Aiden’s face lit up with relief and gratitude as the words Morane uttered settled down in his head. It seemed like today he has been getting hit by relief– left, right, center, everywhere.
“Thank you so much, Morane,” he said sincerely, appreciation filling his tone. Quickly, he turned, ready to leave and inform the others, but Morane called him, stopping him.
“Yes?” He asked with his right brow raised.
“Are you not forgetting something?” She asked while staring at him. “Something important.”
“I am not sure what exactly you mean,” he replied, genuinely confused. “What is it?”
Morane smiled and shook her head, gesturing to the map, “This! This is what you are forgetting,” she told him as her fingers hovered over the spot where Kira’s hair had stopped. It was the exact location of where Kira was.
“This is where she is,” Morane said patiently. “And you were just about to rush out without even knowing where you were going.”
Realizing his mistake, Aiden chuckled sheepishly and patted Morane’s shoulder in appreciation. “I agree, I am in a rush. I am just… relieved that we finally have a lead. Thank you, Morane.”
“I am not surprised and anytime,” Morane said while smiling, “Now, go save your girl.”
“You know I will,” he said and winked before leaving.
Now, outside Morane’s house, he reached out to Bryan throughout the mind link. “Bryan, Morane found her. Get the car ready, we are leaving now. We can take some warriors with us, why the rest stay and guard the pack just in case this is a rogue attack and a ploy to draw us out to leave the pack vulnerable.”
“Got it,” Bryan responded immediately. “I will inform the others, and we will be waiting for you. Be fast.”
Aiden picked up his pace, practically running as he made his way to where they were waiting for him. As he approached, he could see that Bryan was behind the wheel, the engine of the car already on, and Ryker at the back seat. The second car which was also coming with them was filled with some warriors since they were not sure of what to expect.
Aiden got into the car immediately, the passenger side, and turned to his brother, giving him a nod as he shared the information he had gotten about Kira’s location.
“Alright,” Bryan cracked his neck, “Let’s get her back.”
With everything in place, and the back of the car facing the Pack’s border, Bryan knew he had to turn quickly, and so he gripped the steering wheel firmly, shifted into drive, and then twisted the wheel hard as he pressed the gas.
Aiden and Ryker just sat calmly as the tires skidded slightly, swinging the front of the car around to face the Pack’s border. Now lined up with the exit, Bryan stomped on the gas as they sped out of the Pack’s ground, the second car right behind theirs.
After a few minutes of driving on the main road, Bryan noticed a turn ahead, a path they were to take. According to Morane’s location spell, they were to take this path which was surrounded by thick bushes and woods to find Kira.
“This is it,” Aiden confirmed as Bryan slowed just enough to make a turn, then accelerated as they drove deeper into the secluded path.
Eventually, they reached a clearing where an old building sat in the middle of nowhere. The place was surrounded by silence, the structure quiet.
“We are here,” Bryan muttered and brought the car to a stop.
They quickly exited, each of them scanning the area for any threat.
“Stay here and guard the perimeter,” Bryan ordered when he turned to the warriors from the second car. “If anything happens, if anything approaches, alert us immediately. Understood?”
“Yes, Alpha!” they responded in unison, ready to defend.
“Good,” Bryan said, satisfied. “Now, stand in position and guard.”
With that said, he, Aiden, and Ryker walked towards the building and checked if the door was unlocked or locked.
Aiden was the one who reached out to test the door handle, but it didn’t budge. “Guess we are not allowed to get in,” he said as he looked at Bryan, who nodded.
“Gladly,” Aiden muttered, wasting no time as he raised his foot and kicked hard at the door, sending it crashing open. “Check all the rooms,” he told them.
Immediately they got to work, searching all the rooms. The building was quite surprising, though. The outside looked dead, but the inside was well-kept. The phrase, ‘Don’t judge the book by the cover’, would describe this sorcery perfectly.
As they moved through the building, they realized it was larger than they had expected from the outside. It was a single-story house which had four separate rooms. Some places had dust covered all over it, while some were manageable.
Bryan opened the first door on the left as he took the lead, but the room was empty. He still went in and looked around, and found nothing, so he signaled to Aiden and Ryker that it was clear.
Aiden moved on to the next one as did Ryker, but all those were also empty with no sign of Kira.
Room by room, corner by corner, they searched the house.
“Are you sure she is here?” Aiden asked both Bryan and Ryker through the mind link. “There is no noise, nothing, I feel we may have made a mistake.”
“I think so too,” Ryker said, agreeing with Aiden, “There is nothing here, maybe a mistake has been made somewhere.”
Bryan was also about to agree with them when he suddenly found something. “How come we didn’t see this room before?” He asked himself as he opened the door and stepped in.
“Guys… It’s this one!” He said immediately, calling out to them. He had found the room, but it was empty.
Aiden and Ryker hurried over, and stood beside him in the room, looking around.
“She was here,” Bryan said, “I can smell her.”
“And her scent is strong too,” Aiden added as he walked further into the room, inspecting the place.
“Where the hell is she!” Bryan whispered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as his chest constricted with worry.
Aiden himself sighed and closed his eyes, feeling very frustrated as he thought of what they should do next.
“Wait,” Ryker suddenly said and stepped forward, his brain running miles. “If her scent is as strong as you say…” he murmured as Bryan and Aiden turned to face him, listening to what he had to say.
“Then…” Ryker continued. “Doesn’t that mean she has not gone far?”