Zade’s POV
After I instructed my beta to gather the troope, I hurried back to the house and went into my room to gather a few necessary things I needed for the journey.
I had just finished fitting the items into a small duffle bag when Victoria tore into the room.
“So you were just going to leave without telling me?” She asked with a pout.
I gave her an incredulous look. “Really, Victoria?” We’ve got serious crisis on our hands and all you can do is whine about me leaving without telling you?”
“This pack matters to me just as it matters to you. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m Luna,” she spat out.
“You certainly do not act like you care about the affairs of this pack. Just this morning you were talking about a vacation,” I reminded her.
I saw her sudden grimace of pain and rushed to her side.
“What’s wrong Victoria?” I asked, gently setting her on the bed.
“I think the baby kicked too hard,” she said softly.
“You should try to rest more often,” I advised as I tried to get her to lie comfortably on the bed.
“That’s why I brought up the idea of a vacation. I need a change of environment even if it’s for a few days,” she silently pleaded with her eyes.
“This crisis is really taking its toll on me and the baby. You don’t even pay attention to us anymore,” she accused softly.
I felt a little bit guilty about that. “I promise we’re going to go wherever you want when I get back. But first of all, my troops and I have to find Malia.”
Her eyes narrow at the mention of my mate or should I say ex-mate.
“Malia? what on earth do you need her for? It’s not as though she possesses some special fighting skills that could help defeat our attackers,” she grumbled.
I took in a deep breath. “Yes, Malia might not possess any special fighting skills but she does have a great deal of intelligence. There was a time when our pack was being attacked and we were at our wits end. It was Malia who came up with a brilliant solution.”
Victoria snorted. “Do you know who else possesses even greater intelligence and can help us in a time like this? The seer.”
“As you know, she has great wisdom and the Moon goddess shows and tells her of things to come. She’ll definitely provide a solution,” she reasoned.
For a moment, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of that. I grinned and gave Victoria a peck on the forehead.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Now what would you do without me,” she replied smugly.
“Be careful Luna, your pride might make your head swell so big that you end up losing it,” I teased.
She chuckled. “Not going to happen.”
For the first time in a long while I felt relieved. I dipped my head to give her a long lingering kiss.
“Alpha Zade, don’t you have somewhere to be?” She asked, mirthful.
I smiled and got off the bed. “You can’t blame me. You’re not just beautiful, you’re also very smart. And that is an irresistible combination.”
She blushed and blew me a kiss. “Hurry along Romeo. The baby and I will be here waiting for your return.”
With one last lustful look, I left the room and headed to my study. My beta was already there waiting for me.
“I’ve gathered the troope just as you instructed,” he said.
“Well done. But we’ll have to put the travelling on hold for now. The Luna came up with an idea better than searching for Malia.”
My beta arched his eyebrows. “And what could that be?”
“The seer. She’s going to have the solution,” I answered.
His eyes clouded with uncertainty. “Not to be pessimistic or anything, but, l think if the Seer had a solution she’d have come forward with it a long time ago,”
I dismissed his reasoning with a wave of my hand. “Sometimes the seer thinks she’s more important than she is. She wants us to treat her as invaluable and always wants us coming to her.”
“Fair point,” he agreed but I could still see that he held doubts about her having a solution.
“Let’s go visit the Seer first to find out if she has the answers,” I said.
He nodded and we both left the study.
Elder Zelda walked up to us just as we were about to get into the car.
“I heard that you’re gathering the troope to go in search of Malia. Is that even necessary?” She asked with a frown.
“We’ve not finalized the decision yet. We are on our way to the Seer’s to see if she would save us the trouble of the search,” I answered.
She nodded. “Then I’d better not delay you. We need to act fast.”
With that, she spun on her heels and walked in the opposite direction.
We arrived at the Seer’s cottage and to our surprise she was packing a bag.
I glanced at my beta and his expression confirmed my fears. If the Seer was leaving then the pack was in real danger.
I was about to speak when she turned to face us. The expression on her face chilled me to the bone.
“You have to find the cursed one,” she said, before turning back to throw the last one of the items on the chair into the bag she held.
“Do you mean Malia?” I asked.
She ignored me and worked on zipping the bag.
I let out a grunt of frustration, grabbed her arm and twirled her to face me.
“Talk to me. Are we to find Malia, seer? And what does she even have to do with these attacks?” I demanded, anger surging through me.
She stopped what she was doing for a moment and trained her piercing dark gaze on me. “Find her and you’ll get your answers. The fate of your pack depends on Malia.”
I released her and turned to my beta. “It seems we’re going to travel after all.”