117 Chapter 116: Cleaning up the mess

It's been four days since he had left Elize in the care of the Kelpie halfheartedly. His wolf had been on the edge ever since, constantly shouting inside his head to return to his mate's side. It only got worse as night approached, and he had to retire to his hotel room, with nothing to distract him. He had shifted and ran back to the academy at least thrice in the last few days. Luckily, he was able to control himself by the time he had reached the gates. It was quite hard to forcible rest the control of his limbs back from his wolf, but ever since the day in the cave, he had consciously made an effort to put his wolf in check. 

For the last four days, he'd been running around the little town bordering the academy, pulling strings, and curbing the news of the missing boy from spreading. Since the body was never found, there was no evidence left for the police to investigate. But the boy's parents had filed a complaint at the local police station, posing a possible threat to the academy. Principal Mirembe had appointed him to mend the situation. It was not that easy, since there were rumors of spotting strange beasts spreading around the town. Particularly worrying was someone who had vividly described a "white wolf" to the local police. But the man in question was also missing ever since. 

For now, all Zack planned on doing was to erase any trace of the event from the records and the memories of the townsfolk. He had efficiently done the first part and the second part warranted the help of a powerful witch. Although the academy had quite a few famed witches, he didn't want to take any chance of things going wrong. Hence he had called the only one who came to his mind with an equal interest in Elize's case. 

"Is this the house?" Aileen asked, looking at the small cottage in front of them. 

Zack nodded. "Yeah, looks like it," he said, comparing the picture of the house he had taken from the police station with the building.

"Let's get on with it then Alpha, I don't have much time to waste." The head witch said, giving him an irritated look. 

Zack laughed nervously and walked forward. The woman still was as rude as ever. If she was not related to his mate, he wouldn't have tolerated it as much. But since she was, he had no other choice than to bear with it. Stopping at the door, he knocked on it.

"Kto tam?" Came a loud male voice from somewhere inside the house.

"Eto politsiya. Otkroy dver." Zack replied, putting forth his best Russian. 

"Sofiya!" The man yelled for someone.

Zack waited for the door to be opened, looking around the shoddy place. It seemed like the boy's family was quite poor. He felt sorry for what he was about to do. It was a pity that the boy provoked a newly turned wolf, he thought to himself. Noticing a cold stare on the back of his neck, he turned around to Aileen with an awkward smile. 

"It's okay. She's like my own grandchild. If Khalid and Anna were alive, they would have done everything in their power to protect her." Aileen said, looking away. Her expression hardened as she turned back to him. "I just don't understand it Alpha, how could you let this happen? I trusted you with Elize. You were supposed to be with her at all times. What pray distracted you while she was in pain and shifting?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry...I know I was wrong." He replied with guilt in his eyes, "I should have been more careful with her."

Aileen scoffed. "Yes, you should have. She is your mate." She said, clenching her teeth in irritation.

Before the situation could worsen, the door opened. A thin frail woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties stood at the doorway, with a confused expression on her face.

"Kto ty?" She asked, looking back and forth the two.

Zack cleared his throat, stepping forward with a serious expression. "Hello, Mrs. Goncharov. I am from the police station. I've been assigned your son's case."He said, maintaining a poker face. 

"Ohh, welcome." The woman said, with an exhausted smile. Looking towards Aileen, she asked curiously, "And who is she?"

"She is a witness. I believe she has something to tell you guys." Zack lied confidently. 

He knew that the couple was looking for leads in the case. Since they had no other leads, he knew that they'd fall for such an easy trick. 

"Ohh, thank you. I am Sofiya." She said, gratefully in a thick accent. With a sad expression, she continued, "My poor boy, he was innocent. I don't know which heartless animal kidnapped him." She cursed.

Zack clenched his teeth, trying hard to maintain his composure. The woman had indirectly called his mate a heartless animal. A low growl threatened to come out of his chest, but he held back.

"It's okay Sofiya, I can understand." Aileen quickly said, seeing his state. "Shall we go in?" She asked with a pleasant smile.

"Yes yes, please come inside." The woman called Sofiya said, stepping aside to let them in. 

Zack took a deep breath before following the two women inside, observing the insides of the sorry state of the home. The cottage was too small for three people to live. As he walked inside, he could hear the wooden boards creak under his weight. The curtains covering the windows had holes in it here and there, and random things were all over the floor. A lone man sat on one of the few chairs around the small dining table placed in the middle of the room. His clothes were shabby, just like the woman. Zack guessed that he was Mister Goncharov- the boy's father. The man looked up from the newspaper in front of him, as he saw them approaching.

"Look, Peter!" Sofiya exclaimed, holding on to Aileen's hand. 

This lady is a witness! We have a lead." 

"Peter Goncharov." The man introduced himself with a nod. 

"Hello, Peter. I'm Anna." Aileen introduced herself, taking a seat opposite the man. Looking towards Sofiya, who went to stand behind her husband, she asked, "Do you have anyone else at home? Or was it just the three of you?"

Zack knew why she had asked the question. The woman understood the importance of not leaving any loose ends behind.

"It's just us three." Sofiya replied sadly, "I had some complications after Ivan was born. So, I couldn't conceive anymore."

"I'm sorry. It must have been so hard for you both to deal with the pain of your son being missing." Zack said sympathetically. 

"Yes, it's quite hard. I remember my boy telling something about going out with his friend Bobby." The woman replied, wiping her tears away, "But when we asked Bobby about this, he said that he had gone for a walk alone. Ivan never lies, but Bobby too didn't look like he was lying. I don't know what happened to my boy."

Zack nodded in understanding. He had ensured that the boy couldn't remember anything from the incident before letting him go. Thankfully, elves and their potions came in handy during such situations. Legolas was of much use, even helping the boy heal instantaneously. But since the elves were better at combat and healing, their potions for memory loss was not as good as a witch's spells. After contacting Aileen, he had visited Bobby along with the witch for a follow-up session, making sure that his memories of that night were permanently erased.

"It's okay Sofiya." The man called Peter said, patting his wife's hands reassuringly. "We'll find Ivan soon and the people who kidnapped him. I'll make sure to make them pay for it. God is with us."

Zack internally smirked at the statement. Humans always tended to think of themselves as the more righteous ones. If only the boy hadn't taunted his mate, such a disaster wouldn't have struck the family, he thought to himself.

"I hope so Peter," Sofiya said, sniffling. Turning to Aileen, she asked, "So, Anna, what was it that you wanted to tell us?"

"Yes of course," Aileen said, leaning towards the couple. "I'm sorry for doing this to you, but you'll feel better after you wake up."

A confused look flashed on their faces. Zack readied himself to silence them in case anything went wrong. 

"What do you mean?" Peter Goncharov asked, getting up from his chair abruptly. 

Zack growled, threateningly, making the man stagger towards his wife in fear. The couple trembled, looking back and forth the head witch and him. Just before they started screaming, Aileen clicked her hand. 

"Somnus." She whispered with a cold expression. 

The couple sagged back, unconscious. Before their bodies hit the ground, Zack got hold of them. Dragging the couple to the next room, he dropped them on to the sole furniture in the room- a thin cot. He straightened his clothes and stepped back to let Aileen finish her work.