Killian’s POV.
I traced my steps towards the crowded gathering, my ears filled with their murmurs.
I halted as soon as I found my way to the middle of the crowd, straightening up and raising my hand in the air.
The low murmurs seized immediately and cold silence settled in.
I dragged my gaze from each of them to the other, carefully piercing my gaze into theirs as if trying to force out the truth.
“I’m certain we all are aware of everything that has been going on in the pack for the past few days,” I began. Making sure to keep a tab of the look on their faces before continuing.
“I have tried to resolve the issue without bringing any of you into it but it seems to be getting worse by each day,”
“Now I am left with no choice but to involve everyone, I don’t seek much from you, all I need is your complete honesty as I ask few questions that might help in the search for my mate,”
“Alpha,” an aged woman suddenly spoke up from the crowd and I snapped my head towards her direction. “I am speaking on behalf of the rest of the pack members, we are deeply sorry for the misfortune that has befallen your mate, and to express our support, we will honor your questions with all sincerity,”
I flashed her a warm smile. “Thank you, this means a lot to me,”
I felt a sudden flash of comfort surge through me, somehow I was relieved. I had thought the entire pack was against me following the rash decisions I have made for the past few days, but hearing their support for me, and the willingness to aid in the search for Elena gladdened my heart.
Of course, not every one of them was in support, from the grumpy murmurs echoing lowly within them, I knew few of them were furious at me as well.
But nonetheless, I went ahead to interrogate them and thankfully, they cooperated.
I was satisfied with their responses, even though there was no end to it. Apparently, no one had seen Elena make any suspicious move out of the pack, nor left with anyone.
Most people attested to have seen her walk around the pack the same day that she was announced missing.
Kaitlyn, who is her friend, described how she spent the whole day with her, discussing under a tree after which she left.
The stories were nowhere near any lead.
A sharp stab of disappointment and anger surged through me as I stood before the crowd, with no single lead on how to trace her.
“Thank you for your time, you may now retire back to your homes,” I waved them off.
I stood behind, watching as they trooped out, leaving me behind with the guards.
Once I was left alone with them, I cleared my throat and turned fully to face them. “What is going on? Why haven’t you gotten to the root of this yet?” I queried.
One of them stepped forward and bowed slightly before me. “Alpha, believe me, we have been trying our possible best to resolve this issue and find your mate, but every lead we got seems to be leading nowhere,” he replied.
“You are trying your best, that is all that I have been hearing from you since the beginning of this search,” I snapped.
“Are you all incapable of this huh? Do I need to bring in warriors from other packs because you are terrible at your duties,” I couldn’t hold it back, I was beginning to yell now.
“Accept our apology Alpha,” another one of them chirped in.
“Don’t fucking apologize! I need you to step up your game and find my mate no matter what it takes, why is that so hard for you huh!”
They dragged their gazes to the floor as my angry voice echoed through the air.
“Go beyond the pack, step out, go into the neighboring packs, and search for her, I don’t care the hole you have to crawl into, just find Elena and bring her back to me, please!”
“We will do that Alpha, please rest your mind, we will find her,”
I looked around carefully, and a sudden realization hit me. Graham wasn’t present. Where could he be that is more important than my search for Elena which I had personally handed to him?
I haven’t also failed to notice how strangely he has been behaving for a while now, Something seems to be wrong with him and I plan to bring it to his notice when I see him.
“You may go, and tell Graham to see me immediately ” I waved them off, turning around, and headed off.
Surprisingly, as I took few steps away from them, a fit of murmur rose within them, I tried to channel my ears away from hearing their voices thinking they were angry that I yelled but then my ear suddenly caught one of their voices whisper.
“If no one wants to tell him, I will,”
I quickly halted on my track and turned back towards them.
“Tell me what?” I raised my brows.
They suddenly went mute, their gazes everywhere but my face.
“Have you suddenly lost your voices!? I yelled. “Speak, before I make you do it,” I gritted.
“Uhm… It’s… It’s… Graham,” one of them stuttered.
That instantly caught my attention as I listened more keenly. “What about him?” I asked.
“He hasn’t been assisting us with the search since we started, he keeps coming up with excuses and distancing himself from us, and no one can question him because he’s our leader,” another one of them blurted.
I tried to put the pieces together bit by bit. Graham hasn’t been involved in the search all this while? Despite all the stories he reported to me about their progress so far.
I knew something was up with him. Those strange moves weren’t for nothing.
It was finally beginning to come to me.
Graham is hiding something.