Chapter 173: Rhys
“What happened? Where the hell is my mate?”
The words hung in the air between us as I stared at Heather as she fidgeted nervously next to me.
“As I said, it was her idea to sit in the class. I think she knew that Arlo would try something. She got kinda weird when she saw him. I didn’t think he would go that far, but her reaction was not expected, so I joined. The lesson went fine until he got to talking about Lycans... He started targeting Michael, and Grace jumped in. Michael took off, and Grace went after him. I don’t know where they went... I’m sorry.”
My heart was pounding. She went after Michael? What if he led her right into a trap?!
“And you just let her go?!”
“I - She asked me to protect the others, so I stayed.” Heather answered uneasily. “I’m not sure where they went, but I’m sure they’re fine. Michael was just upset.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t so sure. I immediately mindlinked my guards.
“Has anyone seen the Luna Queen?”
“She and Maizie both entered the woods about 5 minutes ago.” Someone answered.
Maizie? She hadn’t been involved in either Arlo or Heather’s stories.
“And has anyone laid eyes on Michael recently?” I questioned.
“He ran into the woods just before them.”
“Does anyone still have eyes on them now?”
“I do, sir.” A woman’s voice came through. “I can see them. Would you like me to engage?”
“No. Just tell me where to find them.”
The woman described where they were, and I frowned. Why the hell is that where they would go?
I immediately started to make my way that direction. It didn’t sit well with me to have Grace in the woods when we had unwanted visitors showing up to our doorstep. The last thing we needed was for her to be spotted out in the open like that in such a vulnerable way.
I heard their voices before I saw them. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but Grace’s awkward chuckle met my ear.
I stared at the unsuspecting group for a minute. They were vulnerable like this. But in this moment, they seemed to feel safe, and I felt whatever they felt. There was something special about their bond to each other. Maizie and Grace had been close practically from the first time they met. But Michael was new to this, but it was clear he had total trust in them. I wish I had had the same.
“Grace?” I called out.
Her head whipped toward me in a panic, like she had been caught red-handed.
“Rhys!” She exclaimed. “Hi, what are you doing here?”
I frowned. That was a loaded question, but in essence it was an easy answer. “I’m here because you’re here.”
She gave me a tight smile. “How did you know I was here?” She asked. “Did you stop by the school? Are the kids okay?”
“The kids are fine,” I soothed, wrapping my arms around her. “I heard about what happened. Michael, are you okay?”
The young kid nodded, his face looking a bit pale, but otherwise unharmed.
“I heard you ran into the woods, and I got nervous.” I told my mate.
She gave me an annoyed look, and I raised my brows at her.
“What? I’m not allowed to worry about my mate?” I asked her.
She rolled her eyes, and I smiled. Her personality had come out so much in the last few months, and though I could do without the attitude, I loved it.
“Come on, we have a meeting we’ve been asked to attend.” I told her. “And you kids need to go back to school.”
“Can we come to the meeting?” Maizie asked.
She never hesitated to ask for what she wanted, and as always, I was impressed by it. She wanted to be involved in everything that I would allow. This meeting though? I wasn’t sure how this Alpha would truly feel about how Lycan’s and I didn’t want to expose her to that right that right now especially after what had already happened today with Michael.
“It’s an alpha from another pack,” I told her honestly. “I don’t know how he feels about Lycans, and I don’t want to subject you to more of that.”
“I don’t care,” Maizie protested.
“I do.” I responded. “Let me see what he wants first. Though with him this close, let’s shorten training, and I want all Lycan kids upstairs where it’s safe today, unless otherwise placed.”
“So, we’re on lockdown?” Maizie grumbled.
“Yes, I just want you to be safe.”
“He’s right. Until we know why he’s here, we need to be hypervigilant.”
“I thought the whole point of living here was so we didn’t have to be so vigilant.”
“That’s the end goal,” Grace smiled slightly at her as we walked. “Right now, we’re at war, and anything goes.”
The rest of the walk back to school was made in silence. I knew that Michael, who was lagging further and further behind, didn’t want to go back at all. Grace dropped back to talk to him, but what they were saying, I had no idea, and their pace was too slow for me keep.
I understood why he didn’t want to go back. I did. He was worried about what the other kids would think, not only about what Arlo said but also because he ran out. But avoiding it would only make it worse.
After a couple minutes of hushed conversation paused right outside the school, Michael agreed to go in, and Maizie promised to keep an eye on things and report any comments she heard. Most of the Lycan kids had made friends with the Werewolf kids, but there were still a few hesitations in general.
“Oh Michael!” The front desk lady exclaimed. “We were so worried. I’m so sorry about what happened. Are you okay?”
Michael blushed at the attention, nodded, and walked straight through to where his classroom was.
“I’m going to just tell Sammy what’s going on, so she doesn’t worry,” Grace stated.
“That’s fine. I’d like to have a word with the front desk anyway.”
Grace gave me a look, but hurried off in the direction of what I presumed was Sammy’s classroom. And I turned to my two front desk ladies, ready to battle for the Lycan kid’s safety.