Chapter 327: _Heart Rejecting The Truth
Odessa’s POV
*****
"Is Marcellus okay?" I asked, swallowing hard as I, Kaelos and a few guards walked into the night.
Kaelos held my hand tight, as if he was afraid of a portal opening up and snatching me back to Ryker.
I smiled faintly, increasing the tightness of my grip as well while a guard cleared his throat and responded to my question.
"We aren’t sure, ma’am. Someone reported hearing an explosion coming from his residence." He remarked, turning around to face me. "We haven’t stepped into the house yet but—"
"Let’s just go." Kaelos’ voice was firm as we increased our pace.
When we got to the residence, I smelt it before we even stepped inside.
Burnt flesh, ash and... Blood.
The door was battered but still standing—until Kaelos kicked it down with a sneer, using his free arm to wave off the smoke that billowed out.
"Marcellus!" He yelled out as we stepped in, our shoes crunching on the debris littered in the living room.
I used my free arm to cover my nose as Kaelos and I stepped in closer, scanning our gaze around.
My heart beat quickened slightly, a cold shiver crawling down my spine.
Something was wrong.
"Body!" A guard who had stepped in before us yelled out, pointing at the floor close to the staircase.
I blinked there for a second, my head swerving to a corner where I saw Cullen’s body, which was cut cleanly from his chest to shoulder, his blood pooling around him.
"Goddess..." Breathing was strained as I shakily brought my gaze to the spot the guard had previously pointed at.
Since Kaelos and I got back from Ryker’s base, I had felt like I was forgetting something. Or maybe, someone.
Now I know who.
"No." I shook my head, withdrawing my hand from Kaelos’ grip as I ran toward the familiar ginger curls, trying not to focus on the ghastly wound on her stomach.
"Odessa!" Kaelos yelled out at the same moment that tears began pouring out of my eyes, my chest tightening with despair that ate deep.
C–Caroline...
My knees buckled beside her, the world narrowing until there was nothing but Caroline’s pale face and the faint silver shimmer still clinging to her skin.
Her eyes were half-lidded, lips parted as if she’d been about to speak one last word.
My shaking hands hovered over her, unsure whether to touch her or not. If I touched her, it would be real. If I didn’t... maybe this was still just a nightmare.
"Caroline... no, no, no," I whispered, brushing a blood-matted curl from her forehead. My voice cracked on every word, the sound scraping against my throat. "You were just... You were just here."
The faint metallic tang of her blood mixed with the smoky air, choking me.
Kaelos knelt on the other side, his expression grim but softening at the sight of my tears. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to.
I could feel his own tension vibrating in the air.
"She fought fiercely," one of the guards said quietly from somewhere behind me, his voice respectful but heavy. "The energy signatures here... they’re both silver and dark green. She went against her killer alone."
Silver and... dark green? My breath hitched.
Marcellus?
I blinked through the blur of tears, my heart rejecting the thought. He was our friend. He’d fought beside us. He’d laughed with me through the hardest times before.
Could he be an artificial Hybrid? Scratch that, could he be THE artificial hybrid who’s been causing havoc in this pack for months?
"Where is he?" My voice was hoarse but sharp, slicing through the heavy air.
"We haven’t found him yet, my lady," another guard answered just then, running down the stairs with a solemn expression, stepping closer. "We searched the main rooms. No sign of him... yet."
"Search deeper." My tone left no room for hesitation.
The guards dispersed quickly, their footsteps echoing faintly through the wrecked house.
I bent over Caroline again, pressing my forehead to hers.
Memories stabbed through me... her warm smile there to cheer me up, the way she always managed to make me laugh in the worst moments, the quiet confession she’d once made under the moonlight, her voice trembling but brave.
"I love you, Odessa." She had said.
And I’d let her down but it never destroyed our friendship.
The sob that tore through me was ugly and I didn’t even care, my body trembling as the tears flowed out.
Kaelos’s hand rested lightly on my back, grounding me, but I couldn’t stop shaking.
"She should’ve been with us," I muttered through clenched teeth. "If I hadn’t been—"
"This is not your fault," Kaelos interrupted firmly. "Don’t you dare take this on yourself."
Before I could respond, a shout came from upstairs. "Lord Kaelos! Lady Odessa!"
We both rose instantly, Kaelos helping me to my feet though my legs felt like lead.
Two guards descended, their expressions grim.
"We found signs of a forced exit through the northern wall in the compound," one reported. "There was blood on the floor, a heavy trail. Whoever it was, they were badly wounded... but they’re gone."
The other guard hesitated before adding, "The blood matches the Beta’s profile. Marcellus."
The name was a slap in the face.
"No..." My voice was quieter now, but there was a dangerous edge creeping into it. "Marcellus wouldn’t..."
But the magic traces. The fact that he was nowhere to be found.
Sign of a guilty person, no doubt.
The truth was already there, I just didn’t want to see it.
Kaelos’s eyes hardened, his jaw tight. "Send word to every pack soldier. Lock down the pack. I want patrols doubled, and trackers ready within the hour."
"Yes, my lord," the guard replied with a bow before sprinting out.
The air between us grew heavier. I could feel the quiet war inside myself, grief dragging me down, rage clawing its way up.
I looked back at Caroline one last time. Her body seemed smaller now, as if death had stolen even her presence. I crouched again, brushing my fingers lightly over her hand.
"I’ll find him," I whispered, my voice trembling but certain. "I’ll make sure he pays for this."
Kaelos nodded, resting a hand on my shoulder. "We’ll hunt him together. He won’t get far."
The guards returned with a stretcher, their movements respectful as they prepared to take Caroline’s body. I stepped aside reluctantly, my hands curling into fists.
Every step away from her felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind.
But if Marcellus thought he could take her from me and vanish into the dark...
He had no idea what kind of darkness I was willing to walk through to find him.