“Is the chief around?” he asked one of the officers when he got inside.
“Yes, Mr. O’Brien. He is even waiting for you right now.” The officer directed Ferdinand to the chief’s office. When Ferdinand got there, there was a man dressed in a different uniform. He stood up and walked past him, leaving the room completely.
“Mr. O’Brien. I immediately went to work when you told me about your granddaughter.”
As he took his seat, Ferdinand inquired. “Who was that?” Referring to the man who has just walked out.
“That is our best man. Detective Saul.”
“I have heard of him,” Patricia said.
“He is preparing to make the search team aware of it. But I do not understand. What makes you think she returned to the city?”
“Because Selena is a party girl. We suspected she had gone there to party or, according to her sister, to use drugs and weed.” Patricia nodded when she saw how the officer reacted. “You cannot completely blame her. She feels this way because her father recently died. Her mother is not someone she could rely on, so she turned to drugs.”
“Just help us find her. That is why I am paying you. Find my granddaughter as soon as you can.” He rose from his chair. His hand reached for the bag Patricia was holding. As she handed it to him, he took some cash and threw it on the table for the chief. “I want you to find her as soon as possible.”
* * * *
Isabel went from left to right in a panic. She said, “Selena is okay.” repeatedly. She spoke out loud, “She is okay right?” She turned to face Hania, who had just run down the stairs. “She did not leave her house as they said, right?”
“Mum. Selena is doing well. She is going to be. She is the strongest person I know.”
Isabel let out a gasp. “Don’t tell me...” She covered her mouth immediately.
Hania shook her head. “That is not possible. The Alpha would not pursue her. That is not the way he does his things. I don’t think her disappearance has anything to do with werewolves. I called Jade a while ago, and she talked about drugs and stuff like that. She claimed to have discovered a bottle of alcohol inside Selena’s closet.”
Isabel pounded her chest as she blamed herself. “It is completely my fault. Hania, this is my fault. If she had been going through this and I had been there for her, she would not have done those things.”
“Mom. This is not the time for you to get emotional and blame yourself. This is the time to go to my grandfather’s house and look for my sister.” She walked away from Isabel’s sight. As she approached the door and flung it open, she returned her attention to Isabel. “We will find her.”
As they walked toward the car, Isabel let Hania drive. She was afraid that her mixed mind would cause some accidents on the road. She remained silent throughout the trip, and when they arrived in front of the mansion, she got down. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch. Isabel’s eyes scanned the entrance. There were no monkshoods or mountain ash.
“This is odd,” she commented.
“What is this?”
“Your grandmother always kept mountain ash in front of her door for protection, and she never forgot to use it, but it is not here anymore.”
“Perhaps Jade did not like it, so they took it off. You know how old-fashioned things make her feel.” Hania knocked on the door and it opened. She noticed Riot. “Are you the only one home?” She cast her gaze around. “Where are Jade and the others?”
“Mr. O’Brien has left for the station. Jade and the rest of Selena’s friends drove away with her car. I am not sure where they went, but they were in such a hurry.”
“How long ago did this happen?”
“Two hours ago. They have not returned yet.” Riot said.
Hania nodded as she walked into the mansion. Her last visit was last summer. Her father insisted they spend the holiday together, but Hania wanted to improve her combat skills. She could not do it at home due to Selena and Jade. They would find out if there were any weapons at home.
She gently opened the door to her father’s room as she walked towards it. The room was a little scattered which made Hania realize that Selena had not been in it in a long time. She sat on the bed, scanning the surroundings. “Selena, where are you right now? Please be careful.” Hania swung her leg, which hit something. As she bent down to see what her leg touched, she reached beneath the bed and drew out a box.
Hania suddenly remembered that she had informed Selena about the box. She yelled out immediately. “Mom, I believe that I might know something.”
“So, what is it?” Isabel came in. She was shocked to see her box. "How did Selena find out about it?”
“I told her. I did not realize she would look for it.”
“What did you find?”
“I think she read your diary. Will she find something about what we do?”
Isabel shakes her head. “I have never written anything personal. I knew that someone would eventually read it. Selena doesn’t know about what we do.”
* * * *
“Max will be asked to take over until Titus recovers, but she refuses,” Alexander explained to Uncle Theodore.
“Why not?”
“Her wolf has not returned yet, but that is a good thing, right? It gives us the opportunity to make me rule. Tyler is unable to rule. He is a Gamma.”
“I guess I will have to speak with the council about taking Titus out for a while so you can take over. Have you found anything about Easton yet?”
Alexander shakes his head. “He is extremely hard to find. It is as if he wiped himself out of this earth.”
“Or perhaps I was actually successful in killing him.”
“It is a small town, Uncle Theodore. The witch said he was here. I suppose he is trying so hard to keep himself hidden. "I suppose he does not want to be found.”
“What else has she said about him?”
“If I bring him into the pack, there will be distractions. The pack will be ruined. She told me not to do it, but I can understand why. She does not want me to be the one to rule. She prefers Titus to rule.”
“Then I guess it is time we inform the council.”
“What? No. We can not do that.” Alexander got up off the couch. “We cannot allow them to get aware of him. They might use that as an excuse to kick me out instead. You are aware of their hatred for me.”
Uncle Theodore gave a chuckle. “For the time being, our most pressing issues are resolved. I have a council member who listens to me. He owes me something, and I believe this is the time to ask him to repay me.”