KAEL’S POV
I stood in the council chamber, my eyes locked on Zephyr. “I want to know what Zephyr knows,” I said, my voice firm.
Keiran raised an eyebrow. “Zephyr has already told us what he saw,” he said. “Akira and Kaida arguing just hours before Kaida’s body was found.”
I turned to Zephyr. “I want to hear it from him again,” I said. “Zephyr, tell me exactly what you saw.”
Zephyr nodded, his face void of any emotion. “I saw them arguing at the back of Akira’s quarters,” he said. “Akira was furious, and Kaida was… well, Kaida was being her usual self mad and taunting.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Zephyr cleared his throat before he spoke again. “You know how Kaida was, always causing trouble and arguing with Akira. But Akira… she was different. She was angry, but she was also agitated.”
I frowned, intrigued. ” agitated or scared ?”
Zephyr shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, but I could sense it. And then, just hours later, Kaida was dead.”
I nodded, my mind racing. Something wasn’t adding up.
“Zephyr, I need to ask you something,” I said, my voice gentle.
Zephyr’s eyes narrowed but he gave me a nod. “What is it, Kael?”
“Why are you so emotional about this?” I asked. “You’re usually level-headed, but you seem interested in this. Are you hiding something?”
Zephyr’s face contorted with rage, his eyes blazing with rage. “How dare you,” he spat. “You’re questioning my loyalty? I’ve been by your side for years, Kael. Years! And now, you’re just going to accuse me like this? Are you trying to say that I killed Kaida and I am framing Akira?”
I held up my hands, in a peaceful gesture. “Zephyr, that’s not what I meant.”
But Zephyr was already mad beyond reason. “You’re just like all the others,” he snarled. “You think I’m just a beta who can be swayed by promises of more power, don’t you? Well, let me tell you something, Kael. I’m more than that. I’m your friend. And I deserve better than to be doubted like this.”
As Zephyr ranted, I couldn’t help but notice how overly emotional he was being. It was almost… suspicious. He was usually so calm and collected, but now he was acting so strange and out of place. Promise of power? Where did that come from?
“Zephyr, calm down,” I said, trying to soothe him.
But he wouldn’t be calmed, he continued ranting. “No, Kael,” he said, his voice shaking with rage. “I won’t calm down. You need to listen to me. You need to trust me. I am not going to stay here and watch you paint me black cause of a woman you just met.”
I sighed, trying to think of a way to rectify the situation. But as I looked into Zephyr’s eyes he immediately looked away and that gave me more reasons to doubt him. He was avoiding me.
“Zephyr, I do trust you,” I said, trying to calm him down. “But I need to get to the bottom of this. I need to know what happened.”
“Well, that is all that I know. Rather than waste time here, why don’t you ask Akira to tell the truth and make this easy for all involved.” Zephyr said, trying to shift the conversation to Akira once again.
“Zephyr, I think we’ve heard enough,” I said, turning to the council. “I demand that Kaida’s body be checked for any signs of black magic.”
Keiran raised an eyebrow and his smile faltered but he quickly regained his smile. “What makes you think black magic was involved?”
“I don’t know, but I have a feeling,” I said. “And I want to be sure. Check her body, check the scene of the crime. I want to know if there’s any evidence of dark magic. I started on my own hours ago but I had to go back to my mate, to prevent her being harassed.”
The council nodded, murmuring among themselves. “Very well, we’ll have our healers examine the body,” Keiran said. “But in the meantime, we need to take action. Akira, as someone with a history of murder, cannot hold a position of power.”
I growled.
This bastard, why did he have to bring this up now?
“You can’t be serious. Akira is innocent until proven guilty.”
“But her history speaks for itself,” Keiran said. “She’s already killed once. Who’s to say she won’t do it again?”
“You’re not going to take away her position based on hearsay. That’s not fair.”
“I’m afraid it’s not up for debate, Kael,” Keiran said. “Akira will be suspended from her position as Luna until further notice.”
I wanted to lunge at him, but I knew I had to keep calm. I couldn’t let my emotions cloud my judgment. “Fine,” I said. “But I better see some evidence soon. And I better see Akira being treated fairly.”
The council nodded, their faces somber, they agreed with him. “We’ll do everything we can, Kael. But for now, this is the way it has to be.”
I nodded, my mind racing. I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit back and let Akira’s reputation be ruined. I had to prove her innocence.
“Keiran, I want to see the evidence you have against Akira,” I said. “I want to know what makes you think she’s guilty of murder in the first place since you are so sure she has a history of murder.”
Keiran hesitated before nodding. “Very well, Kael. We have eyewitnesses of Akira and Kaida arguing just hours before Kaida’s body was found. And we have physical evidence that suggests Akira was at the scene of the crime. And about her murder history, we all know how she got to this pack in the first place.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of physical evidence?”
“The dagger, of course, we found its second in Akira’s room.” Keiran sneered.
Akira, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up.
“Search Zephyr since he seems to always be there when things are happening.”