Chapter 25 Who did it?
The moment Thane returned to the castle, he took Rue up to his room and laid her on the bed.
She was still unconscious, her feet bruised from running barefoot in the forest. There was a cut on her lower lip, and another one beside her eye from where she had fallen.
Seeing her bruised and vulnerable, he couldn't contain his anger. He was done pretending he didn't care about Rue.
He fucking cared about her. From the moment he brought her to Eryndor, he knew he would lay down his life to protect her. She was too different.
He leaned over the bed, softly brushing away the hair on her face. When his eyes fell on the bruises on her face, his expression darkened.
He turned away, stormed out of the room and carefully shut the door.
The first person he went to find was Henry, who was just heading up to his chambers.
He froze when he saw him, his eyes wide opened. "Alpha... you're back..."
"Who did it?" Thane snapped coldly.
Henry backed away when he noticed how furious Thane was. He could feel the tension coming off his body in waves.
"Did what?" He asked. "I don't know what you're talking about, Alpha."
Thane cornered him in the hall and slammed his fist into the wall beside his head. Cracks appeared, startling Henry.
"Who took her away from the castle? Who took her to the cave?"
"Alpha, I swear, I don't know what you're talking about."
Thane was shaking all over with rage. Rue almost died. If he hadn't been able to control himself, or if the skinwalkers had attacked her, she would be dead.
He turned away from Henry, breathing heavily.
"Gather the council members." He commanded. "All of them. And the guards who were on duty last night. I want them in the throne room. Now!"
Henry flew to his feet instantly. "Yes, Alpha. Right away."
He hurried off while Thane paced around the hallway, trying to calm himself. After a while, he succeeded and exhaled slowly.
His eyes fogged as he mind linked the healer.
\[Annabeth!\]
\[Yes, Alpha?\] She replied swiftly when she heard the anger in his voice.
\[Come to the castle immediately.\]
Annabeth already knew something had happened to someone, so she was ready.
\[Yes, Alpha. On my way.\]
Thane closed the mind link and walked back to his room. Rue was still unconscious, still in the exact position he left her.
He quickly changed his clothes, a black sleeveless shirt and grey pants, since the clothes he had on were tattered due to his transformation.
He was just about to leave the room when the door opened and Annabeth rushed in.
"Check on her." He ordered, gesturing to Rue. "She has a few bruises, and I don't know why she's unconscious. I think she was injected with something."
"I'll make sure she's fine, Alpha." Annabeth promised.
Thane started to walk to the door, then he paused and turned around. "And Annabeth, you better not let anything else happen to her."
Annabeth gulped at the fire in Thane's eyes. He didn't give her a chance to reply. He turned and walked off, shutting the door firmly behind him.
As he headed towards the throne room, his mind raced. Someone had definitely dragged Rue to the cave. There were signs of struggle on her arms.
Also, whoever took her there knew he would be in his beast form. They had drugged her so she wouldn't escape, hoping he would kill her.
Someone was targeting Rue now. It wasn't just the skinwalkers anymore. Someone wanted her dead, and this only made him determined to find out who it was, and what Rue was.
He stormed into the throne room where the council members were already waiting. Beside them were a dozen guards, heads bowed and waiting for him.
On the other side was Henry and the rest of the Elite Warriors.
He walked up to the throne, lowered into the seat and pinned his furious gaze on all of them.
Cersei started to speak, trying to make small talk. "Alpha, it's a miracle you're back in your human form. What happened?"
When she saw the raw rage in his eyes, she wisely shut her mouth and backed away, shielding herself behind Orion.
"Henry, step forward." He ordered.
Henry moved instantly, taking a stance in front of the throne.
"Yes, Alpha?"
"What happened after you left the cave last night? After the transformation?"
"I returned immediately to Eryndor." Henry answered. "I changed shifts with Enzo and the rest of the warriors, while the guards changed shifts too."
Thane's red eyes landed on Enzo who stood beside Henry.
"Is this true?"
Enzo stepped forward and nodded. "Yes, Alpha. After we changed shifts, I made sure the guards were all stationed correctly, then I turned in for the night."
Thane didn't speak for a while. His eyes darkened as he assessed Enzo, until was satisfied that the latter was telling the truth.
Then he turned to the guards. "Which one of you left the kingdom last night?"
They all shook their heads and explained they had been in the kingdom all night. They were clearly confused and clueless about what happened.
Since the warriors and the guards knew nothing about it, it was up to the council members.
He sat up further in the seat and glared at Cersei first, then at Orion and Talok.
"You two were the ones who left the cave last." He said coldly. "Which one of you kidnapped Rue and dragged her there?"
A collective gasp went through all of them. Henry was shocked when he heard that.
"Someone kidnapped Rue?" He questioned.
"Someone wanted me to kill her." Thane continued. "They drugged her so she would be easy prey. The skinwalkers almost got to her."
"Alpha, we have no idea what you're talking about." Orion shook his head.
"We would never try to harm one of the consorts in your harem." Talok added. "We know the consequences. Maybe she tried to escape..."
Thane shot to his feet suddenly, his eyes burning with rage.
"SOMEONE TOOK HER THERE!" He roared. "And if you do not produce who that person is, I'll kill you all. One by one."
The guards were the first to fall on their knees, pleading for their lives. The council members were terrified, while the warriors looked on, totally confused.
"Alpha, if I may speak." Henry said suddenly.
Thane glared at him. "What?"
"Why don't we wait for Rue to wake up? I'm sure she must have seen who kidnapped her. She can tell us herself."
Thane hadn't thought about this. He realized now that it was true.
Just then, Annabeth's voice sounded through the mind link.
\[Alpha, the girl is awake.\]
And he raced out of the throne room in the next second.
After he left, Henry looked at the council members who were muttering amongst themselves.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. He couldn't hear them, but the strange way they behaved suddenly caught his attention.
He would look into them. Secretly, of course.