The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 112: Jealousy.

~Zarek’s POV~

This is the second time.

The damn second time that a move would be made on Dahlia’s life, and just when I was close to finding out who did it, snap, the culprit’s dead.

Wiped without a trace, besides their foaming mouth— a telltale sign that they’d been poisoned.

The first time, it was Kane, the stupid guard who up until now, no one has been able to recognize... and now this? This? Hell, no. I wasn’t letting this slide.

Anger rose like a bile in my throat as I glared at the lifeless girl on the floor. Her hair was a weird silvery shade, and her skin which was strangely bruised in several places was just as pale as her hair.

A pastel dress clung to her frame like a glove, and in some places, it seemed stuck— almost like it was wet.

And her parted lips held a yellowish foamy substance— the same type that had been spotted on Jennifer’s when she was found unconscious in her bedroom. Only that this girl’s been unconscious for too long, and now we couldn’t help her.

"There’s nothing we can do." Drogon said from beside me, snapping me out of my reverie. "I’ve checked for her pulse and everything. She’s truly dead."

I frowned. My eyes ran up her stiff body again, and I noticed how bluish her veins were, and how they popped dangerously close to the surface of her skin. This scene looked just like Jennifer’s when she’d been found— at least that’s what I heard— and with conviction, I realized that it was indeed the same substance.

"But who would do this?" I mused under my breath. "Who would target both Jennifer and Dahlia at the same time? And then murder the girl who’s been used to perpetrate the crime?"

Somewhere in my subconscious, I thought about the possibilities of this being Nyx’s doing, but after remembering that she had no business being here in the fortress, and that it was close to impossible for her to do something like this without being caught, I instantly shook my head, dismissing the thought.

Then I thought about Orion and how this could be his—

’Orion loves Dahlia... And what will he gain from murdering Jennifer?’ Moartea quickly asked, causing me to shake my head immediately.

’Nothing.’

Then who?

"Have you checked to see if Nyxenora, my daughter’s mother, is still in the pack?" I asked Drogon who instantly shook his head. "I specifically asked that she’s escorted out of the pack today. Now, go and check." I snapped.

Drogon bowed before turning to walk away, and then I turned to Berlin. "Ask the guards at the front to clean up this mess. Tell them I said so."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Also, as for the girl—" I trailed off, pointing at the lifeless body on the ground, "...Miranda, make sure she’s returned to her family for a proper funeral. And prepare the rest of the girls under your care for an intensive questioning tonight." I finished quickly, walking away before she bowed to me for the nth time today.

As I went, I couldn’t help but worry about Dahlia and fear that maybe, just maybe my instincts were right, and that there was someone targeting her.

However, I couldn’t explain how Jennifer and this girl, Miranda, happened to also join in the picture, but still, I couldn’t shake off that thought. Not when a series of unfortunate events have been happening to her in the past few weeks.

Not when there were tons of people who disliked her around here.

I do not know for how long I walked or where I was headed but when I finally came through, I was shocked to find myself at the training grounds occupied by a few soldiers sparring in pairs.

Orion stood to the side, his eyes seemingly watchful, but his mind far from near. He glanced up when he noticed me approaching and I nodded, waving quickly at the boys who all stopped to bow to me.

"Please return to what you were all doing. I’m only here to watch." I said smoothly, even though the last thing I wanted to do today was watch. I do not even know what I am doing here.

"Have you seen Jennifer?" Orion suddenly asked me as soon as I arrived beside him, and I frowned before turning to face him fully.

I snapped; "What for?"

"She was poisoned last night, you know right?" He muttered in a small voice, but I didn’t miss the hidden annoyance dripping from each word, or the way his eyes flashed with barely concealed rage as he glared up at me.

"Yeah, I know," I responded with the right amount of sass, whilst smacking off a pesky insect that tried to settle on my face. "You told me about it, or have you forgotten?"

Orion rolled his eyes, shaking his head; "See man, this makes no sense. She’s your fiancée who was poisoned and you don’t even seem concerned at all about—"

"Maybe I’m not bothered because she’s in the hands of the best doctor there is in this pack." I drawled, interrupting him, "...and maybe I appear to not be concerned because I am busy taking care of other matters."

"And what is more important than your fiancée’s health? What matters is more important than the fact that she was almost killed in your pack?!"

"Maybe the fact that there is a dead servant who may have been responsible for poisoning her?" I snapped, my eyes flashing as the rage I tried to conceal stirred within me like a feral beast. "...or maybe the fact that my mate was almost poisoned too last night... and somehow, I think that this is all connected."

By the time I finished, Orion was staring at me like I had just sprouted a second head. A moment of silence passed between us, then suddenly he asked;

"Dahlia was also served poisoned food?"

I nodded, suddenly feeling irritated when I noticed how he couldn’t even bring himself to pretend like he wasn’t so affected by the news.

This man wants my mate... but wait, how does a pack without a Beta operate?

’Would you kill him now to find out?’ Moartea asked expectantly and I shook my head.

’Not now. We’ll have our opportunity soon.’

"Yes." I said to Orion.

"Oh goddess!" He gasped, "... the mule! She didn’t tell me about it when I went to see her last night!"

My eyes widened as an ugly feeling— jealousy— coiled tight within me like a snake. "You what?" I sputtered, "she didn’t what?"

"She didn’t tell me!" The stupid boy said again. "I went to see how she was faring, but a lot of things got in the way. It’s probably why she forgot to tell me about the poisoning."

A lot of what?

Moartea rose with vengeance, his rage mirroring mine. ’Kill him now!’ He growled but I bit down on my tongue, my rage momentarily blinding me for a few seconds.

"What happened?"

"I don’t know everything that happened, but she said she had gone for a walk and accidentally strayed into Howllowfang pack’s territory. Alpha Kai was decent with the whole situation and didn’t cause a scene. However, he acted a little strange around her... almost like he found her intriguing."

Oh holy Hades on a fucking carousel! Y’all, just kill me!

"He what?"

"Zarek, have you lost your sense of hearing? You’ve been making me repeatedly say the same thing over and over again!" Orion snapped, but now, I no longer had interest in listening to him nag.

Neither did I even want to see his face anymore.

Ignoring him, I marched away from him in annoyance. But there was only one place I had in mind to go— the hospital.