Chapter 185 - News Press
I immediately got up from my seat. It would be a huge blunder if Jack went around pushing the blame on Waterwoods. If people are involved, that will affect the trials as well. Worst this will go to the rural court and... Wait, that would be better. But I didn't want to prolong my mission with a fresh case at hand. "What did Jack say?"
"The Chief says that Waterwoods attacked Winterwells in absence of the Beta, who was supposed to be patrolling last night," Dandeline hesitated before continuing.
I looked at her and I already knew where this was going, "Tell me clearly, Dandeline."
Dandeline gulped, a little afraid of speaking out the truth, "The Chief is saying that you were supposed to be there during that attack as you were patrolling and..."
"And what?"
"And you sided with Waterwoods, so we lost so many and Waterwoods had no losses," Dandeline spoke up, "He is been trying to feed people that the new Beta is a traitor in disguise."
My hand clenched at the thought that Jack was doing exactly what John was threatening me with. The only difference was that I was insignificant back then, but right now, I was the Beta of Winterwells and held a great lot of power than Chief Jack. But this issue was important to be addressed, and I had to leave for the police station as soon as possible or Jack might end up ruining everything for me. I went to grab my overcoat, "I am heading to the police station."
"Okay, be careful," Dandeline said suddenly.
I laughed, "It is not like they will be throwing stones at me now will they?" Dandeline looked at me as if there was a possibility of that happening and I drooped my eyelids, "Seriously, that era is long gone."
"Yes," Dandeline replied with a sheepish smile, but the worry in her had not disappeared.
It was going to be a tedious task now, and I did not know what Channing was planning for Jack, but I sure knew one thing that Jack was going to be set free this time. I walked down the stairs and there was already murmuring and eyes that surrounded me.
I took a deep breath and ran off out of the residential area and took a sharp right turn to the police station.
As Dandeline had mentioned, there was a huge crowd there and Jack was standing on top of the three stairs that led inside while some police officers held off the enraged public. I tried to go in from back, but the crowd was so much that they refused to let me move forward. So I circled around the crowd and went from the corner where one police officer stopped me, "Where are you trying to go, miss? Can't you see no one is allowed in?"
"Do you know who the Beta of Winterwells is?" I asked, and the man gave a smug smile to me.
The officer looked at Jack, who was talking with the people from the news-press, "Didn't you hear that the Beta was traitorous and ran off to Waterwoods after yesterday's attack?"
Jack really got on my nerves now. He might have checked my house, found that I was missing there. Jack was just blaming the attack on me and now he was counting me in with his brother. I was totally convinced that Jack wanted to get back at me. "Move aside, I am the Beta of this village," I grunted as I waited for the man to move.
The officer laughed, "And I am the prince of this kingdom."
I rolled my eyes, knowing something like this was coming. If only this man could know who I really was, he would be on his knees right now.
But I did not need my status to bring him to his knees. I raised a hard kick to his groin, and the officer did not see this coming. He closed his thighs in together as his face rushed a colour red. When he was about to speak something, I punched him in his stomach and he fell on his knees with the stick in his hand slipping and rolling away. The officer grunted when I bent down whispered to him, "Stay there or I will make sure you don't have a job tomorrow morning."
I walked up the stairs and the news-press report had just asked Jack another question, "So how many casualties did we suffer?"
Jack puffed his chest as if he had done a great job, "The police had reached there on time to save-"
"The police force joined the last on the scene," I interrupted, and there were gasps and murmurs in the crowd. It was funny how the crowd knew I was the Beta better than the police officer unless... Jack glared at me and then at the officer on the floor and I understood he had given orders to keep me from coming here. I walked ahead and stood beside Jack, answering the reporters, "There were fewer casualties as the Alpha and I reached there on time."
The reporters rumbled a lot of questions until I pointed at one of them and everyone else quiet down. He was a young reporter who asked, "Is it true that the attack was done by Waterwoods and you were involved with the enemy village?"
"Yes, it is true," Jack tried to interrupt in between, but I put my hand on his chest and pushed him with a dominant force to have him fall back.
The cameras and the flashes clicked rapidly to capture this, and Jack looked at me with a scowl. I turned back to the reporters, "This was an attack from an outsider. Last night, even Waterwoods faced some casualties. It was set up as if there was a feud between the two villages, but as found by the hospital, it was done with a sharp knife instead of any claws."
The rain of questions started yet again until I picked up an older lady this time, "Are you involved with the village of Waterwoods?"
I snickered at that question, "Speaking of that, I am sure you know the last attack on Alpha Channing was done by John Walter, brother of Mr Jack Walter here," I pointed at Jack who had just got up from the ground and was dusting his clothes when his face contoured with anger. "I am sure Chief Jack has some insights about how I managed to save our Alpha and stop John's traitorous attack. It is just that, I hope the Chief is not trying to frame me because his brother's plan failed because of me."
"Is that true Chief?" The reporters were quick to bombard him with questions, and Jack gritted his teeth as he sneered at me.
Jack walked ahead, "The interview time is over. Everyone clear away from here." He dismissed the crowd with the wave of his hand and the officers all pushed the reporters away from there and Jack turned to look at me, "What do you want now?"
"I heard you were bad-mouthing here, so I just came to check," I replied as I entered the police station as if I owned it.
Last night had changed a lot for me. I could not even mourn properly for Elaine, and I did not know whether I was going to lose Sam or not. Arina was going to request their union to be announced as a today but everything was messed up and I knew Jack had some part to play in it.. My wolf was already enraged, and I did not know what I might do wrong or who I might end up hurting with this boiling rage inside of me.