Chapter 86

Third Person

The missing Lycan princess, Celia has yet to be found. The tension in the Duke’s mansion has risen over the past couple of days with Soren beginning to slowly go crazy over being unable to find and locate Celia. The Duke and Soren’s Beta have done everything that they possibly can to try and find Celia, but nothing has come to fruition just yet.

They have searched the entirety of the forest, and have even begun to search for Celia in parts of Lycan territory where civilians live. It has been hard to try and keep a covert cover, not wanting to alarm the civilians to something big happening, not wanting to start chaos in the Lycan territory. The only place that Celia seems to be, though, is the location that Bianca sent in her message to Soren.

The Duke has sent men to location to scout the home out and see what kind of plan they can make. Pictures have come back of the rogue werewolf soldiers that Bianca has employed, and it shows that she has heavily fortified the house in which she has made herself at home. The only way to truly get in is to start a firefight, but the Duke and the Beta know that Soren will never approved to a plan like this.

Well, the Duke and the Beta have been searching for Celia, the Alpha King has slowly been losing his mind. Unable to smell his and Celia's fated mate sent, Soren has not been able to sleep or rest, knowing that Celia is out there with somebody who wishes to bring her harm. Soren has destroyed his mind while thinking about the endless possibilities of what could've happened to Celia up until this point.

Soren has no clue if Celia is okay, if she has been hurt or harmed in anyway, if Bianca has treated her with the same decency that Soren treats his own prisoners. All he can do is sit here and wait for reconnaissance teams to come back from their missions and wait in agony as time slow slowly ticks by from all around him.

The Duke and the Beta have been walking on eggshells around Soren. Soren's temper has gotten much worse, and he has destroyed more bedrooms in offices in the Duke's home due to his outbursts of rage. Soren has become restless, and the Duke and Beta have determined that it is a weak point in their team, and that they need to separate Soren from the objective of finding Celia.

Soren sits in the main room where the Duke has set up a makeshift mission control room. People pass him by and pay no attention to him just as he does not pay attention back. The Duke watches him from afar, unsure as to how he can get Soren out of the way and to take care of himself instead of making things worse for the team as a whole.

Soren Beta comes up to the Duke side. They watched Soren in silence, noticing the sunken eye bags and the way his hair is slowly becoming knotted. There's even a distinct smell to him, which further showcases that Soren has not been taken care of himself ever since Celia left his side.

“A week,” the Duke speaks to the Beta. “It has been a damn week and we have come up with absolutely nothing. Do we really think that Bianca is truthful in her statement to us? She has to be hiding herself and Celia somewhere else, right? It feels like a trap.”

“I know,” the Beta says in response. Soren stands from the couch and leaves the room, disappearing down the hallway. The Beta sighs and looks up at the Duke, saying, “It is the only hint that we have to finding her. We have to treat it as the truth instead of a trap or a trick from Bianca. Besides, I don't think Bianca is that smart.”

“Really?” the Duke asked, surprise laced in his voice. “Lycan noble children are raised in the highest education. Bianca had the same upbringing, so I wouldn't be too short to counter out just yet.”

The Beta nods, his own body beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion and sleep deprivation from the countless nights he has stayed up to try and find the Lycan princess. Before the Duke can respond, a soldier comes up with a phone, informing him that it is an urgent message he must listen to.

The Duke nods and steps away, taking the phone in his hand and pressing it to his ear. He steps out to the patio, overlooking the now destroyed garden and plethora of military cars that sits in his backyard.

“Hello?” the Duke speaks into the phone.

“You must stop your aid to the Alpha King,” the voice of the Lycan King comes through the phone. It takes the Duke by surprise. “we are not to help the alpha King. He must do this on his own.”

“May I ask why we have to abandon this objective? We want to find the missing Lycan princess, no? Why would we give up on one of our own?” The Duke asks the hard questions, pressing into the Lycan king about his motives.

“It is a waste of time and resources. We do not want to anger the other Duke if his daughter were to come into harms way,” the king continued his reasoning.

“Bianca has brought this upon herself, your grace,” the Duke grows into the phone, pinching the bridge of his nose, “she was the one who attacked her own wedding. She was the one who kidnapped the missing liking princess. Bianca has brought her own downfall, and I will continue to help out the alpha King in the hopes that the werewolf pack does not remove their alliance with us. You know we need their help.”

The Lycan King is silent. The Duke waits for his response, unable to handle the tension that forms in the back of his mind. He lets out a quiet sigh and shift his weight to his back foot, relaxing his body as much as he can.

“My Lycan King, you know that what I say is right. If Bianca has stepped out of line, then what is to say that her father and her family are not to follow? If she can do this to the werewolf, Alpha King, imagine what she can do to you and your family,” the Duke reasons with the man on the other side of the phone.

“Be careful,” the king says in response, “do not put yourself for your men in danger just because the alpha king demands it. Make sure that you are doing what needs to be done and to follow protocol.”

The line goes dead. The Duke brings the phone away from his face and let out a groan. He turns around and faces the house, looking inside the windows at the countless soldiers and officials that have come to his aid.

Suddenly, the mansion erupts into chaos. People scramble from inside the mansion and the Duke rushes in to see what the commotion is about.

“A messenger has arrived sir!” a soldier calls out.