Chapter 7: Chapter Six

The Search for Clues

Harry didn’t have enough energy to leave the Hideout. How could Elena have done this to them? He ran his hands through his thick, black hair. If news of her disappearance leaked, life as they knew would change for the worst. He sat at the head of the table and pondered through the events of that morning.

He’d been dead lifting weights at the gym when Edgar had informed him of Elena’s disappearance. At first he thought he’d imagined it all. Elena had seemed so happy recently. It looked like she’d finally fallen in love with Edgar. Peace had reigned between the packs for three years now. He’d enjoyed the freedom. Every wolf he knew appreciated the peace and freedom. It felt good to move around the continent without having to worry about their own safety, or the safety of their pack.

Elena’s thirst for adventure had placed Edgar in a rather compromising predicament. Harry sighed. He couldn’t just sit here. He needed to get out there and do something to help Edgar find Elena.

“Like what?” he asked himself. Like, search for clues, his mind replied. Elena had never been as mysterious as she’d hoped she was. She left loose ends. Only someone who shared a close relationship with her would be able to identify the subtle inconsistencies in Elena’s disappearance. Detectives called these inconsistencies clues.

Where could she be? He closed his eyes and pictured her face framed by her midnight black hair that hung to her waist. To find her he had to think like her. He needed to be in the last place she’d been. Perhaps her essence and scent still lingered in the atmosphere there. He’d be able to read her essence if it was strong enough.

Harry locked the Hideout and decided to begin his search at the house Elena had shared with Edgar. Even if she’d planned to run away a few months ago, she’d still have needed a place to keep stuff like her passport, luggage, and other necessities. Elena London never travelled light. The more ambitious her next venture, the more clothes and shoes she needed on hand. He sat inside his car and drove to Long Island. If Edgar were already there, he’d pretend he was just checking up on him.

His memories wandered to the night of the Blue Moon Ball. Elena had been the most beautiful wolf at the ball. All eyes had been on her but she’d reserved her attention for one Alpha…

Harry had been trying to get her to dance with him all night. Instead her gaze had never once moved off Edgar Callen. He’d found out why the next morning when news of their union had spread like wildfire. The more he thought about that night the more he realized that Elena hadn’t made a spur of the moment suggestion to Edward. She’d planned for that moment from the time she’d learned of the Blue Moon Ball. How else had the press got wind of the story within minutes of Edgar accepting her proposal? The more Harry thought about it, the more sense it made to him. Elena wasn’t a spontaneous adventurer. She planned her next steps meticulously. The only reason Harry had figured her nature out was because he’d been keeping a close eye on her himself.

Harry snapped back to the present moment when he reached Edgar’s somewhat modest home. Edgar hadn’t returned home yet. Harry didn’t waste another minute. He searched for the key Edgar kept in the planter for Elena because she always lost hers, and let himself inside the house. Her scent lingered in every room. It was almost as if she’d been there that very morning. He closed his eyes and searched for her essence.

Strange, he thought, as images of Elena flickered on and off in his head. It was almost as if she’d been there and never been there at the same time. How is this possible? Harry wondered. He sniffed the air again and again. What was that smell? He sneezed. It smelt like a mixture of Thyme, bleach, and black tea. He checked for any signs of magic or spells…and found none. Had Elena somehow erased her essence?

No. She hadn’t erased anything, Harry realized as he neared the living room. The sickening smell grew stronger. The devious fake Luna had resorted to trickery to fool anyone who tried to track her essence. She’d planted Wolfsbane throughout the house!

Harry rushed outside. He couldn’t call Edgar and tell him he’d broken into his house. He had only one option. He grabbed Edgar’s customized Hazmat suit from the shed, put it on over his clothes, then made his way inside the house and searched for the Wolfsbane.

He gasped for air when his sheathed fingers pulled the first sprig from under the cushions on the love seat. The Wolfsbane still affected him despite the protective armor. Had she been trying to kill Edgar? Or simply get him to fall into a deep sleep? Perhaps this explained why Edgar hadn’t heard or suspected a thing. Judging from the dried leaves, Elena must have planted the Wolfsbane inside the house more than a week ago. Harry placed the Wolfsbane inside a plastic bag and continued searching for more. Hives covered his body as his bag filled up with the poisonous plant. His vision blurred. Still, Harry refused to give up. He had to find Elena. Not just for Edgar or for keeping the peace between the rival packs…

Once he’d sniffed out all the Wolfsbane, he lit a fire in the backyard and set it alight.

He may have been jealous of Edgar when Elena had chosen him all those years ago. But he certainly didn’t want him to suffer a painful death because of the Wolfsbane. Had Elena really planned on getting rid of Edgar? he asked himself. Perhaps her happy smiles had been all for show? Wouldn’t I have seen the signs? Harry wondered. Surely, Elena would have given him some hints that things were not going so well for her with Edgar.

Every wolf knew that there was no antidote for Wolfsbane poisoning. Elena had used enough Wolfsbane in this house to poison an army.

He tore off the Hazmat suit and took a nice long shower before resuming his search for clues. Her essence floated around the house like luminescent glowing bubbles. Harry touched each one, hoping to find something of value…

…And found nothing.

If not her essence, where would he find what he’d been searching for?

He flopped on the nearest couch. Perhaps Elena had changed her ways, become more careful, and cleaned up behind herself. Harry didn’t have the energy to think anymore. He’d try to make sense of why Elena had planted Wolfsbane in hers and Edgar’s house later. The Wolfsbane had drained most of his energy. He had no idea where else to search. His eyes grew heavy with sleep. He needed to sleep.

His phone vibrated in his pocket hours later. Harry stretched his arms before opening his eyes and found himself staring at Edgar Callen.

“What are you doing here?” Edgar asked.

Harry froze.