Chapter 12

**Unknown POV**

Everything around me was covered in ashes and burned brick of what once were houses in their places. I looked around following the burning trail and noticed how the fire caught and burned a few trees nearby the houses. It must have been a pretty big fire to burn down all that.
Standing in front of one of the larger homes, one that was once called the pack house, I knelt down, extending my hand to pick up a small pile of ash, looking down at it in total silence.
My second-in-command called my name, making me rise to my full height as I looked at him, silently waiting for him to continue. “My Lord, we have searched the entire land but there is no sign of anyone left here.”
Furrowing my brow I looked around us. I could feel the anger boiling inside of me, not wanting to admit defeat.
I opened my palm, noticing the small pile of ash was still in it, and said, ”Incenderunt igni infuso cinis revelare secreta me celes.” Fire to fire, ash to ash, reveal to me the secrets that you hide.
The small pile of ashes started to twist and turn, faster and faster, forming a small tornado in the palm of my hand. Flames showed in the center of it as the screams of people running away from the burning danger could be heard. A large lizard appeared. I could see it was a dragon, a whole pack of them, attacking the pack that once lived here. I saw two females leave the pack house. They hid in the darkness, running away from the nearing danger that overtook their lands.
Keeping my focus on the scenes that were shown to me from the small tornado of ashes, I saw everything that happened here. I could sense the pain, fear, and danger of the truth as it revealed itself to me.
As the ash tornado dimmed down, falling lifelessly back into my palm, I squeezed my fist tightly, the ashes seeping between my fingers.
An angry growl rumbled through my chest as my eyes wildly scanned the area, searching for her. Now, knowing that all was not lost, determination filled me, knowing one way or another, I would find her.
“My Lord?” my second-in-command called me, waiting for my orders.
“Put together a team and search these lands. Find her and bring her to me,” I commanded, making my voice strong so no one would dare to question my orders.
“Yes, my Lord.” Bowing his head slightly, he left to choose which men would go on this quest with him. I stood there, looking at the last memory the fire showed me.
“I will find you.”
***

**Alexander POV**

Finally returning home, in the early morning hours, I was exhausted from the battle my warriors and I took part in. I loved to fight and the thrill of it. After all, I was born to be a warrior, not just a leader.
As my warriors and I landed back in the clearing of our pack lands, we shifted back to our human forms, putting on random shorts as we all walked slowly towards the pack house.
I could see a few members of the other two packs, as well as some of my own, still enjoying their time around the bonfire. My eyes scanned the area, taking in the mess from the party, but I didn’t care. I knew they would clean it all up as soon as they woke up.
A strange feeling of restlessness was nagging me. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't. I didn't know why I was feeling it. Even my dragon, Byrneshu, was pacing inside me, growling and urging me to hurry my steps and get inside the pack house.
I started to walk faster, finally reaching the pack house. When I opened the door I found the house silent, those inside still asleep. I walked in and stood in the middle of the room as my eyes went to the stairs. Byrneshu growled inside my head once more and I heard his voice speak to me. “Get to Nerissa, now!”
Not wasting any time asking stupid questions, I rushed up the stairs stopping on the first floor and taking long strides as I crossed the hallway. I stopped the moment I reached her door, wondering if should knock or just open the door and enter.
Feeling that something was wrong, I decided to just open the door and face the consequences of her anger.
Pressing the door handle, I opened the door and walked inside her room, seeing that it was calm, too calm, and dark inside. I walked closer to her bed, finally realizing it was empty.
Turning my head around, I scanned the room looking for her. Not wasting a second, I rushed to her small bathroom, barging inside it to find it also empty.
Rushing back out, I checked her closet to find it held just a few of her things, but there was nothing special inside.
Walking around her room, checking everywhere, I saw a few, tiny broken pieces of something laying on the floor next to her bed. I crouched down and picked them up, inspecting them, as a growl broke free from my chest.
“Alex?”
I heard my name called from the doorway, making me snap my head around to see my brother, Reynard, standing there, watching me with a panic-filled eyes.
Standing up to my full height, I crossed the tiny room in a few long strides before stopping right in front of him. “Where is she?” My voice was low and dangerous. I couldn’t stop the dark thoughts that played in my head. Holding the broken vase pieces in my palm, I squeezed them tightly, causing them to pierce my skin as a few tiny drops of blood coated my palm, but I barely paid any attention to the sting.
“She is not here,” Reynard said, swallowing hard as he informed me.
Taking a step closer to him, I demanded, “What do you mean she is not here?”
A moment passed before he answered, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. Gathering up the courage he explained, “I searched for her everywhere, but couldn’t find her. I even tried to search for her orchid scent, but it was like she masked it or something.”
I growled hearing him say that to me, but he didn’t back down. Instead, he stood still, looking at me as he continued, “I think she has left the lands. I can’t find Emily either, and neither of them are on our lands anymore, Alex.”
Rage, pure boiling rage, rushed through me, and I growled loudly. Pushing my way outside the tiny room, passing Reynard, I rushed to Emily’s room. Barging inside, I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find a single clue that would tell me where they had gone.
Rushing outside Emily’s room, I made my way downstairs, causing Ryder to stop in his tracks as he was just entering the pack house. Seeing me angry he asked, “Alpha?”
I walked over to him and the silent warriors that were standing, waiting behind him at the entrance, I told him, “Emily and Nerissa are missing. It seems they ran away. Reynard informed me that he has tried to search for them everywhere in our pack lands but to no avail.” Ryder looked surprised by my words.
I saw him enter into his Beta mode in a second as he stood tall, shoulders back, looking serious. He asked, “What would you like me to do, Alpha?”
Ryder and I might not get along all the time, but he was my best friend. I knew I could always count on him, and for that, I was grateful to have him by my side as both a friend and my Beta.
"I want all of you to search around the perimeter. Find them. Find any clue that might tell us where they might have disappeared to. I want every rock looked under; trees, logs, everywhere. I want them to be brought back here to me, unharmed," I ordered. I looked at Ryder and my warriors, watching them all nod their heads as one as they answered me.
"Yes, Alpha." They turned around, rushing off to search for Nerissa and Emily. I stood at the main gates and looked ahead into the distance, staring at the forest with a feeling of restlessness that never seemed to leave me. I hope I find her again soon and bring her back where she belongs.
Loneliness and sadness crawled inside my heart, pressing hard on it. I felt her absence strongly. Her abandoning me, her leaving me turned my world upside down. I knew I deserved it, especially with the way I treated her… kept her… I was wrong… so, so wrong…
I didn’t torture her or anything like that, but I knew if I had given her the choice to stay with me, maybe everything would have been different.
Squeezing my fists, feeling more angry at myself than at her, I felt a sharp pain coming from my palm before I opened it and looked down at the tiny pieces I was still holding, wondering if something had happened while I was gone…