Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Forty-Eight
**3rd Person POV**
“I told you Armand, the werewolves are not our friends,” said Agatha. She said that with a conviction that scared Armand. What if she found out about his clandestine business with his werewolf mistress? What if she knew about his hybrid son? What then? Would she tear the little child in shreds like he had seen her tear into pieces her werewolf lover who had left her for another werewolf? He wanted to tell her that either kind could be evil_vampire or werewolf but he shut up. If he said anything surely it would be an admittance of his own betrayal to her for a werewolf woman.
“We will investigate this matter without bias. If we are not careful, we risk going to war with some of the strongest werewolf clans. The Alpha of the Shadowclaw pack has two children here and one of them is heir to Queen Emily. Imagine the disaster it would bring to us if we treated this matter abysmally,” came his seasoned response. He wondered how Agatha could be so compassionate and warm to his children whom he had from his many mistresses and yet have no compassionate bone for any werewolf. She loved to see them suffer and he knew although he'd never confronted it that she had a werewolf slave she kept in her private house for her personal amusement by torturing him.
“You will find that a werewolf did this and that war you’re so scared of? You'll be made to pull the first trigger,” was her response as she walked out on him.
As Agatha left his presence Azrael walked in. He greeted his king and said, “Your Majesty, I believe it is best if we apprehend all the werewolves in the palace this very minute.”
King Armand stared at the young man who was his son's best friend. He wondered how the two had managed to become friends when they had so little in common.
“Why is that, Lord Azrael?” asked King Armand.
“Your Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion. I do hope I do not disturb a thing?” quipped Lord Lowell walking in before Azrael could give a response to King Armand. Azrael was visibly disturbed by the disturbance. He could not get around how rude the werewolves were. He hated them with exceeding hatred. He wanted to hit the werewolf in the mouth for being so audacious. The bastard did not even have royal blood and he dared walk in just like that? He had absolutely no fear. This was something Azrael wanted to change; he wanted one day for the fear of the vampire race to be on every single creature. He had read in his history books of the time when the vampire race was held in the highest regard and they reigned over every other kind of creature; he wanted to go back to that time.
“You must have come here with a matter of urgency?” quipped King Armand who was not pleased with Lowell's intrusion. He did not have much against werewolves but this certain werewolf filled him with indignation.
“I am at a loss for words. I did not know what to do with this letter or what to make of it. To hear that Major Drieden passed away just before … I cannot make sense of it,” Lowell said and passed the letter he had received from Major Drieden to the king. It was not exactly the same letter. He had torn the paper in two and given the first half to the king which read, We must discuss something of urgent…
King Armand looked up and asked, “What is this supposed to mean?”
“Your Majesty, I overheard someone say they received this from Major Drieden just before I learnt of his death. The person dropped the letter but I was unable to make the face of that person,” returned Lowell.
“It was not meant for you?” quipped Azrael who did not believe a word the werewolf was saying.
“You must explain clearly why you think this letter has anything to do with Major Drieden's death,” said King Armand. He did not like this particular werewolf but he sounded pretty convincing.
“I was leaving the dining hall and I heard someone say, ‘from Major Drieden?’ and the response was ‘Yes’, I heard something like the tearing of a paper and when the person was gone I stepped forward and found this half,” said Lowell.
“And the other half?” quipped Azrael.
“I do not know. It may not be relevant at all to what happened. I just thought that I would share this… I believe he was a good man in his own right. I want justice to be served to the offender,” said Lord Lowell in a sombre tone.
King Armand was not sure what to make of this piece of paper or the person who had brought it forward.
“I will keep the paper, you may leave,” said King Armand.
Lowell bowed his head and left the two of them alone. Once he was gone, King Armand turned to Azrael and asked, “What do you make of his testimony?”
“A goose chase. I do not believe any of it,” said Azrael.
King Armand studied the letter again.
“And yet, the way he writes his W and M, it looks quite the same as Drieden's,” said Armand.
“Anyone can forge a letter,” returned Azrael.
“If someone forged this, it would have to be someone who knew him so intimately. Usually, Drieden scowls because he has no patience but when he does not feel like he is in a hurry, this is how he writes,” the matter baffled King Armand. Lowell's testimony appeared incredulous and yet the handwriting was Drieden's, there was no denying that. Moreso, if it were so that the letter had been forged then it would have to be a vampire who had done so as it was inconceivable to think that any werewolf would have known him well enough to have forged his handwriting.