84. Where's my mom?

Ally ran around the house; the little girl kept giggling as if someone was tickling her. Baka, Anto, and a couple more Watchers had agreed to play tag with her. It had been almost four hours since her mom left, but the girl wasn’t suspicious. After all, her mom had promised to return soon, so she trusted her and kept waiting. When the Watchers decided that they had been playing enough of the tag game, Baka made some pancakes for Ally and gathered all her toys for a tea-time party. She had more fun than expected until the evening came.
The little girl noticed how oddly the Watchers were acting. They whispered to each other, nodded, and others kept running around like crazy.

"What's going on?" Ally finally decided to speak up. For her, it didn't matter; she was big enough to know. She knew her rights and power. Despite everything, Ally was well aware of how to use her power with the ones who had to guard her.

"Nothing, princess. Someone has been alerted by something, and we're just trying to find the cause of it." Anto placed his hand on Ally's head and ruffled her hair, a broad grin on his lips. He knew how much Ally hated it when he did those things.

"First of all- stop touching my hair, or you might end up without those arms attached to your torso," the little girl spoke, her voice cute but laced in venom.

"Yeah, I can see why Eve keeps talking about you being a copy of your father. Not only the looks- the attitude is another thing you two share. So small and already ready to kill and destroy," Anto chuckled.

"Speaking of my mom- where is she?" Ally jumped off her stool and stepped closer to the Watcher male. She trusted Anto; he was her mother's best friend, the only person she had seen her mother being so comfortable around.

"At the interview?" Anto shrugged, something in him gave out that the Watcher was lying.

Ally kept her eyes glued on the male, studying his facial expressions and body language. After a couple of minutes, she sighed, plopping down on the floor, and shaking her head.

"You're a pretty crappy liar, Anto. Let's talk facts, shall we? So, my mom promised that she would get back to me as soon as the interview ends. That didn't happen. If we assume that she was hired and had to stay there, the regular working hours ended ages ago, and if anything held her back, mom would call. And you know why? Because that's what my mom is- a responsible person who loves her daughter. She wouldn't leave me worried without reason. Whispering and secretive behaviour is another red flag. Don't assume that I'm stupid because I'm a child, and I am not, by any means, blind. I see how you guys act; I see the worried facial expressions and you giving them commands.”

“Since I mentioned you- your forehead is sweaty, a lump in your neck seems to appear every couple minutes, and you're switching your weight from one leg to another. Do you know what that means, Anto? It means that you're nervous- hiding something from me. To top it all- you're trying to lie."
As the little girl spoke, Anto kept mentally cursing the whole world. She was way too observant, just like her father. She noticed way too much.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, little bug." Anto shrugged his shoulders and turned around. His back faced Ally. Without warning, he stepped forward, heading for the door.

"Oh, Hell, no! You, young man, come back this instant! Not done with you!" Ally yelled, jumping back on her feet. She watched how Anto ignored her and rushed towards the door. She blocked it by standing in front of him and frowning. She was dead set on her goal- nobody gets in or out of this house until she gets her answers.

"Ally, can we not? I have responsibilities, and duty calls," the Watcher groaned, taking a look at his wrist. Ally was right, though, it was well past the time when Eve was to return.

"I mean, I could leave you alone, but it's just that I don't want to. Baka told me a couple of things about my dad, by the way. I think you should know something," Ally grinned, ready to drop the winning card on the table. The Watcher let out a deep breath of frustration and threw his hands up, giving the girl a chance to speak. How could he not? There were multiple reasons for him to give up without a fight. She was a princess, Royalty which he had to serve. Ally was way too smart for a child, technically only a couple of months old trapped in a four-year-old body. Last but not least, her father was the next King in line, a powerful Lycanthrope, and she was following in his footsteps.

"You see, as it turns out, I'm able to let my daddy know exactly where I am. It's a thing only known to Liccos," Ally grinned, pointing her finger at Anto.

"Liccos?" He raised an eyebrow, trying his best to follow the kid's words. Since when was there such a creature as that?

"I can't pronounce that ridiculous word, okay? How old am I? Like four? Man, give me a break, I'm just a child," Ally groaned, rolling her eyes in irritation.

"Ah, you meant Lycanthropes?" the Watcher laughed, holding his hands wrapped around his stomach. Yes, the little girl was too smart, at times, but he couldn't miss an opportunity to laugh at her struggling whenever she couldn't pronounce a word.

"Yes, Liccos. Anyway, Aunt Baka told me that all I have to do is yell for him out loud. We are supposed to have a special bond, and my dad would feel it if I called him. Oh, and where from. Cool, eh?" The flame in her eyes shone brighter, meaning that the little girl was up to something. Most likely for something not good.

"Interesting, indeed. I guess that's cool," Anto tried to stay calm, despite the alarming feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

"Want to try that out? I'm curious, would that work?" Ally looked up at Anto with puppy dog eyes.

"I knew this wouldn't lead to anything fucking good," Anto thought, trying to figure out what his next move might be. He had to play smart, to think a step ahead and the outcome to come. None of the Watchers saw Ally as a naive child. Everyone knew that Eve was trusting of each person she met, trying to see the best in them, and ignoring the person's evil deeds. Ally was the complete opposite; she didn't trust anyone or any words until the girl got real proof. If she continued to live by that pattern of thoughts, in no time, she would call out for her father. And he will come; the King will find and take his child away from them, while the Watchers will keep on looking for Eve.

"Ally, listen, you shouldn't do that. There is a reason why your mother decided that it's better to stay apart for a while. All of us respect your father, we do, but he has gone a little crazy. His actions are unpredictable, and nobody here would ever let you get yourself into such great danger. I'm sure Baka told you what Lycanthropes do with their youngsters, we can't be sure that it isn't part of your future if you don't listen," the man didn't have any intention of scaring the little girl, but he had to follow orders. His Queen had trusted him with the princess; Anto's main priority was her safety.

"And you shouldn't lie to me. Now, tell me where my mom is before I start trying out that thingy. If my dad comes, he will find my mom, unlike everyone here, who keeps acting like criminals!"
Ally crossed her arms in front of her chest and stomped her feet. She wouldn’t back down until the man told her where Eve was. It didn’t matter if it was with or without blackmail. Ally just cared for answers and answers alone.

"We don't know; I've been sending Watchers to different locations for the past couple of hours. We're on the lookout, okay? That's why I'm trying to keep you here, in safety until your mother arrives home safe and sound. Just let us work, and I assure you that she will come back home sooner than you think." Anto didn't have time to stay and listen. He gently pushed Ally aside and left the little house, making sure that a couple of Watchers guard the door.
When he approached a group of others, all of them bowed. Since Anto was one of the first to wake up, instantly assigned as the Queen's guardian, others saw him as a leader.
They spoke about possible places where Eve could be, some Watchers headed over to the kingdom, and some to the pack she came from. Anto didn't like the idea, but he had to accept that Eve might end up in the Kings' hands. It wouldn't be a surprise. She's his mate, after all, and everyone knew that he would stop at nothing to get her back home. They shared their ideas and came up with a plan, everyone deep in their thoughts.

"Anto?" one of the guards called out.

"Yes? I'm here, planning our next step," he greeted the guard with a smile on his lips. Seemingly cold and distant creatures were kind to each other. The only ones who might get a dose of attitude from the Watchers were outsiders.

"Princess seems to be quite upset. She tried to approach us and ask for a walk, but we explained that it's impossible now. You know- given the circumstances. She excused herself and asked that no one bothered her while she rests. Baka went to tuck her in, and she fell asleep. It looks like our princess had a tiring day," the guard chuckled, showing off how Ally had managed to steal yet another heart. Everyone in the territory adored the little smartass.

"Great, you can take some time off, just make sure that at least one of you guys stays around that house for the night. You can do it in shifts, for as much as I care. There has to be a guard by the door, that's all I'm trying to say." Anto placed a hand on the guards' shoulder and squeezed it lightly; a thing they did to give each other a kind of praise. If a higher standing rank Watcher did that, it meant that the guard had done a fantastic job. Anto kept talking about the plans, and one of the guards stood by the house door, reading a book to entertain himself. What nobody knew was that the little sneaky girl was already nearing the Watcher territory border. While the guard distracted Anto, she took her chance and sneaked out of the window. Then she ran like the wind towards the end of their land. Ally knew that she could find her mom by following pure instincts and the bond they had. Unfortunately for Anto, he had trusted Ally enough to teach her how to hide scent and disappear within the shadows.

"Ha, looks like the student managed to outplay the teacher." Ally laughed in her mind, nearly jumping over the territory. She stood there for about five minutes, wondering if anyone would appear and bring her back. But nobody came. Of course, they were gathering around the house, too busy to notice if anyone was patrolling by the borders.
She let out a deep breath, turned toward whatever direction she chose and ran. Not even once, did Ally think about how dangerous the outside world could be. Her main priority was her human mother.

"Hold on mom, I'll be there soon!" Ally kept screaming in her mind, hoping that she would have a strong bond for Eve to hear her. She ran for hours, the little girl even saw a couple of rogues and nearly fainted in fear, but none of them came too close to her. Their eyes followed her movements, but that was all. The rogues acted as if they were afraid of her. Ally couldn't explain how much she surprised herself; running for that long and not feeling even a bit tired.
After a while, she had forgotten how long she had been running for, but a weird feeling made Ally come to a halt. She heard howls somewhere near and stood frozen to the spot. Maybe they would help her find out where she was?
A group of large, grey wolves approached her, and one man shifted, covering himself.

"A child?" the man gasped.

"Wow, look at you- such a smart cookie," Ally spat back, annoyed by how grown-ups never took her seriously.

"Sassy, okay. Little miss, do you have any idea where you are?" the same man questioned her, reaching for a bag on a tree. Ally knew that those were hidden clothing bags for wolves, who needed to shift around the borders.

"Nope hoped you'd tell me. I'm looking for my mom. Do you know where she is?" Ally instantly attacked the man with questions. He didn't seem to bother, and instead of a reply he announced what would happen next.

"You're in a territory on which you shouldn't be- that's where you are. Now, I just linked my Alpha- he will be the one to deal with you, and maybe your problems. No promises, though, he's kind moody most of the time," the man smiled. Not in a friendly way, more in a "you're dead, kiddo," way of a smile. Ally gulped loudly and scanned her surroundings.

"Okay, if he's mean and tries to hurt me, I'll call for dad then. Cocky wolves, always thinking they're better than anyone else," she thought to herself. The little girl zoned out until she heard heavy, rushed steps approaching her and a bunch of fleabags.

The Unwanted Alpha Series (Complete Collection)
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