Chapter 43: Putnam’s Associate
Hazel could feel Kassandra’s gaze on her, filled with admiration and surprise. She wasn’t sure why Kassandra was looking at her that way, but she didn’t have time to ponder it now. Fiona’s situation hung over them like a looming threat, always filled with danger.
Initially, she wasn’t certain of Fiona’s true identity. Still, after Kassandra’s inspection, she could confirm that the Fiona currently lying in a hospital bed might not be the real Fiona. Perhaps the real Fiona had already passed away.
Kassandra left the woods, needing no escort, given her formidable magical powers. In Cyril’s territory, nobody dared to show disrespect to Kassandra. Even as the McGo Family’s head, no one would dare to attack Kassandra. Hazel watched her depart.
Cyril and Hazel walked through the forest, contemplating Kassandra’s words.
“Cyril, how do you plan to handle this situation?” Hazel looked at Cyril, clad in a black shirt. Her gaze moved from his broad shoulders to his chiseled jaw, down to his deep, dimly lit eyes. Cyril didn’t show any sign of worry.
“Perhaps we should let them continue their charade. Why can’t we enjoy the show?” Cyril spoke.
He couldn’t determine how many outsiders had infiltrated the Pack or what their motives were. If he revealed his plan too soon, it would put everyone in the Pack in a passive position. That wasn’t the best approach. Cyril had to ensure everyone’s safety.
“But we need to confirm Fiona’s identity, don’t we?” Hazel asked. She wanted to know who they were dealing with to increase their chances of success.
Cyril glanced at Hazel and considered a possibility. “Maybe the Fiona in the hospital bed is connected to Putnam.” Cyril’s lips tightened. Putnam’s appearance in the Pack, coinciding with the attack on Fiona, raised suspicions. He had to be more cautious.
“Putnam?” Hazel furrowed her brow. She had indeed neglected him lately, as it seemed Putnam hadn’t been bothering her recently.
“Listen, Hazel, a friend of mine informed me that the Alpha of The Dust and Frost Pack up north is named Putnam.” Cyril locked eyes with Hazel. He had been investigating Putnam’s background, and his movements were too mysterious. He had infiltrated their Pack unnoticed, which was bound to raise suspicions.
Setting aside the fact that Putnam was Hazel’s ex-boyfriend, no one knew who Putnam was now. Cyril needed to find out.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Hazel stood still, taken aback by Cyril’s revelation. She had no idea that Putnam was an Alpha of any Pack. In the past, he had lived with his mother in their small town. If he was an Alpha, why hadn’t he been living in his own Pack?
“It seems you didn’t know his identity,” Cyril noted, observing Hazel’s shock. If it were an ordinary rogue or someone from another Pack, he might have been overthinking it, and he had enough confidence to ensure a foreign wolf wouldn’t harm his Pack. However, if Putnam was the Alpha of The Dust and Frost Pack, things became a bit more complicated.
“Hazel, Putnam never mentioned any of this,” Rita snorted, knowing Putnam was a hypocrite.
“I know,” Hazel responded.
“You should trust Alpha,” Rita never disobeyed Alpha’s orders; it was her instinct to believe everything Alpha said. As for Putnam, she never cared.
She knew Putnam’s return might not have been about her, but was their past relationship all a lie? Although she no longer had any feelings for Putnam, it still stung to think he might be using her.
“He said he left because his father died and that he came back to make amends with me,” Hazel tightly bit her lower lip, and in the end, she revealed something about Putnam.
Cyril’s gaze darkened. Make amends? That wasn’t possible.
“So, what are you thinking?” Cyril leaned closer to Hazel, wanting to hear her honest answer.
“What should I think?” Hazel wore a puzzled look; she and Putnam had no connection for a long time.
“Never mind,” Cyril looked into Hazel’s eyes. They were pure and devoid of any lies. If Hazel had expressed a desire to reconcile with Putnam, Cyril would ensure that Putnam wouldn’t see tomorrow; he would have his head off tonight. But clearly, Hazel didn’t share that sentiment.
“On the night I saw those five bodies, Putnam was standing right below my window,” Hazel reminisced about everything. If she could, she wouldn’t want to remember that day. “Have they determined the cause of death for those five guards?”
Recent events had been too dense for Hazel to consider too many things. She had just remembered that she hadn’t asked Cyril about the cause of death of Kane’s five guards.
“They were killed, and their deaths were swift; their throats were slit,” Cyril said simply. That night, Cyril had Parrish and Rankin examine the bodies. There were no external or internal injuries on their bodies, and no signs of a struggle. This suggested that the person who killed them might have been acquainted with them.
“Their actions were too strange, killing them and placing them not far from my window,” Hazel contemplated everything. She couldn’t imagine what the people behind this were planning or what they wanted from her.
“It’s possible that the person who killed those five guards is a woman,” Cyril continued.
Judging by the force and shape of the slit throats of the five guards, it was highly likely that a woman had killed them.
“A woman?” Hazel furrowed her brow. Fiona had once mentioned that her attacker was also a woman.
“What are you thinking?” Cyril watched Hazel’s expression; she clearly had suspicions.
“Cyril, that woman Fiona talked about, the one who attacked her, and the woman who killed the guards, is it possible that they’re the same person?” Cyril nodded, considering that possibility as well.
If the woman lying in the hospital bed now wasn’t the real Fiona, she might be the one who had killed Fiona and then assumed her identity to successfully infiltrate The Iron Star Pack.
“We need to have someone confirm if Fiona’s chest bears the crescent-shaped mark.” Cyril looked at Hazel. If they could verify that the current Fiona had the crescent-shaped mark on her chest, it would prove that she was the one who cast the poison spell, meaning she was orchestrating the entire situation.
“Cyril, I’m willing to investigate,” Hazel said.
If the woman lying in the hospital bed was truly the one who cast the poison spell, she must be a woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, willing to harm her own body and seize any opportunity. Such a person was too dangerous. Even if she wasn’t the one who cast the poison spell, she must be connected to it in some way. Hazel didn’t want to let anyone get close to the fake Fiona.
“Hazel, all we need to do is wait. A greedy person won’t stay in that hospital bed forever. She’ll find her chance to leave. If she’s Putnam’s associate, she’ll go looking for him,” Cyril advised.
Hazel didn’t argue. Her inner balance had shifted a long time ago, and perhaps Cyril was right. So, Putnam had left in a hurry because he was returning to The Dust and Frost Pack to take over his father’s position as the new Alpha. He didn’t reveal this to Hazel; he didn’t trust her. It was absurd! Perhaps his return to the small town had an ulterior motive, and Hazel was nothing more than a pawn used to conceal Putnam’s true intentions. Hazel felt like her mind was about to explode as everything began to connect, surprising her.
She didn’t know if her speculations were correct, but if Putnam had his associate impersonate someone from The Iron Star Pack to infiltrate it after Hazel rejected him, it wasn’t an impossible scenario.
“If Putnam is The Dust and Frost Pack’s Alpha, I need to take some action,” Cyril said, and Hazel knew that Cyril meant what he said.
“Listen, Cyril, I love The Iron Star Pack just as much as you do. I won’t let anyone conduct any shady business on this land,” Hazel firmly spoke.
In that moment, Cyril could see the determination in Hazel’s eyes. Her chestnut hair glistened in the sunlight, and she stood there, bathed in its glow. Cyril had never encountered a girl capable of disrupting his composure like Hazel. Perhaps Kassandra’s words were right – Hazel was someone favored by the gods.