Chapter 21: ; The Beginning

[Flashback...]

In a state of panic, Maurice rushes to the pack-house of the Wings Pack, where her husband and his pack reside. Her face is etched with concern as she struggles to hold back the tears threatening to spill over.

"Is everything alright, Maurice? You look scared," asks Halter McBride, the Alpha of the Wings Pack, interrupting the meeting to attend to his wife's distress.

Maurice scans the room, taking in the council members present before turning her attention to her husband. "I need to speak with you alone," she says, her voice tremulous with emotion.

Without hesitation, Halter dismisses the council members, sensing the gravity of the situation. As soon as the door shuts behind them, he turns to his wife, his eyes filled with concern. "What's happened? Why are you so terrified?" he asks, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Halter, our daughter is missing. I left her alone for a few minutes, and when I returned, she was gone," Maurice explains, tears streaming down her face.

"Take a deep breath, Maurice, and try to focus. Where exactly did you leave Cheska?" Haltee asked, his concern evident but his voice steady.

"In the yard, but I'm certain that the gate was closed!" Maurice sobs, her fear palpable.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. I'll have the pack start searching right away," Halter reassures her, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Leaving Maurice to compose herself, Halter strides out of the office to confer with his Beta.

"Who would dare to take my daughter from right under our noses? Our pack has been keeping a close eye on our neighbors. If they tried anything, we would have known," Halter mutters to himself as he makes his way to the back of the pack-house where his Beta and the rest of the pack are gathered.

"Alpha, we received reports of a group of rogues entering our territory," his Beta informs him.

"Damn it! I didn't think the rogues would be interested in Cheska," Halter curses, his fists clenching in anger.

"We have been monitoring all the packs but forgot to keep an eye on the rogues. That's how Cheska went missing," Halter confirms to his pack members.

"Fate has dealt Cheska a cruel hand. She deserves a normal life, not one plagued by prophecies and danger," one of the pack members fumes with anger.

"Cheska's safety is our top priority. We must find her and bring her back," Halter declares with unwavering determination.

Despite their best efforts, the Wings Pack's search of their territory yields no results, leading them to believe that the group who took Cheska had quickly fled.

——*——

That night, Halter paces the yard of his residence, his mind racing with worry for his daughter. "Something's not right. Why didn't Cheska make any noise? She would have seen the rogue coming," he mutters, his gaze fixed on the fence a few kilometers away from where Cheska was taken.

Lost in thought, he is jolted back to reality by the sound of his wife's voice. "Halter... our baby..." Maurice's voice is barely above a whisper as she wraps her arms around his waist.

"Shh... don't worry. Cheska will be fine. I'm sure whoever took her won't hurt her," Halter reassures her, though his heart is heavy with concern.

"I'm sorry. I let my guard down. I never thought something like this could happen," Maurice sobs, wracked with guilt.

"We're missing something. Cheska didn't scream when she saw the rogue," Halter points out, his tone serious.

Maurice is taken aback by the observation. "You're right. She would have screamed if she saw a stranger. But I didn't hear anything," she admits after a moment of contemplation.

"That can only mean one thing... Cheska knows the person who took her," Halter states, surprising even himself with the conclusion.

"Do you think there's a traitor in our pack?" Maurice asks, her concern mounting at the thought of having an enemy within their ranks.

"I'm not sure yet, but it's a possibility. We've taught Cheska to be wary of strangers," Halter says, his mind racing with potential suspects. "But all pack members were present in the meeting earlier, so I can't think of anyone," he adds, frustrated by the lack of leads.

"Except for the Beta, everyone is a suspect," Maurice replied suspiciously.

"Juan? That's impossible. He would never harm Cheska," Halter objected immediately. He had been friends with Juan since childhood, and Juan was even Cheska's godfather.

"Halter, we can't take any chances when it comes to Cheska's safety. We can't trust anyone right now. Everyone has a motive," Maurice exclaimed, pulling away from Halter's embrace to look at him intently.

"Alright, I'll go visit Juan tonight to ease our worries," Halter declared, trying to reassure Maurice.

"I'm coming with you," Maurice declared firmly.

Halter let out a deep sigh. He knew he couldn't dissuade Maurice when she was determined like this.

So that night, they made their way to Juan's house.

"Why is it so dark in Juan's house? Are you sure he's even here?" Maurice asked, noticing that the lights were off.

"This is Juan's only property, so he must be staying here while he recovers," Halter explained calmly as he climbed over the fence.

Maurice and Halter made their way across the yard and knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"For heaven's sake!" Maurice exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice as she kicked the door forcefully.

Halter couldn't help but smile at Maurice's impatience, especially when it came to their child.

The silence inside the house greeted them, and it was apparent that it was unoccupied.

"No one's here! Could Juan have abducted our daughter? We need to find him now!" Maurice's calmness disappeared as they searched the entire house but found no trace of anyone living there.

"Maurice, we don't know yet if Juan is involved in this. But don't worry, I'll find him. For now, go home. I'll head to the pack-house," Halter said seriously.

"No! I'm coming with you!" Maurice declined, refusing to leave Halter's side as they left the house.

Halter let out a frustrated sigh as he watched Maurice's retreating back. He didn't want to leave the premises without thoroughly searching it first. As he turned to go, his eyes landed on a notebook sitting on the side table.

"That's Juan's jornal!" Halter quickened his pace and rushed towards it.

He knew that Juan had a habit of taking notes on his plans and daily accomplishments. He urgently flipped through the pages, hoping to find some clue that could help them. And then, he saw it.

"I knew it!" Halter exclaimed triumphantly.