Chapter 5: The Sacrificial Lamb

As Lynx drove back home, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. He couldn't believe that someone had tried to kill Vanessa and his unborn child. He held the steering wheel firmly, his knuckles turning red; he was so angry that he could hardly see straight. "Whoever it was that tried to kill Vanessa and my baby will pay for it," he said through his gritted teeth. "They will pay dearly for this, I promise."

Vanessa looked at Lynx, her eyes widened with fear. "Please, Lynx, don't overreact when we get home," she said. "I just want to rest when we get home."

Vanessa's mind was racing as she sat down in the car. "Who wants me dead?" she wondered. "Everybody seems to be nice to me, and I haven't fought with anybody since I got to the Blackwood pack," she kept pondering. She looked at Lynx, anger still visible on his face. "But I'm so scared, Lynx," she said, her voice shaking.

"Don't worry, Vanessa. I will keep you and the baby safe, I promise," Lynx said.

Lynx's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he pressed on the accelerator, driving very fast. Vanessa wanted to tell him to slow down, but she was afraid that he would shout at her if she did, so she just sat there with her heart racing and her hands shaking, trying to keep her breathing steady. Lynx turned onto the lane where the packhouse was located, and Vanessa felt a wave of ease wash over her because she was almost home now.

As Lynx made a turn, he didn't notice the big rock that was on the road. The car hit the rock with a heavy impact, and Vanessa let out a mini scream. The car came to a halt, and Lynx put his hand on his forehead, cursing under his breath.

"Are you alright? Hope you are not hurt?" Lynx turned to Vanessa and asked.

Vanessa nodded her head, her heart still racing. "I'm okay," she replied, placing her hand on her belly, trying to calm herself down.

Lynx took a deep breath. He started the car and continued to drive towards the packhouse, moving slowly this time. When they got to the packhouse, he turned to Vanessa, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been driving that fast. I almost got you and the baby hurt," he said with a calm voice.

"It's okay, I know you were trying to take me home as quickly as possible," Vanessa replied, but deep down, she knew this wasn't the case.

They slowly came down from the car, and Vanessa leaned on Lynx for support as they walked inside the house.

"Everybody should come to the hall right now," Lynx's voice was loud and full of authority. Everybody, including the maids and the guards, moved to the hall with immediate effect, bowing their heads. Nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of Lynx's anger. Vanessa watched from where she was sitting, her heart pounding in her chest. She had never seen Lynx this angry before, and it scared her. She could only hope that he would calm down very soon.

Lynx paced back and forth in front of everybody standing in the hall. "Who among you tried to poison Vanessa and my unborn baby?" he yelled, his voice dropping like thunder.

Nobody replied; the tension in the room became heightened. Lynx continued to demand an answer, his voice rising with each passing second. Everybody remained silent, and it was glaring that nobody was ready to speak. Lynx folded his hand into a fist. Vanessa looked terrified, afraid of what Lynx might do next.

With anger still visible on his face, Lynx turned and hit the flower jar next to him with his fist. The jar scattered all over the floor, causing everyone to jump at the sudden noise, their eyes widened with panic.

Lynx was breathing heavily, his chest heaving as he tried to control his anger. "Since nobody is willing to speak up, I will use one of you as a sacrificial lamb," Lynx said, his voice threatening.

He walked forward and pulled one of the maids by her arm with a tight grip, dragging her to the center of the hall. Everybody watched in horror.

Vanessa was frozen, unable to move at that point. She was scared of what Lynx might do to the poor maid, who happened to be Isabella, her personal maid.

Lynx struck Isabella and pushed her to the ground, her body hitting the floor hard. She cried in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks. Lynx stood over her, anger still visible in his eyes. "When I am done with her, I will move to the next person, and I will continue until I get an answer," Lynx threatened, his voice cold.

Other maids began to cry as fear consumed them. They all knew how cold and fierce Lynx was.

Vanessa's heart was breaking as she watched Isabella crying out in pain. She wanted to do something to save her, but she was too scared to move. Tears began to drop from her eyes, her whole body trembling. She couldn't bear to see Isabella being treated cruelly like that.

Swiftly, Lynx raised his hand and landed a heavy slap on Isabella's face, the sound echoing through the hall.

Isabella cried out in pain. "I'm sorry, Alpha Lynx. I'm innocent. I wasn't the one who tried to poison your wife. Please, Alpha Lynx, I beg you," Isabella cried out.

"Then who is the person?" Lynx turned to the rest. However, the hall still remained silent as nobody spoke. Lynx pulled out his belt from his trousers. "You will all suffer for this," he said.

Vanessa couldn't believe what she was seeing. Lynx was going to beat Isabella up like he did to her when she left the packhouse without his permission.

Alexander stood there watching everything unfold. He wanted to intervene, but he could not do so because it's not a matter of his household, and neither is it a matter regarding his pack. He was only a guest at Lynx's house.

As Lynx raised his hand to hit Isabella with his belt, a figure walked in and challenged Lynx.

"Lynx! What the hell is going on here?"