Forbidden
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It was late night in Malcolm. After the war, everyone pitched in to aid the town and cleaned up with haste but careful in their own ways. No one dared to ask about the war. It was a rule in Malcolm, to forbid any kind of things that will remind anyone about a horrific event that happened. And until the alpha's announcement, no hybrid nor anybody living inside Malcolm shall ever have to talk about it.

In a room at a hospital, where only a lamp lits the whole space, sits the baffled looking Doctor Watsons. It was just a minute ago that he had finally finished his cases but instead of resting, his eyes were too awake to not read all the papers he's got his hands on. Sa sobrang kalituhan niya ay maski siya hindi niya alam paano niyang nakuha ang mga papeles na hindi niya dapat sana makita.

He turned the pages of all the printed copies of Miss Roswell's results. Ito ang mga kopyang nakuha niya mula sa laboratory copies. No one actually handed these to him—he got them for himself. After all, he wouldn't be a successful thief if it weren't because of his fast hands.

But he wasn't going to really steal them, he was just going to save a copy for himself and give all of them back. Isasauli pa rin naman niya kaya hindi mahulog sa pagnanakaw ang ginawa niya. Matagal na rin kasi simula noong hininto niya ito. Well, it wasn't really his choice to end his stealing career, it just so happened that the alpha's mate defeat him in their deal that's why he stopped and ended up being a doctor. However, it was not a defeat for him. Aside from getting a decent job, he married someone he had just once longed to talk to.

With the document folder he borrowed from his dear wife, he utilized her files as starting point. Hindi niya alam kung ano talaga ang gusto niyang malaman but he just smell something so fishy about the records. As a hybrid himself, he could almost sense that something about the records doesn't sit right.

Isa-isa niya itong kinompara. There were five paperwork sprawled across his desks. Three of the documents are test findings, one is a copy provided by the lab which was the copy everyone has, and fourth is the record his dear wife made.  He read everything and didn't mess a single word, lines, and even dates of the documents. He simply needed fifteen minutes to find four distinct outcomes from one of the laboratory paperwork.

His back straightened and he started wondering who the hell would have fabricate such confidential information?

"...the blood contaminated (AB+) was found." he spoke before he read his wife's records, "...the blood contaminated (AB-) was found together with shredded pieces of glass."

"...foreign DNA found under Aldeheid Rosé Roswell's fingernails—" he switched, "—foreign DNA found under Elino Premisco's fingernails." Doctor Watsons gritted his teeth the second time he read that statement.

"Callum Clemente broke one rib—tanginang gawa-gawa naman 'to, pati ako naniwala." sarkastiko niyang sambit bago humalakhak mag-isa.

He's never held a grudge towards Callum after what his adopted mother did to his dear wife, even jealousy—well, maybe a little but even if he did, it wasn't the reason he had a good laugh from the details he just read. Kasi paano ito mabalian ng buto kung napatay niya mismo si Premisco?

He could only just shake his head and deliver the last laugh he could have that night before reading the last statement of the four.

"The trigger of Elino Premisco and Callum Clemente's blood lust was caused by Aldeheid Rosé Roswell—just what the hell?"

He noticed how this fabricated document point all fault to Miss Roswell when in fact, she was the victim.

Hindi talaga siya makapaniwala sa nakasulat sa isang dokumentong nasa harapan niya. It was the same document he received, and he bet, it was also what everyone else read. Para bang ito ang dokumentong ginamit upang malaman ng lahat ang maling nakasulat dito. But as a matter of fact, it was contrary to the other three documents.

Napatingin siya muli sa dokumento ng asawa niya. He will never doubt his wife ever. Kaya hindi niya na kailangan pang puntahan ito para tanungin kung lahat ba ng sinulat nito ay totoo because he knows how honest that woman is, which is actually the reason why he fell for her.

His gaze fell back to the records. Among all the professionals he knew that were working in the laboratory, it's only Zaveri that he personally knows. Ayaw niya sanang tanungin ito tungkol sa kaso ni Miss Roswell dahil hindi naman ito sa opisina nagtatrabaho kundi sa mismong laboratory.

Bigla siyang nabuhayan ng loob nang mapagtanto na posibleng may records rin si Zaveri sa lahat ng lab test na ginawa niya. And even if she doesn't have, she'd still lead him to the person who fabricated all of these.

Hindi na siya nagpaligoy-ligoy pang pumunta roon. He shouldn't wait until it's his dear wife that will find out about the forged information, baka sisihin na naman nito ang sarili niya kesyo paanong hindi niya agad napansin. He hurried his steps. He must know everything first before telling her. Napahinto naman agad siya.

But on the second thought, instead of telling her, why not tell him instead? Aniya sa isipan niya nang mahagip sa mga mata ang nakayuko na si Callum.

"Bakit ngayon niyo lang ito sinabi?!"

Iyong agad ang nakuha nila mula kay Claudette nang sabihin nila iyon.

"At sa tingin mo ngayon ko lang ito sasabihin kung noon ko pa ito nalaman?," Callum reacted, almost growled at the red headed girl in front of them.

At bago pa man mapunta kay Doctor Watsons ang kasalanan ay agad naman niyang ipinagtanggol ang sarili, "I did the decoding, thank me instead of blaming."

Wala nang nasabi ang dalawa at kumilos nalang si Claudette nang walang sabi-sabi bago nilapag sa harapan nila ang makapal na record book.

"Find Aldeheid's record, I'll try looking for the one fucker who fabricated my documents." she cursed before she entered another room which Callum assumed was the laboratory.

Both of the two did their job. When they got Aldeheid's record, they immediately compared it to the forged one and to Doctor Beau's. They then discovered that someone indeed brought up the whole idea to blame Aldeheid for what happened.

Tanging pagsuntok lang ng ngayong sira nang wooden table ang nagawa ni Callum. As much as he wants to put the whole hospital on fire but he knows that he can't because his Alde is sleeping and he'd feel guilty of waking her up just because of the fire he cause. His Alde needs that sleep.

"Anong—sinong putang—Callum!" nananaliksik ang mga mata ni Claudette nang makita ang sinapit ng kaniyang pinakamamahal na mesa. Gustuhin niya man sanang panitan ang balat nito ay hindi niya magawa sapagka't kasalanan niya rin ang nangyare sa mga dokumentong naipasa. If only she had double-checked the documents before signing them, she would have caught the scumbag who did this.

Ipinalagpas niya nalang ang ginawa ni Callum at napatingin sa hawak niyang ebidensya. She hissed and took a deep breath, "You better run, honey. You better escape from Mama." aniya at pinakita sa dalawa ang ballpen.

Callum raised a brow, "And?"

Bumalik ang inis niya dito, "This is evidence." but she can only roll her eyes. Once I find out who this scumbag is, I'm going to get even with you, beta.

Binuksan niya ang pintuan at pinalabas ang dalawa. "Get out and make sure to let this reach the alpha's ears." utos niya kay Callum bago humarap sa doktor, "Print my own record and let everyone know that this is the real copy." she said, pulling out a stamp with her signature etched on it.  "Don't lose my stamp, or else your body will be my next case."

She immediately worked and traced all the DNA from the pen she has. It was actually a pen that only her personnel could use, aside from her. And if there's a DNA that is not from her personnel, then it answers all.

Upon hearing the news, alpha Harrison immediately held a meeting at six o'clock in the morning. He also called the hospital director and departments to attend. A case like this is usually dismissed by the hospital director to cover up the damage caused, but today was different since this does not only involved a patient, but also doctors, who will falsely held accountable from someone's mistake.

Everyone noticed that the alpha's aura is different today. It was neither angry or intimidating, but rather happy. It wasn't the first time they witnessed these which they immediately know that something huge is going to happen. All they hope is it is something good.

"We are all gathered here today to discuss about what recently happened, and of course to congratulate everyone who has been brave to face the war. I would like to express my gratitude to the doctors, nurses, volunteers, and above all, the Heavens for letting us breathe today's air. Unfortunately, some of Malcolm's greatest soldiers' time had to end, so I am praying for their safe journey above." with a light sigh, everyone agreed and prayed with him, unsure of what would happen next.

"And to finally start the meeting, I would like to request the beta to proceed with the papers." everyone's brow furrowed as they watched what was going on. How unusual of the alpha to directly order the beta in front of all of the council including the boards.

Callum marched inside arbitrarily, holding a document in his hand, without even greeting anybody inside, not even the alpha. One council found that offensive that he couldn't helped his tut to deliver from his mouth. He thought he's done something when the alpha turn to him with a smile but the moment their alpha received the document from the beta's hand, all everyone could do was express their horror through their faces after Harrison knocked the folder very hard on the wooden table they all circled.

The once-happy face has devolved into something that everyone wished to avoid. Harrison's rage became apparent when his eyes began to flicker and his claws began to grow. He terrified everyone in the room, except for Callum, who was already upset and angry beside him.

Their alpha was renowned to hide his emotions, especially when it involved matters that were vital to Malcolm. And perhaps this was another aspect of Malcolm that they should not have messed with but did.

After some time, Harrison's appearance went back to normal but still held the same expression. He spoke, "Everyone in this room knows how people in Malcolm must be treated with respect regardless their race and appearance, am I right?" his voice was deeper than the usual which gave him the authority to make everyone answer.

"You are right, alpha." they said in unison.

"Then what happened to the respect we are supposed to give to the humans who are living here with us?" no one responded, "Someone who's not looking doesn't mean he knows nothing." he continued, "And it also doesn't mean that you can just do the things that you want secretly when no one is looking. Unless you're outside my premises, you are not allowed to oppose my rules. Do you understand?"

"I said, do you understand?!"

"Yes, alpha!"

Fear quickly took over the entire room. Everyone was practically out of oxygen, and they would rather die right there and then than hear their leader yell at them again.

Harrison calmed himself and opened the folder before tossing it into the center. "Then what exactly is this?"

The folder included the records of Miss Roswell, whom everyone was familiar with. The majority of the authorities seemed perplexed, indicating that they had no idea to what was going on.

"When did the hospital hire a professional fabricator? Why didn't it come to me first?" he said, looking at each hospital employee in turn, and most of them, without a doubt, were guilty.

"Is it the time to look for a new hospital director—"

"Alpha! W-we can talk this through. It doesn't have to be that rough on us." implored the director.

"Sure. Explain then." he talked casually, flopped into his chair, and squared one leg onto the other.

The pen swirled around his fingers while he waited for their explanation. A lump appeared in the throat of the director making him hard to start. Despite how much he valued his time, they had always known the alpha to be patient. However, seeing him enraged was something they couldn't ignore. And everyone, including each corner of the room, knows someone had to take risks before it's too late.

"I would like to defend my department, alpha." one staff raised his hand, a resident from the neurology department.

Harrison motioned the director to remain standing before he turned to the resident, "You are permitted to speak." despite his rage, Harrison managed to put it at bay for a time, after all, anybody who understands where they stand deserves his respect.

"On behalf of the neurology department, I would like to let everyone know that we never had the chance to hold Miss Roswell's case." his anxiety was visible in everyone's eyes, "We did try asking to test her brain functions but we were held back by the director that is why I can confidently say that my department had a clear intention to Miss Roswell's case." despite the fear, his bravery captured the alpha's attention.

Harrison nodded and gazed up to his uncle, who happened to be the senior in the neurology department, "You've raised well a good doctor." his uncle could only salute him.

"May I know the reason why the director barred your department from taking samples?," he went back to the resident.

"I do believe it was because our department had nothing to do with Miss Roswell's case," the resident said, gaining a bit more confidence in confronting the alpha.

"Is that what you told them, Mr. Aban?"

This time, it was the director's turn to answer him. "I-I—I just thought that Miss Roswell's case didn't have to involve brain X-rays since—"

"Does that suggest you from allowing fabrication in her data?," Harrison didn't have the time to hear the director's explanation.

"I didn't know about the fabrication, alpha!" he defended.

"Okay, so I assumed that Doctor Amadilio Aba is not your son, I suppose." the alpha stated before their neck snapped towards the door just to see Miss Zaveri clutching a young intern by his collar.

The intern slumped on the ground after Claudette flung him. They heard the director's scream and even managed to shove Claudette out of the path. Hindi iyon nakatakas sa inis ni Claudette kaya hindi niya napigilang gumanti.

"Do you think your cries will ever get you away from being dismissed from your position?" she sarcastically asked before bending over to level him, "Well, let me tell you a little secret that I just saw..." the horror in the director's face was evident as she whispered to him his fate that would happen soon.

He burst into tears and pleaded the alpha to at least let his son keep his profession. "I am willing lose everything for my son; just please let him graduate and keep his profession; he was never a part of this mistake. I beg you, alpha. My son has still a long way to go." he kneeled in front of the alpha, crying.

"Pardon? A part of what mistake?"

The director knew he couldn't escape the alpha, but he could avoid what the alpha would do to him and his kid if he denied the facts.

"I was only a puppet, alpha. I was too dumb to agree with his deal." he stated, delivering another question to everyone in the room.

"What deal?" he questioned instead of asking who was the person behind.

"A deal that would allow me keep my position if only I could fabricate all Miss Roswell's documents." he nervously adjusted his glasses, "I-I did fabricated some of the data but I never did tried giving her the wrong doses as he wanted." tears streamed down his cheeks again, "I swear it was the last thing I would do to a patient! My conscience would never let me!"

The whole room was too stunned to speak. Even the councilors who were unaware could only grind their teeth in disbelief.

The silence made everyone uncomfortable. No one ever dared to break the silence until the alpha spoke.

"So,..." he turned his whole body to one council who hadn't spoken anything ever since he walked into room. "...how's the feeling of getting betrayed by your people, Mr Cleo?"

It was only one name that made everyone cripple in their seats. They knew that Mr Cleo had always been the problem when it comes to human matter, but they never imagined that he could do such thing merely to get rid of them.

It was as though Mr Cleo had been anticipating this moment, and instead of cowering in terror, he proudly stood up and defended himself against the alpha's accusations.

"I will never apologize for the help I did for Malcolm; I never did anything wrong to the town; it's just that I am constantly misunderstood by the people I cared about; I did it for my town, for the hybrids! But I received nothing but criticism and punishment."

Claudette could only laugh at the gaslighting she heard. It was the finest guilt trip the elderly councilor had ever spoken, as if it would change anything about the awful acts he had perpetrated.

"As for Miss Roswell and the beta's relationship. I can never let it happen to this town. We all know blood links are long forbidden! It was the reason why Alpha Malcolm the 2nd died! It should be banned! And to whoever gets to link with a hybrid must be killed to avoid misfortunes in this town!" he stated, trying to convince the council of what had happened in the past.

Callum snarled, alerting everyone to his presence. Harrison could only gaze at the elderly guy, trying to figure out what had happened to his brain.

Harrison knew that blood link was the reason his great grandfather died but it was due to the old age of his grandmother that caused them both death. Hybrids are known to live long  yet with their blood link to a human may lead them to age normally. But Harrison didn't really believe on what the elders said.

A minute had to pass by before the alpha decided to speak. And the moment he opened his mouth, it was the very moment both director and Mr Cleo knew it was over for them.

"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to hear your sides. The council and staffs deserve to know everything and to learn from the mistakes you both made. I hope you will continue to strive even without your positions and be able to finally understand how important it is for hybrids to be able to live with the humans." he concluded and without warning, the guards outside took their chance to grab the two men with them.

"No, wait!—alpha! How about me? I still did something good despite the bad intentions I've been brought into." the director still tried to persuade the alpha, but Harrison ignored him.

Mr Cleo was unusually silent when he was apprehended. It might be over for him, but he knows that it is only the beginning of Malcolm's miseries. And someday, he will prove everyone that humans only bring death to the town.

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nyariina