Chapter 101: ¹⁰¹: discharged

Kael’s POV

"Alpha, the discharge papers are ready. We can leave now," Ryan said as I got down from the hospital bed. "Do you want to go meet the warriors before leaving?"

I shook my head. "No. It’s already afternoon. If we stay here any longer, we’ll be late for the council meeting."

I said as I opened the room’s door and finally stepped outside. As soon as I left the room, the doctor who had treated me approached us with his team.

"Alpha, I hope you’re feeling better now," he said with a polite bow.

I gave him a nod. "Thank you all for your hard work."

The medical team nodded respectfully before stepping aside to clear the way for us.

I moved forward, with Ryan following close behind, and we entered the elevator to head down to the ground floor.

"Call Louis and tell him to meet me at the council," I instructed Ryan as he pressed the button for the ground floor. "He must have been worried all these days without knowing where I was."

"Okay, Alpha."

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime, and we stepped out. The guards were already waiting for us. They immediately moved into position, ensuring that no one approached us or obstructed our path as we made our way toward the exit.

As we passed through the hospital, I noticed the mixture of awe and astonishment on people’s faces.

I ignored the curious glances and continued toward my car. This time, Ryan took the driver’s seat while I settled into the passenger seat.

As soon as the car pulled away from the hospital, I turned toward him. "How much do the council members know about everything that happened over the last few days?"

"Alpha, news of the explosion had already reached some of the council members on the same day it happened," Ryan replied, keeping his gaze onto the road.

I nodded. I already knew the council would make a major issue out of it during today’s meeting.

"Some of them tried to investigate what was happening a few times," Ryan continued, "but because we ordered everyone to maintain an information blockade, they couldn’t find out anything."

"That must have raised even more questions in their minds." I said as I leaned my head back against the seat.

The council members were not people who liked being kept in the dark, especially when the matter involved the security of the empire. Today’s meeting was bound to be exhausting.

"Yes," Ryan agreed, clearly knowing exactly how those old men operated.

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror before continuing. "It’s a relief that all the injured warriors are doing fine. Otherwise, this would have become an even bigger problem."

I nodded silently. The situation had already been bad enough. If any of the warriors had suffered serious complications, the council would have used it as another reason to question my decisions and leadership.

"You kept my involvement in helping them completely secret, right?" I asked. I was confident that Ryan had handled it properly, but I still needed to make sure.

"Yes, Alpha," Ryan answered immediately while nodding, making me let out a sigh of relief.

"Only the two of us and the doctor’s team taking care of you these days know about it," he continued. "They have all pledged not to say anything about this to anyone. After all, it would be detrimental to them if they did. All of their medical licenses could be revoked."

"Hmm." I nodded, but then I remembered something else. "Shouldn’t it be Louis’s class right now?" I asked. "I don’t know if he’ll be able to make it to the council in time."

"It is his class time right now, but he told me during our earlier call that he would come here as soon as possible." Ryan said as he finally drove through the gates of the council building, where the usual bustle of staff and officials was already filling the grounds.

As soon as the car stopped, I stepped outside. My eyes immediately landed on Louis, who was already waiting near the council doors.

"Brot..Alpha! Where have you been all these days?" Louis asked the moment his eyes fell on me. His expression was a mixture of relief and frustration.

He immediately turned toward Ryan. "Even Beta Ryan didn’t tell me anything when I asked him!"

"You’re quite fast," I said with a small smile. "You arrived here even before us." I walked toward him and casually draped an arm around his shoulders.

"Alpha, you’re avoiding my question," he complained.

I chuckled as I pulled him along with me toward the council corridor, which led directly to the council hall.

"I’m fine," I assured him, knowing his frustration came from genuine worry for me. "As for where I was..."

I paused as we reached the corridor. The large doors of the council hall were directly ahead of us. "You’ll know all about that in just a few moments."

Louis looked at me suspiciously, clearly unsatisfied with my answer. I didn’t give him the opportunity to question me further.

Instead, I entered the hall, with Louis and Ryan following behind me.

The moment everyone’s eyes fell on me, they immediately stood, following protocol and waiting for me to take my seat before sitting themselves.

I paid little attention to their bows and formal greetings as I walked straight toward my seat, positioned high above the rest of the council in the center of the hall.

Once I sat down, I looked over the gathered council members. "Take your seats." Everyone immediately obeyed, settling into their respective places.

"We have called this meeting today to discuss the tragic event that occurred at the Information Bureau a few days ago," I began, keeping my voice stoic as my gaze swept across the entire hall.

The atmosphere immediately grew heavier. "Whatever happened there is unfortunate," I continued, my expression remaining firm. "But what is even more unfortunate is that there are people among us who have chosen to betray our empire."