and Cressida's training grants.

Suddenly, having my protection detail all around me isn't so comforting.

"Quietly, without making a scene, get him into custody, so we can have a chat with him." It's still not concrete proof, and I'm not going to ruin the reputation of anyone, especially a relative of Charlotte's, until I know for certain.

Zane nods, but when we look back down the table, there's no sign of George.

Shit.

"Go after him. Find him and bring him back."

Jerking his head toward Theo and Ryker, Zane walks quickly toward the double doors, which George must have disappeared through. Both from his pack, Zane is showing his trust in them. I hope he's right.

Adrenaline dumps into my veins as I watch the party continue on quietly, not knowing that we're so close to catching the man who committed these heinous crimes all those years ago.

Clenching my fists to relieve the pressure, I'm staring unseeing down the table, when Elodie catches my eye. She tips her head toward where George's seat is now empty, eyes wide, and mouths something at me.

When I furrow my brows, she sighs and holds up her hand to cover the fact that she's pointing at her own family. She looks worried.

Has she just figured out the same thing we have?

I signal to her that I know and give her the thumbs up sign, but she shakes her head vehemently, looking slightly panicked, as she pushes to her feet, and all attention turns to her.

Still trying to work out why she looks so upset, I beckon her forward to speak with me. She drops her napkin onto her seat and walks briskly around the table, a confident smile on her face.

But I can see the fear in her eyes as she gets closer.

Before she gets the chance to tell me what's so important, the room erupts in chaos.

Glasses smash and screams erupt as gunshots ring out.

Unsure where they're coming from, I throw myself onto the floor, dragging down anyone within reach with me.

It's only when I'm on the ground that I notice I'm bleeding profusely from my thigh.

Fuck. It's not stopping.

I'm just realising it's because it's a silver bullet when the sound of growling approaching snaps me back into action.

Standing, I topple over the table and drop down behind it, using it as a shield.

Two wolves move to attack my position, but immediately, Cooper and Rex block their way, shifting and tackling them, before they can get to me.

More and more seem to come, so I climb to my feet and suck in a deep breath, needing to get through this and downstairs to find Charlotte.

"Elodie," I roar above the chaos as four more wolves bear down on me. "Find Theo. Get Charlotte out."

She nods and drops to all fours, crawling along the ballroom floor before disappearing out into the corridor.

I tussle with two wolves who come over the top of my barrier, but without the ability to shift, and now blocked by the silver that's scorching a fiery path through my veins, I'm vulnerable. I knock one unconscious with a well-timed kick to the head, even as my other leg screams at me to stop moving, and the other gets a heavy candelabra to the back of his skull.

The smell of burning reaches my nose, and I look across the room to see toppled candles have ignited curtains, and the fire is spreading rapidly.

It's utter carnage.

I watch as a grizzly bear bowls over more shifted wolves in the midst of the rest of the guests running to escape.

It's hard to work out who's friend and who's foe.

But as I watch the flames licking their way up the curtains and jumping onto the next, all I can think of is how my mate is locked in a jail cell downstairs, and if the fire takes hold, and she dies, it's going to be all my fault.

What if Elodie gets hurt or can't find Theo to get the keys?

My vision goes fuzzy for a second as I get my good leg underneath me and press my hands to the floor, now littered with shards of broken glass.

Right then, Zane and Theo charge back inside, dragging a dishevelled looking George with them.

George looks completely stunned by the chaos and destruction before him. He doesn't wear the expression of a man who masterminded an attack. But if not him, then who?

"Theo," I roar. "Where's Charlotte?"

His eyes go wide, and I realise she's not with him.

Elodie hasn't spoken to him yet or gotten the keys. My mate is still trapped. The fire is spreading rapidly.

There's no time to worry about anything else. I have to get to her.

A silver bullet is no laughing matter. I need medical attention badly, but Charlotte comes first. She's never leaving my side again. Whatever happens, I'm not being away from her, ever again, if she'll have me.

If she'll forgive me for being so awful.

With a roar of agony, I press my injured knee to the ground, the weight on my torn leg feeling like someone's ripping the damaged flesh apart.

"You're just like your father."

I don't recognise the voice immediately, but when I lift my gaze and see who's speaking to me, I barely pay any attention, focussed on getting to my mate instead.

That is, until I hear the next words.

"Just like him, you're too stubborn to just die."