Chapter 158

Xaden’s POV

The longer we searched, the more anxious I was getting. My wolf was going crazy not knowing where our mate was. It seemed as if we were going in circles. One minute, I would pick up her scent in a certain area, and then the next minute, it would go away and return to a different area. It was almost as if she was on the move, but I didn’t understand why she would be running from us like this.

One thing was for sure, she hadn’t gotten far. She was still in this region, and I was determined to find her even if it killed me.

“Xaden?” I heard a soft voice from behind me.

I turned to face Mia who was staring up at me with tears in her eyes. Lucas wasn’t far from her, but it was clear he was trying to give her space and time. Since they arrived and joined the search party, he had been by her side the entire time. It made me wonder what they spoke about back at the palace, but now wasn’t the time to ask my brother about it. All I wanted was to find my mate and my baby.

“Yeah?” I asked, trying not to sound as aggravated as I felt. I was aware that what I said to her back at the palace was rude and most likely hurt her feelings. But I couldn’t really care about that right now; I meant what I said. It was her fault that there was this huge misunderstanding between Maeve and me… now I might have lost her, and I don’t think I could survive without her.

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry,” she surprised me by saying. I raised my eyebrows at her, not saying anything until she continued. “What I did was awful. It was beneath me. I know this is my fault and I’m going to help you find her. I’m truly sorry.”

I wasn’t really sure what to say; I wasn’t expecting her to own up to this. But I guess this was my fault too; it wasn’t all on Mia. I was the one who let Maeve assume the worst; she was my mate, and it was my responsibility to make sure she was secure in our relationship. I did everything but make her feel secure.

“I appreciate the apology, Princess. But it wasn’t all your fault. It was mine too,” I told her. “I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier.”

She bit her lower lip and then nodded.

“I deserved it,” she said softly. “But we are going to find her and it’s going to be okay. She’s going to be okay.”

I nodded, giving her a grateful smile, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes.

“Everything okay?” Lucas asked, stepping beside Mia.

Mia nodded.

“Yes,” she answered. “Let’s continue the search. Have you spoken to the shopkeepers yet? Maybe they saw her passing by.”

I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Yes, I’ve spoken to most of them,” I replied. “None of them had seen her.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out Maeve’s necklace. I couldn’t believe she would just leave this behind. It wasn’t making any sense to me; unless she was kidnapped during the night. My stomach tightened at the very thought; who would attempt to kidnap her? What could they possibly want with her?

“Is that Maeve’s?” Char asked as she approached me. She was leading the search with some of the other warriors and our mother but had returned only moments ago while the others continued the search.

I nodded.

“She left it behind,” I replied, clutching the necklace firmly in my hands.

“I remember her wearing it… why would she take it off?” Char asked, her brows pinched together. “She was always protective over it…”

She never told anyone that this necklace belonged to her birth mother. The only thing I truly knew about Maeve’s history was the fact that Alpha Burton had an affair a long time ago and her birth mother died, leaving her the necklace. But I was the only one who knew that information. It seemed that Charlotte was observant and noticed the importance the necklace had to Maeve.

“I’m not really sure,” I told her, putting the necklace back into my pocket.

“Have you tried taking it to the psychic?” Char asked, raising her brows. “Maybe she could give you some insight on it and it could help find her?”

I thought about it for a moment; the memory of the last time I went to the psychic came rushing into my mind. It was an odd experience, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I believed most of what she said, but then again, some of the information she provided couldn’t have been a lie. That was the day I found out that Maeve was my fated mate.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to talk to her; I didn’t really have much more to lose.

“I can make a phone call and see if I can make you an appointment,” Char suggested as she pulled out her phone. I held up my hand, stopping her.

“Don’t bother,” I muttered. “I’ll just go in person.”

“Want us to go with you?” Lucas asked as I started to walk towards the waiting car parked nearby.

“No; this is something I need to do on my own. Continue the search here and try to get a hold of Nicholas. We could use him and some of his men,” I said over my shoulder. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I could use Nicholas’s help and whatever other type of help I could get.

“I’m on it,” Lucas said as he pulled out his phone.

It didn’t take long to get to Orenda’s shop; I had Burke drive because I was far too wound up to drive myself. My wolf was on the edge, and it was taking everything I had to keep him inside.

Just as I reached the door to open it, the sign on the door flipped from “Open” to “Closed.”

I stared at it in shock; was she seriously closing right now? I glanced at the time and realized it was late in the evening, but she could see me standing in front of the door. She had her arms folded across her chest and her lips pressed in a thin line.

“I need to speak with you,” I told her, my heart in my throat. I hated acting and feeling this desperate, but I was running out of options. We had been searching for Maeve all day and I was losing my mind with worry about her. The sun was setting and it was getting too late; I didn’t want her out all night like this.

She pointed at the sign.

“I just closed,” she told me, narrowing her eyes. “Come back some other time. Or figure it out on your own.”

“I’m aware that you just closed, Orenda, but I need to speak with you,” I repeated. “It’s urgent.”

“I don’t know where she is, Alpha,” Orenda shocked me by saying. “I can’t help you with your search.”

I felt my heart cracking. But I wasn’t going to give up. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the necklace, holding it up so she could see it. Orenda stared at the necklace, her eyes shining with something as she studied it.

“I wanted to know if you could tell me about this?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat. Her eyes remained fixed on the pendant, and I could see the recognition in her eyes. She knew about this necklace; I was desperate to know what it was she knew.

I thought she was going to refuse me again and turn me away, but to my surprise, she unlocked the door and pushed it open, the door chime jingling softly from the motion.

“Get in,” she ordered, glancing around to make sure no one else could see me entering her shop.

I stepped into the shop, and she shut the door, latching it locked. She motioned for me to follow her through her shop and soon we were seated in her office at the back of the store. She sat at her desk, holding out her hand for me to hand her the necklace. I was hesitant to hand over something that meant the world to Maeve, but I was out of options. I had to put my trust in this woman, even if I didn’t trust her to begin with.

She stared at the necklace, her eyes scanning the symbols and design. Her fingers traced the pendant, and her lips parted slightly as she studied it.

“I never thought I would see this again…” she whispered, her eyes glistening with tears.

“You’ve seen this necklace before?” I asked, bringing her mind back to the present moment so she could tell me what it was she could see.

“Yes,” she whispered as she glanced up at me. “I thought it was lost with the last witch tribe. How did you manage to get this?”

“It belongs to Maeve,” I replied. “It was her mothers.”

Realization struck her and she let out a breath of air, nodding as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Of course,” she whispered. “Sneaky.”

“I’m sorry?” I asked, raising my brows. “What is sneaky?”

“This necklace holds the most sacred magic,” Orenda explained. “Only one exists in the entire world and it’s meant to go to the most powerful and purest witch. It was a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. That way, even after death, her magic can live on through her offspring.”

“How would Maeve get something like this?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the pendant. “It used to belong to her mother…”

Orenda nodded.

“Yes,” she replied. “Her mother was that witch… the one this pendant was gifted to. Her name was Esmeralda. Or as most called her, Esme. She belonged to the Red Oak Tribe in the western hemisphere. It was said to be the biggest tribe in the world, filled with both witches and regular humans. They lived in secret for eons until one day they were discovered and killed.”

“It was my father’s order to kill all humans, whether they have powers or not,” I murmured, shaking my head at the thought. “Are you saying because of my father, Maeve’s mother was killed?”

Orenda clutched the necklace firmly in her hand and closed her eyes. I stared at her in silence, not exactly sure what was going on, but something inside of me was telling me not to say a word. I stared at her, watching as her eyelids moved, as if her eyeballs were moving behind her closed lids.

I swear I felt a soft breeze caressing my cheek, but I classified it as my imagination. Her grip around the necklace tightened until blood trickled down her forearm. I wanted to pull the necklace out of her grasp not wanting her to ruin it, but something held me back and told me to wait a moment longer.

Then she released the necklace, after what felt like an eternity, and it clattered to her desk. Her eyes opened and I saw that they were bloodshot.

“It wasn’t your father who killed her,” Orenda finally said, breaking the silence between us. “It was hers.”