The Alpha King's Witch Bride-Chapter 231: _Enemy Among Them

Marcellus’ POV

*****

While Odessa and Kaelos were probably out there enjoying their field trip in Mexico, he was stuck here in the Blood Oak pack dealing with the fallout that came after the riot.

Well, to be fair, he’s the one who manipulated the people to turn the protest into something violent and chaotic, but hey... He was bored.

A little death here and there never hurt anyone— well, except for the people it did hurt.

After the riots, Marcellus, Elder Davina, Layla and High priestess Althea were standing just outside the Alpha King’s mansion.

It was nighttime, and there was still simmering tension left from the riot. Everyone present had solemn expressions on their faces and was silent for a while.

Until...

"I called the Alpha King and informed him of the riot." Layla began, clearing her throat. "He said he’ll handle it when he and the Luna Queen get back."

"Handle it?" Althea repeated as she gestured at the compound gates. "Look at that. Do you see the blood at the gates?"

All eyes went there and indeed, the blood of the guards and civilians who had been close to the compound gate during the riot still lingered like dry paint.

They were faint—but still there nonetheless.

"The people want witches gone. They want me gone and me staying here might not be the best idea." Althea continued with a sigh.

But Marcellus decided to interject with his kind Beta facade. "Odessa still needs you for her magic training when she comes back. She’s carrying a baby. Now, I don’t know much about witches but I think I remember something about their pregnancies making their magic... Erratic."

Althea swerved her head to him, her jaw clenched with latent frustration.

But Marcellus added. "If that’s the case, I can only imagine what a Hybrid’s pregnancy will be like."

He should’ve minded his business and let the witch pack her broomstick and be on her merry way... But, alas, he couldn’t stand back and seem too quiet.

Suspicions were growing with each seed of chaos he planted in the pack, especially since the Charity Ball incident. He couldn’t afford to blow his cover—not when the true lord of the North was so close to tipping the balance of peace.

"Can we address the elephant in the room?" Elder Davina walked a few steps ahead of the group just then, turning to face them while her hand tightened steadily around her staff. "I examined Farak’s body."

Layla frowned. "You mean the boy whose death sparked the violence in the first place?"

Elder Davina nodded solemnly while Marcellus squinted her eyes at her.

The old hag was beginning to become a problem.

"It was faint and almost unnoticeable, but I felt traces of magic in his mind. Not the kind that controls. But the kind that gets a hold of an emotion and pushes it for a desired effect." Elder Davina added. "Which means..."

"A witch pushed his aggression, riling him up to be confrontational?" Althea completed that sentence with widened eyes, her voice filled with confusion. "But... But how—"

"There has been a string of strange occurrences and murders in this pack, high priestess. Long before your arrival but during the time of Odessa’s marriage to Kaelos." Elder Davina explained calmly. "We believe a witch is hiding among us, orchestrating these evil things."

Ugh, brother...

Marcellus felt like rolling his eyes.

Talk about over dramatic.

"A witch? Hiding among wolves?" Althea mumbled, shaking her head. "How many spells and potions do they have layered on themselves to stay hidden and linger among an entire pack of thousands of wolves?"

Marcellus’ fingers twitched—just slightly. They were putting the pieces of the puzzle together but they weren’t there yet.

"Unless..." Althea’s eyes suddenly widened as she spoke up. "Odessa told me about something before she left. Or rather, I managed to get it through reading memories that she..."

She paused, noticing how everyone stared at her pensively.

"Never mind." Althea waved dismissively. "What I was trying to say is: Artificial hybrids. Now I have no idea what they are, but Odessa has a theory that they’re working for the lord of the North. A rogue who captured her blurted it out."

Those idiots!

Marcellus felt like rolling his eyes or cursing out loud when he remembered the rogues who had been hiding within the Blood Oak woods.

From what he heard, Tonka, their leader, was the only artificial Hybrid in the group and had been killed by the lord of the North shortly after he returned to the main base.

Now he could see why...

"Artificial hybrid sounds like a witch’s sick magic experiment," Layla mumbled, brushing her hand through her hair. "Whoever or whatever this person is, I think everyone can agree they need to be fished out and brought down. Permanently."

"Do you suggest we work on doing that before the Alpha King’s and Odessa’s return?" Althea chimed, arching an eyebrow.

Marcellus cleared his throat just then, drawing all the attention to him.

Time for some damage control.

"From what we’ve gathered, the culprit is a man. He’s dangerous, manipulative and doesn’t seem to be afraid of bringing the focus to witches with his attacks. Or in this case... Odessa."

Everyone present looked among themselves and nodded in agreement, although Elder Davina squinted her eyes and was more reserved.

He remained confident and continued. "Odessa’s idea of artificial hybrids also ties in with the human town that was burnt down close to the woods. The flames were magical, and there were wolf claw marks. But... What if it’s not an artificial hybrid but a witch?"

His words barely settled when Althea chimed in.

"A witch trying to hide within a pack of so many wolves is almost impossible, Beta—"

"Almost?" Marcellus repeated, raising an eyebrow. "If I were trying to hide as a witch in a pack like this... I’d bind my scent to someone else’s. Maybe even stay close to a high-ranking wolf. No one ever suspects the ones who blend in."

There was a drawn-out silence as the women glanced at each other, pondering his words. They turned to Althea, the highest authority on magic present.

"Well... Yeah, he’s right. That’s a unique possibility I haven’t thought of." Althea remarked, nodding. "But I’m telling you guys, Odessa was on to something when talking about those Artificial hybrids."

When will she give up?!

"I believe you, Althea." Elder Davina spoke solemnly just then, drawing in a deep breath as she scanned her gaze on everyone present. "I suggest we create a committee. One who would be in charge of fishing out the culprit. Witch or artificial hybrid, he must be stopped."

Her gaze finally settled on Marcellus, causing the latter to gulp.

There was a trace of something in her gaze–suspicion maybe–but it soon disappeared as she spoke.

"Beta Marcellus, as the temporary leader of the pack while the Alpha King is away, you should pick out members of this committee and lead them."

Marcellus blinked, glancing at the others with a blank expression before he nodded with a bright smile.

"Of course. This is long overdue."

As they nodded, little did any of them know that the culprit was lurking among them, feeding them just the right amount of truths and lies to keep them off his tail...

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