30.My Lord, we found her.

**Balthazar**

Rushed steps echoed throughout the long, gloomy-looking hall. A tiny man, around sixty years old, appeared around the corner. His eyes were set to the floor, his breath shallow, he held a pile of papers tightly to his chest. He walked past all the doors, ignored the looks from people who crossed his path or tried to call for his name. This older man was on a mission, avoiding any mistletoe in his way. Finally, he approached a heavy oak door, painted black, looking as ancient as the hall was. He knocked on the door, looking from side to side, making sure that nobody followed him. Was he committing a crime? Or was he suspicious by nature?

"Come in," a deep voice invited him in. The older man didn't hesitate; he opened the door with surprising ease and rushed inside. He sat next to the table, and put all the paperwork on it, letting out a deep breath.

"Lord Balthazar, I come with good news," he announced excitedly, looking like a cat waiting to be petted.

"Well, that's exciting, Theobald. You've caught my attention. Please, do carry on," out of the shadows came an enormous male, sitting down on the other side of the table. The chair bent under his weight, surprisingly not breaking apart.

"I've found her; I think I've found her," he exclaimed, pride filling his veins. Maybe, just maybe, he looked like someone who could never get the job done right. This was where the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" comes in handy. Even though Theobald was just a tiny, and at times- pretty annoying, gnome, he was intelligent enough to be trusted with tracking someone down.

"My friend, I understand where your excitement is coming from, but can we cut the crap and get on to the point right away? I might be retired, but that doesn't mean I have all the time in this universe. Where is she?" Lord was the only person who treated the gnome with respect. Most were surprised by how close friends they had become.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, my apologies, Lord Balthazar. I've spent a lot of time on this search, trust me, I checked more than ten times, and the result has been the same, no matter which technique I used or which source I used." The gnome jumped on the table, looking at his paperwork, frantically trying to find the one which would prove he was right.

"There it is," Theobald yelled, running across the table, avoiding silverware and flower vases in his way. He placed a small sheet of paper in front of the Lord, hiding his hands behind his back.

"Get off from the table, Theobald," the Lord laughed. No matter how many times he had repeated himself about the importance of manners, his friend would never listen. The gnome was a little light-minded creature, despite his cleverness, he always found a way to act like a child, especially when over excited. The Lord looked at the piece of paper; it was a map, with one place marked with a red cross.

"Interesting. Is there anything more or is it just the location you found?" he asked, feeling a need to find out more. For years, he had been trying to find her with luck. Now, when she was right under his nose, he had to find out more, before heading out to see her.

"Oh, yes, yes," Theobald laughed, running back to the pile of papers, ignoring his friend's previous request.

"Alright, so," he sat next to the documents, looking through them and figuring out which information should be provided first.
"Theobald, I have to attend a meeting in less than half an hour, please get to the point," the Lord sighed, placing a hand over his face in frustration.

"Yes, yes, I'm about to tell everything. First of all, she's currently living in the North Moon pack," Theobald stated the obvious. Lord knew everything about territories and packs; he noticed the location and instantly knew which pack was it.

"I know. Is she mated?" The question left his lips unwillingly. It was not his place to ask such things if she didn't want to say it herself. Oddly enough, it seemed like she had been doing her best to hide. To run and cut off all the family she had.

"She is. He's a strong one, a good mate, as they say. They're having some difficulties, but who doesn't have them?" Theobald scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at his friend. No matter how strong of a friendship they have, pissing off a Lord is never a good idea, especially if talking about his family.

"Alright, tell me more. How about her parents? Are they alive? Is she content with her life? Has everything been provided for her? Is she struggling?" Question after question left his lips, despite trying to hide his excitement, the Lord couldn't help himself but to find out a little more.

"Okay, it seems like her parents are still alive, they are not living in one household, but their relationship is still excellent. I can't answer that question, my Lord, that would be something to ask her. No matter how good my sources are, they will never explain her emotions or how happy she truly is. Judging from the photos, wherever she goes- a smile is always plastered on her lips, I'd like to be brave enough and assume that she's content with life in general. As for providing- yes, everything has been great so far, she has a great education and an amazing house, and it all seems to be fine. She is not struggling in any way; her mate has been taking care of her and so far, doing a great job. Are there more questions, my Lord, or should I keep reading information from these sheets?" Theobald huffed, he had something else to talk about, a trick, hidden up his sleeve. Okay, not exactly a trick, yet something that might make his Lord even happier than he is now.

"Continue, my friend."

"I'm not sure what I could begin with. There's so much information. Let me see- hmm, she hasn't shifted, or maybe she had, but nobody has noticed. For now, all reports stay blank on information about her wolf. It looks like she is not planning to have cubs, can't explain why there isn't much information provided on the next generations here. She's great with the kids though, mainly great with everyone, there's a leader in her." Theobald suddenly became mute, looking at the paperwork with a surprised expression on his face.

"Close your mouth, God damn it, you could catch flies while your jaw is hanging low," the Lord growled. He was a patient man by nature, yet easily annoyed when surrounded by ill-mannered individuals.

"I- I.." Theobald choked on his words, starting to cough loudly, nearly falling off the table.

"You what?" The Lord stood up, approaching his friend, and tapping his back gently.

"Seems like I wasn't the only one with a trick up my sleeve," Theobald whispered.

"What? What do you mean?" Balthazar raised his eyebrow, stepping away from his friend, increasing the distance between them.

"Okay, so my surprise was that she's mated to an Alpha," Theobald huffed. He was displeased to see the sheet given to him by one of the fairies- who were helping his investigation.

"Great news, indeed. I have never met a young woman who wasn't willing to stand by an Alphas side. She's one of the lucky ones," Lord smiled, truly satisfied with the information he had found out so far.

"Not quite the most shocking thing to find out just yet, my Lord," Theobald threw a glance at Balthazar, acting suspiciously nervous. The gnome wasn't the most talkative creature alive, but he was acting weirdly. Even when he attended the meetings, he was always calm and composed, no matter how critical the issue around territories was. Balthazar sighed, starting to feel a little irritated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out any more information, especially after seeing his friend's behaviour. It's been a lot already, knowing that she's alive and safe, protected by an Alpha was the most critical piece of the puzzle in his opinion.

"Alright, let's just try to be calm and take it in like the grown men we are. Read what's written on that goddamn paper."

"The Alpha is her second chance, mate. He chose her thirty years ago, a year after her first mate died. The interesting piece of information is that she chose her first mate, not the other way around." Frantically, Theobald looked for another piece of paper. When he found it and his eyes travelled over it, he gasped, covering his mouth with his palm.

"What is it now? I don't see anything bad in her stepping up the game and choosing her mate. She's strong enough to go her way, I see it as a rather pleasant surprise. In our community, second chance mates are not a rarity anymore. It happens, my friend, sometimes wolves die unexpectedly, and only a couple are left with enough courage to keep on living, instead of losing themselves in the memories." Balthazar tapped on his friend's shoulder, squeezing it in assurance. He knew that Theobald was worried about his well-being and health; he would never do anything to harm him.

"My Lord, the second chance mate, is not a matter that worries me," the gnome whispered.

"If it's not a problem, why are you so tense? Shouldn't we celebrate success?" Balthazar laughed, feeling a little more content with his life now.

"She has a child." Theobald jumped off from the table, hiding behind one of the chairs. His Lord might be kind by nature, yet he had a very explosive persona, nobody knew what would happen next. Around Balthazar, nobody was safe.

"I see," Balthazar hid his face behind his enormous palms, breathing deeply.

"Is the Alpha father of this child? The cub, is it a girl or a boy?"

"The Alpha is not the father, my Lord," Theobald announced with a shaking voice. Everything happened as he predicted, Balthazar grabbed the nearest chair and threw it against the wall- shattering it into pieces.

"She's a cheater? A lawbreaker?" Lord yelled in rage; vicious snarls escaped his lips.

"Lord Balthazar, please calm down. The boy's father is her chosen mate, the one who died. He's a human," as the last words left Theobald's lips, he smirked. Balthazar dropped to his knees; his facial expression resembled pure shock and surprise at the same time.

"A human. That means..."

"He's just like you, Lord Balthazar, just like you." Theobald approached his friend, placing a palm onto his shoulder. This time, the big scary Lord was the one in need of reassurance.

"I have a grandchild."