Chapter 83 The Kitchen Hand
A few hours later, Ryker’s bike drove through the gates of the IronFangs Pack.
He swung off, his boots hitting the ground hard as he dismounted in one fluid motion.
His jaw was clenched so tightly it actually ached, and his shoulders were rigid and stiff from riding the bike all afternoon.
As he stepped down, he stood at the center of the yard and, one by one, his men pulled in behind him, their motorbike engines turning off.
“Report,” Ryker said immediately.
One of them stepped forward first, helmet tucked under his arm as he spoke. “Nothing, Alpha. We tracked every possible route out of the eastern woods. But there’s no scent and no signs of a traveler or runner. It’s like Samson vanished.”
Ryker’s nostrils flared as he hissed in frustration. “What about the south bridge?”
“That’s also empty,” another warrior said. “We split into three units. Checked all the caves, abandoned huts, even the riverbanks. There’s no trail.”
“West border?” Ryker demanded.
“Same story,” one of them answered as he removed his gloves. “If he crossed, he wiped his tracks clean. Or he never left the pack lands at all.”
Ryker’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “He hurt Rex,” he said slowly. “He escaped my prison. And now he’s hiding like a coward.”
They sighed. “We’ll find him.”
“We will,” Ryker agreed darkly. “Even if it means combing every inch of Ashvale. Even if it means crossing into the desert and going through desert, river, and forest until there’s nothing left.”
A few of the men exchanged looks.
“The desert?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” Ryker snapped. “I don’t care if it takes days. I don’t care if it takes weeks. Samson will pay for escaping prison. He will pay for touching Rex. And if he thinks he can disappear,” Ryker laughed scornfully, “he’s wrong.”
They all nodded. “We regroup, resupply, and then we fan out again.”
Ryker turned away abruptly. “Dismissed. You all should get some rest and stay alert.”
Without another word, he strode toward the Alpha Quarters.
The moment he stepped inside, a strange scent hit him.
He sniffed the air for a long moment before he frowned.
“That doesn’t smell like only Lyra,” he mused as he sniffed again.
He didn’t pin it out, but something felt wrong.
“Lyra?” he called out.
But he was only met with silence.
His footsteps slowed. “Lyra?” His voice echoed faintly through the hallway, and there was no answer.
A knot formed in his chest as he climbed the stairs two at a time. He pushed open the door to their room.
It was empty.
The bed was untouched, and the room was too quiet.
“Lyra,” he said again, louder now, panic beginning to creep into his tone.
He checked the washroom, but there was still nothing. The balcony was empty.
His heart began to pound.
He turned sharply and stormed back downstairs. “Dax!” he barked.
He got to the living area and called out to his brother again.
Dax appeared instantly. “What is it?”
“Where’s Lyra?”
Dax frowned, shrugging. “I thought she was with you.”
Ryker shook his head. “She’s clearly not in our quarters.”
They moved quickly through the Alpha residence, checking every room. The study. The sitting area. The library.
Nothing.
“She’s gone,” Ryker said hoarsely.
Dax stopped short. “Gone?”
Ryker’s gaze snapped to a corner of the dining room where a bag lay on the floor.
Rushing toward it, he picked it up and looked at the contents. They all belonged to Lyra.
“She packed,” Ryker said slowly.
“What?!” Dax snapped. “What do you mean by packed? Packed what? To where?”
“This is her bag, and those are her things, Dax. She packed up.”
Dax stared at him. “You think she ran?”
The words felt wrong even as Ryker said them. “Why else would she pack?”
Dax shook his head immediately. “No. That doesn’t make sense.”
Ryker turned to him sharply. “She thought Samson wanted her dead. She might have—”
“No,” Dax cut in. “Lyra wouldn’t abandon the pack like that. And she wouldn’t leave without telling someone. Especially not without telling you.”
Ryker’s chest tightened painfully.
Dax scanned the room again, his eyes narrowing. “Something’s off.”
“I don’t know why she’d pack her bag and then leave without it. Doesn’t make any sense, right?”
Dax nodded, and they moved toward the dining area.
That was when they saw it.
A little trail of blood.
A dark smear near the table leg and a broken glass scattered across the floor, water soaking into the rug.
Ryker froze.
“What the hell…” Dax whispered.
“She fought someone,” Ryker said, his voice dangerously calm.
“But the house is intact,” Dax replied slowly. “No overturned furniture, no broken walls. And Lyra is a hybrid now. Whoever took her would need to be extremely skilled, or she would have left more damage behind.”
Ryker crouched slowly.
His eyes landed on something near the shattered glass.
An apple core that looked greasy.
The scent hit him instantly, and his eyes darkened. “Poison.”
Dax stiffened. “What?”
Ryker held it out. “Smell it.”
Dax took the apple core and sniffed it. His eyes widened. “Goodness…”
His face drained of color. “This smells like mild belladonna. It wasn’t meant to kill immediately,” Dax said quietly. “It was meant to weaken her.”
Ryker stood abruptly. “How did she get the apple?”
Dax shrugged and said, “I have no idea. Last I was here, she wasn’t eating anything, and she looked fine.”
“It’s a maid. Someone must have brought her food.”
Dax looked at him sharply. “It has to be. Someone who had access and maybe someone she trusted.”
Ryker was so angry that he grabbed the apple and stormed out of the Alpha Quarters toward the kitchen.
Every servant froze the moment he entered.
“I want to know,” Ryker said coldly, “who delivered food to the royal quarters today.”
The maids exchanged confused looks.
“No one did, Alpha,” one of them said nervously. “We were instructed not to bring meals upstairs and disturb the Luna.”
Ryker’s eyes bulged in rage. “Someone poisoned the Luna, and she left an apple on the floor.”
Murmurs broke out instantly, and they all looked shocked.
Dax stepped forward angrily. “Lyra is missing. She’s been poisoned, and I need answers!”
The room fell deadly silent, and they all looked terrified and lost.
“Suddenly everyone looks innocent, yes?” Ryker scoffed and threw the crust on the floor. “Someone did that! Bring them out!”
“Every maid is a suspect,” Dax continued, his gaze sweeping over them. “And trust me, I will fish you out. Whoever did this will pay.”