Chapter 260

Andrew could not help the growl that rumbled his chest and the room around him.

Bob Barbier. Of course, it was Bob. All of his problems lately seemed to be stemming from that one lapse in judgment of letting Bob into their lives.

His hand curled into a fist. His jaw clenched, and it took all of his self-control to not lunge at Gregory.

“What else?” he asked Arthur through clenched teeth.

Arthur jerked Gregory’s head.

“Well,” he said, “tell the nice man.”

Gregory moaned in pain but glared defiantly at Andrew. It seemed for a moment as though he was going to refuse, until Arthur reached for a syringe filled with holy water on the tray next to the table he was strapped to.

“All right, all right!” he said, his voice rasping. “Bob came to us vampires a couple weeks ago. We were going to just kill him, but he promised that if we attacked your wedding and killed Crystal Blanchard and Noah Bernard, that we could have all the werewolf and hybrid blood we wanted, starting with your bitch mutts.”

Andrew growled again.

“Why?” he asked.

“How the Hell should I know?” Gregory said.

“Now, now, that’s not what you said a few minutes ago,” Arthur chided. He picked up the syringe and waved it in Gregory’s face. “Do you need another lesson in answering questions truthfully?”

Gregory hissed at Arthur, exposing his fangs, stained crimson with his own blood.

“Do your worst,” he challenged.

Arthur shrugged and plunged the syringe deep into Gregory’s jugular.

Gregory emitted a blood-curdling scream as the holy water burned its way through his veins, eating at him from the inside-out. He contorted in pain, twisting and throwing himself about in unnatural ways. He begged for the burning to stop but knew that it would not until the holy water had run its natural course.

The entire time, Andrew did not look away. He relished seeing one of the vampires responsible for hurting both Princess Aurora and Crystal in pain. It was the least that they deserved.

A few minutes passed, and Gregory’s contortions settled down. Arthur grinned maliciously down at him, and Andrew watched with a flat expression as Arthur carried on his work.

“Now, tell the Alpha King what he wants to know,” Arthur reasserted.

Gregory panted as he glanced from Andrew to Arthur and back again. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and swallowed against the knot in his throat.

“He wanted to get ahead of Alpha King Andrew in the next election,” he said.

“How?” Andrew asked, more confused than before.

“He thought that you marrying Princess Aurora would solidify the alliance between the werewolf and human worlds, giving you a strong lead in the position for the Alpha King. Stopping the marriage was his only way to stop that and get ahead.”

“And how do Crystal and Noah tie into all of this?”

Gregory gave Andrew a bloody grin.

“That was a personal vendetta. Something about that bitch not minding her own business.”

Andrew’s fist tightened at the insult, but he did his best to remain calm.

“And how do you know all this?”

“He told us.”

Gregory laughed.

“We aren’t stupid. We aren’t going to start a war with the Alpha King unless we know why.”

“So, all of you who were involved in the attack know all of this?”

“Yes.”

Andrew’s eyes raised to meet Arthur’s.

“Anything else?”

Arthur shook his head.

“That’s all that we could get out of any of them.”

Andrew stared at Gregory.

“Then kill them all…except one. We need one for its testimony.”

“Any preferences as to which one?”

Andrew narrowed his eyes at Gregory.

“Just make sure that this one and the one called Louise die.”

Arthur grabbed the machete off the instruments tray.

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

Arthur raised the machete into the air. In one swift, powerful movement, he brought it down and sliced through Gregory’s neck.

Andrew called for an emergency council meeting that same day. He had his special task force—along with their surprise witness—wait outside the meeting room as the Werewolf Council took their seats, murmuring among themselves. Andrew never called for meetings himself, so they were all anxious to see what was so important.

As everyone took their seats, Andrew kept his eyes on Bob. The man did not seem the least bit nervous.

Good.

At least that meant that he did not have anyone so far in Andrew’s circle that he knew about the investigation. Maybe Andrew would actually be able to get the drop on him this time.

“Thank you for joining me today, everyone,” Andrew announced once the Council was settled. “I am sure that you are wondering why I have called you here.”

The murmuring grew louder. Head Wolf Antoine eyed Andrew with an arched brow, but he waited patiently for him to continue.

“A few days ago, I put together a special task force to hunt down and interrogate the vampires who attacked not only my wedding but also the new home of Crystal Blanchard and Noah Bernard,” Andrew continued. “They were successful, and I wish to share the information that they gathered with you.”

The room fell silent. Bob’s eyes widened, but he did not otherwise react to the news.

“For that, I think it would be best to bring in a special witness.” Andrew turned toward the door. “Arthur!”

The door opened as Arthur and Lance dragged in the hooded vampire. They brought her to the table and tore off the hood, allowing her to show off her fangs and try to lash out at the council members as they held her by the arms.

“This is Violet,” Andrew said, motioning towards the vampire. “She is the last remaining vampire that attacked my wedding.”

Violet hissed and lunged at the council members, causing them to instinctively lean back in their seats, even Bob.

“Violet, can you tell us who is responsible for orchestrating your attacks?” Andrew asked.

Violet pointed a sharpened claw at Bob.

“Him. Bob Barbier.”

All eyes went to Bob. The disbelief was almost palpable.

“You don’t honestly believe this beast, do you?” Bob said.

Andrew ignored him.

“What did he offer you in exchange for doing his bidding?”

Violet licked her lips.

“All the werewolf and hybrid blood we wanted.”

A gasp rippled through the room.

“Come on,” Bob said. “He’s obviously manipulating her—”

“And why did he do this?”

Violet laughed.

“To knock you down a peg,” she said. “You were going to be too much of a threat if you solidified the werewolf/human alliance. This was his only way to get ahead.”

Andrew turned to Bob. The other man’s face was now scarlet.

“Do you deny these accusations, Bob?”

“Of course, I deny them! There’s no way that—”

“This isn’t the first time that an attack has been pinned on you,” Head Wolf Antoine said as he stood up. “A man in Crescent City recently said that you paid him to kill Crystal Blanchard and Noah Bernard. I told the Alpha King that this was not strong enough evidence to move against you, but apparently, I was wrong.”

“You cannot honestly think—”

One by one, the other members of the Werewolf Council stood up, their eyes set on Bob.

“Bob, it is clear that you cannot be trusted with the future of the werewolf world,” Head Wolf Antoine said. “As of this moment, you are no longer a member of the Werewolf Council.”

Bob breathed slowly in and out. He stood up and faced the entire Council until his eyes landed on Andrew.

“You will regret this,” he declared.

At that, he charged out of the room, the echo of the slamming door reverberating behind him.