A feeling of unease gripped Usher as he realized that no one was in the cave. Vione was not there.
“Alpha.”
Usher blinked and turned to Garth, who had walked up to him. “What’s the situation?”
“Sorry, Alpha. Storm, the others and I have searched the area, but we haven’t found any sign of Luna.”
Usher furrowed his brow, deep in thought. “Impossible,” he murmured in a low tone, as if speaking to himself rather than Garth. “I’m sure Vione was here. I-”
Usher’s words were cut short when his eyes accidentally landed on a familiar object at the bottom of the cave. He stood and picked it up-a crumpled piece of paper.
Usher slowly unfolded the paper. His eyes narrowed as his expression changed as he read each word, a message to Vione to stay in the cave. He recognized the handwriting at once. It was his own.
The strangeness continued, but Usher decided to ignore it for the moment. He realized that so many strange things had happened in just two days, right after he awoke from his coma. He would make sure to find answers to these anomalies later. For now, his priority was to find Vione before something unfortunate happened.
The uneasy feeling turned into uncontrollable worry. A possibility crossed Usher’s mind. The fact that Vione had discarded the message gave him a disturbing clue. Vione had left. He was too late.
Usher took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Then he spoke to Garth. “We’ll search the area around here.”
“Understood, Alpha.”
Usher’s only hope now was that Vione was safe. That nothing bad had happened to her.
However, Usher’s last hope was dashed when they found bloodstains scattered in the grass, along with signs of a struggle that led him to one conclusion-Vione had been kidnapped.
*
Anger boiled inside Usher. His face hardened; his body tensed. His fists clenched tightly and he pounded the table until it cracked. “How dare they.”
Surveillance footage revealed that four unidentified individuals had kidnapped Vione. It had happened just before he arrived, and he was certain they were from the Nimbria Pack. So, he hurried. Wasting no time, he headed straight for the dungeon.
Usher’s arrival was greeted by Mireya’s laughter. He saw Mireya laughing heartily, completely ignoring Phillip who was crying in the corner of the cell.
“Oh, Usher. I didn’t expect you to come to me so soon,” Mireya said with a mocking expression. She showed no hesitation as she gave Usher a teasing look. “Why? Did you suddenly miss me? Did you-”
Usher’s face darkened with anger. Mireya’s attitude was provoking him, causing him to lose control. In one swift movement, he grabbed Mireya by the throat. Mireya couldn’t defend herself; her words were cut off and a second later, her body was lifted from the ground.
“U-Usher.”
Usher’s jaw was clenched with a wave of anger. His golden eyes glittered with menace, and his grip on Mireya’s throat tightened.
Mireya gasped for breath. But Usher didn’t care. His anger had consumed him. “I’m glad you’re still laughing, Mireya, and I’m curious if this will be your last laugh.”
Mireya blinked with a crushing pain in her lungs. “U-Usher,” she whispered weakly, hitting Usher’s grip and trying to free herself. “L-Let me go.”
Instead, Usher only tightened his grip. Mireya’s neck turned red while her face grew pale.
Panic gripped Mireya. Fear gripped her as Usher’s gaze sharpened. His eyes promised death, a judgment that would be the end of her life, a final sentence that no one could escape.
The shadow of death loomed, ready to close Mireya’s eyes with darkness. Her legs, once flailing wildly in search of non-existent support, slowly began to weaken. Her struggles slowed. The feeble blows she struck against Usher’s grip stopped. Her head was spinning and her vision was blurred.
Mireya’s consciousness faded. She was on the verge of despair, and even Phillip’s cries grew fainter to her ears. Death was on the horizon. But suddenly her body was thrown against the stone wall of the cell with tremendous force.
Mireya moaned in immense pain. Her body felt shattered. A sharp pain coursed through her entire being. Her nearly fading consciousness was pushed back by the waves of agony.
“It seems your loyalty to Torin and the Nimbria Pack deserves some recognition, Mireya.”
Usher’s voice echoed, making Mireya jump. She realized that Usher wasn’t going to let her go so easily. Usher was so angry, and she knew that her death was one of the things he wanted.
“You’re not afraid to die, Mireya.”
Mireya became even more alert when Usher not only spoke but also walked. His steps sounded deliberate and commanding. She tried to stand up quickly, to prepare herself.
“You remain unfazed even when death is at your doorstep,” Usher continued in a flat tone. Then his footsteps stopped. “So, I wonder. Will you remain unafraid if I do the same to Phillip?”
In the darkness of the dungeon, Mireya’s face became as pale as a corpse. Her body felt cold. She shook her head and said, “No, Usher.”
Usher took another step, but this time his target was not Mireya, but Phillip. He crouched down and looked at Phillip with a blank expression. “I guess it’s not just you who would feel the loss if Phillip were to die.” He turned around and looked at Mireya. “Isn’t that right, Mireya?”
Mireya tried to stand, but her body was unstable. She collapsed and supported herself with her hands. “No, Usher. You can kill me, but not Phillip. He’s just a child. He’s an innocent baby.”
“Innocent baby?” Usher laughed. “You see, Torin and I were both innocent babies decades ago. And now? You know what we can do. He can hurt Vione, and I can do the same to Phillip.”
Mireya didn’t need a second confirmation that Usher was capable of carrying out his threats. Usher could indeed kill Phillip, and she couldn’t take that risk. In the end, she had no choice but to speak. “Torin has sent spies into Amerotha Forest. At first it was to find out about the mysterious man, but it seems that their mission has changed. Torin must have ordered them to kidnap Vione because he knew you had Phillip and me in the dungeon.”
Usher remained silent. Mireya’s words were exactly what he had suspected.
“So,” Mireya continued, her fear slowly fading as her confidence returned. “There’s only one way for you to save Vione, and that’s to free me and Phillip.”
*