Chapter 87

Soren

My ears perk up as soon as I hear the Duke’s soldier proclaim that there is a messenger outside. I rush out of the room and hurry down the stairs, running as fast as I can, before I lunge outside the front door, staring at the messenger, who is held back by two soldiers. There is a cardboard box in his hand, very small and petite.

I wave my hand at the two soldiers for them to let go of the messenger. They are hesitant to do so, but follow my command, slow slowly, releasing their grip from his biceps. The messengers lips curl into a twisted smile, and he holds the box out for me to take.

The box is surprisingly light. I inspect it with the close eye, turning it around to look at every single side, desperate to see if there is any hint that Bianca may have put into the box for me to catch. Unfortunately, there is nothing for me to find.

I look back up at the messenger and narrow my eyes at him, a sharp glare, taking over my face. I step forward and placed the box at my hip, holding it there. I look him up and down one last time before finally opening my mouth to speak to him.

“Did she send you? Did Bianca tell you to come here?” I ask, keeping my voice as neutral as possible, despite my mind wanting to yell and scream at him, to unleash the fury of emotions that I have held within my body for so long.

“Yes,” the messenger responds. “She has given me a message to give to you, Alpha King. Bianca would like you to know that she is expecting you at the planned location any moment now. She does not want to be waiting for you so she sent this as a gift to help motivate you to come faster.”

“Motivate me?” I ask with a scoff, unable to comprehend what he could have possibly meant by that. The messenger simply nods in response.

I hate to admit it, but I think Bianca has the upper hand here. My gaze drifts back down to the box in my hands, and I swallow the lump that forms in my throat, my skin running cold while my blood feels excruciatingly hot. What could be sitting inside of this box?

“Bianca would also like for you to bring this box back,” the messenger feels in the silence that formed between us. “She wants you to make the correct decision, sir, in bringing this box will tell her that you did.”

I do not respond, unsure of what to say to his helpful words, unsure if it will hurt me or or help me in the future. I glance at the soldiers who stand behind him and wave my hand once again. They take his arms and drag him back down the stairs, placing a black hood over his head before shoving him into the back of a car.

I turn around and make my way back inside the home. The Duke in my beta stare at me with widened eyes, their gazes dropping to the box in my hands. Before they can even say anything, I lift my hand in the air to silence them and take my leave up the stairs to Celia and I’s shared room, one that I have destroyed during one of my outbursts when a clue came up as a dead end.

I close the door behind me and place the box on the bed, staring at it as if there is a bomb inside. I reached for the box, but my body immediately yanked my hands back. I am unable to grow close to it, to open it up and see what is hidden inside.

What could Bianca have sent me? What could she have possibly put together in such a short time to convince me to join her on her side? There is nothing that she could use to blackmail me, never having been around me where I could possibly be corrupt in my own government or have a scandal that she hasn't already aired out at our failed wedding.

Bianca has made for sure that the world knows that I hired a substitute lover while she was away. She has already made it know that the substitute lover is Celia, my fated mate whose absence has left me feeling less than human. Other than that, I have done nothing wrong in the eyes of my people, nor have I had done anything to justify any kind of impeachment or a coup to take my throne for me.

I reached for the box, finally ripping the tape off of its sides. I slowly peel back the layers and reveal what sits on the inside.

There are a few Momentos from Bianca and I’s past. There are photographs of us as children together, the two of us sitting on a bench and sharing an ice cream cone, as well as empty perfume bottles that I gifted to her when she came back into my life. They're even sits a shirt that she bought for me, holding all of the contents together.

Going through this box is like walking down memory lane, but this time instead of being happy, I can feel nothing but dread and disappointment and where Bianca and I's relationship has gone. We used to be so good together, we used to be so happy. Ever since Celia came back into my life, Bianca has to become a monster that I cannot bring myself to recognize.

I remove all the contents to reveal one last thing that sits at the bottom of the box. It is a white piece of paper. I reach out and pluck it from its place, turning it over to reveal a photograph of Celia. My body runs cold and chills spread all over my skin at the sight.

It is a picture of Celia. She is bound by chains on her wrist, neck, and waist. She has a blindfold over her head as well as a gag stuffed inside of her mouth. She sits in the middle of a room, one that I cannot make out where it could possibly be located other than the address that Bianca has given to me.

It pains me to not be able to see her face, her beautiful eyes. It brings me so much suffering to know that Celia is being treated like a prisoner, to know that Celia has been thrown in the middle of a mess that never involve her in the first place. Bianca's jealousy has always been untamable, wild and reckless.

I just hate that Celia has become a casualty in this mess.

I quickly leave the room, box in hand with all of the belongings in it, and rushed down the stairs to where the Duke and my Beta stand. They battle their heads at me and I waved them away, swiping the keys to one of the military cars into my hand.

“What are you doing, sir?” my Beta asks, quickly following behind me as I walk outside.

“I'm going to get my mate back,” I begin, “send a team after me. We are going to get the future Luna back into our care.”