CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER FOURTY FIVE
"What do mean by my wife is missing?" Ericson growled through the phone.
Baron could sense that Avyanna was in danger but he could not tell Ericson the truth because he didn't want Ericson to know that Avyanna was also his mate.
"I shouldn't be talking now. I should go and look for her and you have nothing to worry about, I will bring her back to you safe and sound. I am really sorry." Baron apologized. The news of Avyanna missing made him immediately sober from him inebriation.
Ericson was astonished by Baron's apologies because he wasn't a man that joked with his pride.
"Please I am coming to search for my wife as well. I hope you don't expect me to sit and wait for you to bring her to me." Ericson protested.
"There is no need for all this drama, my men and I will look for her and bring her back." Baron assured with a stern tone. He knew that Ericson was going to try and push his luck after the apology so he immediately used a stern tone.
"That doesn't satisfy me, I want to join the search party in looking for my wife.” Ericson was not having it. Even though he wanted to show respect to Baron, he couldn’t do so completely, because if the life of his wife was at stake so was his kingdom.
"Fine. But you can only come on one condition." Baron conceded.
"And what is that?"
"I don't need any of your lazy warriors around me, come alone, at least I will be able to tolerate you." Baron sounded authoritative when he spoke, almost like he was threatening Ericson not to bring anyone with him.
"Alright that's a done deal. I should be there in few hours." The phone trilled as Ericson ended the call.
Ericson didn't tell anyone about what he had just heard about Avyanna but just as he was about to leave, Nancy entered his room.
"I told you never to enter my room without knocking." He yelled out of frustration, but then the moment settled and he recalled the previous night when he was inside her, his countenance softened to a slight frown.
"I'm sorry Alpha Ericson." She apologized, almost mockingly, before she noticed the bag Ericson was holding." Are you going somewhere my King?" She asked, walking closer to him.
"Ahh.. yes I am going to visit my wife in the Lycan territory, news got in that she isn't feeling well." Ericson lied. He also tried to avoid Nancy’s gaze because he didn’t want that feeling of guilt haunting him from what he did the previous night.
"Uhhhh... what could possibly make her sick? She was perfectly okay before she left the pack house." Nancy didn’t even have the decency to hide the repulsion in her voice for it engulfed the room as she spoke.
"Maybe she is finding it hard to cope, you know it's a new environment to her, it may be difficult for her to adapt in such a place." Ericson spoke in Avy’s defense, and finally looked Nancy in the eyes.
"Do you mind if I come and see her as well?" Nancy asked with so much fake innocence in her eyes.
"Yes, I do mind. You can't come." Ericson cut in as he recalled Baron's strict warning. He didn’t want to take any chances, plus he wasn’t sure having Nancy around would be a good idea, peradventure he successfully found Avyanna.
"Why? Do you think she is still angry with me?" She asked with the same faked innocence and fake tone of concern in her voice.
"No, it's not about that. I want you to take care of the pack house while I am aware. Join hands with Vanessa and Will to make sure everything is going on well. I will inform my Beta on my way out that you are in charge now till I am back from the Lycan territory." The more he spoke the more he realized that his decision might actually be a good one. He had no idea what he had just done in that moment he made an almost too hasty decision.
"As you wish my King. I will not disappoint." Nancy bowed her head, smiling deviously.
"I should be going now." Ericson whooshed out of the room
"Please send my regards to the Luna, tell her that I wish her quick recovery." Nancy added as Ericson walked out of his room. He did not look back, neither did he regard her words because all he could think about was the safety of Avyanna.
***
In less than two hours, Ericson's car was parked in front of the Lycan territory. The guards at the gate didn't allow Ericson to enter but Baron ordered them, using his telepathic ability to communicate with his Lycans, to let him in.
The guards took Ericson to the training ground where Baron stood.
Ericson spent the next ten minutes watching Alpha Baron battle and fell his lycans with so much ease. He watched the Lycan for the first time in action and he was amazed.
‘So, the rumors are true.’ He thought to himself.
He couldn’t help but wonder who would win in a battle if they ever fought. Beneath Ericson’s perfidious and compromising nature, he was a skilled fighter himself and he fantasized about taking down the Lycan King. He found himself studying Baron’s moves, and did not even realize when a sweaty Baron walked up to him.
“How does a Werewolf among Lycans disappear just like that?” Ericson asked, concealing the fact that he was startled.
“She went out for a stroll. You do realize she is free to make her own decision, right?” Baron asked sneakily taking the attention away from himself and pinning it on the over protective nature of Ericson.
Baron grabbed a towel and mopped his sweaty body. He was so amped up and ready to begin his search for Avyanna, he was just not totally okay with the presence of Ericson.
Baron had decided to release some stress at the training grounds to also help himself in his sobriety. He had successful let out the steam, even as he put on a shirt in his sweaty manner.
“So where is she now? If I had a visitor in my pack house, I would make sure that they were properly taken care of and safe, and they will be allowed to make their own decisions.
“If I knew where she was, you wouldn’t be here Alpha Ericson. I have a plan to get her back.” He changed the topic immediately because if he allowed Ericson to ask anymore questions, he might have said something that he would regret.
“What is the plan?” Ericson asked, walking beside Baron who walked towards the gate. They were almost equal in terms of height, except for the fact that Baron had wider shoulders and was obviously larger in structure than Ericson.
“Can you still track her scent?” Baron asked, walking heftily.
Ericson felt insulted but he answered, “Yes. I … Why do you ask?” Ericson wasn’t sure anymore. He could tack Avyanna anymore because her scent was so faint, and that was because of how far they had drifted apart.
“You are going to track her scent, and I will also try to track her werewolf scent. We will begin from the woods close to the territory.” Baron stood and spoke.
“Okay.”
“We will not use any cars. We will move on foot so we can track her better. If she was kidnapped …”
“She was kidnapped?” Ericson cut in.
“I said, if!” Baron heaved an exhausted sigh, “If she was kidnapped, her abductor will pay for it, but if she is just cooling off somewhere then we will bring …”
“Cooling off somewhere?” Ericson asked with raised eyebrows, “Why would she be cooling off somewhere? Did something happen?” He asked, then squinted his eyes.
“If only you were this concerned about her before she came to stay with me. Nothing happened, she was totally fine before she left. We are just trying to not leave anything out of the plan.” Baron lied and again pinned the attention on Ericson’s incompetence as a lover.
“Well, it’s not really much of a plan.” Ericson muttered to himself.
“What was that?” Baron growled.
“When do we begin this search party?” Ericson asked sternly, ignoring the Lycan king’s show of anger.
“We have already started.” That was when Baron stepped his first foot out of the gate of the territory and took in a deep sniff of the environment.
Steve was tagging along with the duo so Ericson stopped to ask, “I thought we weren’t allowed to bring our guards?”
“Your guards, not mine. Steve is my Beta and he is coming with us.” Baron kept sniffing.
Ericson was not comfortable with Steve’s presence but he knew that no matter what he said, Baron would insist on carrying along his trusty Beta. Ericson had to devise a crafty way to get rid of Steve, and it was to challenge the Lycan king’s bravery; “Are you scared that I may attack you? I didn’t know that the powerful Lycan king always need his Beta to protect him.”
“Steve… I will return. Watch the Territory while I am gone. It seems Alpha Ericson prefers to do this as a duo.” Baron smirked and took a few sniffs in before he moved forward, towards the direction of the woods, and Ericson followed.
Baron sniffed almost every step he took, following the faint scent of the lost Luna until it got stronger. He also didn’t want it to seem obvious that he could sense Avyanna so easily in front of Ericson.
Ericson on the other hand couldn’t sense Avyanna, until they almost reached the location she was. There was barely any conversation between the two Alphas as they searched for their mutual love interest for almost five hours on foot.
The scent led them to the Ash Band territory headed by Alpha Thomas.
Immediately Ericson realized where he was, his throat went dry, in fear. He could only wish that his secret was safe with Thomas.
Baron scoffed when she found out that she was in the company of another Alpha. He was already getting jealous that she was seeking an alliance with Thomas and the primal instinct of matedom kicked in.
The pair glanced a look at each other one more time before the proceeded into the Ash Band territory, and the unknown.