Killian’s POV.
“You are telling me that Graham hasn’t been with the search team with you all this while?” I asked and they nodded.
“And no one cared to bring this to my notice?”
“We didn’t know it would get to this, we thought it was only for the first day of the search,” one of them replied.
I breathed in a deep sleep, there has to be something to this.
Why didn’t I think deeply about his recent strange behaviors? I should have known he was hiding something, it might not be about Elena, but whatever it is, I would love to find out.
“Where is he now? Does anyone of you know his whereabouts?” I asked and they all nodded negatively.
I racked through my head desperately for a positive way to go about this. There has to be a way.
Suddenly, it struck me. There might be a way truly.
“Does he have a mate?” I turned back towards them.
“Yes, he does,”
“Perfect, go get her and meet me in the palace immediately,” I instructed and they all nodded and trooped out.
It was time to do this by myself and stop entrusting it in the hands of the guards. This is what I should have done a long time ago.
Almost immediately, a young maiden ran towards me. “Alpha, I was sent by the guards at the cell room, Luna Aria is dead,” she announced.
I went numb for a second trying to process what I just heard.
“What? How is she dead?” I finally found my voice.
“I don’t know Alpha, she has been rushed to the clinic and they are requesting your presence,” she replied.
“C’mon then, let’s go,” I quickly bolted off towards the clinic, my heart beating hard in my chest as different thoughts ran through my head.
How could she be dead, I lifted off the starvation strike and ordered them to prepare a meal for her.
What could be wrong now?
I never intended to kill her even though my actions seemed so. I only wanted to torture the truth out of her not take her life.
If anything happens to her and also being that she’s innocent of my accusations, this will be a heavy blow on me.
“Alpha, you are here,” the guards outside the clinic ran to me immediately I arrived.
“What did you say happened to her?” I asked again to be sure.
“She suddenly collapsed and when we checked her pulse, she wasn’t breathing,” one of them replied.
“Did you not serve her food like I asked you to?”
“We did, she refused to eat anything she was served,” he replied.
“And you didn’t bring this to my notice?.” I yelled.
Almost immediately, the healer ran out.
“Alpha, thank goodness you are here, we were able to revive her, thanks to the guards who brought her on time,”
I heaved out a heavy breath I never knew I was holding.
“Can you take me to her?” I requested and she nodded. “But she’s in deep slumber now, you can’t wake her,”
I nodded and followed behind as she led me toward Aria’s ward.
I stood by the door side while she walked into the ward, I felt an extreme wave of guilt wash over me. I couldn’t bring myself to see her.
“Alpha?” The healer called and I slowly walked in.
“I’ll be outside if you need me,” she announced and walked away.
My gaze landed on Aria’s lifeless body on the bed and for the first time, I felt pity for her.
Could she truly be innocent? I mean she couldn’t be risking her life this much just to hurt Elena.
I lost count of time as I stood beside her watching her chest heave unsteadily as she slept. I couldn’t help but think of what I would tell Emily if anything happened to her.
Somehow, I was grateful nothing happened to her. I reached out and tucked away a strand of hair that was lying on her face.
My ears suddenly caught a loud commotion outside the clinic and taking one last glance at Aria, I stepped out.
It was the guards, and they were holding down a young pretty looking lady.
“What’s going on?” I stepped forward.
“Alpha, this young lady is Graham’s mate,” one of the guards replied.
I drew closer and stood before her. “May I know your name?”
“It’s Abigail, Alpha,” she replied dragging her gaze to the floor.
“And Graham is your mate?” I asked and she nodded.
“Do you live together with him?”
Again, she nodded.
“Well Abigail, I’m going to need you to be completely honest with me if you don’t want to be locked up forever,”
I watched as a glint of fear flashed through her eyes. “You have my complete honesty, Alpha,” she mumbled barely audibly.
“Has Graham been home with you since the search for my mate began?” I asked.
She snapped her head up to stare at me. “No Alpha, he always left early before sunrise to join the other warriors in search of your mate,” she replied.
I chuckled dryly, turning to the rest of the warriors. “Has he been with you since the search began?”
“No Alpha,” they all chorused and I nodded, turning back to her. “You heard that, didn’t you? He wasn’t at home, and neither was he with the warriors, the question right now is, where has he been leaving to?”
“That’s not true Alpha, every morning before leaving, Graham assured me that he was going in search of your mate, and he always returned with a smile, telling me how close he was to restoring peace to the pack, I don’t know what you might have in mind, but Graham would never…
I cut her off with a wave of my hand in the air as soon as a part of her sentence hit my ears.
He was close to restoring peace to the pack?
My mind suddenly wandered back to my encounter with him a few days before Elena’s disappearance.
He was furious that I had abandoned the affairs of the pack to be with Elena.
That only meant one thing.