Eero's perspective
If Perseus was in a place near me, I would be able to feel him. Our bond will lead me to where he was, and he's a little baby, an hour old baby, he couldn't have gotten far by himself.
“He was stolen from me,” I mumbled my realization so loud that it stopped Cielo from looking around the place.
“There is no way I'd lose him unless he was taken from me… a-and how come that we didn't wake up when he has been taken away from u-us?”
Cielo was a light sleeper. If the kidnapper didn't wake me up when he was taking my son from me, it would have woken Cielo for sure.
“Luna Eero,” Cielo mumbled nervously. She showed me a vial.
“What's that thing?”
“It's a potion used to make shifters fall into a deep slumber,” she answered. My heart skipped a beat, as it only confirmed my hunch that Perseus was taken away from me.
“B-But who would have taken Perseus from you? Ameo is already dead and Serra is in the pack…"
“Vera. She is the only one who could have done this to me,” I said, and I finally fell down on my knee.
Bead of tears cascading down my cheeks, I howled in pain and yearned for my son who was taken from me hours after I got to first hold him.
“We need to go back to Thorne and tell Claudius—”
“That would take too much time if I do that, then chances are the one who had taken my son from me will make it to a far place. I must start looking for him now,” I said to her.
Just when I was about to get up, I saw a gold chain of a necklace that was almost buried between the dried leaves.
“Luna, what is that?”
I gritted my teeth and fisted my hand as I saw a familiar locket that the kidnapper accidentally dropped from their neck.
“Is that…"
“This is Vera's locket. It's her most precious jewelry because it was her father's gift when she turned 18. I was right. She is the one who took Perseus from me.”
I left Cielo behind and started walking around, sniffing to get a whip of her scent, but I couldn't find anything.
I stumbled and lost my balance, but Cielo was fast enough to break my fall by holding my arm.
“Luna Eero, it's getting dark and this place. I am a bit familiar with this one. If we turned left and walked straight, 10 more kilometers or so and we will find the first station of the deltas guarding our territory.”
I pulled my arm from her touch and glared at Cielo.
“Are you suggesting that I stopped looking for Perseus? Didn't you hear me? Vera took him. Vera hates me, and she might do something bad to Perseus to get even.”
“B-But if something happens to you, then the more we'll have a hard time searching for the heir.”
“I don't care with what's going to happen to me, Cielo. What matters is that I need to find my son. If you want to go back to the pack, then go! I am not stopping you!” I spat and was about to walk again when we heard a pack of shifters running towards us.
Those shifters were ours.
“Luna Eero, we finally found you. Alpha Claudius was on the other side of the territory, and there were more units of deltas and warriors scattered to look for you.”
I opened my palm after I heard one of them communicating through their radio that they found me.
“C-Claudius… you n-need to keep searching all over the forest.”
“Thank the Moon Goddess, you're fine! Wait for me. I'll be right there.”
“N-No. Y-You have to keep searching for our baby.”
“Huh?” I glanced at Cielo, asking for guidance on how could I tell Claudius, but she looked away.
“I've given birth earlier than expected. P-Perseus was taken from me. Y-You have to search for h-him.” I heard nothing from him after that, and then Cielo forced me back to the pack house.
“Luna, you need to rest. Claudius and our special unit are already looking for Perseus. They'll be able to find the heir in no time,” Cielo tried to assure me, but I still couldn't stop myself from crying.
“Lady Cielo, this is the tea that you asked for, Luna Eero.” Anger ignited in me after I saw Serra.
I got up from the bed and choked her neck while I was pinning her at the door.
“Tell me where did your mother take my son, Serra!”
“L-Luna, I-I don't k-know w-what are you talking about. I was never allowed to leave the pack, so h-how can I possibly get a chance to talk to my mother?”
“Luna, she was right. She was being guarded 24/7. There is no way Serra colluded with Vera. Please let her go now, Luna.”
When I caught a whiff of Claudius' scent, that's the time when I let go of Serra to run downstairs.
I saw my cardigan and something was wrapped around it. It's scent. I couldn't distinguish it.
“I found Perseus, by the r-river.” His voice cracked. Claudius' eyes were red and swollen from crying.
My feet brought me to him and I took the lifeless baby in his arm.
A baby as little as our Perseus would be hard to identify with other newborn babies, but I knew that this wasn't my son. I could feel it.
“This isn't our son,” I said to him, handing him back the baby. I was about to leave the pack house to start looking for Perseus again when Claudius stopped me.
“I found this baby wrapped in your cardigan and this letter,” he said.
I took the piece of paper from him.
“An eye for an eye, a child to child. Tell Eero that it was me.”
“Vera thought that you had already killed Serra.” I looked up at Claudius.
“B-But I didn't. Serra is still alive, very much alive!”
“This is our Perseus,” Claudius said again.
“No. Perseus came from me. We have a strong bond because I am his mother and I could feel no bond for that baby. Vera is a cunning woman, Claudius! I am sure that she's just making it look like—”
“Hold him. Look him in the face and tell me again that this pup isn't ours!” He dared me, and I went silent.
“You're a mother who lost her pup. You're in denial, but the truth is this is Perseus, and he is dead, and it's all your fault, Eero. I lost my son because of you,” he said in a low voice, but he was overwhelmed by anger.