Chapter 18 They took my mate from my bed
Alpha King deacon:
The sun climbed over the horizon, its pale light bleeding across the stone walls of the palace. I had been standing on the battlefield for hours. I had to make sure the men we captured from the Moonstone and Eastern packs were chained up and ready for the dungeons. My mind was full of war plans and old treaties, but as the rush of the fight began to cool down, I felt a sharp pull at my chest.
It was a tether, a spiritual rope pulling me back to what I had left behind.
Aurora. My hundredth mate. My Luna.
It was officially Day One of her being mine, and I had left her locked in a dark room while I handled the trash at my gates. I had been so busy that I forgot to return to her.
I marched back into the palace, my boots hitting the floor like thunder in the quiet halls. When I reached the servant’s area, I saw a group of Omegas scurrying around with food trays.
"Have any of you gone to serve the Luna her breakfast?" I barked.
The girls jumped, nearly dropping their plates. "No, Your Highness," the head maid said, her eyes fixed on the floor. "The door was locked from the outside. We were told not to go into the room unless you commanded it."
I growled, the sound vibrating deep in my throat. I turned toward the big staircase and almost ran into Carlus. He was coming down with a stack of papers.
"Carlus," I said, my voice tight and angry. "Where is the Luna? Why isn't she in the dining hall?"
Carlus blinked, looking confused. "Aren't you with her, Sire? I haven't seen her since I dropped her off."
"No," I snapped. "I've been at the gates all morning."
"Then she is still in the room," Carlus said, shrugging his shoulders. "You were the one who told me to lock her in so she wouldn't follow you into the fight. I did exactly what you said. I thought you went back to her hours ago."
A cold feeling of dread began to settle in my gut. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in hundreds of years. I didn't wait for him to say another word. I moved like a blur of shadow, racing up the stairs toward the royal wing.
As I turned the corner into the hallway leading to our bedroom, my nose flared. Her scent was everywhere—that sweet smell of rain and wild lilies—but it was ruined. Underneath her scent was a sharp, metallic smell. It was primal and dangerous. It didn't belong to anyone in this palace.
I reached the door. It was still locked. For a second, I stopped. What if she is just sleeping? I thought. What if she is hiding because I left her alone?
Open it, my wolf snarled inside my head. Something is wrong.
I slammed the key into the lock and threw the door open. The room was empty. The bed was messy, and the silk furs were tossed aside, but there was no sign of the red-haired girl I had claimed. I checked the bathroom and the dressing room. I even checked behind the heavy curtains.
Nothing.
I let out a roar of pure fury that shook the whole room. I bolted back downstairs and appeared in the Great Hall. The staff and guards were starting their morning work, and they froze when they saw me.
"Everyone! Search the palace!" I commanded. My Alpha power was so heavy it almost forced the weaker wolves to their knees. "Check every room! Check every closet and every cellar! If any of you have seen the Luna, bring her to me now!"
Minutes felt like hours. One by one, the guards came back shaking their heads. No one had seen her. The palace was a fortress, yet my mate had vanished from the very heart of it.
I walked out of the main doors, pushing my senses to the limit. Near the side gate, I caught a small trace of her scent mixed with the smell of the stranger. The scent ended right at the stone wall.
I turned back to the townspeople and servants who had gathered in the yard. They could feel my rage.
"If you know something, speak," I said, my voice low and deadly. "I will not hurt you if you tell the truth. But if I find out you are hiding my Luna, there will be no mercy."
The yard went silent. Finally, a woman holding a small child stepped forward. Her hands were shaking as she held onto her son’s shirt.
"My... my son, Your Highness," she whispered. "He was playing near the garden at dawn. He saw a woman being carried out through the servant’s gate by men in black. They moved like shadows."
"What?" I stepped toward them, my shadow stretching across the dirt. "Carried out? Which way did they go?"
"Toward the forest, Sire," the boy squeaked, looking up at me with wide, scared eyes. "They had masks. They put her in a black carriage with no markings on it."
My blood turned to ice. Leonardo. Or Thorne. Or maybe someone else. They didn't come here to fight a war; they came here to distract me. They used the riot at the gates as a trick so they could steal the only thing that mattered to me.
I looked at Carlus, who had just arrived at my side. My eyes were no longer blue. They had turned into the pitch-black void of the Hollow King.
"They took her," I whispered. My voice vibrated with a promise of death. "They took my mate from my own bed."
I didn't need my clothes. I didn't need my sword. I began to shift, my bones snapping and growing as I prepared to hunt.
"Carlus, get the best trackers," I growled as my jaw changed shape. "We aren't just going to bring her back. We are going to burn every pack house between here and the sea until I
find the hands that touched her."