Zedkiel
I rush through the halls trying to pick up her scent, but there’s nothing at all, no fucking scent. They’ve sprayed something here; the entire place just smells the same.
Fuck!
I punch the wall, looking down at the paper. There has to be some fucking clue in here! I glance up when I see Chasyn run down the hall, his face pale.
“What is it? Is Maryka in danger?” I ask, knowing if his mate is hurt, he could at least feel it.
He shakes his head before he runs off down the hall, not saying anything.
I’ll find her. Somehow.
Rolling the papers up, I stride down the hall, desperate to find her. I don’t like her out of my sight, alone, especially if I don’t know where she is or who she is with. I should have asked someone to watch over her. I don’t trust anyone here.
I run through the halls, trying to think where they may have taken her, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. It will be somewhere hard… there has to be a clue in here! Unrolling the papers, I flip through them, trying to slow down and read through them, frowning when I reach the hostage section.
There’s got to be some clue in here…“Attention to all contestants. You have until midnight to find your Lunas and return to the grand hall. There are no restrictions. You may go wherever you wish as long as you uphold the rules of the tournament. If at any point your cameras are switched off, you will immediately be disqualified,” Franco’s voice comes from around me.
My irritation only rises. So, this is a game to them? Obviously, it fucking is.
I look down at the little video camera attached to my shirt; now that made sense. Of course, we wouldn’t have needed them for a fucking paper exam.
Until midnight… so that means they must be somewhere safe. No one is going to risk the mates of the future Alphas.
I try to calm the unease within me, trying to think straight. Leaning against the wall, I read through the last section of the paper carefully.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m still staring at this paper: a hostage situation where the Luna is kidnapped, and the palace is overtaken… There’s a lot of detail about what happens in the palace. Of course there is, as they have a shit-ton of questions they pretended needed to be answered.
I’m certain if I didn’t realise Evangeline was gone, most of us would have completed the entire paper. But aside from the passage describing the takeover of the palace, not one part of the text mentions where the Luna is taken.
“Come on, Zed,” I tell myself, trying to read through it again. Each passing minute frustrates me, and it’s only when I’m about to rip the fucking thing up does my attention fall to the first paragraph.
“… The Luna, in her panic, leaves a message to the Alpha, but she is unable to escape and hides the letter…”
Is this the clue?
Leave me a letter… Where would Evangeline leave me a clue?I ponder it over for a few moments before I glance down the hall… Our quarters.
Breaking into a run, I head for our quarters. I can see the cameras set up here are there, but they don’t cover the entire place, but they still fucking irritate me.
I frown, seeing the lock on the bedroom door and unlock it. I hate that they fucking have access to my place. I push open the door, not caring when it slams off the wall as I scan the place. I still can’t smell her.
Where would she hide something?
The bedroom.
I rush to the bedroom and begin ripping it apart. It has to be here somewhere. There’s no other place that we even spent time at. I pause when my mind goes to the apartment in the city. I frown. It’s not a place I want the world to know of, but if nothing is here, then I’ll have to go there.
Twenty minutes later, I’ve torn the bedroom and closet apart. There is nothing here at all.
I enter the bathroom, but I find nothing. Returning to the lounge, I head to my office. I’m a little slower here, hating when this place becomes a fucking mess. Plus, with all this paper, I might miss the letter. Who knows how big this scrap of paper might be?
I’m beginning to doubt myself and pull out the test papers again as I walk out of my office. It’s also a mess now, just like the bedroom, and I have found nothing. I’ve been here for over an hour.
I look around the lounge, spotting the couch. We did have a moment here… I pull out the drawer on the coffee table. It’s empty.
I rip off the cushions of the couch. Nothing. I search in the crevices but find nothing.
“Fuck!” I snarl, kicking the sofa. The force makes it tip over. I glance at the ground beneath it, but there’s nothing here. I run a hand down my head, my head pounding with irritation. I’m hungry, too, and I need blood. I’m about to turn away when my attention falls to the sofa, spotting a small cut in the lining underneath.
Tilting my head, I walk over to it and grip the ripped area. I tear it open fully, wondering if there’s something in here. I frown as I scan the inside. There’s no clue or letter, but my eyes fall on the slim phone that now lies at the bottom.
I pick it up, turning it over in my hands.
Is this the clue?“No use of phones, Alpha Prince,” he says, bowing his head.
“So, this isn’t the clue?” I ask coldly.
“No, Alpha. Please do not use the phone,” he says quietly.
I nod.
If this isn’t the clue, then what the hell is this, and how did it get here?Frowning, I head to my office, placing it in my desk drawer before heading back out. I need to look elsewhere.
I stride towards the door, about to leave, when my attention goes to the door frame. There, against the dark walls, is something at the top of the door frame. Reaching up, I take it, my heart skipping a beat when I see my name on it.
Tearing it open, I read it.
“Congratulations on finding the clue. Your Luna is at the eastern side of the forest.”
The eastern forest?
I glance at the time. It’s going to take me time to get there. If I head out now, I should get there within an hour.
I’m coming, Little Mouse.The urge to crush the camera entices me. Instead, I hang the strap around my neck and bundle my clothes together before breaking into a run. I shifted the moment I left the castle.
I’ll find her, and if anything has happened to her… The forest is dangerous, and it’s not somewhere I want Evangeline alone.
I try not to think of the worst. Obviously, they will have people posted there, but still. It’s over an hour later, and I reach the forest, trying to catch her scent. I ran as fast as I could, and although I made it here at record speed, I am beginning to feel extremely uneasy.
There’s nothing…
I’ve been here countless times; I know where all the store cabins are and any houses located in the area. I’ll check them all out. With each passing hour, my restlessness is growing. I need blood, but at the same time, I can’t shake off the growing unease. Am I overreacting?
I finally reach the deepest part of the forest and approach the small cabin that sits in the middle. I slam into the door, ripping it from its hinges in my anger as I glare into the room. For a moment, my heart skips a beat, and my gaze falls on the top that she had worn that morning, but it’s only for a split second because I realise that it’s not her.
This woman may have similarly styled black hair and may be wearing the same outfit – is the same build, and Evangeline’s scent lingers on them, but it’s not Evangeline. She’s sitting on the armchair, her back to me, and I storm over.
“Where is she?” I growl into the extremely silent room.
Was this all for nothing? I have just reached the woman, grabbing her arm, when I tense – realising what is missing in the quiet room.
In my rage, I hadn’t realised that there was no heartbeat.
I shift back, crouching in front of the woman, her head is tilted sideways, and she’s staring ahead. Her mouth is parted, and there’s foam at the corners of it.
She’s dead.
“What the fuck,” I mutter. I check her pulse, but there isn’t one.
For a second, I wonder if this is all part of the twisted games, but then I realise it can’t be. She’s dead.
“This woman is fucking dead. What the fuck are you lot playing at?” I snarl, knowing they can hear me through the camera. “Where is Evangeline?!”
I hope they find a way to reach me because I fucking need an answer.
I look at the woman. She’s still warm, meaning she died recently. But this means Evangeline is out there somewhere else.
My stomach twists, and my eyes blaze red as I leave the cabin, growling in rage. I need to talk to someone right now. Something isn’t right, and if this isn’t part of the fucking tournament, which I’m certain that it isn’t, it means Evangeline is in danger. Somewhere.
I shift again, heading back out. She can’t be in here… I just needed confirmation. Do I keep looking, or do I leave the forest? Something else is going on here, and it’s fucking getting to me.
The rustling in the trees makes me pause, and I’m about to launch myself at whatever it is when two guards come running out, and it takes my all not to kill them.
“Alpha Prince Zedkiel! An urgent message from the King!” They say, lowering their heads. Their hearts are beating extremely fast, and I can tell they have come as fast as they could.
Shifting to my human form, I glare at them, hating the fact that the mind-link is blocked. “What is it?” I growl.
“There’s an… issue. The King…” They hold the phone out to me, and I take it. They hurry off, and I’m certain it’s because they’re scared for their pathetic lives.
“What?” I snarl, I thought phones weren’t allowed in this shit tournament.
“Zedkiel… we saw you through the camera, and… Evangeline is the one who should have been there. Something has gone wrong. We have sent a team out to look for Evangeline-”
“So, she’s missing?” I hiss venomously, trying not to lose control.
“I’m sorry, Zedkiel, I don’t know how this happened. She was simply meant to be taken to the forest-”
“Who was responsible for escorting her?!” I hiss. “I want them arrested right now!”
“They’re dead, Zedkiel. We found them in the training fields. This was a well-planned game. I’m sorry, and we will find her. I promise you that." Dad’s voice is calm, but I know he’s worried.
Someone did this, and when I fucking find them…
“Check the security footage – any that caught her at any time of the day up until she went missing," I snarl. “I’m coming back.”
My eyes flash and I shift, crushing the phone in my hand as I turn and head back towards the castle. I will search from there. There are guards everywhere around the castle. She couldn’t have gotten out without anyone seeing her.
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