CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

**GABRIEL**
I slammed my laptop shut in anger and pushed it off my table to the floor, angry at the lack of results and how long Oliver had been taken away from me. It had been a week, a whole week of searching who or what had the insignia, and nothing…no one was coming up.
No one knew what it was, where it was from, or who it belonged to. Those who knew saw it and immediate fear crept into their eyes, and they ran away without giving any answers. My eyes were puffy and red from all the hours j had spent without sleep and aches from so much direct exposure. My back felt like it was going to give out when I finally stretched out.
I was beginning to worry. I was beginning to lose hope. I closed my eyes and allowed thoughts of Oliver to consume me. I smiled as I remembered how he laughed, how handsome he had looked painting on the beach, our first kiss at the lighthouse. My eyes snapped open as the door to my office creaked open and Shanice entered with a jug of juice in hand.
I smiled sadly as she made her entrance, since Oliver’s disappearance, she had come by daily. I decided if it was because she was worried for me or she was worried for herself, but in the last few days, I had looked forward to seeing her… looking forward to her company.
“Hello, Shanice,” I greeted as she navigated my office, her feet already aware of where things were and expertly avoided them.
Sometimes, it was really hard to believe that she was blind.
She smiled sadly and dropped the jug gently on the table. “Gabriel. How are you?” She asked as she settled herself into one of the two seats on the other side of the table. “Some members of the pack are really worried about you. They said you haven’t come down in a very long while. Are you okay?”
I signed and rubbed my forehead, sighing at the momentary relief. “I’m okay,” I said and nodded, as though trying to convince myself.
We both sat in silence, each lost in their own sad, independent thoughts. Shanice had eye bags underneath her eyes and I began to worry that the older lady wasn’t sleeping well. She seemed to have lost a bit of weight as well, and I made a mental note to have Corey check on her just to be sure. It would hurt to lose Shanice. She has been the only mother I have had for the longest time.
“Are you okay, Shanice?” I asked.
She ignored me, seated regal in her chair, her ear twitching the only indication that she had heard me. Finally, she spoke. Her voice was heavy, a direct reflection of what her mind felt.
“Any news on Oliver?” She asked.
I shook my head in response, and then remembered she was blind. “No. Not yet. Nothing seems to be coming up.”
She sighed and ran her hand over her face. “I’ve missed him, you know,” she said. “Oliver. I can’t wait till I see him again.”
I sighed and helped myself to a serving of the orange juice she had brought with me, sighing in relief as the cold liquid ran down my throat.
“Have there been any clues? Something? Anything?” She asked.
I sighed. “Well, yes. Back at the council meeting, one of the alphas had given me a card with an insignia on it. I have been trying to find out who it belongs to but I haven’t made any headway.”
My hands clenched into fists. Having to say out loud that I wasn’t making any progress has forced me to admit to myself that I was nowhere close to finding my mate.
“Have you asked people?” Shanice asked. “You know this technology thing isn’t always the answer.”
I chuckled, instantly reminded that Shanice had an aversion to modern technology. “Yes, Shanice. No one knows, those who do are too afraid to speak for some reason.”
Shanice’s brows drew down in a frown. “Hmm…afraid?”
“Yes.”
“What is the insignia?”
“A cross, a snake wrapped around the cross, and a vulture perched on the cross.”
Shanice gasped audibly and her eyes widened in fear. The same fear that I had seen countless times in the eyes of people who I had asked about the damned insignia. A fear that I was beginning to dread myself. I sat up in my chair, my interest suddenly piqued, the tiredness leaving my being.
“What’s the problem? Do you know what it is, Shanice?”
Shanice drew in a long, shuddering breath and shook her head vigorously. “It can’t be…” she said. “It’s not possible.”
“What isn’t possible?”
Shanice kept muttering the same sentence to herself, as though trying to convince herself, trying to force her mind to counter the truth that was before her.
“Talk to me, Shanice.”
She didn’t. Instead, she sprung to her feet and made for the door. But I wasn’t about to let her leave, not when I was about to make a breakthrough. I quickly walked around the table and took her by the shoulders, holding her still as I waited for her to get her bearings and focus on me.
“Please, Shanice. Tell me what you know.”
Shanice took a deep breath and settled back into her seat. I took the one opposite her and leaned in, my ears ready to absorb every word that departed from her lips.
“It’s okay, Shanice. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
Shanice nodded. “This…insignia…belongs to a legend that dates back to when I was about eight years old. Back then, the werewolves weren’t much in number, and the river goddess was the most worshipped deity.” She took a deep breath and continued. “There were three main deities. The river goddess was worshipped mostly by humans, the moon goddess worshipped by the werewolves, and then one more. The god of fire.”
My eyes opened in surprise. “The god of fire?”
Shanice nodded her head. “Now this god was known to be very vengeful and resentful, and also very powerful. It was said that wherever he wanted, death followed him, with black smoke left as residue,” she took a deep breath and continued. “His supporters were exactly like him. Craved violence. However, there was a royal bloodline…a direct descendant of this particular god. They were his bloodline. That family…that’s their insignia. His priests were said to possess such dark magic.”
I nodded my head, grateful to the powers that be that finally there was some sort of headway. “So, where are they? Where do I find them?”
Shanice shook her head. “They’re all supposed to be dead.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”
Shanice nodded. “Yes. When he wouldn’t stop killing, werewolves and humans came together and asked their goddesses for power to defeat them in battle and wipe them away from the earth. The moon goddess refused. The river goddess did. A fight was fought, and all his worshippers were killed.”
I gasped. It all began to make sense. He…this god…whoever this man was…wanted his revenge on the goddess. And what other way to take his pound of flesh than by taking her priest captive? But to what end? It was a long time ago.
“My goodness…and where are they?”
Shanice shrugged. “As at the time, there is an ancient castle seated on a mountain to the north. Although, I’m not sure if it’s still there.”
I nodded and kissed Shanice’s hand, grateful for the breakthrough. Fear still danced in her eyes, but I was happy that she had put that aside for me…for Oliver.
I helped myself to another glass of juice. I can finally get to work.