His words immediately grabbed my attention, but he hesitated to reveal everything at once. "Speak," I demanded. He glanced at Kari and Reid before requesting, "Let them leave."
"Gaius, what's going on? This concerns the tribe. They should hear it too," Reid suggested, and I agreed. "Yes, they need to be informed as well."
However, Gaius insisted on speaking to me first. "I will share the information with you, and then you can decide if they should know," he said.
"It's fine, Zach. I'll wait at the pack house," Kari said softly, walking away without looking back at Gaius.
His reluctance was starting to frustrate me. "Just tell me," I ordered, but he hesitated. "Promise me you'll listen to the end," he insisted.
"You can't dictate to me," I replied coldly. "But go ahead, I'll hear you out."
And with that, Gaius began to reveal his suspicions about Annabelle's innocence. "Then I will say it again, that Annabelle might be innocent."
I struck the back of my hand against his cheek once more, but he remained steadfast. "I don't care how many times you hit me, Alpha. You can kill me for all I care, but as your beta, it's my duty to help you uncover the truth and improve the lives of everyone in the tribe, including the omegas."
"What's the point?" I attempted to reason with him, and he showed me a recording I had never seen before. "I found this in the deleted files. The person must have deleted it in a hurry and forgot to clear the backup data storage."
"The bedsheet was changed when I came out of the shower," I pondered. "It didn't seem unusual because our maids are trained to clean up as soon as the bed is empty."
"That's the key," Gaius emphasized. "You mentioned that Kari was still in bed when you came out, so how could they have entered to change the linens? This she-wolf doesn't appear to be a tribe born from the look of her skin color, despite her red hair. Alpha, look at her exposed shoulder and all those hickeys; Kari had none."
Every explanation he gave felt like bullets through my heart. "So, where is she?" I asked him. He shook his head, looking lost. "I couldn't find her, but connecting the dots, I have a feeling it was Annabelle."
A mocking laughter escaped me at his analysis. Why did I not see it coming? All he wanted to do was to clear the name of that witch.
"You mean to tell me that the woman I slept with was Annabelle, the same one who killed Iris after spiking my drink? If not for Kari, I would have fallen for her schemes."
"But Alpha, you didn't drink what she gave you, and yet, you still ended up drugged. Someone is playing you," he mentioned, and I felt the arrows pointing at him. "Could that be you?"
His face contorted with offense, but he revealed more. "Alpha, we found Annabelle's wig shredded in a bin, but her clothes during that party were torn.
Something only you could have done, looking at those wild hickeys on that woman."
His accusations were insane. "That woman has red hair, and Annabelle is blonde."
"That is true, but why is the length of their hair the same? Alpha, the first time I saw her after Iris's fall, she smelled so much like you and…" he suddenly stopped.
"And what?" I asked him. He shook his head. "No, I realize my mistake. It can't be her. I got carried away because their skin looked kind of the same, but indeed, their hair color is different. Besides, omegas aren't allowed here. I will find the girl in the footage," he assured me. I felt he was returning to his senses.
"Now you are talking. There is no way I would have slept with that witch, but from the look of things, she's still alive," I informed him. He shook his head.
"No, she isn't. I think the reason Kari's mark healed like a wound is because she isn't the one who saved you. Alpha, trust your instincts. I don't have all the proof yet, but please give me the chance to investigate more."
Now he was making more sense than before, but who is that woman in the footage? She left at the same time Kari entered. Before that, it was Annabelle who entered the room, but how come no one saw her leave? No camera caught her.
That she-wolf was indeed a witch to have disappeared like that, but this one was not seen going in. Why did everything have to be so complicated? In the end, it resulted in a dead end.
"Don't forget to find out where she kept Iris's corpse. I miss her, you know?"
Instead of mentioning the name I loathe so much, he should channel his energy into helping me mourn my sister properly.
Iris was a sweet soul, the one who brought so much warmth to my heart and the only one who knew about my carrot juice secret.
Most times, she stayed at our birth tribe, the Lunar Echoes, but whenever she came around, she would sneak into my room, make enough carrot juice, and refrigerate them for me.
She was the one who developed soothing flavors to help with my allergies whenever I ate something I didn't like. I was a picky eater, and now, that witch took my joy from me. I love Ivy too, but she was closer to my twin brother than me. The real deal was Iris.
"I will inform you about my findings, but I hope you keep them from Kari and Reid for a while," he suggested. It was the only thing I agreed with him on.
"Fine, you have my word."
If Kari was not the one who saved me, then where is this girl? She should be my Luna. I still remember her scent like it was just yesterday.
So toxic that Tubal was hypnotized. The next morning, she carried my scent, but Kari smelled different, and I thought it was because of her perfume.
Then the question is, how could her scent have changed from mine to that of a perfume? Gaius might be right in some ways, but there were still too many dents in this investigation.
He was almost at the door when I remembered something and informed him. "Investigate Kari too. I want to know everything she has been doing since we brought her in." The smile on Gaius's lips was so strange.