Chapter 153 The Alpha's Dilemma
Chapter 153 The Alpha's Dilemma
At the Residence of Alpha Rolex
Rolex stood with his back to the room, gazing out at the dark forest through the massive glass window. His jaw hardened, and his fingers gripped the edge of the desk so tightly that the hardwood let out a soft cracking sound.
"Sera must be found immediately." Rolex's voice sounded heavy and deep, vibrating through the room like suppressed thunder. He turned around, fixing his eyes on the two men standing upright with bowed heads before him. "Brown. Find out everything about Sera. Track her whereabouts to the end of this earth if necessary. I want her position confirmed as soon as possible."
Lord Tama, the middle-aged man who served as Rolex's trusted senior advisor, nodded slowly. "Also find out information regarding the maid named Ana. I am curious about her origins!"
"Understood." Lord Tama nodded again.
Meanwhile, Brown, the finest tracker in the wolf pack, placed his hand over his chest in a gesture of absolute loyalty. "I will sweep the final scent trail and energy she left behind, Alpha. No trail can stay hidden from my sight for long."
"Go. Do not return without definitive news," Rolex commanded coldly, ending the conversation.
\---
The massive search began that very night. For days, Brown moved like a shadow between steep cliffs and dense forests. With his matchless skill, he gathered fragments of information from border guards, night travelers, and even natural signs left by Sera. Every small clue was meticulously linked with the help of Lord Tama, who mapped out every possible movement of Sera from behind the palace analysis desk.
Meanwhile, Lord Tama inquired about Ana, seeking information regarding her background by questioning the other servants.
"Do you know anything about Ana?"
They shook their heads. Lord Tama bowed his head in confusion; he could not possibly question Maya directly about this.
He immediately reported his findings to Rolex.
\---
Brown, after an intense search, returned to the Alpha's residence. His clothes were soiled with mountain soil, and his breath came in heavy gasps.
"Alpha Rolex," Brown said, kneeling before Rolex, who was waiting alongside Lord Tama in the strategy room.
"Tell me what you have found, Brown!" Rolex demanded quickly, stepping forward with eyes gleaming in high tension.
"The latest information we managed to verify indicates that Sera was seen entering the forbidden mountain region in the north," Brown answered in a steady yet cautious voice. "The last time her presence was detected by border residents, she was inside an old stone cave hidden right behind a twin waterfall."
"A cave?" Rolex muttered, his eyes narrowing sharply.
"Correct, Alpha. However, the cave has extremely dangerous terrain, protected by a complex rock structure and wild natural energy. We have not breached its interior yet as it requires a full force," Lord Tama chimed in calmly yet firmly.
Rolex let out a low growl in his throat. A decision was made in seconds. "Assemble the main force. Order them to move to that cave right now. Surround the entire area and make sure Sera is found alive!"
"Yes, Alpha!" Lord Tama and Brown answered in unison.
\---
Everything was prepared in short order. The elite force, led directly by the highest commander, began getting ready in the palace courtyard. The clinking sound of weapons and the march of soldiers' footsteps broke the silence of the night, ready to march through the darkness toward the cave where Sera was hiding. Rolex stood on the main balcony, gazing at his troops with full confidence that Sera would soon be back within his grasp.
However, before the departure order could be shouted, the heavy door of Rolex's study was kicked open from the outside.
Crash!
A soldier guarding the underground fortress ran inside, his face deathly pale and his body trembling violently. He collapsed onto the wooden floor, his breath choking with overwhelming panic.
"Alpha! Disaster, Alpha!" the soldier shouted in a raspy voice.
Rolex glared at him with a murderous look. "Mind your manners! What is it?!"
The soldier looked up, his eyes wide with fear as he delivered the unthinkable bad news. "Alpha Cassen... Alpha Cassen has escaped from the underground dungeon!"
Hhh... hhhh...
Rolex's breath suddenly caught in his throat. The air inside the room seemed to freeze instantly.
"What did you say?!" Rolex's voice roared, making the surrounding stone walls shudder.
The soldier trembled even more violently. "The special energy-suppressing iron bars were destroyed from the inside, Alpha. The guards in the underground sector were found unconscious with severe injuries. Alpha Cassen is no longer in his cell!"
Rolex was utterly shocked. His eyes widened with rage, disappointment, and disbelief. Cassen his most dangerous sworn enemy, a ruthless Alpha whom he had successfully imprisoned under the strictest security how could that man possibly have escaped?
Rolex's mind spun rapidly in chaos. On one hand, Sera the woman who held a crucial secret key and was inside an isolated cave had to be found immediately. Yet on the other hand, Cassen roaming free was a lethal threat capable of bringing down his entire rule and slaughtering his troops in an instant.
Rolex clutched his chest, which was heaving up and down. His breath grew wild and heavy. Hhh... hhhh...
"Lord Tama! Tighten security across the entire palace and lock all border gates!" Rolex shouted, his rage exploding. "Brown, change of plans! Find out if Cassen's escape has anything to do with Sera's presence in that cave!"
"Alpha," Brown interjected quickly, "if Cassen received help to escape, the location of that isolated cave in the north might be their rendezvous point... or perhaps a deadly trap Cassen prepared to lure our troops out of the fortress."
Brown's words ignited a burning suspicion in Rolex's chest. If Sera was deliberately being used as bait, or if she had been conspiring with Cassen from the very start to bring him down, the consequences would be fatal for the entire pack.
"I don't care whether this is a trap or not!" Rolex interrupted harshly. He grabbed a silver-inlaid sword from the wall and buckled it to his waist. His eyes flashed with the distinct red glow of a wounded, enraged Alpha. "Brown, prepare ten of our finest hunters. We depart for the northern cave right now in silence. The rest of the main force will remain under Lord Tama's command to guard the palace."
"But Alpha, going with a small team is extremely risky!" Lord Tama cautioned hesitantly.
"I must find Sera with my own hands," Rolex stated without a shadow of a doubt. Hhh... hhhh... His heavy exhales echoed once more amidst the silence of the night. "I need to know whether she is a victim I must protect... or a traitor I must slaughter alongside Cassen."
With a low growl laced with fury, Rolex took long strides into the dark night, leading a hunt along the thin line between betrayal and death.