Chapter 5 Chapter 5
ALPHA XANDER’S POV
I left the banquet hall, the noise and laughter fading behind me as I stepped out into the cool night air. The few pack members suggested we go back after the meeting with Alpha Jameson, I regretted it instantly. I exhaled a breath of relief as I escaped the crowded room, the constant chatter and fawning of the other wolves grating on my nerves.
As I walked down the path, my thoughts turned to Adriana. I had to admit, I was taken aback by her beauty. I've heard of it but I never thought it was that accurate. People tend to overhype things, there was nothing overhyped about her. Her long golden hair that reached her waist, and crystal blue eyes captivated me from the moment I laid eyes on her. My body reacted in a way it has never done to another woman, and I’ve seen a lot of them.
She was my fated, I knew from the moment but I brushed it off. It wouldn't be wise to let anyone know just yet. That would just put a target on her back and that would be stressful for me. The wolves might get ideas into their head.
The reluctance in her eyes were clear, the way she seemed to shrink back when her father presented her to me. It was clear that she didn't like me, that she was unhappy about being forced into this marriage. I’ve heard the things that were said about me, she was right to be worried. I couldn't deny the horrendous things I've been accused of doing as most of them were true. I just didn't feel like explaining my reasoning. If they feared me for that, then all the better.
That is why I didn't blame her or push her, I suppose. I kept our physical contact to a minimum. Her wolf might have recognized me as her mate, though she is young. It might take her a while longer. I understood she had a right to be scared, to downright fight this. I was a powerful Lycan king, and she was just a young wolf with no say in her own future.
My duty to my pack and my kingdom was the main reason I agreed to this, and maybe make her join my harem. Her beauty was unmatched and that is good. I hadn’t planned for a mate and I wasn’t ready to settle for one, but I've been alive for centuries and I guess it is time I find someone to rule beside me. I just had not thought it would be a wolf. It didn’t mean I would let go of her though. She was MINE.
She may not agree with the alliance now, but she’ll be willing soon enough. My cock twitched at the thought of having her in my mine, making her mine in every way possible.
I had just reached the end of the path when I heard a commotion behind me, the sound of footsteps pounding on the grass. I turned just in time to see Alpha Jameson running towards me, his face contorted with fear, desperation reeked off him like cheap cologne.
"Alpha Xavier," he panted, his chest heaving as he came to a stop in front of me. "My daughter, she's gone missing." my head reeled as the words left his mouth, ringing multiple times in my head.
My bride, the woman that has been paraded as mine has gone missing! It was like a punch to the gut, the shock and utter disbelief coursing through my veins. My mind raced as I tried to think of what the hell must have happened.
How could this have happened, how could she have gone missing with all the security littering this place?
I turned to Alpha Jameson, walked towards him, and towered over him with a menacing look on my face. He was shaking with fear as I approached. “This was all your plan right?” My jaws tightened. “You planned all this, you planned her escape.” That seemed like the only plausible explanation for this.
“I swear I know nothing about this. She was a bit hesitant at first but that is to be expected, she recently turned eighteen and still thinks like a child, but I know she wouldn’t do that, she has never left this pack.” he kept on rambling. It took everything in me to not punch him in the face. “Maybe she has been kidnapped.” he continued his monologue, his chest heaving as he panted while I tried to rein in my anger.
I took another step closer to him, my voice was low and threatening as I spoke. "You're lying," I said. "I know you had something to do with this. You helped her escape, didn't you?" I snarled while the man shook under the weight of my gaze. If he was claiming she has never left the pack, then how the hell did she go missing.
Someone would have sighted her if she was taken, no one would go in and out of here dragging a woman without anyone being alerted. The only way my warriors would not notify me she is seen with another person is if they recognize them as members of her pack.
Jameson's eyes widened in fear as he shook his head. "No, I swear," he said, his voice shaking. "I had nothing to do with this. I don't know where she is."
I knew deep down that the terror in his eyes was not an act and I thought, maybe he was telling the truth, but I couldn't just believe his word easily, not when my mate is nowhere to be seen and he is the only suspect.
I leaned in closer, my voice low and dangerous as I spoke. "There are two ways this can go, either you tell me where the hell she is and who took her or your entire pack will pay for it, until the day she returns."
Jameson swallowed hard, his eyes darting around nervously. He knew I wasn't bluffing. "I don't know where she might be, alpha." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Him submitting annoyed me but it also made a sliver of pleasure skate down my spine. It is good to see wolves being put in their place.
“You have to know something!” I snapped, roughing him uf a bit. Fear makes people do all kinds of stupid things. He might say something he shouldn't and that is what I'm looking for right now.
"I can’t think of anything,” he shook his head. “She has never done anything like this, she has always been a good girl. There is a possibility she might have been kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?" I repeated, my voice dripping with fury.
“A few other packs have been notified of your betrothal, alpha. That would definitely have enemies swirling around.”
It was the first sensible thing he has said since he got here. I had a lot of enemies, I've made many of them through the course of my life, but I didn’t think they were stupid enough to take something that was mine.
My eyes narrowed and my fists clenched at my sides. Alpha Jameson swallowed nervously. "If she was not taken, I think it is best if we get a search party. The crowd might have overwhelmed her, she keeps to herself most of the time."
That sounded like a good plan, but something told me it wasn't just that. If she had gone out for air, then he wouldn't be here telling me she is lost. He was just being a father, not wanting to believe the worst has happened to his offspring.
I was more realistic and that was both a blessing and a curse. I had to accept there was a higher chance she was taken to be used as bait, for the person not to be noticed meant they were good. The possibilities of what might be happening to her were endless. None of which ended with her being fine.
I let out a snarl, my frustration bleeding into anger threatening to boil over. We needed to agree that everything was possible, she might have left on her own, or maybe she was taken. We should be prepared for whatever it may be. Aware that every second we spent talking about this meant her getting farther from us, I stood straighter and fixed my burning gaze on Jameson.
"We will find her." I stated, my tone leaving no room for doubt. “Get your warriors ready and send out a search party. Whomever she is found with should be kept alive, I’m going to be the one to kill them.” he nodded, hanging on my every word like a bitch. God, I hated wolves.
He turned and started to turn back to get started on what I instructed. I called his name, his back stiffened before he stopped and turned. "If I find out you are involved in her escape, you will die," it was a promise. I heard his heart skip a beat before he nodded eagerly and disappeared behind the thick cloth of trees.
I mindlinked Donovan and asked him to assemble the warriors we came with. They couldn’t be more than twelve and that was because of the other notable members of the pack that came with their aides.
He gave me their location which was a bit out of Jameson’s territory. I walked there, hoping my anger would lessen but it only seemed to increase with more time i spent not knowing how she was.
“What happened?” Donovan asked, rushing to me. His eyes wide and looking around frantically. He was hoping Jameson tried some shit so he could wage a war and kill the man. He hated the mutts as much as I did. It was among the few things we had in common.
“My fucking bride has gone missing,” his eyes widened as I speak. "Find out who did this," I commanded, addressing the soldiers standing. "Leave no stone unturned, no leads unexplored. I want every member of the pack searched, every suspect interrogated. We will find out who took her and we will bring her back."
The guards nodded, their faces grim as they turned and left to carry out my orders. I stood there for a moment, my mind racing as I tried to come to terms with what had happened.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the work that this was going to bring. If she had been truly kidnapped, only the Goddess would know what I would do to whoever kidnapped her.
I would make sure they paid in the most horrifying way. Nobody dared touch what belonged to me. Anybody who did so was inviting intense torture and death.
“How the fuck did it happen?” Donovan seemed to only regain his speech then. I didn't have an answer for him so I changed the topic to one that was more concerning.
“Inform Jameson he and his search party have before dawn to present her, or I’ll have his head. I'll start with his two sons.” Donovan nodded, his eyes glinting with slight mischief. He liked violence and anything that would bring wrath to people he disliked.
Since I knew he would deliver my message fairly well, I got into the car and the chauffeur drove off immediately. Donovan was smart to have my car driven out here, he knows I wouldn't want to spend another breathing moment on this Godforsaken place.
A few minutes into the drive, I started to feel uneasy, we were a bit farther from Jameson’s territory. I tried to ignore it but the more we went, the more I grew restless. I gave up soon after and told the driver to follow the untarred road. He knew it would be messy but didn't argue and in the next intersection between trees, turned the car and started up a dirt path.
I rolled down the windows, the smell of damp earth replacing that of the cool leather interior.
A mouth-watering combination of citrus and vanilla that had my cock hardening told me she must have come this way. Her intoxicating scent had planted itself in my head since I laid my eyes on her.
“Stop.” I commanded, making the driver hit the brakes immediately, the car jerked but I held myself back, which stopped me from colliding with the headrest of the front seat.
“I’m sorry alpha,” I didn't listen to the rest of the things he had to say, my mind occupied by the scent I’d perceived.
I sniffed the air, the smell of trees and other things were strong but as the wind hit, I caught a whiff of that citrus and vanilla. I followed it like a dog hound, following a bounty hunter.
I was going to find her.