I was running late for my meeting. The Wolves had been waiting for me for almost two hours while I was right above them, panicking and having the worst mini-heart attack of my life.
I had not figured out what I would tell them should they ask for the Luna. When Griffin had come up for the sixth time, I knew there was no putting it forward anymore and finally braced up to come down.
“Alpha Rolan!” The men hailed me happily and bowed slightly.
I smiled at them as I walked down the stairs and beckoned on Griffin to usher them in. The men laughed and clapped their hands joyfully.
“Caleb! Welcome back!” I said to the leader of the wolves and we hugged briefly.
The last time I saw them was two years ago. They were going on a mission that my late father had sent them. They were to recover our military database that was stolen.
“Alpha, thank you.” Caleb, the leader of the wolves, said and sat down.
The men all took their seats, and I sighed sadly and tried to pull myself together for the meeting.
“Gentlemen, Able-bodied Men of the park, welcome back. How was the mission?” I started, hoping that whatever I had said at the beginning was enough to distract them from noticing how disoriented I was.
“We have retrieved the database, Alpha. These are the files and also the flash drives we got back from them. The details of everything we did, I have written a report and submitted it to your secretary. I’m surprised she has not yet given it to you.” Caleb replied, and I remembered the pile of documents that I had asked one of the servants to dispose of. I was too tired to read it.
“Can you resend it to me again? I have been quite busy and with the pileup I have, I am sure I must have gotten it mixed up somewhere.” I said and shook my head at the pitiful lie I had just told.
Griffin cleared his throat behind me, I knew it was a cue for me to change the topic, as I was beginning to say things that were questionable.
“That will not be a problem, Alpha,” Caleb replied, and I saw the look he exchanged with Griffin. They had both worked for my father before his death. The entire park considered them the perfect teammates.
“About the welcome ball for you, when would you like it to be?” I asked the men, making them hoot and holler.
I laughed gently, making sure to bury all traces of my feelings.
When one of the men made to speak, Caleb cut in sharply.
“I will be discussing that privately with you Alpha. Boys, give the Alpha and I some minutes to talk. Please, wait outside the door.” Caleb ordered, and the men excused themselves immediately.
I smiled at how much respect they accorded to him. As soon as the door closed, Griffin came around and sat down opposite me.
“Boss, Caleb, and I discussed. I know you wanted to keep the situation private, but I promise you that Caleb will be of great and immense help. This is what he is good at. Working out situations that look impossible. I have not told him the details yet. I wanted to leave that for you to decide. He has no idea what is going on and if you do not give your full consent to it being divulged, I will not do it.” Griffin explained, and for a brief second, we locked eyes.
I could see the sincerity in his eyes. I glanced at him and then my eyes went down to Caleb, who sat down quietly like he was not in the conversation.
Truly, I had considered involving the wolves. They were the pack’s special security team and were only used to carry out the most important and dangerous of tasks. If there was any set of people who could do the job best, it would be them.
I decided to put my ego aside and ask for the help that I needed. Pandora’s life and that of my babies were more significant to me than any title or reputation I had out there. I doubted that if anything happened to them, either as a result of my inaction or not, I would definitely not be able to forgive myself.
“The Luna has been kidnapped, Caleb. ” I said and paused, watching his reaction, but his face remained indifferent.
“She was kidnapped about two months ago when she was on her way to pick me up herself from the airport. She had left the palace without any protection at all. Uncle Joe had her kidnapped. She is supposed to be pregnant. He claimed to have lost her, and we were only able to trace her to a ditch and that is all. Over the past few weeks, we have gone all and sundry trying to follow clues but nothing. Uncle Joe also keeps on insisting that he knew nothing else and that she had escaped. I fear that I am at a dead end.” I explained and blinked back the tears that were threatening to gather in my eyes.
Caleb did not say anything immediately, and I did not realize that I was holding my breath until he spoke.
“I would like to speak to Uncle Joe. I advise that you do not tell anyone about this yet. You made a wise decision, keeping it to yourself until now. Cases like this have been proven to be quite dicey. Griffin and I will look at the kidnap site and the ditch. I also have a strong feeling that the Luna is not hurt. I will be needing a picture of her, though. Which other packs have you not yet checked, Alpha?” He asked me and I looked at Griffin.
“We only have the other side of the boundary fence left.” He answered promptly.
“Well, Alpha, leave the rest to Griffin and me. I know where to begin the search from” Caleb said and stood up.
“What about the welcome ball?” I asked him, surprised that he had not mentioned anything else about it.
“When the Luna comes home.” He answered and bowed politely before leaving the office.
A sudden sense of calm overwhelmed me.