News At Last

News At Last
BRUCE
It's been a week since Opal left, and we have no news of her at all. 
My nights have all been sleepless. I can't rest, knowing that I have no idea where to find her at all. I don't know if she's safe or hurt. The car she took with her was found abandoned in the middle of the most dangerous part of the city, and she was nowhere to be seen, of course. 
I have a feeling that something bad has happened. I don't know why, but I feel it deep inside of me. 
The door to my office opens and my mother walks in. She gives me a stern look. "I've been knocking for the past five minutes."
I didn't hear a thing. 
"Walter is here. He has a plan that could—"
"Mom, I already told you a million times that I don't want that man around here!"
"He could help us look! Why are you being so stubborn!?"
I stand up. Rage is making my entire body shake. "Because I know what happens if he gets to her before I do, and I don't want that, so don't tell me he's here again! Send him away, Mom, or I swear to you I'll walk out of this office and tear his head from his body!"
Hurt is written all over her face along with disappointment. She nods tensely, then says, "I hope that one day, you'll realize just how stupid you're being, son. Sacrificing an entire kingdom for some hussy who's not worth your time."
"I'll be the judge of that. And Mom? Don't ever talk about my queen that way again."
She walks out of the office, leaving me alone with my anger and resentment. Since my argument with Quinton that day, I haven't said a single word to him since. I don't know if he believes that I would really hurt Opal or not. All I know is that she has gone some place where even he can't find her. 
The longer I wait, the worse I feel. 
What's the point of being in such a powerful position if I can't save the woman I love?
I've never felt more useless in my entire life?
This time around, I do hear the knocking on the door. It's Megan. As she walks into my office, I tell her, "I'll be leaving soon. I don't have much time to talk."
Her eyes widen. "Bruce, you've been out for three days straight. You didn't even have time to sleep!"
I frown. "Sleep? Do you think I can do that when my wife is somewhere out there, alone and assuming the worst of me? If I don't look for her, who will? Who can I trust with a task of this magnitude? Who, Megan?"
"I'm afraid for you, Bruce," she admits softly. "You could drop dead of exhaustion and stress. You need to rest, brother. Eat something."
"I'll rest when she's safe and sound in my arms."
I start walking toward the door and she says quickly, "The reason why I came here is because Quint wants to help. He realizes now that he made a mistake and he feels guilty. Let him help, Bruce."
"Help?" I bark. "I don't want him anywhere near this search. Do you understand me? Tell him that. Make sure you're loud and clear, Megan. If he gets anywhere near her again, I'll fucking kill him."
"He couldn't have known, Bruce," Megan says desperately behind me. We're walking through the house now and I'm heading toward the front door where a group of my men are waiting. "He just wanted to save her! He had no wicked intentions. Surely you understand that. Dammit, wouldn't it have been worse if he was against her the same way I was in the beginning?"
I stop and whirl around to face her. My sister watches me with a hopeful look in her eyes. 
"It would've been better if he minded his business. If he had, then I wouldn't be here, looking for her every second of every day, wondering if she's dead."
"He feels so bad, Bruce. Please, give him a chance."
"No," I grit out. "Tell him to shove his guilt up his ass."
I turn away before she can say anything else and head outside. The group of Gammas who have been following me everywhere are lined up, waiting for me. There are more of them spread out there, but these guys are always with me.
"Attention!" I yell. "We'll be exploring the southern territories this time around. I want to make sure that every rogue camp we come across is searched. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Alpha King!" they reply in unison. 
Over their heads, I see someone running toward us. He's dirty, not wearing uniform, and his beard is long. 
That's when I realize that it's Rick, my Beta. 
I start toward him. His one task for the last several weeks was to find out where the rogue leader, Kyle Dresmond, has been hiding, and he was told by me to come here with an answer or not at all. 
I'm guessing he has answers, then. 
But right now, the war with the rogues aren't my priority. The attacks have all been handled by the Alphas. My attention is elsewhere and I need all my available resources to find Opal. 
The abandoned car in the middle of the road is the only reason why I'm not discarding the possibility that she was taken by rogues. 
"Rick!" I exclaim once I'm close enough to him. 
"I came as soon as I heard," he replies, breathing harshly. "I have information for you, Alpha King, but I don't know how you're going to take this. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help the queen."
"What are you talking about?" I ask, frowning. 
"I know where the Luna Queen is," he says, getting straight to the point. "You can't imagine how surprised I was when I found her and the rogue leader at the same time."
My heart beats faster and I don't feel a sense of relief at all. "Where are they?"
"Deep in the woods. I know the way. We'll have to be careful, or they'll be alarmed and leave. It can only be me and you."
I run a hand down my face. No backup makes things tricky. I have to save her. That's my only priority. "How many rogues are we talking here?"
"A lot. I only saw the area from a distance. I never got close. They'd smell me."
"So, how do you know she's there?"
"I heard a few rogues discussing it. I was nearly caught. She's there right now. We just have to be quick about it. But there can't be too many of us. They'll see us, and they might punish her for it."
"Fine. Let's go, then."