Chapter 46
1
“A highly flammable oil was used in one of the stores in the
market,” The firefighter revealed, holding up the charred
remains of a burnt can of oil for Beta Richard to examine. “That
was what set the place on fire and the fire quickly spread to
other places because there were fabrics, books in the library,
planks and other materials which aided its quick spread.” He
continued, explaining carefully to Beta Richard and the others.
“Hmmmmm!” Beta Richard sighed, “But how are you sure that it
was a deliberate act?” Beta Richard asked him, his brow
furrowing in concern as he scrutinized the can of flammable oil
in the firefighter’s hand.
“Sir,” the firefighter continued, “this type of oil is very rare and
can’t just be found in any pack.” He explained, his voice filled
with certainty, as someone who definitely knew what he was
talking about.
“It is usually imported and only available on specific orders due
to its high tendency to explode even at the slightest spark.” He
paused and checked the damage around them. “Judging from
the damage done, I’m very sure of what I am saying.” He
continued, confidently.
Chapter 46
“And from what we were able to gather from some witnesses, they said they heard a loud bang and a sweet smell filled the air, and after that, the fire started immediately. This is an important characteristic feature of this type of oil. During production, the manufacturers usually add sweet and pleasing fragrances to it, so that no one would be suspicious wherever it is used.” He explained further.
“This is why it is sometimes tagged as “the ultimate murder weapon“. He added, whispering and Beta Richard was taken
aback.
“But how do you know so much about all this?” Beta Richard asked as he stared at the firefighter suspiciously, with his arms
folded across his chest.
“Oh, this young man is one of a kind.” The commander
immediately came to the rescue. “He has travelled far and wide
and studied a lot, so he knows so much about these things.” He
cleared the air and Beta Richard nodded.
“Oh, little wonder why he is a firefighter.” Beta Richard said and
the firefighter smiled. “Thank you so much for the information.”
He then turned to the commander, “I’ll see to it that this case is
investigated further,” Beta Richard said again as he nodded thoughtfully. He could feel the weight of impending danger pressing down on him. “Thank you very much.”
Chapter 46
Surveying the scene one more time and with a sense of finality, the commander said, “With that being cleared and the fire completely put out, I think we can pack up our gear and be on
our way back to the station now.”
“Yes, you can,” Beta Richard replied, his voice calm, despite the chaos in his mind. “Thank you, Commander.” He said and the commander nodded in acknowledgement.
“Guys, pack up! We’re leaving now!” The commander
announced to the rest of the team.
They all chorused, “Yes sir,” and began to dismantle their
equipment.
As the responders and emergency teams prepared to depart,
Beta Lily leaned closer and whispered nervously to her husband,
her voice barely audible over the responders clanging
equipment. “You know what this means, right?” She asked, her
eyes wide with worry.
Beta Richard remained silent, disturbed and lost in his thoughts,
as he watched as the responders and all the emergency teams
pack their gears up to leave.
Seeing his lack of response, Beta Lily turned to him again,
urgency creeping into her voice. “You’re not saying anything,
Richard. You know what this means, right?”
Chapter 46
A
This time, Beta Lily’s words seemed to snap him back to reality.
“Of course I do, Lily,” he finally replied, his eyes scanning their
surroundings as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to a
quieter corner away from prying ears.
His grip was firm but gentle, “I understand more than anyone,
but you don’t expect me to announce right there that the pack
might be under attack, do you? It would make the people afraid.
It will spread panic, Lily. That’s why I’m trying as much as I can
to remain composed.”
Beta Lily’s worry deepened as she searched his eyes for
reassurance. “I know this; I just don’t like the way I’m feeling
about this,” She confessed, her voice laced with anxiety. “What
do we do now, Richard?”
Richard took a deep breath, his mind racing with different
thoughts and possibilities. “I need to gather more information
but before then, I have to inform the Alpha.” He said firmly,
determination replacing his earlier uncertainty.
“I have to go now.” He said and began to leave but she caught
him by his arm, stopping him.
“Wait, can I come with you?” She asked, with a determined look
on her face.
Chapter 46
“There will be no need for that. Just wait here and finish up with
them.” He said.
“Help the guards put the people in order and tell them to go. home. There is nothing anyone can do in the market today.” He
added as he took one more look at the burnt building.
“Okay, be safe.” She said to him and he nodded and left
immediately, driving his car at top speed as he headed to the
Alpha’s palace to tell him all that had happened.
**STEVE’S HOUSE**
“Do you think it’s a good idea, staying here without doing
anything?” Veronica asked Megan, sounding extremely worried.
“I really don’t know. I’m really confused and worried.” Megan
answered, staring at nothing in particular.
They had been waiting in Steve’s house for hours since he was taken away, hoping that he was going to come back soon but it
seemed like that wasn’t going to happen since they were yet to
hear from him and they didn’t know his fate. They kept hoping
that the matter had not become complicated, while Megan kept
hoping that Steve hadn’t complicated the issue by himself.
Both of them sighed heavily as they kept thinking of ways out.
Veronica couldn’t be of much help, since she was still a stranger
Chapter 46
in the pack and was even yet to get the approval to stay in the
pack. So, there was absolutely nothing she could physically do to
help.
“Is there no one we can call?” Veronica suddenly asked her. “I mean, if there’s anyone we can call to give us information on Steve’s whereabouts or what has happened to him, I think we’ll
know where to channel our thoughts and actions from there
on.” Veronica suggested and at that moment, Megan
remembered something.
“Yes!” She said sharply. “How could I not think about that?” She said as she picked up her phone from the table where she had
dropped it earlier due to her frustration.
“Do you by chance have someone like that?” Veronica asked her,
to be sure of what Megan was trying to do.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” Megan answered confidently,
looking away from her phone.
“Oh, thank goodness. Who is it?” Veronica asked calmly.
“My dad.” She replied. “He is one of the respected wolves in this
pack, who has direct access to the Alpha.” Megan spoke of her father, proudly. “He also gets important information about the
pack, so he should know what happened.” She added.
Chapter 46
“Oh, wow. That’s so great.” Veronica responded, smiling as a tiny
ray of hope ignited in her heart. “You’re really lucky.” She said
again and Megan smiled proudly.
“Of course, I am. You know, I always wonder what it felt like to
be just an ordinary wolf with no respectable background but I
can’t relate because thankfully, I wasn’t born as just a mere wolf.” Megan said proudly and Veronica smiled with the corner
of her lip.
It became clear to Veronica at that moment that Megan was so
proud to be the daughter of a respected and influential wolf in
the pack. She silently wished that she had a father who she
could call as well. Even if he wouldn’t be influential, she really
would have loved him all the same, but it seemed like life hadn’t
been too nice to her because she didn’t even know who her
parents were. Some people told her that she was abandoned by
her parents because they had no use for her, while some others,
for some strange reasons, believed that they were dead, which
was why she showed up alone in her previous pack,looking
homeless.
“You can call him and he’ll tell you what happened, right?”
Veronica asked her.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do right away.” She replied
and began to dial her father’s number which rang but wasn’t
Chapter 46
picked up.
She called again and still, the line kept ringing but no one
answered.
“That’s strange.” Megan muttered.
“What is going on?” Veronica asked, concerned, as she could see
the change in Megan’s expression. “Is the call not connecting?”
She asked further.
“I don’t understand. It’s ringing but he is just picking up.” She
answered, facing Veronica. “This hardly happens.” She
complained.
“I think you should try again. Maybe he is busy.” Veronica
suggested to her and she nodded.
She called his number the third time and he immediately picked
up this time, making her sigh in relief.
“Phew! You got me worried, Dad. What happened? I’ve been
calling you.” She said in a rush as soon as he picked.
“I’m sorry, Megan. I was so busy.” He answered.
“So busy that you couldn’t pick your precious daughter’s call?
Really, dad?” She complained, with a frown on her face.
Chapter 46
“I’m sorry. You know I’ll never ignore your call if it wasn’t
because of something important.” He said to her. “What do you
want?” He asked.
“It’s about Steve, dad. I’m just curious, he hasn’t come back since
the guards took him to the Alpha’s palace earlier.” She said, her
voice filled with concern but as she was speaking, she noticed a
change in her father’s voice and she immediately asked.
“Dad? Are you okay? Your voice sounds different. Is anything
the matter?” She asked in a rush.
“Megan, a lot is happening in the pack at the moment. The Alpha
has ordered for Steve to be thrown into the dungeon.” He said
and Megan couldn’t believe her ears.
She sprung to her feet as she exclaimed, “What? Why? What did
he do wrong? For how long?” while Veronica immediately stood
up, concerned too.
“Look, Megan, I can’t go into full details at the moment because
something else happened right after.” He said further.
“What again?” She asked, her voice becoming shaky.
“The southern pack market. It suddenly caught on fire and has
been burning for hours.” He revealed, throwing Megan into further shock. “In fact, the fire was put out not long ago.” He
Chapter 46
added.
T
HA
“Oh my goodness! That’s terrible. How did it happen? What exactly is going on?” She kept asking numerous questions.
“I have to go now, I’ll talk to you later.” He said hurriedly and
before Megan could say anything else, he ended the call.
“Why is all this happening all of a sudden? Nothing seems to be going as planned at all and it is happening too fast.” Megan cried
out, as she dropped herself on the chair roughly, while Veronica
quickly sat with her, confused about what was going on.
