Chapter 21

***Calixto's POV***

I shook my head rejecting the idea. It feels so wrong to acknowledge that I am falling for Serafina. I am mated to Cressida so how can I fall for someone else?

The moment I accepted Cressida as my mate I gave all my heart to her and promised that I would only love her in this lifetime even if I married someone else my heart would always belong to her. My wolf will always be faithful to Cressida.

What I feel towards Serafina may be out of pity and responsibility. I am just doing this because I vowed to keep her safe and I promised her that I wouldn't let her die. That's the only reason why I am doing this.

"If you think I am falling for Serafina you are wrong Maximus. I am mated to Cressida so why would you think of that?"

"You can deny it all you want King Calixto but your eyes and actions can't lie. I know how many times you have tried to get rid of Queen Serafina but you always end up betraying yourself. Remember when you brought her to the forbidden forest? You acted cold like you did not care for her at all when in fact your eyes were filled with fear and hesitation to leave her there alone and when you could no longer take it you ran back to the forest to save her from those rogues. And when you ordered me to bring her to the dungeon I saw you walking in the hallway, heading towards the dungeon. Your mind tells you that you want her gone but your heart tells you otherwise,"

I shook my head refusing to be swayed by his words. That is not possible. I am not falling for Serafina.

"Don't mess with my head Maximus. I know myself. I know I am not falling for Serafina,"

A sarcastic smile grace on his lips. The way he looked at me made me feel like someone stupid who couldn't even understand his own self.

"Then why are you here?" he asked raising his eyebrow. "Why are you searching for her when you should be celebrating, because finally, you can be free. Once Queen Serafina is out of the picture, you and Cressida will be free. The two of you will finally have the chance to announce to the whole Kingdom that you are mated to each other. Some might disagree but I know you, King Calixto, you will do whatever you want since you already fulfilled your mother's wish to marry Queen Serafina. Things will be better for you and Cressida once Queen Serafina is gone so tell me, King Calixto, why are you still searching for her?"

I feel like I know the answer but I cannot voice it out. I became even more confused and my head started to hurt all of a sudden.

"Fuck! I don't know why I am here Maximus. All I know is I need to see Serafina. I need to make sure she is safe," I firmly uttered.

My breathing started to get heavy and Maximus might have noticed that I was having a hard time so he just nodded. "Whatever you want to believe in King Calixto," he responded dismissing the conversation and directing all his attention outside.

We settled with silence until we finally reached Alpha Sebastian's territory.

The moment our carriage stopped we were immediately welcomed by Alpha Sebastian's pack.

When I stepped out of the carriage they all bowed their head on me.

"May I talk to Alpha Sebastian?"

Without hesitation the guards allowed us to step inside Alpha Sebastian's mansion and the moment I stepped inside I was welcomed by Alpha Sebastian who looked surprised by my sudden visit. He pulled me into a quick hug and looked at me with his eyes filled with happiness.

"What you brought you here King Calixto? You should have written me a letter if you needed me. I would have just visited you so you don't have to travel for hours,"

I took a deep breath and looked at him directly in the eyes. The smile on his face slowly faded when he finally sensed that something was wrong.

"Is there a problem King Calixto?" I can hear worry in his tone, gone was the lively Alpha Sebastian that greeted me earlier.

My chest feels even more heavy as I look at Serafina's father.

"Serafina," I started having a hard time confessing the truth. "Did she go here?" I asked.

Alpha Sebastian's forehead creased as he looked at me filled with confusion. "No, she did not. Why? Did something happen to my daughter?"

I took a deep breath before nodding my head. "She's missing Alpha Sebastian. Your daughter is missing and up until now we can't find her,"

The sound of broken glass echoed and upon turning my head on where the sound came from I saw Elizabeth looking at us with her eyes widening from shock.

"My daughter is missing King Calixto?" she asked in disbelief.

She stepped on the broken glass that had fallen on the floor as she hurriedly walked towards me. The blood on her feet stained the floor but she did not seem to care about it all she wants is to get near me and hear my response.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. The guilt that I was carrying became heavier when tears streamed down Elizabeth's face.

"You don't have to worry Elizabeth we will do everything to find your daughter,"

Tears still cascaded down her face as she held my hand and looked at me pleadingly. "I want to help. Please bring me with you. I want to help in finding my daughter,"

She looks weak but I can't bring myself to say no to her so I look at Alpha Sebastian waiting for his decision if he will let his wife come with us.

"We will come with you, King Calixto. Mothers can sense their offspring I am sure she can be a big help in finding Queen Serafina,"

We did not waste any more time. After a few minutes, we continued searching for Serafina. We searched every corner of their territory but we failed to see even a slight trace of her.

Time passed by quickly. Afternoon came again and we still failed to find Serafina.

"Let's head back to the palace. Maybe the guards found something that might lead us to where Queen Serafina is," Maximus suggested so we headed back to the palace and the moment we arrived it was already dark.

I gathered all the guards that I deployed to search for Serafina asking them one by one about the information they gathered but only one managed to give us helpful information.

He handed me a piece of the dress that Serafina was wearing before she went missing. "I saw a piece of Queen Serafina's dress in the forbidden forest King Calixto,"

I stared at the torn part of Serafina's dress and fear ran through my entire body when I saw a drop of blood on it.

"Bring all the guards and start searching the forbidden forest. Don't stop until you find your Queen do you understand?!"

"Yes King Calixto!" they shouted in unison.

I was about to step inside the carriage once again when Cressida held my arm to stop me from leaving.

"I allowed you to leave last night but not this time King Calixto. The forbidden forest is filled with dangerous rouges you might end up dying there,"

I removed her hold and looked at her directly in the eyes. "More reason why I need to go there, Cressida. That place is dangerous so I need to get Serafina out of that place as soon as possible,"

"She might be dead already so why do you have to waste your time finding her?!"

She triggered something inside me and before I could even realize it my palm already landed on her cheek making her eyes widen and look at me filled with disbelief. This is the first time that I hurt her. I never once thought that a day would come and I would end up hurting Cressida.

It's just that her words triggered me and just thinking that Serafina is already dead made me lose my control.

Tears fell from her eyes and before I could even wipe it she took a step back and ran away.

"Who is that King Calixto? Why does it look like you have a special relationship with that servant?"

I turned around only to see Elizabeth standing behind me. It slipped into my mind that she was around and might have heard the conversation I had with Cressida.

Her intense gaze pierced through my skin making my heart beat erratically. She looks weak but her eyes filled with rage tells me that she is capable of hurting me.

"Tell me the reason why my daughter went missing King Calixto? Do you have something to do with it? Are you the reason why she disappeared?"