Chapter 68 - Lost II - The Royal Hybrid

Hayden’s POV

We headed to Zaya’s tower only to find it empty. Not only wasn’t she there, but her shelves were cleared out and her grimoire, which had always been on the small stand in the middle of the room, was also gone.

“What happened here?” Gabriel muttered to himself.

“I have no idea,” I whispered and looked around. “Did she leave or something?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I saw her not long ago, so if that is the case, she must have left recently,” he sighed. “I don’t think she would though. Not with Tatiana’s funeral happening tomorrow.”

“I-“

“I didn’t leave,” a voice echoed, startling us both as we stared into the empty room in front of us.

Within the blink of an eye, a light fog appeared and within it, things began shuffling around. The empty shelves were once again filled, the grimoire was back to where it had always been, and in front of it was Zaya standing with a small smile on her face.

“How did you…” I gaped. “You were just-“

“Gone I know,” she interrupted. “It is a small spell I have developed after recent events.”

“I’m not sure I would call this spell a small one,” Gabriel huffed. “You made everything vanish, including yourself.”

“I did yes,” she nodded. “My powers… My stuff… It has been used for evil one too many times. I did consider leaving, but I couldn’t possibly do that with a good conscience considering this is where I am meant to be. It is my duty to stay here and, besides, this is my family. So instead, I made myself a safety net or more like my own personal security system,” she shrugged as if it was nothing.

“I’m impressed,” I admitted. “Never knew that such a thing was possible.”

“We never knew disappearing into the thin air was possible either,” Gabriel pointed out, earning himself a glare from Zaya. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“I know what you meant,” she stated, raising her hand. “I take no offense. After all, it is the truth. I developed spells and potions in secret that were used against me in the end. Had I not kept it a secret then maybe…” she trailed off and I watched as the guilt presented itself all over Gabriel’s face. “Anyway, why did you come here? You don’t usually climb those stairs just for a simple visit.”

“Well,” Gabriel began, and looked at me.

I had no idea how to begin this and I could tell that he didn’t either. After all, how did you tell someone that you had a feeling that a dead person was alive without sounding absolutely insane?

“Well?” she repeated, waiting patiently.

“We think, well I think,” I rambled.

“We think Tatiana might be alive,” Gabriel blurted out. “Before you say that we sound crazy or that it isn’t possible, then please just hear us out because we have some-“

“It doesn’t sound insane actually,” she muttered and turned her back to us.

She began flipping around in the grimoire as she spoke.

“I had the same feeling. Well, this wasn’t exactly a feeling, it was more like a suspicion, but before I continue, I would like to know how you two have come to this conclusion.”

“See,” Gabriel exclaimed. “I told you!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I sighed, having to admit my defeat.

“Guys,” she demanded, glaring at us over her shoulder.

“Sorry,” we both mumbled.

“It was actually Hayden who first felt it,” he said and nodded at me, encouraging me to take over, and so I did. I told her everything I had written down, and every little suspicion I had had since Tatiana disappeared, and when I got to the part about Kathleen tracking down Tatiana, Zaya stopped in her tracks and turned around.

“You think she has something to do with it?” she asked, her brows raised.

“I do,” I nodded. “I promise you, there was no way she could have tracked her all that way from Killian’s pack. I was even surprised to find Tati in that cave, and I was right there. I’m telling you, there was no scent.”

“So the only way for her to know where Tatiana was back then, was because she knew where she was headed, yeah?”

“Yes, that is my thought exactly.”

“If what you too are saying turns out to be the truth, then we have bigger problems than we had first thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Killian didn’t keep Tatiana because he needed her power but because her power was the only way to stop him…” she shook her head and took a deep breath. “Once he learns about her death or disappearance, which I suspect he already knows, he will come, and we will have no way to stop him. And to make matters worse, as far as we know, he could already be on his way here.”

“Then what do we do?” Gabriel asked. “Do we put up scouts along the borders?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “We need to tell the Luna and Alpha about this and fast.”

“And what about our suspicions regarding Tatiana?” I questioned. “Do we tell them that too?”

I watched as her brows furrowed and her lips turned into a thin line.

“You don’t want them to know, do you?” Gabriel asked in a low voice, and she shook her head.

“As far as they know, she is dead, and it needs to continue to stay that way. Not only could it jeopardize everything if Killian was to know that there was even the slightest possibility of her still being alive, but also, if we are wrong about this, we will give them hope that they do not need. Not now, and especially not if we are wrong.”

“It would be like losing her twice,” I mumbled.

“Exactly.”

“So what is your plan then?”

“We are gonna go now, talk to the Luna and Alpha, and let them know about our suspicions regarding Killian and Kathleen. We don’t say anything else but that and we need to make sure that Kathleen is far away from the sacred hall so she doesn’t hear.”

“Can’t you just cast a spell?”

“No, it would be too risky. If she were to walk in, she would either be engulfed by the magic, or she would be able to sense it. When it comes to magic… It can be unpredictable, to say the least, so I won’t take that chance. Actually, I don’t think either of us should take any chances, so when we leave here, we don’t rush. We act normally and we go our separate ways. We can’t have people chatting in the corners, so you will have to meet me there. I will wait for you.”

And with that, she headed for the door not speaking another word.

“What about everything in here?” I asked.

“What about it?” she shrugged as she opened the door.

I looked back to point at the book but as I did, I noticed how everything again was gone and how the grey fog crept back to its corners in the now empty room.

“Damn,” Gabriel shuttered next to me. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Me neither,” I admitted and nodded towards the door. “Let’s go.”

The silence was deafening. Alpha Shane looked completely drained, yet his face had filled with anger for every word that had come out of our mouths and our Luna was so still that it was hard to tell if she was even breathing.

“So,” he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are telling me that Killian might be on his way here now?”

“I’m afraid so,” Zaya nodded. "I mean we knew there was a possibility of this happening after Tatiana first returned, but now, it doesn't just seem like a possibility anymore."

“And that Kathleen-” he spoke her name with such venom and disgust that I involuntarily took a step back. “-Has been the spy all along?”

“Yes, at least that is how it seems.”

“Seems or is?” he growled.

“Shane,” Talia said slowly as she put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. “Don’t take it out on them. If they are right, we have the chance to fight back, to at least try and defend the pack.”

“But how do you expect us to do that, Talia?” he sighed. “If it is true that Tatiana’s powers were the only thing that could stop him…”

“I can see your worries, I can feel them, but we have been here once before Shane, and against someone bigger and greater than Killian. You need to remember that and also, you need to remember that Tatiana wasn’t the only one with magic.”

“You can’t,” he exclaimed at the same time as Zaya.

“With all due respect,” Zaya continued, taking a step forward. “We have talked about this before Luna. After birthing the twins, your body weakened and your connection to-“

“I know,” she interrupted and stood up. “But if I can somehow contact the moon goddess again, then she could help. She did it once before.”

“No,” Shane stated. “I won’t allow it. You could be killed.”

“We could all be killed if nothing is done, Shane,” she said, shaking her head. “I am not afraid of dying. Both of my children have met with death and if my sacrifice ensures the survival of our pack, then that is something I am willing to do.”

“I can’t lose you too,” he whispered.

This was the first time I had ever seen him this weak; this defeated. He always, even after the death of Lucas, even after Tatiana, had kept his head high and strong for the people, but now another man was standing in front of me. Now all that could be seen was a man who had lost so much already and now feared to lose what he had left. His mate, his pack, his family. And I couldn’t blame him.

Luna Talia walked over to him, put her hands on each side of his face, and rested her forehead on his chest.

“Let me at least try,” she begged. “For us, for our family, for Lucas and Tatiana.”

And that was all that was needed in order to settle it.