Chapter 106: Missing

Laurel woke up sometime midday, curled into Adolph's arms and warm. Her body ached a bit, but she felt no pain and no regret. Their mating bond hummed with emotions. She could feel Adolph's wolf stirring his chest as Alice reached out to him. Who won
“Good morning,” Adolf said, drawing her attention.
She looked up at him. They were married and mated. There was no doubt in her mind or her heart that Adolph wanted her.
“Good morning, Adolf.”
Adolf grinned, “I love the sound of my name from your lips.”
Laurel’s face burned with embarrassment and she moved to get out of bed. Adolf tugged her back down and rolled them so he pinned her to the bed.
“I believe I said that I would be keeping you busy for several days…”
Laurel squeaked as he shifted his weight between her thighs, hard and hot against her
“Oh, but I have things to do!”
“And I have needs, my queen. You are one of them.”
“But--!”
He dipped his head to kiss her, silencing her as she tried to get free, but he pinned her arms to the bed and rolled his hips against hers. Laurel gasped at the spike of pleasure, losing the strength to resist him.
A knock sounded on the door and she let out a sigh of relief and gratitude.
“See? We can't stay in bed all day. There's so much to do.”
Adolph sucked on his teeth for a moment before sitting up and drawing her closer.
“I'm the king. They can wait.”
Laurel tried to scramble free as another knock sounded on the door.
“Your Majesties? Will you be having lunch?”
Laurel seized the opportunity, “I'm hungry!”
Adolph sighed with a disgruntled expression, “I'll allow you lunch at least.”
Laurel sighed with relief and slipped free of his grasp. Adolf sat up and pulled on a robe to go and answer the door.
She heard the servant bringing in a tray of food and setting it up in the parlor attached to his bedroom before leaving. Laurel put on a robe and exited the room to sit with him.
He looked at her and gestured to the table full of food with a leering smile, “You should eat. You'll need your energy.”
“Your Majesty--”
“Every time you call me that, I want you to know that it makes me want to take you back to bed as it seems to be the easiest way to get you to call me by my name.”
His eyes twinkled, “I am not opposed to such tactics, my luna.”
Laurel shut her mouth and sat down to start eating. He looked smug, watching her eat before picking up a plate of his own and joining her.
“I've never heard of a married couple doing work the day after they get married. Don't you think you're taking your new position as my luna more seriously than your position as my wife?”
“The kingdom’s needs do not stop because we got married.”
“Of course, not. But are we not allowed the same luxuries as other married couples?”
Laurel sighed, “Can we make a deal?”
“What sort of deal?”
“The hospital director was waiting for some approvals from me for the new wing. It shouldn't take more than a few hours. Can I handle that and then come back?”
“And what do I get out of this deal?”
“ Well… what do you want?”
“You in bed for the rest of the week with me.”
Her eyes widened and her face burned, “The rest of the week?”
“Yes, I already made arrangements with Chasel to handle things for the rest of the week. Between him, Raven, Henry, Lily, Sarah, and the staff they'll be fine for a week. If you allowed it, Raven would even be able to fill in for you today.”
She glowered at him, “It seems you planned on spending a week in bed.”
“I wanted a month, but I didn't think you'd be receptive to it.”
“Insanity!”
He lifted his shoulder in a careless shrug, “Well? Do we have a deal or not?”
Laurel sighed, recognizing her defeat, “We have a deal.”
“Good,” he took a bite of his toast. “After lunch, we'll take a bath.”
She frowned, “We?”
“...you never said anything about me allowing you to go immediately.”
Laurel’s face burned with embarrassment. How could he trick her like that?

Several hours later, as the sun began to set, Laurel made her way to the city to the hospital. She was tired from Adolf’s sexual demands, but she was happy. It was a bit exhilarating to be wanted so much. She'd never have to worry about wondering if she was enough for him and Alice was beyond satisfied.
As she expected, the hospital director had everything in order and ready to sign when she arrived. She had a few adjustments to suggest, but she left with a full hour to spare.
As she headed back towards the castle she felt someone following her. For a moment, she thought it was just her imagination, but her instincts were telling her she wasn't wrong. She turned onto the main road hoping that the crowd would dissuade whoever it was and their intentions.
Someone screamed and she heard a commotion nearby. Running footsteps came from her left and someone went flying through a market stall. She turned sharply to avoid a lunging figure and turned to start running towards the castle. people screamed and ran. She heard guards shouting orders and commands. Wolves growled and scrambled against the cobblestone streets, fighting and clawing.
Blood filled the air and pushed her to run faster. The knights needed to know and she needed to get somewhere safe.
It was chaos. Her heart thudded in her chest as she ran, avoiding skirmishes on the path leading back to the castle. The presence following her hadn’t left, so she ran faster, dodging a spray of broken ceramic ware as a woman threw a pot at an attacker.
She shifted into her wolf form and tried to run faster, hoping to outrun whoever was behind her. As she turned another corner, a sharp pain struck her in the back of her neck and all turned to darkness.
Adolph!

Adolph felt Laurel’s panic and dressed quickly before rushing downstairs. He should have known the attack on the wedding wasn't the end of it. His instincts had been telling him that they weren't just there to disrupt the wedding.
“Someone report!” He yelled as he reached the ground floor.
“There’s been an attack on the city. Vampires and werewolves!”
He grabbed his sword and sent a servant to spread the word, “The luna was in town! All available men with me now.”
He didn't wait for more enforcement. The ten or so guards nearby would have to be enough for now. He’d faced more vampires with fewer people.
They rushed into the city. He smelled them before he saw them. How had vampires entered the Imperial City with such numbers and not been stopped at the border? The traitors had infiltrated further into the city than he anticipated or the vampire queen’s forces were smarter than he thought. He tried to reach across his bond with Laurel to find her, but she didn't respond. He couldn't feel anything on the other side other than the fact that she was alive.
His heart raced as he drew his sword and cut through a vampire leaping towards him. A werewolf froze and turned to run, he ran after him, throwing one of his daggers into the man’s back. He skittered forward and collapsed as Adolph ran forward.
“Kill them all if you have to. Secure the city and find the luna!”
They responded with a battle cry. The sounds of battle filled his ears as he fought further into the city. He kept reaching for Laurel trying to get a response, but nothing came. His panic made his movements faster as he cut through bodies with unerring accuracy. The edges of the world shimmered with darkness as if he was losing his mind again. He kept reaching out to her and received nothing.
The curse of a blood aura was lessened by a mate but not broken. He had to keep calm and focused. Where was she? She could still feel her, so she was still alive. Was she unconscious? Was she hurt? How far had she gone? Had she been taken?
The attack ended within half an hour. He headed to the hospital where Chasel was overlooking the transport of injured werewolves into the hospital and coordinating the burning of bodies.
“Only a few casualties, Your Majesty.”
“Have you found Laurel?”
Chasel’s expression turned grim and he shook his head.
“The luna was taken,” a woman said, slumped against a cot, pressing a compress to her shoulder. “A vampire took her from the streets…”
Adolph grit his teeth and growled. The wedding had been a distraction. This attack had been a distraction too. There was only one person who would have known about her plan to meet with the hospital director.
*“Eden.”*