Zade’s POV
Victoria was still in the room when I walked in. I assumed she had been sleeping because her cheeks were flushed and she looked dazed.
“How did it go?” She asked as she yawned.
I picked up the duffle bag I had packed earlier.
“We have to find Malia. The Seer says the fate of this pack depends on her,” I replied.
She sat up straight, disgust written boldly across her features.
“But why? She is cursed. How could something good come out of her? How could she possibly be of any importance to this pack?” She questioned.
I sighed, frustrated “I have to find her to get answers. Left to me I won’t go searching for her. But the pack needs her.”
She rose from the bed. “Please give me a minute to pack a few things. I’m coming with you,” she said.
I stared at her in shay bewilderment, was she joking? “You can’t be serious.”
She threw our shared wardrobe open and tossed some of her underwear into a bag. “Of course I am. I told you earlier that this pack matters to me too.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “In case you don’t remember, you’re pregnant.” I reminded. “Besides, there’s nothing you can do to help in this search,” I said.
“But I just don’t want to sit here and wait for your return. I’d be bored to tears,” she complained.
I went over to her and placed both hands gently on her shoulders. “The Alpha and Luna of a park cannot be absent at the same time. The remaining members of this pack need to know you’re here. Your presence here would serve as a reassurance to them. It’s going to make them feel somewhat safe,”
I mentally rolled my eyes when she burst into tears and wrapped my arms around her.
I heard a knock on the door.
“The troop is ready to go, Alpha Zade,” my beta called out.
“I’ll be out in a minute, Tommy,” I replied.
I comforted Victoria and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“We’ll get through this, okay?”
She nodded.
“Lily can keep you company,” I said.
She snorted. “Lily was best friends with Malia. She hates me. But don’t worry I can make my own friends.”
I nodded. “I hate to leave you but I have to go. I promise I’ll keep in touch.”
She gave me a small smile. “It’s okay. The pack needs this.”
I hugged her again and stepped out of the room.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Tommy and I headed down the hallway.
“So where do we start? He asked.
“We’ll divide the troop into two groups. The first group will go north and then east. The other will go south and west,” I replied.
Tommy nodded in understanding.
“I know she’s not going to be at her parents’ pack but we’re still going to look for her there. We’re to leave no stones unturned,” I said.
“Yes, Alpha.”
Tommy addressed the troop and divided them into two groups and then we were off.
My beta and I joined the group selected to search the north and east regions. Malia’s former pack was in the north, and as expected, she wasn’t there.
Her parents had looked so shocked when I told them about her disappearance. I left out the reason why she ran away of course. I didn’t want to be seen as a terrible person.
We searched for a whole month and there was still no sign of Malia. I wondered if she had somehow learnt about our search and had travelled out of the country. Now, that would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
“What if she has been kidnapped or worse still, killed by rogues?” I asked my beta as we left a particularly hostile pack.
“If those rogues know who she is, they’re more likely to use her against you rather than kill her. Besides if she was already dead, the Seer would not have asked us to find her,” he replied.
I buried my face in my hands and wondered why I was so unlucky. First, the Moon Goddess had given me a cursed mate and then she had brought this crisis upon us and made said cursed mate the solution.
Tommy patted me on the back and assured me that we were going to find her. I told him my fears of her not even being in the country anymore.
“She could be anywhere,” I cried.
“Before we conclude, we’ll have to declare her missing and check with the airlines to see if she had booked a flight with any of them,” he replied.
I nodded.
The last pack we visited before checking with the airlines taught me something and had me drowning in guilt.
The Alpha there had a Luna who couldn’t have kids. Yet he didn’t look for another mate or take another woman as his mistress to have an heir.
He was faithful to his mate and was able to ignore the suggestions of his council.
Tommy noticed my particularly depressed mood when we left that pack.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. “Apart from the obvious problem,” he added with a hint of a smile.
I released a shaky breath. “I just feel I’m the one responsible for what the pack is going through.
Malia was nothing but loving and helpful to me and the pack. I should have defended her when the council and some of the other members of the pack spoke ill about her. I should have given her my full support instead of throwing myself into the arms of another woman.
Now she’s gone and my pack is in danger. This is all my fault,” I bemoaned.
Tommy heaved a sigh, then patted my shoulder. “Everyone makes their own fair share of mistakes. You need to be strong now. This is not the time to wallow in guilt. We have to find her,” Tommy said.
“But how do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found?”