GIVEN TO THE TWIN ALPHA KINGS - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Delaney
It was a little after 10 p.m when we reached the capital's town. It was bustling with life; open bars, malls, supermarkets, gas stations and everything you could think of in a thriving werewolf community. By the look of things, word about the mysterious murder had not reached the public yet. I had counted almost every tree on the road and exhausted every thought about what Kai had said and each time my blood boiled over.
"To think I didn't even notice the town as I was driven off to the dungeons," I began, directing my gaze ahead. The Alpha Kings' central offices came into view, the building made of dark stone and obsidian glass breathtaking. It stood towering over other buildings, at the heart of the town, its security tighter than anything I had ever seen.
"Where is the town's square from here?" I added, my lips stretching into a smile when Ronan stilled beside me and Kai's left upper corner of his mouth twitched. The driver parked right outside, a number of guards waiting in line.
"Delaney," Kai called.
"What?" I shrugged. "Just cause I accepted you, doesn't mean I suddenly forgot about what transpired in the town square."
Ronan didn't say a word as he exited quickly, followed by Kai. Inside, we took an elevator, the four of us quiet, the tension inside almost palpable. Instead of going up, we descended, the unusual direction making Nyra and I exchange silent looks. I wished at that moment I knew how to mind-link, we had a lot to gossip around. After settling, I would ask her about the telepathic communication.
We were met by a tall younger man, with broad-shoulders when we exited, slightly shorter than the alpha kings, but still tall.
"My Kings," he greeted with a bow, then gave Nyra and I a single nod.
"Jeriah," Ronan acknowledged, his back so stiff.
"What is the situation?" Alpha Kai asked, his alpha king mode kicking in.
"We secured the perimeter and retrieved the body. The note is in the briefing room, alongside the silver knife," Beta Jeriah updated, as we walked down the hallway, then into a large office at the end of the hallway. The walls were painted white, with yellow bulbs allover.
"Where are we?" I asked, my eyes darting around the space.
"The underground briefing room," Jeriah answered in a smile. There was a round mahogany table with exactly 6 seats in the middle. On top of the table was a bloodied note and only when I got closer did I realize the wolf wasn't painted red, it was blood.
"Where is the body?" Ronan asked, studying the note alongside Kai without touching it. They stood beside me, the air thick with their powerful auras. Chills, the kind that made blood run cold took over my body. Call it a hunch, but I could tell that something was wrong with the paper, even though I couldn't tell what it was.
"The healer is examining it," Jeriah answered, while I took a step back, pulling Nyra with me, putting some distance between us and the note.
'There's a problem somewhere,' my wolf relayed.
I watched in what seemed like slow motion as alpha Kai stretched his arm to pick up the note. A feeling, one that I couldn't explain bubbled up inside, going up my throat, making my voice box tingle.
"Stop!" I blurted, swallowing hard as the three men turned to look at me.
Kai furrowed his brows, studying me. "You are sweating," he whispered, walking over to me.
"And trembling at the same time," Nyra added, observing me. My vision was turning hazy, head turning heavy at a rate I couldn't explain or control.
"What is it Delaney?" Kai held me by my upper arms, the middle of his forehead creased as he examined me.
"I don't know," I murmured, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth. How could I tell them that something was wrong with the paper without sounding like I was running mad?
Ronan finally walked over, placing his hand on my forehead. "She's burning up!" he panicked, retracting his hand.
"Let's get her up to our office, maybe it's the underground space affecting her," Kai said, swooping me up in his arms. He carried me bridal style, taking large steps outside. The moment he stepped out of the room, I felt better, in fact everything went back to normal.
"I feel...fine." I blinked rapidly, raking my brain for any answers of what had just happened.
"Definitely the space," Ronan said behind us. Despite assuring Kai that I was okay, he insisted on carrying me in the elevator, up to their shared office. I couldn't complain though, I felt safe in his arms, like nothing could harm me. It reminded me of the day in the hotel back at my pack, the way my body had reacted to him. He set me gently on a leather couch, with Nyra sitting beside me.
Their office was large, but I didn't have time to admire it because a tall woman walked in, dressed in leather tights, with a matching coat over a white crop-top. Her boobs were almost slipping out of the low cut top. She held her head high, confidence oozing out of her, and something else—ego.
"Alpha Kings," she greeted, her eyes running up and down Kai's frame, before she directed the same look to Ronan. I pressed my lips together, grinding my teeth so hard that I thought they would break.
"Commander Vex," Ronan replied tightly. She smiled, her smile thinning when her eyes fell on me. I held her gaze, while she crossed her arms, obviously trying to intimidate me.
"Jeriah briefed us on the steps you have taken so far. Do you have leads about how the body got to our Kingdom, who placed it there and how they were not seen?" Kai said, breaking the stare down.
"The trackers have not made any discoveries. We are relying on Deborah's family to tell us about her whereabouts before she was found dumped," she answered, stealing glances at Ronan. My wolf was already surging forward, reading the body language she was directing at our mate.
"So in short you have nothing," Ronan deadpanned, his face blank.
"We are working on it," she purred. It took every control I had in me not to knock her teeth out and remind her that the alpha kings were mine. Nyra reading the room placed her hand on mine.
"That's not good enough, we want answers tomorrow, first thing in the morning. There will be a briefing with all the top warriors at the briefing room," Ronan instructed.
"That will be all," Kai said, dismissing Vex and Jeriah. Just then, Ronan's voice rang.
"Elias," he answered the phone call. Several seconds went by as he listened, his jaw ticking.
When he was done he looked at alpha Kai, hesitating before speaking. "Maribel cracked the message."
"What does the note say?" Kai asked. Ronan briefly looked at me, closed his eyes then spoke.
"The point of dawn, 1 over 9." That did not make sense at all, and it did not explain why the wolf was drawn. But it did, to the person who wrote the message. Now we had to figure out what that meant.