The Delta's Daughter Chapter 332

MIKE

"Damn it," I grumbled lowly looking at my watch. 7.00 pm. Kellen and Tala should have been down here by now. They missed their cue for their introduction.

I glanced around the ballroom, filled with guests that were ready to greet their king and new queen. I pull my phone out and shoot Jonda a quick message:

'Going to find the missing royals. I swear if they are fucking, I will personally kill them.'

I knew she was in the kitchen making sure everything was sent out and prepared correctly. I didn't have time to go find her and explain myself.

My phone dings, 'They are probably just running late. Keep your knickers on.' Jonda replies.

I shove my phone back into my pocket and stomp through the growing crowd of people. From the corner of my eye, I spot Tawny and Mason talking with Tyron, his mate, and Damon. No time to stop and say hi right now. Once I have the elusive couple down here then I can go hug the tiny kitty.

"Beta Mike, can I get a quote?"

I half look toward the voice that called out to me. "Not now. Later." I tell the reporter with a quick clipped response. I had forgotten I had hired Pierce Pastol. "Once the king and queen have been introduced- find me after," I throw over my shoulder to the dejected-looking wolf.

I take the stairs to the Alpha floor three at a time, marching down the corridor to the royal suite. I give two quick, hard raps on the door "Coming in, ready or not." I announce before flinging the door open, half expecting to find Kellen balls deep in his mate.

Instead, I find them standing in the center of the room. Tala bent over clutching her larger-than-life belly and Kellen hovering over her trembling with concern.

Both eyes turn to me wide and unbelieving, a sense of trepidation lays thick in the air. "What the fuck..." The words die on my lips as I take in the scared look in Tala's eyes and the worried expression marring Kellen's face.

"I think she's in labor." Kellen husks out, eye turning to me but only leaving his mate for a brief second or two.

Suddenly there's a short gushing sound and Talas' blue gown turns darker at the front. "Did you just pee…"

"My water broke!" She gasps. "Shit Kellen! This baby is coming now!"

I stand there dumbfounded for a few moments letting the scene sink in. I palm the back of my neck still unbelieving about what's happening right in front of me.

I see the look of panic in Kellen's eyes as they turn to me helplessly. It takes me a moment before I can regain my senses and jump into action. "Kellen where is the hospital bag?" He points to the corner of the room. "Get it and let's get her to the pack hospital. Now!" I command my best friend because he's taking too long.

Kellen rushes to grab the bag while I rush to Tala's side as she doubles over from what I assume is a sharp pain. Contractions. Shit.

Once Kellen has his arm around her, I let go and support her elbow and we lead her out of the room to the elevator. Once in the elevator, I open a metal link to Tyron, Rhett, and my father explaining what's happening. *Keep the party going. Carry on as if nothing is wrong.* I tell them.

"I knew this shit was going to happen."

"I don't need to hear 'I told you so'." Kellen snaps back at me.

"Both of you shut it, I… Arghhh!" Tala screeches as another contraction hits her.

"Baby, they're too close are you sure you want to go to the hospital?" Kellen's voice does a one-eighty, softening when speaking to his mate.

"Yes!" Tala cries.

We make it downstairs using the elevator and back hallways, and I usher them quickly toward the garage, grabbing the keys to the closet car. "I'll drive," I state the obvious.

Kellen and Tala climb into the back, and I hop in the driver's seat, pushing the button to open the garage door and peeling out of there. Destination pack hospital. The whole way there my wolf and I grumbled to ourselves about all our hard work going down the pan.

Once we arrived, there was already a doctor and a few nurses standing by to receive the patient. My father or mother must have called ahead or mind-linked the doctor. Because I didn't. I was too focused on driving and internally moaning and cursing out the situation.

They rush her inside and up to the third floor where they have a private room waiting for her. Leaving me outside the door as Kellen goes in with her and the entourage of medical staff.

Taking a seat in one of the chairs outside the room, I pulled my phone out again and shoot off another message to Jonda, letting her know her sister is in labor.

It seemed like hours. Maybe it was. I had no concept of time at this moment. I used my wolves' hearing, straining to try and determine if Tala was giving birth but the room must have been soundproofed as I heard nothing.

The ringing of my phone startled me, I pulled it out frowning when I saw Rhett's name on the small screen. "Why the fuck is he calling me and not linking me?" I question aloud. "Yeah?" I answer with an annoyed tone.

This night had gone to shit. Maybe if Tala delivered early enough, she could still make it to her crowning ceremony in the morning. It was wishful thinking.

"Mike," Rhett's voice came over the phone strained and laced with distress.

"What's up, Rhett? I'm at the pack hospital. Waiting to hear what's going on with Tala."

"Yeah, about that. We have a situation that you need to be here for." He doesn't sound pleased. In fact, he sounded so damn right disturbed, that Duke began to pace in my mind.

It couldn't be worse than the star of the party going into early labor. "Lay it on me, brother," I said casually, ignoring the increased turmoil building up from my wolf.

"There's been a murder. Two to be precise." Rhett went quiet, waiting for my reaction.

I said nothing letting his words sink in. "Come again?" I asked, after a few moments, not sure if I was hearing him right.

"You heard me," He sighed. "We have two bodies in the main vault room. I know you want to be there but…" I heard the chatter of a crowd behind him as he paused. "You need to get down here man."

I stood and began to pace the width of the hallway outside Tala's room. This had to be a joke. There was no way. I refused to believe what I knew was true. Rhett didn't have it in him to lie. He was a walking talking lie detector, it wasn't in his nature to joke about something like this.

My anger got the better of me. "Are you shitting me, Rhett?" I growled down the phone, gripping it tightly and wanting to crush it. I was dangerously close to losing my cool. Who am I kidding I had already lost it about two hours ago. Way before Tala went into labor.

I looked at my watch, it was now just past 7.30 pm. It hadn't been as much time as I thought.

"Ahh come on Mike, you're my favorite turd. I wouldn't shit you." He laughed.

"Fuck you, Rhett, this is not cool. Can't you handle it? The fucking crowning ceremony is ruined, and now a fucking murder? The party hadn't even started for Goddess's sake!" Yep, I had most definitely lost my cool. "Fine, Jonda is on her way here. I'll leave once she arrives. I swear to the moon, this better not be something one of your enforcers couldn't handle. If I miss this, he will never forgive me!" I bark out, referring to missing the birth of Kellen's pup.

"Trust me, I wouldn't call you if it wasn't bad. We have two bodies in the safe room." I hung up with Rhett, resisting the urge to throw my phone across the hall. Resorting to jumping up and down, waving my arm around, and stomping my foot like a madman.

"Fuck. Fuck, Fuck, shit Goddess damn it!" I let out a string of curses and only stopped to the sound of my love's voice.

"You look a little stressed." She chuckled and leaned against the white wall in front of where I was having a tantrum.

My shoulders slumped when I looked at her "You look beautiful," I was now full of disappointment that she had spent hours organizing the event and on herself - she looked like a visionary, a goddess in her flowing floor-length purple dress. Her hair curled to frame her face and her lips were painted in the most fuckable color I had ever seen. "I have to go," I pouted, standing in front of her and cupping her cheek staring into those mesmerizing, green-flecked hazel eyes. "There has been a murder."

"No! You're shitting me?" She gasped, "Tell me you're fucking with me?"

I grimaced shaking my head, "I wish I was, that's why you saw me hopping around like a deranged nut job, I just got off the phone with Rhett."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she closed her eyes. "Can this night get any more fucked up?" She sighed with her rhetorical question. I pressed my lips to her cheek, and she dropped her fingers from her nose. "Can't the enforcers take care of this?"

"I asked the same thing; Rhett told me he needed me there. You know he wouldn't even bother me with this if it wasn't urgent. I don't think he's disclosing the full details over the phone, so it must be bad."

"Fine," Jonda sighed out, "I know… duty calls."

"I will be back here as soon as I can. I promise." I bent down and kissed her, lingering longer than was necessary. I needed the reassurance though and I needed to calm the fuck down before I arrived at the crime scene. "I love you."

"I love you too," She called out to me, as I made my way down the hallway.

*****

I pulled up to the crime scene. Removing my tie and jacket, I dump them onto the seat next to me and get out of the car. Taking note of the already growing crowd and Rhett's enforcers doing their best to secure the scene and perimeter to keep the nosy beady eyes of guests away. The guests had gathered and were trying to take a peek inside, trying to find out what had happened, standing behind the yellow tape wondering if the rumors they heard were true.

Ducking under the bright yellow tape, I hear a guy telling a civilian to back off. I nodded to one of the Enforcers. "Rhett?" That was all I had to say motioning with my head in the direction of the vault room and the guy gave me a quick nod and replied yes.

I lifted my nose catching a perfumed scent of peaches, very light, and hardly noticeable when mixed with the flowery smells of the other women. Yet my wolf had caught it and the sweet scent appealed to him. Brushing it off I proceeded to go find the man who had pulled me away from my nephew's birth.

What had started out as an awesome day, waking up and making love to Jonda, causing me to sport a smile up until a few hours ago. Even when we were running around like headless chickens to make sure everything for tonight was in perfect order and guests had been allocated suitable rooms, the halls decorated, and the food catered. Everything was running perfectly and smoothly.

Until it wasn't.

Until Tala decided to go into labor when the ball was meant to officially start - the pre-party for her crowning ceremony. The baby had decided to come two weeks early. We knew we were cutting it close, but we didn't realize how close. Then this shit happens - like the Queen in labor wasn't enough?

I made my way through the Jewel room, passing the old armor on display and pieces of expensive jewelry locked behind reinforced glass, making my way to the back of the room where there was another room - the vault room. This room held more expensive pieces, also displayed behind heavy glass. Then there was the inner main vault that was home to the crown jewels.

Rhett was standing just at the entrance speaking low with a female; she was taking notes, while he talked. He was still dressed in his suit and like me, the tie was gone, and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. "Hey," I said catching their attention.

They looked up to see me, Rhett's visible tension on display and permanent lines formed over his face. "Sorry to call you away Mike, I was truly hoping to meet Jonda tonight, but…" Rhett ran a hand down his face, stressing "We found two bodies inside the main vault room, one is an Alpha's son."

"Shit…" I tipped my head back; this was not good. "And the other?"

"An unknown wolf," He waved his hand for me to follow and walked into the vault room.

Sure enough, two bodies were laid out over the marble floor. I bent down next to one, an Alpha's son by his scent. He had been stabbed multiple times and his neck snapped. I looked at the other body, another male laying only feet away, with no stab wounds but his neck had also been snapped. I lifted my nose, sniffing, but I couldn't get any scent off the second body. He couldn't be a wolf. Strange.

I stood up and wandered around the room, nose still twitching and eyes searching to see what was out of place. "Do you know what they were after? Or why they were even in here?" I asked Rhett, still walking around the large room.

"No, can't see anything disturbed, nothing missing from this room or the front room." Rhett sounded just as baffled as I was.

I could smell the faintest whiff of peaches again, similar to the one I had caught a whiff of outside. Again, my wolf showed his keenness to the scent. "What about the cameras and the third person?"

"Cameras had been disabled… and what third person?" He frowned, notably not catching the fact that there had been three people in there. I assumed the third person was the one who had killed the two men and fled.

"There was a third person here. I can smell their scent, fading but there was definitely another person here. Most likely the one who killed these two." I replied thinking nothing of it, my senses were much more heightened than Rhett's, but a tracker should have caught it. "Did you have any trackers in here?"

"Yah just one, he could only scent the Alpha's son and got nothing from the unknown. He detected no other scents." I could feel his frustration and curiosity from the other side of the room.

Hmm, my fingers rubbed my lips in thought. "There was a third person in here, no doubt. Nothing was taken?" Then my eyes fell on the door of the inner vault; a room that was fortified by steel walls and a steel door. The only way to get in was to enter a nine-digit code for the door to open and less than five people had that code.

I had a strange feeling and walked over to the door, punching in the code. The sound of clicking and a long beep was heard, then the control panel lit up before the door unlocked and could be pushed open. The lights came on automatically and I stepped in, standing in the middle of the much smaller room. My eyes scanned every corner noting the smell of peaches was much stronger in here.

"The bodies were discovered around 10 minutes before I called you. Dana here suspects they had already been dead twenty minutes before we were called to the scene." Rhett began giving me details as he stood at the entrance of the door behind me.

My eyes landed on the empty pedestal, the one that should have held Tala's crown. Something Kellen had commissioned especially for her for tomorrow's ceremony. "Fuck," I sighed, catching Rhett and Dana's attention. "They stole the Queen's crown. How the fuck did they get in here?" I groaned, more than a little annoyed.

Tonight was definitely turning into more of a shit show than it already was.

I turned to face Rhett, "We are now investigating a double homicide and a theft. I am assuming whoever took the crown was also the one to kill the unknown and the Alpha's son." I thought out loud. "I want to know where the Alpha's son was and who the last person to see him was. Try and get an identification on the second body and have all other cameras in the palace checked. Alpha Jacobson is going to want answers."

If I was correct, then the scent belonged to the third person who was in this room and that person was not only the jewel thief but also the murderer. It was the only logical explanation. The only explanation we have so far.

It would take a highly skilled person to not only break into the inner vault but also someone strong enough to take down the two men in the room outside. I had smelt the same soft scent of peaches when I arrived at the scene, so it hadn't been that long ago. The scent was fading but seeing as I could smell it, I could track it. They shouldn't have been able to get that far.

"Rhett, get your men to secure this scene, grab a couple of trackers and warriors to follow me. We have a suspect and I'm going after them." I turned to look at him with a serious expression "The hunt is on."