CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
BURKE’S POV
I was at the board meeting with my councilmen and left Catherine to handle Emma and Ava.
I was still shocked that my sister told Emma that I killed Jack; I didn’t even know who told her that news, although she had not been in the pack since I got back.
“Where is Jack? He is your second in command, and he needs to be present in every meeting,” Diago, the son of the oldest man in the pack, said; he was already taking over his father’s position as the Alpha’s right-hand man, even though his father is still alive.
“He is dead; Jack died in Chicago,” I said plainly, with my voice cracking; the heartache I felt when he died came back in full force.
“Then where is his body? He needs to be consecrated so he can rest in peace; you know how it’s done, Alpha Burke,” My uncle said with an accusing tone; I wondered why Ava had told him.
“I consecrated his body in Chicago,” I said, without fear in my voice; I wasn’t bothered about what they were going to say as long as I didn’t kill Jack.
“That’s not how things are done in the pack,” My uncle said, wanting to cause a fight and make my council members point fingers at me.
“I think you are trying to ask if I killed him because that is all I have been hearing since I got back from Chicago,” My voice was very stern as I spoke, looking straight into my uncle’s eyes, he couldn’t stand my stare so he looked to the ground, he has always been a fucking pussy.
“Did you kill Jack?” Diago asked, and I felt the hairs in my body stand, and I began to make a fist, angry at the fact I was accused of killing my best friend.
“Fuck No, Jack is my best friend; how dare you ask me such a question? Have you gone fucking nuts,” I yelled at Diago, and he fell silent for some minutes before speaking up again.
“Then why did you leave for Chicago?” He asked, folding his arms on his chest. His audacity disgusted me, but I had to prove I was not Jack’s killer, and causing a fight wouldn’t help.
“You all gave me sixty days to get a Luna or get denounced as Alpha. I went to Chicago to get my second chance, mate, and Jack chose to follow, even if I was solidly against it,” I explained, boiling in anger and ready to punch someone who gets on my nerves again.
“How do you expect us to believe that the Alpha we all knew is not a fucking murderer who killed Jack and my brother Ethan,” My uncle’s yelled standing up, I always knew he wanted to be Alpha, but was so unlucky because my father came out as the first son.
“Bring your fucking voice down; you are still speaking with your Alpha,” Diago yelled; before I could even speak, he reminded me of Jack. Jack always did that when the Councilmen were noisy and did not respect my presence.
” Firstly Uncle, what’s my motive to kill Jack and my father?” I asked and he kept quiet, looking for the answer to my question.
“You wanted to be Alpha. That’s why you killed your father, and Jack knew about it and wanted to expose you, but you killed him too,” My uncle replied to my question, and I could hear murmurs in the room, making everywhere noisy.
“Silence, the Alpha is still speaking,” Diago yelled, holding a hand up.
I turned to him and gave him a slight nod as a sign of appreciation.
“That would be a good reason, but I was already Alpha by the time my father died, making you a suspect,” I said and my uncle started feeling uncomfortable with my accusations.
“Why… would you think… that?” He stuttered.
“My father drank a coffee that was supposed to be made for me, so you poisoned me to be Alpha and killed my father instead, you tried to kill me at the hotel but found Jack, so you killed Jack and want to frame me for it,” I said, and the murmurs in the boardroom increased again.
“But I know you aren’t the killer because I know the killer,” I said, and my uncle’s once distressed face relaxed.
“Who is the killer then?” My counselor asked.
“Harley, she is angry that I banished her; that’s why she tried to kill me, but I wasn’t in my hotel at that time, so she killed Jack instead,” I said, remembering Jack’s lifeless body and the twenty-two stabs he was given, for just been my best friend.
“But your sister made us believe you killed him; she claimed she followed you to Chicago and saw how you stabbed Jack twenty-two times; she even had a witness; his name’s Mike,” My advisor said.
I was in shock for more than thirty minutes; hearing that my sister was spreading rumors about me was shocking; I thought she only told Emma.
“My sister would never spread rumors about me,” I said, trying to assure myself, although I knew it was true but I don’t know the story behind it. My sister must have been blackmailed. She has simply lost her sense Since her best friend left.
We spoke about other arising matters before ending the board meetings with how to find Harley and punish her for her crimes.
After the board meeting, I headed to Ava’s room. I needed to know her sudden change of behavior and what was behind it.
“Is Ava in her room?” I asked the guard guarding her door, and he shook his head in response.
My second guess was that she was in the garden; that’s where she goes when she is feeling Nervous, and she must be nervous right now because she tried to spoil my name.
Soon, I was in the garden, and my guess was right; she sat down looking at a tree.
“Ava,” I called her name, and she turned immediately with tears in her eyes; before I could even speak, she burst into tears.
“What happened Ava?” I asked, the anger I had for her vanished immediately.
“She is coming for me Burke, Harley is coming for me,” She said, still crying and leaving me confused.