Chapter 132 Gone

Chapter 132 Gone
Dalton 

I walked several miles and climbed up for so long that I lost track of time. The snow didn’t make it any easier; it was like fighting with the goddess herself. I was crippled with fear that I might miss the birth of my pup. I had tried linking with James so many times, but he had gone blank on me, and by now I got the message: he was taking my lady for himself, and I would be damned if I let that happen.

By the time I made it back to the top of the cliff, I was sore all over and limp. I lay in the snow trying to catch my breath. I could hear a lot of footsteps approaching, but I could barely perceive who they were because of how tired I was and how crisp the snow had made the air feel.

“Dalton!” I could hear Edmund call out my name. I smiled when I realized it was him, but I was too fatigued to say a word. They run up to me as I lay quietly down in the snow with a smile on my face. They all knelt around me as Edmund squatted right beside where my head lay.  

“We broke into Ronald’s camp to find everyone gone; it looks like he moves ahead of us every single time. We were tearing down their camp to find any traces of them when we heard the convoy and Ronald announcing his victory at the Square.”

I wasn’t bothered about anything he was narrating to me; I was only angry that I let myself get ambushed like that. It was supposed to be me ambushing them, but this is no time for regrets and gnashing of teeth. I slowly sat up and let out a quiet growl.

"I saw his troop searching the valley for my remains I guess, but I tried masking my scent with the environment. Today they’re all not here. I wonder why,” I yapped on and on.

“That may be because of the mating ritual.” 
I shot Edmund a look, wondering what he was talking about. I hoped that I had heard him right.

“I’m sorry, what?” 
Edmund nodded, and so did the rest of the troop. Ronald was going to claim a mate and consummate the bond in front of the pack so he could be crowned Alpha of the pack in the shortest possible time. I never thought he was that desperate to take everything, and who even allowed him to take her as a mate? Was it Lucy?

“Yes, Dalton, he’s holding a mating ritual, and soon Lucy will be the pack’s luna. We will either have to stall the ceremony or just let them have the pack because at this point I don’t know what else to do.” Edmund explained.

I will be damned if I let Lucy and Ronad take the rightful place of Sparkle and me. I staggered to my feet this time with fire burning in my heart. “What time is the ceremony?”

“This evening, but the exact time is still not certain yet. It was not communicated openly, but it will certainly be deep in the night when the moon is brightest.” One of the wolves in the troop replied. 
I wondered if it would be possible to find Sparkle before that time, then,

“Maybe we should be on our way back to the pack before…”
“No, take me to the Hans Motel first.” I cut Edmund before he could land, and this drew curious stares and gasps from the rest of the troop. 

“Hans Motel?” They exclaimed in exasperation, wondering why I wanted to go there, but I had no time to explain.

“Let’s just go; I will explain on the way.” But I stopped in my tracks again; I can’t go with such a huge number of wolves; that would be indirectly announcing my presence. I learned a thing or two from Ronald. Move in silence and arrive with a celebration. He made all his moves silently and celebrated loudly whenever he succeeded, and that’s exactly what I will do from now on. 

“Edmund, our troop can’t go with us to the motel,” I said. “I don’t want that much attention.”

“So where do you want them to go?” Edmund asked. I thought of many possible places they could be and decided on something unconventional.

“Let them lie low in Ronald’s former camp.”
Edmund raised his eyebrows at me; it seemed that whatever I was saying didn’t make sense to him. 
“Why not the pack house? They can stop the ritual if they wait over there.”

“And that’s exactly what Ronald will expect me to do; that’s why I have to do something different, something he wouldn’t expect me to do.”

Edmund nodded with a smirk and went back to the crew to instruct them. I waited till he was done relaying my message, then we stopped a car and left the rest behind. 

“After this, then what next?” Edmund asked while I ignored him and thought of what to do next. I need to lure Ronald out of his house. I need to get him isolated and deal with him once and for all. This has to end somehow.

“Ronald is claiming Lucy as his luna, right?” I whispered under my breath, looking for a clear confirmation that the bride was actually Lucy.

“From all indications, she’s the one. Does it bother you?” Edmund whispered back, but I shook my head. I noticed the driver stealing glances at us, so I bowed my head, hoping it would make it harder for him to figure out who I was.

“Hans Motel?” He asked as if our destination would change. 
“Right,” Edmund replied as he kept driving, 

“Do you think Lucy is on our side? Or she’s with Ronald now?” I asked Edmund, who looked lost.

“Don’t tell me you want Lucy now.”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be on my way to the Hans Motel,” I snapped back.

“Great, I forgot to ask, why are we headed for that place?” Before I could answer him, the car halted, and we shifted our focus to the driver, who pointed to the Motel.

“That’s it.” He said, we thanked him profusely and climbed out. I dashed for the entrance with Edmund on my tail, trying to catch up.

We headed straight for the reception and were received by a young lady who was so surprised to see me. I placed a finger on my lip. Signaling her to be quiet about my presence, she nodded and kept still.

“Has anyone been here by the name James Arthur, or Sparkle Engler?”

Her eyes lit up, and she nodded, “Yes, yes, yes, they were here for about 5 days, but they left about 2 days ago.”

I slammed my fist on the table. “What?” How could I have missed them? “Do you know where they went?”

The lady shook her head, and Edmund placed his hand on my shoulder. “I get the whole picture now, but we can’t go looking for Sparkle when we don’t even know where they went. We have to go back to the pack”

Now I had to choose; it was either Sparkle or the Pack.