Xavier
The room remained dimly lit even as I saw the streetlights come on from my vantage point. Standing in the study, I listened to the report from my Beta.
"Any news?"
Derek halted, his pause noticeable before he stated, "Not yet."
He didn't need to ask what I meant, he already knew. Word had gotten out in the ranks that I had found my mate and was searching for any trace of her. Thank the Goddess, I had quickly quashed any notions of the Elders finding out about it. I wasn't about to expose myself so brazenly.
"It's been 5 months. And nothing yet," It was a statement, or rather a thinly veiled attempt to understand. I recalled the bits I knew of her, that girl.
She hadn't appeared like someone capable of disappearing, or anything actually. If anything, she looked pitiful then.
Sienna.
My mate.
I tilted my head, "Send word to Alpha Ethan. He should report to me directly."
The Alpha of the Greyhound pack had pissed me off by his attempts at trying to disguise his other daughter back then as Sienna. Though it had been months since, I believed there was something more than desperation in that action.
After all, they didn't seem to care whether their daughter had disappeared or not.
Derek left the study once more, and I stretched, feeling my muscles stiffen after staying in one position for so long.
My wolf, lol the other nights, was unhappy. And mkre so. The full moon night was tomorrow, and it was yet another unfulfilled full moon to arrive.
Another month spent without her.
I didn't love her.
I merely knew I had no choice but to do what I had to survive. Keeping my mate close was a reputation boost. I already was powerful, but had too many enemies, and too many cunning and power-hungry families waiting for a chance to drive their daughters into my bed.
I had escaped many attempts at drugging in my past, and seen too many ignorant women.
Finding my mate, my companion, was a thing of honor and necessity. That was why I held numerous events, searching for a suitable companion to make my Luna.
And just when I had found her…
I exhaled and stepped out into the open balcony. A breeze ruffled my hair. I gazed out into the Pack compound before swiftly leaping off. The night air was chilly, a sign of the coming autumn. But I barely felt it as I ran, taking off my shirt and shifting instantly into my wolf form.
My eyes gleamed as I surveyed the area, leaping from one side to the other. My senses were alert, and I felt the weight of the moon rug on me. I looked up, letting out a bowl. It echoed in the air, carried by the winds to further regions.
The Pack compound was closer to the city, but I didn't fear humans coming close. We had long dominated the region, save for a few cities and towns without our influence. As Alpha King, there were very few places anyone could hide from me in this world.
As I ran, several thoughts ran through my mind at once.
What if something had happened to her? What if she had been hurt?
The idea of it all caused a sharp pain to run through my chest. My breaths became shorter, my busy number as I roared.
I stopped at a clearing, moving closer to the sounds of a stream. It was a quiet, solitary place I knew none would disturb me.
As I paced around, the city lights twinkled in the far distance.
Then suddenly the air fell silent. Too silent. My instincts took over and I surveyed the area again, keeping my body relaxed, not giving a hint to whomever might be watching. I was used to this, the chase, the patience as my enemies walked right into my trap.
Suddenly I saw it. A sharp scent that pierced my nostrils, one I recognized.
A potent medicine known as Wolfsblood. An aphrodisiac.
I snapped, dashing towards the sound, and a piercing shriek emerged from the bushes. A girl rushed out, her cheeks pale, her body trembling. The bottle in her hand gave off that scent— she was the one I was looking for. I straightened, flaring imperiously at her. In the darkness, my form blocked the light of the moon, leaving her facing a void haloed by a silver light.
'Name.' I used the mind link forcefully, eliciting a yell of pain, and the girl fell to her knees. Her blonde hair tumbled out of its updo, falling over her back and shoulders in tousled waves. Were I any other person, I might have found it attractive. Trouble, then, that she was dealing with me.
The girl cried out, her words choking, "Mercy… please."
My growls shook the earth and I stomped a foot. She flinched, stumbling back with a shout.
'SPEAK!'
"I… I was sent to find you. I… please I am innocent," the girl began to babble, tears streaming down her face.
My laughter made her fall silent, and even the sniveling stopped in an instant.
A chill breeze flowed around, ruffling my fur. I smiled, my canines glinting.
'Who sent you?'
"It was… it was…" the girl babbled, and suddenly her eyes rolled back. She slumped, blood foaming at the mouth.
The bottle she held tumbled to the ground, as her body convulsed. I watched with steely eyes, regarding the corpse.
Something was up.
Slowly I leaned in and sniffed. The scent of Wolfblood was there, pervading the atmosphere. I grit my teeth and continued to sniff, until I caught the scent of an undertone. It held a musk that was strange.
I acted quickly, sending for my guards. Back in my human form, I watched stonily as they laid the body on the stretcher.
"Find out everyone related to her." I ordered Derek who nodded woth a frim look in his eyes.
"This looks more like a hit job," he spoke.
I pressed my lips together. Regardless of what it was, I thought, I would root out the ones responsible. And they would have hell to pay.