Zade’s POV
Tommy and I were working on a business deal in my study. I was thankful we could still do that considering the mysterious attacks that had been plaguing our pack. The last thing that we needed was to lose out on a business deal that could benefit the pack economically.
We were starving and decided it was time to take a break so I had my beta ring the kitchen.
There was a knock on the door in about five minutes and it swung open to reveal two maids carrying two food trays.
One of the perks of being Alpha was that you never had to wait too long for anything.
“Except Malia,” my wolf said and I gave a wry smile.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, puzzled at my unwarranted facial expression and I grinned.
I was just a little bit glad that at least my wolf was talking to me again. He had been so mad that I had hurt Malia and when she disappeared it was as though he also disappeared with her.
The maids bowed and left as soon as they were done with setting the mini dining table in my study. I closed my laptop and moved to the table.
Tommy settled on the chair opposite me and we dug into our meals with no hesitation.
I tried to put the current situation out of my mind as I ate but it wasn’t that easy. Malia still hadn’t been found despite all our best efforts. It was as though she had just dropped off the face of the planet.
I didn’t realize I had stopped eating until my beta placed his hand on mine and shook gently.
His eyes were filled with understanding as he gazed at me.
“You have to eat. Right now, the pack needs their Alpha to be strong.”
I sighed and drank from my cup of water.
“I’ve been thinking about the solution, Tommy. Since we can’t find Malia, what if I just let someone else become Alpha? I think that’ll work.”
My beta looked at me like I had suddenly grown two heads. “Please do not say that again. This pack loves you. They do not want any other Alpha.”
“But I was the one who put us into this mess. Do you think they’d still love me if they knew that? They’d want me to step down.”
“That would be hypocritical of them,” Tommy replied vehemently and I blinked in surprise.
It was the first time I had seen him display such passion. He was always as cool as a cucumber.
“No matter how much you blame yourself, you did what you did for the pack. The people didn’t like Malia as their Luna because she was cursed. They wanted another Luna and you gave them that. So if you think you’re to blame, think again. You can’t take all the blame.”
I buried my face in my hands and let out a long sigh. “So what do I do, Tommy? I’m at my wit’s end here. What if we never find her?”
“We will find her. I’m sure of it. We just have to be patient and not give up. For now, I think we should just focus on asking for help against our attackers. We need all the help we can get.”
“Thank you, Tommy. I really appreciate your words of encouragement and your strength in these times,” I said.
“I’m not just your beta. I’m also your friend, Zade. It’s my duty to be the shoulder you can lean on. The one you can draw strength from when you need it.”
I nodded and we continued eating.
“So when’s Victoria due for delivery?” He asked.
I set my fork down and dabbed at the sides of my mouth with a napkin.
“The doctor said she’d be due in a month.”
“I’m just so glad it’ll be over soon. Who knew that pregnant women could be more problematic than a plague?”
Tommy burst out laughing at my comparison.
“Oh please, it can’t be as bad as that. Stop exaggerating.”
I took a sip of my water. “Trust me, Tommy, I’m not.”
“Well, thank the Goddess that she has Lily as a companion or else she’d be a lot more problematic,” he said.
I blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?” I asked and his forehead creased slightly in puzzlement.
“Lily, a companion of Victoria? That’s not possible. You know Lily was Malia’s best friend. She despises Victoria and I know that Victoria feels the same way about her,” I explained.
Tommy leaned back in his chair, the puzzled look still on his face.
“When I first saw them chatting together like best friends, I was surprised too. But then I concluded that even enemies can become friends.”
I was deep in thought for a moment.
“Did they see you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I doubt that. It was in the night and they were alone at the creek. I happened to see them because I had been on a stroll.”
“What were they talking about?” I asked and he gave me a look.
“Women’s stuff I guess. I don’t think it was anything important,” he answered.
“I see,” I murmured, deciding to find out for myself what their newfound friendship was all about.
We went back to my desk when we were done and continued with our business project.
I returned to my room later in the evening and found Victoria flipping through the pages of a novel. She looked up when I entered and gave me a wide smile.
I breathed a sigh of relief because she seemed to be in a good mood.
I wasn’t sure I could take any drama without snapping. I was so tired and all I wanted to do was crash.
I planted a kiss on her forehead and her stomach and inquired about her day. Thankfully it went well.
I had to take a bath first though, because my wife hated it when I just lay on the bed after a long day without having my bath first.
I took a quick shower and slid under the covers.
“What do you think you should name him?” She asked softly, trying her best to turn to face me. Movement was kind of difficult for her because of her large belly. I had a feeling that we were going to have a pair.
“What makes you think it’s going to be a boy? It could be a girl,” I replied.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure of it, Zade. We’re going to have a boy.”
“If you say so. I think we should name him Zade,” I said with a grin.
“Excellent,” she beamed.
“I heard you and Lily are becoming friends,” I said and I thought I felt her stiffen.
“Who told you that?” She asked as she picked up the novel again.
“Tommy said he saw you two chatting the other day,” I replied.
“Oh,” she murmured. “I just noticed that she had been depressed lately. Probably because of Malia’s absence. So I decided to just be nice and try to help her in any way I could. Surprisingly we have lots in common.”
“I see,” I murmured, then took her hand and smiled. “Thank you for your kindness to Lily.”
She snorted. “You don’t have to thank me. I enjoy being nice to her.”
I slept off with a smile on my face. My wife being in a good mood was one thing. But her being nice to someone who was Malia’s best friend was really something.
I woke up the next morning to a loud bang on my door. I uttered a curse and hurried out of bed feeling disoriented. I yanked the door open and saw a worried-looking Tommy standing there.
“I’m so sorry to have disturbed you but you need to see this,” he said.
“Give me a minute, please,” I replied and closed the door.
I quickly donned a pair of trousers and a T-shirt.
Victoria stirred in her sleep and I paused for a second.
She didn’t wake.
I made my way to the door quietly, opened it and gently slipped out of the room.
Tommy and I hurried out of the palace.
I followed him until he stopped in front of the hospital. Or what used to be the hospital.
What was in front of me was the charred ruins of the building. I felt helpless and hopeless.
“Thankfully, the people that were in there were able to escape before it burst into flames.”
I nodded glumly thinking of when the hell all of this was going to be over.
Tommy placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “It’s going to be alright.”
“Yeah right,” I murmured and took a deep breath.
“And nobody saw anything or was it an accident from inside?” I queried.
“We’re still trying to figure that out but I’m guessing it’s still one of those mysterious attacks. We really need to act fast or else there’d be nothing left,” he replied.
I shuddered as I imagined what would happen if people started dying mysteriously as well.
This pack wasn’t going to end with me. I was going to make sure of that. I owed it to my father.
I returned to the palace with Tommy thinking about who I could turn to for help, pending the time we found Malia.