Missing
Chapter 93:
Kael reached for her hand as they turned to leave. “You did well,” he whispered. “You didn’t give them what they wanted.”
Aria’s lips curved faintly. “I wasn’t trying to.”
They stepped into the corridor, the heavy doors closing behind them. The noise of debate resumed within, muffled but urgent. Aria could almost hear Elder Ilyra's sharp tone rising above the rest, demanding for her head.
Ryn joined them a moment later, his boots crunching lightly over the gravel. “You handled them better than I expected,” he said.
“That almost sounded like a compliment,” Kael muttered, earning the faintest flicker of amusement from Ryn.
“I meant it,” the Beta said. “Most would’ve crumbled in front of Ilyra. You didn’t even flinch.”
Aria’s gaze was distant. “I’ve faced worse.”
Kael’s brow lifted. “Still. I’d rather face a blade than a council of wolves who think they’re gods.”
“Don’t tempt fate,” Ryn warned, he laid a hand on Aria’s shoulder. “You can go rest, they’ll probably argue all night.”
“Sure…”Kael snorted and replied sarcastically, “Rest? While they decide if they’ll let us keep breathing? Let's rest while they come to a decision about our lives without our input.”
“Kael…” Aria began.
He huffed, cutting her off and said more quietly. “They want to decide whether they can control you or not. They're weighing the pros and cons of how much of you they can control.”
Aria met his eyes steadily, “Then maybe it’s time they learned they can’t.”
Outside, the sun had already fallen behind the wall, leaving the courtyard washed in gold light. It was empty, the evening drills already ended. The theee of them walked without speaking until they reached the edge of the training yard.
Only then did Ryn reach out, lightly catching her arm before she could pass him. “They’re just afraid,” he said.
“They should be,” she replied softly.
Before Ryn could respond, a shout rang out from across the courtyard. “Beta! Lady Vale!”
A young runner was sprinting towards them, his chest heaving, eyes wide. Kael moved first, intercepting him, catching him on the shoulder. “Slow down. What is it?”
The boy gasped for breath. “The healers…”he bent over over, gasping. “They say the Alpha’s… Alpha is gone from his room.”
Aria’s heart stopped and restarted. “Gone?” She repeated. “What do you mean gone?”
“The…they said he’s not there!” the boy stammered, shrinking back with fear in his eyes. “No one saw him leave, and they don’t know how he walked out. The door was locked from the inside, and…” he swallowed hard, “and the window’s still shut.”
Kael’s hand tightened on the boy’s shoulder. “Show us.”
They broke into a run. The path to the infirmary blurred past them, forgotten. By the time they reached the hall, several healers were already gathered outside, their faces pale and anxious.
Aria pushed through before anyone could stop her. “Where is he?” She opened the door and froze.
Lucien’s bed was empty.
The matron, a woman with grey-streaked hair and trembling hands, looked up from wringing a bloodstained cloth. “I don’t know,” she said hoarsely. “He was asleep when I checked at dawn. Two hours later, gone.”
Aria scanned the room. The bed was empty, the sheets lay rumpled. The scent of herbs hung thick in the air, almost as if it was used to mask something else. She knelt beside the bed, running her fingers lightly over the sheets. It was cold.
“He couldn't have just vanished,” she murmured. “There’s no blood trail, no sign of struggle.”
Kael paced the lenght of the room, his hand dropping automatically to his blade. “Someone came in. Took him, or helped him walk out. He didn’t walk out on his own. Couldn't have. He was too weak to even stand.”
Ryn crouched beside the window, inspecting the latch. “It's locked. From the inside.” He gazed down at the floor, “No drag marks either, and no sign of struggle.”
“Then whoever came didn’t use it,” Aria said. “They came through the door.”
The matron shook her head. “That door’s been guarded all day. No one entered but us.”
Ryn straightened and cursed softly. “The guards…” at the same time Kael demanded, “Who was on guard?”
“Derrick and Miel,” Ryn answered grimly. “Two of our best.”
Aria turned sharply. “Then find them.”
“They’re gone too,” Ryn said quietly. “I mindlinked one of the gammas on the way here, his response just came in.”
That silence that followed was deafening. Aria stood slowly, her breath shallow. “You mean they disappeared?”
He nodded. “No sign of them anywhere on the grounds. I’ve already sent scouts.”
She clenched her fists, “So three wolves vanish from a locked room in the middle of a fortified compound. And no one saw anything.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the room again. “That's not possible. They must have dropped something. Made a mistake somewhere, it was a rush job.”
Aria’s gaze suddenly caught on something glinting faintly by the bedpost. She bent to pick it up, a small silver coin, old and worn. Its surface was engraved with the faint outline of a crescent moon.
She turned it over once, twice. “This wasn’t his.”
Ryn frowned. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve seen this before,” she murmured. “Damien’s followers used to mark their scouts with it, a token of allegiance.”
Kael swore under his breath. “So they’ve been inside our walls the whole time.”
Ryn’s expression darkened. “That’s not possible. I vetted every healer myself!”
“Someone lied,” Aria said sharply. “Or someone’s protecting them.”
She moved toward the door, her pulse pounding in her ears. “Get me every record from the past two days, eveyone who came in, who left, every shift change.”
Ryn hesitated. “Aria…”
She turned, her voice low but fierce. “Lucien is missing. Your Alpha is missing. Do you want to stand here arguing, or do you want to find him?”
He didn’t answer, just nodded once and strode off down the corridor, barking orders.
Kael stayed close, his tone quiet but edged. “If Damien’s got him…”
“He doesn’t,” she said instantly, though her voice trembled. “He can’t.”
Kael’s eyes softened a little. “Then who?”
She looked down at the coin again, the crescent gleaming faintly in the dim light. “Someone who wants him alive.”
Kael frowned. “Alive?”
She nodded. “If they wanted him dead, they’d have left a body for us to find.”
He stepped closer. “Then what do they want?”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Me.”
Outside, a sharp whistle echoed, two short ones, Ryn’s signal. Aria and Kael hurried out into the courtyard where the Beta stood with two scouts. One of them pointed toward the outer wall.
“We found tracks,” the scout said. “Three sets. One heavier, dragging slightly, like someone half-carried. They lead east, toward the ridge.”
Kael’s tone was grim. “Fresh?”
“Less than an hour old.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Then we can still catch them.”
Aria’s pulse thundered. “Get your strongest wolves. And torches.”
Ryn hesitated again, “If we ride out now, the Council…”
“They can deliberate themselves into dust,” she cut in. “We’re not waiting.”
Kael met Ryn’s eyes. “You heard her.”
Ryn hesitated only a second more, then nodded sharply. “I'll prepare a small team.”
As he moved to obey, Aria looked once more toward the dark horizon where the ridge lay. The sun was gone completely now, the last of its light disappearing behind the trees.
Kael stood beside her, the torchlight flickering across his face. “We’ll find him,” he said.
Her grip tightened on the reins. “We have to.”