Chapter 556: The Righteous Son
Asher knew the moment Elijah’s phone rang that the hornet’s nest had been poked. He didn’t so much as blink, his expression perfectly neutral, and body language betraying nothing as Elijah lifted the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" Elijah answered, sounding almost bored.
With his keen hearing, Asher caught the faint words from the other end, "They’re gone."
For the briefest moment, a flicker of annoyance crossed Elijah’s face, and then it was gone. "Is that so?" he said quietly, the edge beneath his tone unmistakable. "Hold onto him. We’ll arrive soon."
Asher knew exactly who him was.
Roman.
And judging by Elijah’s tone, whatever awaited his brother wasn’t going to be pleasant.
Yet Asher didn’t so much as twitch. He sat there with his hands relaxed, his posture casual, and his expression practically carved from ice. He gave Elijah nothing to read.
Elijah ended the call and slowly set the phone aside. Then, deliberately, he turned his head toward Asher.
Asher met his gaze without flinching.
For several long, suffocating heartbeats, they simply stared at one another. The tension was thick and electric, the air between them almost crackling with heat. At that moment, they were two predators circling each other in silence.
Then, without warning, Elijah’s face split into a wide, twisted grin. A chuckle escaped him, building until it became full-blown, raucous laughter. It went on and on until tears streaked his face.
"This..." Elijah gasped between peals of laughter, "this is going to be fun."
He turned back to the front, still laughing as though someone had told the funniest joke in the world, except no one had.
Asher remained still, his face unreadable. But beneath his tough exterior, his hand shook slightly. He thought he had the situation under control. Still, one could never truly predict the moves of a madman.
And so, with that manic laughter still lingering in the air, they continued the tortured journey to the packhouse.
Patricia and Beta Dominic were the first figures they saw as soon as the convoy of cars rolled into the compound.
"Your Majesty," both of them bowed their heads in deep reverence the moment Elijah stepped out.
Behind them, the other cars came to a halt, and the loud thunk-thunk of doors opening and slamming shut reverberated across the space as the rest of the alphas and dignitaries disembarked.
Elijah was still exchanging formal greetings with the high-ranking members of the West Pack when the commotion broke out.
A loud snarl rent the air.
Roman was resisting violently as Christian slammed him face-first against the hood of a car, his arm twisted painfully behind his back. His muscles strained as his body writhed like a coiled serpent, green scales rippling across his skin as his slitted eyes blazed with fury.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Alpha Leon stormed forward. His chest heaved with rage at the sight of his son being handled like a common criminal.
Christian didn’t answer. He kept Roman pinned, his grip iron-tight, his expression cold and unyielding. Roman snarled again, the sound guttural and dangerous.
Leon’s wolf surged forward, his eyes glowing fiercely. His voice dropped into a deadly growl. "You’d better unhand my son right now, Christian, or you won’t have hands left to use."
Finally, Christian raised his head, his own wolf flaring as his eyes glowed in response.
"King’s orders," he snarled back.
Leon froze for a heartbeat, stunned by the answer. The glow in his eyes faltered, confusion and disbelief twisting his face. Slowly, he turned toward Elijah, who was now approaching them with a razor-sharp smile.
"What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty?" Leon demanded, his voice trembling with restrained fury.
Elijah said to him, "Your son, Roman, attacked my beta and aided Griffin and their mate, Violet, in escaping to goddess knows where."
Leon’s head whipped toward Roman, his voice breaking with disbelief. "You did what?!"
He tried speaking to Roman through the pack link, but his son had shut the link between them. The meaning was clear: Roman didn’t want to speak to him.
Raw hurt flashed in Leon’s eyes. How could his son shut him out like this? How could Roman take such a reckless risk and not keep him informed? This wasn’t just betrayal he felt, no, it was deep gnawing fear twisting inside his chest. He feared for him.
"What do you mean Griffin and Violet are gone?" Irene asked, her tone laced with confusion so convincing it was almost believable. Well, almost, because Elijah was not deceived.
"Are you trying to tell me," Elijah said, his voice dangerously calm, "that you, Irene, had no idea your children were planning this stunt?"
"Of course not!" Irene’s eyes widened as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I would have discouraged them from such madness had I known. It’s Alpha Henry’s burial, after all. They’re supposed to pay their respects."
Technically, Irene hadn’t known for certain. Griffin hadn’t shared his plan with her. But from the moment they arrived at Elijah’s estate and there had been no sign of Alaric, she knew in her heart what the children were planning. Their behavior last night had only confirmed it.
Griffin had been smart not to involve her directly — if questioned, she could deny any involvement without lying outright. Surely, omission didn’t count as lying, right?
"Irene is right," Asher said, stepping forward. His voice went up a notch, thundering, "This is Alpha Henry’s burial. Is this how you all intend to pay respect to my father?!"
His gaze swept over everyone, landing on Elijah last. There wasn’t a hint of fear in his eyes, only righteous indignation. The way he carried himself, one would think he was a son truly outraged at the chaos marring his father’s final moments.
The effect was immediate.
Everyone fell silent. Words died on their tongues. Slowly, their eyes turned to Elijah, their expressions accusing. It was clear now who was being blamed for disrupting what should have been a solemn moment of mourning.
Elijah noticed those looks and scoffed in disbelief. Were they seriously making him the villain here?
He turned his burning glare back to Asher, his voice venomous. "Well played, boy."
Confusion rippled through the others at those words — only a few like Irene understood the game being played here — but Asher didn’t back down.
He bowed his head just enough to look respectful and said, "All I want is for my father to be honored."
Elijah stared at him in disbelief, rage simmering beneath the surface. Who does Asher think he’s fooling with this act? But with the tide of public opinion turned against him, Elijah could do nothing.
Checkmate. The bastard had won this round.
Lifting his head, Elijah barked, "Christian, release the boy." His teeth gleamed as he added, "As for the runaways, assemble a team and bring them back. They’ll face their punishment when they’re back.... and by then, the burial will be over. Don’t you agree?"