Whether Garth should feel frustrated or not was uncertain. The presence of Mireya in The Palace caused Usher to neglect his surroundings. The Usher who used to work late into the night, whether it was managing the company’s affairs or dealing with the pack, was no longer as diligent. Mireya really had managed to capture Usher’s attention.
On the other hand, Garth complained about it. According to him, Usher was no longer as responsible as he should be. But on the other hand, he was actually grateful. Thanks to Mireya, Usher became indifferent to him. In the end, he gained the freedom to do one or two things outside of his duties as a Beta. One of them was to visit Vione.
Garth was well aware that he shouldn’t have done that. No werewolf should dare to disobey the Alpha’s orders, especially when he held the position of Beta. He was supposed to set an example for the others, but all rules were overshadowed by his humanity.
Of course, Garth felt guilty. No matter how many times he told himself that what he was doing was for the good of the Frostholm Pack, the lingering guilt in his heart could not be erased. In reality, there was a part of him that doubted everything that had happened.
What if Vione had never betrayed Usher? What if the Munest family never planned a coup?
These were at least two questions that often-disturbed Garth’s peace of mind. Then the speculation among the pack made things worse. His eyes widened and he saw the reality more clearly: nothing had happened after the High Court trial. If Vione had really cheated and a coup had been planned, there would surely have been a reaction after the verdict was announced. But so far, nothing had happened. The Frostholm Pack had remained peaceful. No harm had been done.
It did not mean that Garth wished for anything bad to happen to the Frostholm Pack. On the contrary, he realized that the only bad thing that happened was Mireya’s presence in The Palace.
Unfortunately, there was nothing Garth could do about Mireya. He could only obey her and make it seem as if nothing unusual was happening.
All Garth could do now was to make sure that the mistakes did not continue. The possibility that Vione was innocent led him to a reckless decision. Ignoring Usher’s prohibition, he secretly visited the underground prison. It was not difficult for him to silence the guards there, especially since they felt the same way as he did.
It was indeed like a covert rebellion against Usher. However, thanks to Usher’s recent arbitrary behavior, it seemed that they no longer cared.
Garth glanced at the moonlight through the vent. He had just arrived at the control room after visiting Vione. The guards on duty immediately stood up and greeted him politely.
“I want to see the surveillance tapes for the last week.”
A werewolf nodded. “Certainly.”
Garth did not wait long. Five minutes later he was sitting in front of the computer. He held the mouse, then began to examine the video footage from the surveillance cameras.
His breath caught in his chest. Each video was carefully examined. But Garth did not find what he was looking for. On the contrary.
Garth narrowed his eyes. “Where is the video recording for the 10th, from 1 to 2 am?”
“What, Beta? The footage for the 10th, from 1 to 2 am?” the first guard asked. He approached with an outstretched hand, intending to point. “The recording should be here.” His words stopped. He looked closer, and Garth looked at him. “It should be here.”
“It should be, but it isn’t.”
The first guard stared blankly for a moment, as if he needed time to digest the situation. Then he blinked, his face filled with panic. He turned and called to his colleague. “Where is the video recording for the 10th, from 1 to 2 am?”
“It should be here.”
Garth closed his eyes and released the mouse from his hand. The two guards looked at each other with anxious expressions, then took the mouse and began to search. But they could not find the video recording in question.
“Sorry, Beta. We don’t know why a surveillance camera recording is missing. We apologize, but we will try to investigate. We will find it soon.”
Garth sighed. “Do everything you can, even if I doubt that you will be able to find the video recording again.”
An unpleasant feeling made both guards swallow. Nevertheless, they kept trying. They quickly switched to another computer. They opened the parent application and both examined it carefully.
Garth waited. He hoped, but his intuition told him it was a vain hope.
Garth’s intuition proved to be correct. The two guards approached him after nearly an hour had passed. They lowered their faces.
“Sorry, Beta. The video is not here.”
Garth was not surprised. “I’m sure it’s not just the video for the 10th from 1 to 2 am that’s missing.”
“What do you mean, Beta?” the second guard asked with a pale face. “Not just that footage is missing?”
Garth nodded. “Also, I have a feeling you won’t be able to find out who deleted the video recording.”
The guards became increasingly speechless. Fear made their faces pale. Sweat began to appear and dampen their bodies.
“Beta, we-”
“It’s not your fault. I know you’ve been guarding the prison as best you can,” Garth said as he stood up. He let out a breath, still staring at the screen. “Unfortunately, you’re up against someone beyond your abilities.”
“What do you mean, Beta?”
“Are you suggesting that there is an intruder in the prison?”
Garth was silent for a moment. He understood her concern, but strangely his intuition told him otherwise. Even stranger was that he believed his intuition, when logically he should have started preparing for the worst. “No, he’s not an intruder.”
“Then?”
Garth did not answer.
*