Gabriella POV
We arrived at the pack, and as I stepped out of the car, I noticed that Nicklaus’ boys were suddenly poised to attack Jessica. He questioned them sharply, “How dare you try to launch an attack on my guest?”
“We are trying to protect you, Alpha. She’s the lady who tricked us and drugged our meal,” one of them explained. We were all shocked by their statement because I knew Jessica wasn’t capable of such a thing. First, they had implicated my twin sister Tracy in what happened today, and now they were pointing fingers at Jessica. If we weren’t careful, they might even accuse me of wrongdoing.
“What do you mean by tricking and drugging? I just got here and I’ve never met any of you,” Jessica replied.
“You’re lying. We all recognize you. You came to meet us and told us that the Luna asked you to serve us some food and drinks. After we finished eating, we fell asleep because you drugged it. That’s how you put the Luna in danger,” another one explained.
“There must be a mix-up somewhere. The person we should really be after is the new lady who had breakfast with me. She challenged me and I’m sure she’s the one who drugged you, not my good friend here,” I added.
“Do you mean you had breakfast with a new face?” Nicklaus asked me, and I nodded in agreement.
“We’re investigating everything this morning. Go get me the ladies who spent time with my wife yesterday. We’ll meet in my office.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Mateo, keep Jessica with you. Darling, let’s go in. We need to talk as the leaders,” he said to me, and I agreed.
I went in with him, and he sat down looking a bit worried. “What if Jessica is the evil person here? She always knows when we’re in danger and she’s always helping. What if she’s doing all of this to get closer to us?” Nicklaus said to me. I could tell he was having doubts, but I was certain Jessica wasn’t the enemy. Someone else was trying to implicate her. But how could they have identified her as soon as she stepped out of the car?
“She means no harm to us. If she wanted to harm us, she would have done it a long time ago. We need to be careful with the decisions we make right now. She knows we’re in danger because she saw a vision,” I added, touching his shoulder.
“Gabriella, let’s not be emotional here. We can’t make decisions based on our feelings, or we’ll put everyone in danger. I’ll interrogate all the ladies and those who were present. If all signs point to her, I’m afraid I’ll have to detain her and question her forcefully.”
“I’m not letting my emotions guide me. You’re taking things too far, Klaus,” I yelled at him. Why was he accusing me of letting my emotions cloud my judgment? This was reminiscent of the old Nicklaus I had met before, the one whose heart seemed cold, which made me question if returning home was causing that side of him to resurface.
“What are you saying?”
“Look at the facts here. She’s a witch, and it’s possible for a witch to have visions. She saw one and came here to save you. If she hadn’t saved your life, would you be standing here today? Would you even be able to protect everyone?” My anger grew as I spoke.
“You’re not helping at all. I need some air. I’ll see you at the office, so you can witness the sacrifices leaders have to make when guiding their people,” he said, leaving angrily and slamming the door in rage.
I can’t stand him. I hate him so much. Why can’t he understand anything I’m saying? I’m certain she’s innocent. As the Alpha, he has the power to decide not to imprison her again until we find the real killer. If something happens to her, who will train me in spells? Margaret won’t be able to leave the witches’ tribe; she’s like a leader to all of them. So, who does he have in mind to make things right for me? He can go to hell for all I care. I don’t care about the final command he gives. He’s the Alpha, and I shouldn’t be involved either.
I sat on my bed, taking off my clothes, when Leah communicated with me, “You don’t have to argue with him at all. Being an alpha isn’t an easy task.”
“Wow, I never thought you’d support him instead of me,” I replied.
“I’m not trying to support him. I just need you to support him. He’s going through hell right now. You understand the ways of the witches because you’ve been with them for a long time. But these people have never been with a witch before. They’ll think it’s just an excuse as well.”
“So, what do you suggest I do? Let them lock up Jessica and do nothing? Besides, how can he even imprison a powerful witch like her?” I questioned.
“If she’s innocent, she won’t fight back. It’s a simple logic, dear. This isn’t the time for arguments; it’s a time to work together to defeat the enemy. Right now, we don’t know who has good intentions for us and who wishes us harm.”
I took a few moments to calm myself and considered everything my wolf form had just told me. I realized I went too far with the way I spoke to Nicklaus. No one is beyond making mistakes. I’ll make things right again.
After changing my outfit, I went out to find Nicklaus. I was told he didn’t want to see anyone at the moment, which made me realize I had pushed him too far. Now, what should I do?
“Tell him I must speak to him immediately,” I added with authority.