88. We lost the princess.

The Watchers kept patrolling all over the perimeter, ensuring their territory didn't have any unwanted guests. The main focus was on trying to find any traces of where their Queen was.
Anto and Baka believed that Eve might be well be near their territory if she had gotten herself into trouble. Everyone made sure that the Queen knew her way back to the area if needed.
Anto divided everyone into groups of three, and every team had their area to sniff around. Literally, sniff. The Watchers were good at observing but following one given out as a target, was another thing they could do better than anyone. Their whole kind was built on tracking and following principles making the creatures of the shadows the perfect predators.
Another hour passed, and Baka separated from the group, looking for clues or scents around the border. She caught on the specific smell, but it had started to fade, but since the person probably spent quite a while standing there, it was still somewhat fresh. Baka kept sniffing the place, following the pattern which was left there.
Her eyes rose from the forest soil, and the woman understood what had happened. She reached her hand over the border; her skin burned as if she were a vampire under the sunlight.
She screamed in pain, hissing, and snagging her hand back.
A Watcher, without a particular assignment out of their territory, couldn't leave the lands. It was something King Magnus came up with to protect the innocents. It didn't matter how intelligent the shadow creatures became in time- nobody could foresee how their encounter would end.
Some believed that the Watchers were safe for the innocent; some thought that nothing but destruction and blood baths might come. But King Magnus believed that no one was genuinely innocent, any creature alive had sinned in their way, making them the perfect target for the Watchers. Even ones with nothing but unholy thoughts.

"Anto!" Baka cried out in pain. She held her wrist tightly, looking at the blistering skin bubbling as if it was cooking in boiling oil. She had to wait for a while until the leader finally arrived. Anto panted deeply, dropping on his knees in front of Baka. His facial expression resembled nothing but fear and shock. Out of all crazies, the woman was the toughest one, she never complained, nor cried. At first, Baka tried to hide her hand, but his eyes fell on her unusual movements, and she had to confess.

"Baka, why the Hell did you?" Anto gasped, staring at her blistered hand and her cheeks stained from tears. He knew how agonizing the pain was, for he had gone through that himself. Anto was a young daredevil; he wanted to find out how it felt- leaving without permission. That was a day he would never forget, nor would he try to do so. Even the craziest Watchers didn't repeat his stunt after seeing the brutal outcome.

"I caught a scent, one too familiar. I didn't know, Anto, I really didn't. If only anyone would warn me that none was allowed to leave the lands, I would never. This hurts like a bitch," Baka hissed, raising her hand in front of her face.

"Of course, it fucking hurts, I've been there- no need to remind me of that. I didn't let anyone leave because I know how you guys are when easy meals come in view. I swear- the urge for fresh, still-beating hearts didn't disappear anywhere as centuries passed. Like it or not, we are servants for the most excellent shifters ever lived, so we have to keep low. Baka, if we want to keep our existence as a secret- we must stay hidden in the shadows. Imagine the chaos after the whole coven breaks free and goes on a crazy rampage to feast," Anto shook his head in disappointment. Life was what it was, and even though everybody dies- they couldn't decide someone's fate.

"I never intended to escape for a feast. I might be crazy in other's eyes, but I am not, by any means, stupid. That scent, it captivated me, I had to follow it. And honestly, I did everything I had to do- if I've been trusted to look after someone, I will," Baka pouted like a child, completely forgetting about her injured hand. She sat on the moss-covered ground and let out a breath. Anto didn't hesitate and followed her example, sitting next to her, placing a hand over her shoulders.

"Alright, I'm all ears. What was that mysterious scent you tried to follow then? And don't try to come up with an excuse as to why you decided to get out of the territory. We have a lot of problems on our shoulders and sitting here chatting won't get us anywhere. The Queen's location remains a secret- I must stay around her, and Aaraya is out of reach. The last assignment she took was her way of saying goodbye. My sister won't be coming back." The pain in his voice made Baka tear up. They didn’t usually feel much but discovering that one of the coven members gave up hurt. Aaraya was one of the youngest coven members- the ray of sunshine in their dark lifestyles. Everyone knew that she would leave, sooner or later. Her personality wasn’t like any other Watcher. For the first couple of hundred years, she cried herself to sleep after each target. The young woman hated killing and feeding on hearts, even the days when she had gotten only blood made her sick. She would always run around and judge her own kind for feeding like the vampires- the only kind of monsters the young woman truly hated. She would talk about leaving everyone behind repeatedly, no matter how sudden the decision came- everyone was ready for the day when Aaraya leaf their lands.

"It wasn't the Queen I smelt here." Baka jumped back to the topic, trying to make Anto forget the pain. Nobody would be able to help him, not after losing the last family he had, but Baka could try to distract him.

"Who or what was it then? There must be a serious reason to endanger your life in such a stupid way. Don't expect me to stop calling you crazy because you just proved how insane you are," Anto chuckled, his eyes dead set on the woman next to him.

Despite everyone thinking that Baka was one of the lowest, Anto admired her. The woman never feared to speak her mind, even when others didn't share the same opinion. She knew who she was and what she fought for. Her spirit was more potent than other Watchers had, and Lord was she good whenever the hunt was announced. Baka was a survivor- one of a kind. The main reason why others didn't take a liking to her was Baka's origin. She was an Amazon, a woman warrior- way better than many men out there. King Magnus found her next to the battlefield; she lost her first combat and nearly died. The King had another plan for her; he had been observing her skills through the years. Before the old Baka died- he offered her a deal which she couldn't resist. Immortality in exchange for her loyalty. That's how the first female Watcher was born.

"The scent reminded of..." as Baka tried to talk, someone moved within the shadows, right next to them both. Anto jumped back on his feet, as alert as ever. The situation with the missing Queen left him on edge.

"Anto, Baka, I'm so glad I found both of you in time." A breathless warrior appeared out of the shadow cloud. Their appearance wasn't the only impressive thing about their whole kind. How they approached others, jumping out of the shadows like real magicians was another thing to admire.

"What is it? We were in the middle of something here," Anto snarled. He had never been one to react warmly when someone disturbed him in the middle of a conversation, especially of such importance. Not to mention moments with Baka- he took a special kind of liking to her, more than just one of the coven. Most of the Watchers knew about his warm feelings towards the woman. Everyone, besides Baka herself, could see the longing in his eyes.

"We- I'm sorry, but this is important!" The warrior stepped closer, risking his well-being if he dared to get too close. The last time someone decided to get close to Baka, the male kissed his hand goodbye. Anto might tell everyone that she was crazy and, at times, seemed to make fun of her, but she was the only one he focused on. Only a fool wouldn't notice how the Watcher tried to hide his feelings.


"Speak then, for fucks' sake!" Anto rolled his eyes and sat down, this time getting a little too close to Baka. She tilted her head to lean against his shoulder, making the man feel calmer.

"We lost the princess. Nobody knows how long she's been gone. One of the guards decided to check on her since the princess seemed to be in way too deep a slumber. She never sleeps this much. When he entered her room, the guard noticed a seemingly sleeping figure under the sheets. If he hadn’t suspected that something is wrong, we wouldn't have found out about her disappearance for another couple more hours," the warrior sounded slightly distressed. While Anto sat frozen, his eyes closed- the male in front of them kept pacing from side to side. Baka didn't give any reaction, as if she already knew about what had happened.

Anto told the warrior to return to his post and wait for his arrival. All Watchers had to gather in front of the safe house and wait for their leader to give out commands. The male nodded and disappeared in the shadow cloud as fast as he had appeared.

"You knew that Ally ran away, didn't you?" Anto questioned Baka, letting out a deep, frustrated breath. He got caught in the melody of her voice and completely forgot about the answers he needed. It was like he was trying to make her talk more. About anything, even if that wasn't about their responsibilities.

"I tried to follow the scent, that's all I was trying to say. It was faint; the kid knows how to disguise and hide her scent- she learned from the best, after all. But the princess spent some time right next to the border for some reason. Maybe kiddo made sure no one was following her. I guess that she lost control over herself for a bit; therefore, I caught the bit of her scent. The direction I faced earlier was the one she ran." Baka shrugged her shoulders. Even though she wanted to run out and follow the little girl, she was sure that no one would be stupid enough to attack her. Of course, the child had received royal blood, but the scent was overpowered by one of the Death. That's how the Watchers smelt- pure, torturous death.

"She ran towards her father's territory. By now, she must have managed to cross their border. Close your eyes and concentrate on Ally, check her emotions- if there is even a hint of pain, the whole coven gets out for a night of the hunt." Anto grinned at the woman who followed his commands like a guard dog. At times he wished that she wouldn't, often ending up in situations that weren’t a good idea. Baka was the one to whom Ally was assigned; therefore, she could feel her emotions. For grown-ups, it was a lot harder, but children didn't tend to hide how they felt, unlike older creatures or humans.

"The princess is feeling happy, something good is happening as we speak." Baka opened her eyes, her pupils hidden behind the mist.

"The princess met her father- I'm sure she did. Let's get back to the safe house. Together, we will come up with a plan for what to do next. We might go out tonight if the Queen doesn't appear within a couple of hours. Let's stop worrying about the princess for now. She's safe next to the King."

The Unwanted Alpha Series (Complete Collection)
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