Chapter 62: ⁶²: Explosion

Kael’s POV

Before I could see anything else, I saw Derek standing directly in front of me, shielding my body with his own.

I looked to my side making sure that Louis was fine, he was looking just as shocked at me while looking at the explosion site. Assured that be was fine I turned my gaze back towards the front.

"Alpha, are you all right?" Derek asked, panic evident in his voice as he kept looking back to check what was happening.

I quickly got to my feet, confusion and anger flaring inside me. This had never happened before. How was an explosion even possible and that too in the middle of our main army base?

I looked around. Just like me, everyone else, every single council member had risen from their seats, their expressions filled with shock and confusion while their guards moved them away from the stage to make sure they were fine.

I grabbed Derek by the shoulder and pulled him slightly away from me. He was still trying to shield me, but I needed to see what had happened.

"Investigate this!" My voice thundered across the platform. I could feel anger flaring through my veins. "How can an explosion happen in the middle of our army base?!"

Derek immediately lowered his head. "Don’t worry, Alpha. We will investigate this as soon as possible." His voice was tense. He knew very well that the security of this base was his responsibility and he would be punished for it accordingly. "For now, your safety is our top priority. Please come with us."

Several security personnel rushed toward us, followed closely by Ryan all of them startled just like we were.

"Alpha," Ryan said urgently, "thankfully, no one was injured. Everyone was standing far enough away from the explosion that they weren’t caught in it." He paused before continuing. "The Starlight Banner has also been retrieved from the flag post and secured."

I listened to his report, feeling slightly relieved that no one had been injured. But that relief lasted only a moment. This matter could not simply end because no one had been hurt.

Our Imperial flag had been attacked.vThe flag represented the honor and unity of our Empire and every pack under its rule. Whoever had done this hadn’t merely caused an explosion. They had attacked the Empire itself.

"Alpha, please follow us to a secure location," Derek urged again.

"I will not leave—" I stopped mid-sentence. Something felt wrong. A strange sensation crawled over my skin.

It wasn’t simply the aftermath of the explosion. There was something else. Something I couldn’t see. Something I could feel.

"Kael" Nyx’s voice suddenly echoed inside my mind. "I can sense something ominous connected to this explosion."

My expression hardened. That confirmed my suspicion. I motioned for the guards standing in front of me to move aside. I wanted to inspect the explosion site myself.

"Alpha, it might be dangerous," Louis said immediately when he saw me heading toward the stairs. "Let me go there first and check it. What if there’s a trap?"

He hurried after me and caught my arm, trying to stop me.

"Nothing will happen, Louis." I gently removed his hand from my arm. I knew he was worried about me, but there was no way I would allow him to walk into an unknown danger before I knew whether the area was safe.

"I have to check it myself," I continued firmly. Then I turned toward Derek. "You stay here with Derek."

Louis opened his mouth to protest. "And don’t you dare move away from him," I added, giving him a warning look.

"But, Alpha..." Louis started to protest.

I raised a hand, cutting him off. I had no intention of arguing with him any further.

"Ryan, come with me."

I turned back toward the stairs. The smoke was still rising from the explosion site. Whatever had caused this wasn’t an accident. And I intended to find out exactly what it was.

Without wasting another second, I descended the stairs and moved toward the pedestal. Or what remained of it.

The massive structure had been reduced to rubble by the explosion, with fragments scattered across the ground.

As soon as I approached the site, an unpleasant sensation hit me. A strange, foul smell filled the air. I immediately covered my nose with one hand, trying to keep the nauseating scent from overwhelming me.

"Can you sense that, Ryan?" I asked my Beta.

Ryan looked at me in confusion. "I can’t sense anything, Alpha. It just seems like a normal explosion to me."

I stared at him, my brows furrowing. How could he not smell something this horrible?

"He doesn’t have our blood, Kael." Nyx’s voice sounded inside my head. I could sense that he had figured something out.

"You can sense it because your blood is stronger than this dark magic."

My eyes widened. Dark magic? How was that possible? Dark magic was a forbidden and ancient practice. It had been condemned for generations, and anyone caught practicing it was dealt with severely.

How could someone have used it? And even if someone had somehow managed to perform dark magic, how had they infiltrated our pack and brought it into the heart of our Empire’s military forces?

"Kael." Nyx’s voice suddenly became more urgent. "I can sense this dark magic somewhere else too."

My expression hardened, did that mean someone who could do it was here or anything else? Whatever it was it was only increasing my worries.

Before I could ask him where, I heard footsteps behind me. The council members, who had retreated earlier with their guards during the chaos, had now returned and were standing behind me.

"Alpha, please move away from this wretched place," Elder Vale said. "You cannot break protocol! Your safety must be the utmost priority!"

I closed my eyes briefly in irritation, was this nonsense left now? Of course, I ignored him.

"Nyx, where did you feel it?" I kept my expression calm, refusing to let even a hint of my impatience show.

"To your right. Among the third line of the Star Battalion. The fifth soldier."

My hands curled into fists.

"I can sense traces of dark magic on his hands. It’s the same magic used in the explosion."

My eyes flickered toward the soldiers standing in formation. There he was. The fifth soldier in the third line. I couldn’t afford to alert him.

"Ryan." I mind-linked my Beta, keeping our exchange completely private. "The fifth soldier in the third line of the Star Battalion. Drag that bastard to the dungeon."

Ryan’s expression didn’t change.

"Make sure he doesn’t get a chance to run. He can use dark magic, so don’t alert him. Stun him first, then take him."

Ryan gave the slightest nod. He understood.

I immediately turned back toward the council members, drawing everyone’s attention toward me while Ryan quietly slipped away.

"I will not break protocol, Elder Vale," I said coldly. My gaze swept across the council members. "My protocol is to be the first to step forward whenever something concerns the safety of my Empire."

My voice carried across the platform. "I will not stand back and hide behind my guards."

The council members fell silent. None of them noticed that Ryan was already moving toward the Star Battalion. And that bastard responsible for the explosion had no idea that his fate had already been decided.

"Whoever did this today has attacked my honor," I said, all my attention towards my back where Ryan must be doing his work at this time. " Right now, nothing is more severe than that. Not even my safety."

My words had barely left my mouth when I heard a loud grunt from behind me. A faint smile tugged at my lips. Ryan had done his job.

Everyone infront of me was left shocked, looking behind me with widened eyes.

I turned around, following everyone’s gaze. My expression immediately returned to one of cold indifference when I saw Ryan dragging the limp body of that bastard out from among the battalion’s warriors.

The other warriors stood frozen in confusion, as why one of them had been attacked like this so suddenly but none of them dared to interfere as Ryan hauled the unconscious wolf away.

"Alpha, what is Beta Ryan doing?" Elder Kayden’s panicked voice sounded behind me. He hurried to my side, his eyes fixed on the unconscious warrior. "How can he attack a member of the defense personnel? This..What... what is happening?"

Before I could answer, I heard another familiar voice.

"Alpha." Louis came running toward me the moment he saw Ryan hand the unconscious warrior over to the members of the investigation department.

I gave him a small nod, silently reassuring him that everything was under control.

Then I turned toward the rest of the council. Every pair of eyes was fixed on me, waiting for an explanation.

"I am the one who ordered Ryan to take that wolf away,"