Chapter 28 The Search
Lila shared what she knew. The late-night visits. The locked chambers. The servants who were paid to stay quiet. The guards who conveniently looked the other way. Margot wrote it all down, her expression growing more satisfied with each detail.
"This is good. Better than I expected." Margot closed the notebook. "Give me three days. I'll have evidence even the council can't ignore."
"And the letters? When do we search for those?"
"After we expose the affair. While Celeste is distracted defending herself, I'll search her chambers. She'll be too busy to notice documents going missing." Margot moved toward the door. "Trust me, Lila. I'm very good at finding things people want hidden."
She paused at the door, looking back. "You're playing a dangerous game. Allying with me. Using information as currency. Abandoning your morals to win."
"I'm doing what I have to do."
"Just remember that when you make deals with vipers, you risk getting bitten." Margot's smile was sharp. "I'll honor our agreement. But don't mistake me for a friend. I'm a tool you're using, and you're a tool I'm using. Nothing more."
"I understand."
"Good. Then we have an understanding." Margot opened the door.
Maya burst into the room before Margot could leave. The servant's face was white with panic, her breath coming in gasps like she'd been running.
"Prince Theo is missing." The words tumbled out frantically. "The Queen is hysterical. They're searching everywhere. Guards. Servants. Everyone." Maya grabbed Lila's arm. "They think he's been kidnapped."
Lila ran. She didn't care about council restrictions or consequences. She raced through corridors toward the south wing, Margot and Maya following close behind. The palace was chaos. Guards rushing in every direction. Servants being questioned. Celeste's screams echoing through stone halls.
"When did they notice he was gone?" Lila demanded as they ran.
"An hour ago. The nursemaid went to check on him after he'd been sleeping. The crib was empty. Window still locked. Door still secured from outside. He just vanished." Maya's voice shook. "They're saying dark magic. Saying someone took him through supernatural means."
"That's ridiculous." But fear clawed at Lila's throat. Through the pack bond, she felt Theo's presence. Distant. Confused. But alive. Still in the palace somewhere. "He's here. I can feel him through the bond. He hasn't left the grounds."
They reached the south wing. Celeste stood in the nursery doorway, her face streaked with tears, Garrett holding her upright. Guards filled the room, examining every surface for clues.
"Where is my son?" Celeste's voice was ragged from screaming. "Someone took my baby. Find him. Find him now."
Adrian appeared at the end of the corridor, still dressed in his formal council robes. The moment he saw the chaos, his face went white. Through their mate bond, Lila felt his absolute terror crash into her. Not calm kingly concern. Pure, primal fear for his child.
"Report." His voice came out as a growl. "What happened?"
"Prince Theo is missing, Your Majesty." The head guard stepped forward. "We've searched his chambers. Found no signs of forced entry or struggle. The child simply disappeared from his locked room."
"He's one year old. He can barely walk. Someone took him." Adrian's hands clenched into fists. Through the bond, Lila felt his wolf rising. Felt the beast taking over as paternal instinct overwhelmed human restraint.
"Your Majesty, we're doing everything—"
Adrian didn't wait for the guard to finish. His body convulsed. Bones cracked and reformed. His formal robes tore as his body expanded. In seconds, a massive black wolf stood where the King had been. His eyes glowed gold, wild and feral and barely controlled.
Celeste gasped. Guards stepped back. No one had seen Adrian's wolf in years. He kept it buried under layers of control and duty. But the threat to his son had shattered every restraint.
The wolf's head lifted, scenting the air. Then he moved, flowing through the palace with predatory grace. Guards scrambled to follow. Celeste ran after him, still crying. Lila followed too, the pack bond with Theo pulling her in the same direction Adrian was going.
They moved through corridors and courtyards. Adrian's wolf tracked scent invisible to human noses. His massive paws left scratches on stone floors. His growls echoed off walls. He was magnificent and terrifying, more beast than man, driven entirely by the need to find his cub.
The trail led outside. Across the main courtyard. Past the guard posts and training yards. To the far eastern section of the palace grounds where old gardens lay forgotten and overgrown.
Lila's heart stopped. The forgotten garden. Her old sanctuary. The place where she and Adrian had first started meeting in secret.
The wolf pushed through overgrown hedges. Lila followed, ignoring thorns that tore at her dress. They emerged in a small clearing where a stone bench sat beside a dry fountain.
Theo sat on the ground near the fountain, playing with pebbles. Completely unharmed. Perfectly safe. He looked up when they arrived and smiled, reaching tiny hands toward the massive wolf.
"Papa." The word was clear despite his young age. "Papa wolf."