Derek’s POV
The ceremony began.
I stood on the stage, looking down at my pack members and thinking about Erika. I was not sure if she was fine. She comforted me that all she needed was rest. But the way she looked at me before the car started made me feel that it was goodbye forever.
Carl sat in the first row and looked at me worried. He was the only one in the audience who knew what happened to Erika.
“Calm down, Derek. Focus on the speech.” I thought to myself.
I cleared my throat and began my speech.
“Dear fellow pack member, I know that all of you have looked forward to this moment for a long time. I am delighted to announce that the ceremony on Blood Day begins now. But there is also a piece of bad news. As you may have noticed, our Luna Erika is absent.”
Hearing my words, they began to gossip. I continued with my speech.
“She is under the weather tonight. But don’t worry, she’s just tired because of all the efforts she did for Blood Day…”
After the speech, I went down the stage and sat beside Carl. Then it was Beta Gerald's turn to give a speech. Weeks ago, he left for another pack for business trip and now he just came back.
After the speeches, there would be singing and dancing and all kinds of shows. The audience was all in high spirits, except me. I forced a smile and pretended that I enjoyed it very much while the fact was that I was deeply concerned. First, I was not sure if Erika had received medical care now. I had sent the dregs for chemical analysis to know how much wolfsbane it contained. Based on my experience, it contained a large amount of wolfsbane which could be lethal, but it seemed that Erika’s life was not in danger. Second, I still didn’t know who did it. It alarmed me that I didn’t have the slightest clue. It would be disastrous if the food and drinks for the big party were poisonous. So I asked for a checkup of all the food and drinks that were prepared in advance and it turned out that they were all safe. The criminal was targeted at Erika.
Suddenly, I thought of the middle-aged man who caused trouble during the meeting. Kent found a clue but it got him nowhere. Clearly, the guy behind it purposedly misled. So the man was still imprisoned. Could it be that it had anything to do with the accident today?
Loud applause burst out from the audience. I also applauded with a smile on my face. Because the announcement of Erika being the Luna was canceled, the backup shows that were prepared for emergencies were also presented.
Finally, the big party began. Everyone was enjoying a good time. Carl was dancing with Sylvia on the dance floor. Even Kent was chatting with a girl with a cup of red wine in his hands. They seemed to have a good time because Kent put down the cup and also whisked her to the dance floor.
I held a cup of red wine in my hand and looked outside the window. It began to snow. While it was warm and riotous inside, outside was dark, cold, and snowy, which was rare. It had never snowed on Blood Day. Somehow, I had a bad feeling.
I took out my phone and a message popped out.
“We arrived at the hospital and the Luna was in the surgery room. The doctor said that Erika’s life was not in danger.” It was from Angel.
“OK,” I replied.
I heaved a sigh of relief. The party wouldn’t stop until midnight. I still had to wait for another four hours before I could go to the hospital.
After about two hours, my phone rang. The surgery must have been over. I took out my phone in excitement.
However, it was not from Angel. It was from Steven, the director of the hospital.
“Alpha Derek, I’m sorry to disturb you. But Luna hasn’t arrived at the hospital. Is there anything wrong?” Steven asked.
“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I checked the messages again. Angel told me that they had arrived at the hospital two hours ago. What was happening?
I hung up the phone and called Angel. Nobody answered.
I called the driver. Still, nobody answered. It was weird.
I put away my phone and frowned. Surely, something must have happened to them. I had been cautious enough. Before the car that Erika and Angel were in left, I also asked a warrior to drive my car to the border and then come back. I had been very cautious, but now they simply disappeared.
That was weird. I tried to contact Erika through mind-link. As expected, I got no answer.
I walked to Kent.
“Alpha Derek.” He sounded very flippant and smelt strong alcohol. He must be drunk.
I frowned and walked away.
I gave Francis a call to summon a group of warriors and searched for the car. The hospital belonged to his pack and it would be easier for him to find the car. This morning he asked me if he could take part in the big party because he had a thing for Angel. I didn’t agree. Otherwise, it would be disastrous.
After the call, I told Carl to take care of the party and then drove to the hospital and searched for them.
After about twenty minutes, my phone rang again.
I took out my phone with my right hand while my left hand was on the steering wheel. It was from Francis. He must have found out something. My heart began to pound. I took a deep breath and answered the phone.
“Good news, we have found the car. Angel and the driver are both inside the car. They are unconscious but very safe. Bad news, we haven’t found your Luna. We only found a diamond necklace on the backseat.”
I pressed hard against the pedal and the car stopped suddenly.
A diamond necklace! A terrible thought flashed through my mind.