Aiden’s Pov.
I was on the field practicing with the warriors when a guard came running to me, breathless and pale.
“Alpha Aiden, Shen- Shenaya committed suicide,” he stammered.
“What?” My eyes widened with shock.
I didn’t follow her yesterday when she ran away because I thought I should give her some time to reflect.
I didn’t regret killing Alfred not even for once and not until now but Shenya going the extra mile to take her own life over Alfred is something I find hard to believe.
I had heard from her father on several occasions how he had abused Shenaya, cheated on her, and left her heartbroken. I intentionally followed her to the club the other day because I knew it wasn’t going to end well with him and I also wanted her so bad.
He had it coming. I wouldn’t have taken his life if he had just agreed to reject her, but instead, he started challenging me. I am the Alpha of the whole territory and he dares to challenge me. One punch to his chest, and his heart was lying there on the ground.
But this? This didn’t seem like Shenaya. She wasn’t the type to commit suicide over the death of a cheating partner. After everything I put her through since she started working for me, she had always shown strength and resilience that’s different and I guess that was why I fell for her even more.
My whole body froze as I spotted the body dangling from the tree.
“Cut her down,” I ordered the warriors. They gently placed her body on the ground. I looked at her pale face, but something in me still didn’t believe it was her.
“Take her to the hospital,” I instructed, my voice hollow. I couldn’t fathom what had happened.
They took her to the morgue, and I didn’t even bother to ask about the condition of the pup because the time of death was 10:00 p. m. last night. I had lost the woman I loved and my unborn child because of my stupid pride and ego. Why did I even kill the idiot? And why did I have a nagging feeling this was murder and not suicide?
I went straight to my room without talking to anyone. In a fit of rage, I punched the table and scattered the entire room, thinking it would make me feel better. It didn’t. I could have had someone follow her yesterday to protect her, but I didn’t. I blamed myself for her death and the death of my child, and I didn’t think I could ever forgive myself.
A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I silently prayed it was Shenaya, miraculously alive. But when I opened the door, disappointment and anger surged through me.
“I rushed here as soon as I heard,” Skylar said, her voice full of concern.
“What do you want?” I questioned her with plain disgust.
“Aiden, how are you?” she asked, stepping closer.
“I want to be alone,” I barked at her, my patience wearing thin.
She reached out to touch me, but I yanked her hand away. “Get out of here!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. She left with fear in her eyes.
As I watched her leave, a gnawing suspicion grew. Why did I have a feeling Skylar had something to do with Shenaya’s death? If I found out she had a hand in this, she was going to pay with her life, I promised myself.
But was Skylar capable of murder? Skylar was a lot of things, but not a murderer. Or was she? The doubt gnawed at me, and I knew I had to find out the truth.
Lucy’s Pov
It’s been a week since Shenaya’s death, and no one has seen Aiden since. The entire pack was quiet, a heavy silence hanging over us. Shenaya was beloved by everyone even though no one knew her as the Alpha’s mate, she had always been kind to everyone in the pack.
Aside from that, her death shook everyone because no one had ever committed suicide in this pack. Shenaya was a happy girl, why would she kill herself?
Pack members began suspecting something between Shenaya and Aiden, especially after the fight with Skylar but no one dared confront him. It was all whispered speculation. Now that Shenaya was dead and Aiden had vanished, everyone’s curiosity grew stronger.
I went to see Shenaya’s father and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. He was devastated, his face was a picture of misery. Shenaya had been his only family after the death of his beloved mate, Caroline.
“She lost her life because of Alpha Aiden,” he whispered, his voice thick with grief. “He might as well come and kill me too.”
I didn’t even realize I was crying until I tasted my tears. I was the only one who knew how much Aiden had loved Shenaya. He had hidden his affection because he was afraid his enemies could use her to get him.
I decided to check on Aiden. I knocked softly on his door but received no response. I knocked again, harder this time, and still, nothing.
“Where is my brother?” I mind-linked his Beta, Lucas. Aiden had always kept his relationships with his subordinates strictly professional. There was no bond between them.
“He’s in his room and requested not to be disturbed,” Lucas’s voice echoed in my mind.
The door was locked, but then I remembered I had a spare key. I inserted it into the lock, and it clicked open. I quietly stepped in.
The room was dark, and I could barely see anything. “Aiden?” I called out gently but I got no response.
I decided to turn on the light and an angry voice greeted me.
“What the fuck are you looking for?” Smoke, Aiden’s wolf, growled at me.
I stepped back as fear gripped me. Smoke was known to be extremely dangerous. “Please, give control back to your human,” I said gently, trying to hide my fear.
“No. My human didn’t want to deal with the pain, so he left me in charge. Now get the fuck out of here.”
“I don’t want to leave, Smoke. Aiden needs me,” I pleaded thinking he would at least listen to my gentle voice but instead, his eyes started glowing ominously and I raced out.
I left Aiden’s room with a heavy heart. His pain was too great for him to bear, and he had given control to Smoke. If Aiden couldn’t face his grief, how could we ever hope to move forward?
I went to find Lucas because I knew Aiden needed us more than ever.
“We need to help him,” I said. “Aiden can’t stay like this.”
Lucas looked grim. “I’ve never seen him like this. Smoke taking over is a bad sign. We need to find a way to reach Aiden.”
“I don’t know how,” I admitted, feeling helpless. “But we can’t give up on him. He needs us now more than ever.”
Lucas nodded. “We’ll find a way. For Shenaya’s sake, and Aiden’s.”