25.

The chaos that erupted at Chandler’s announcement was exactly what Farryn had been hoping to avoid during her time as an Alpha. Several pack members began calling out for blood, the timing of Xavier’s disappearance was too coincidental to be an accident. The fact that he had also been missing when Darius disappeared resurfaced, along with the blood in his home. Chandler realized the mistake he had made by not speaking privately to his Alpha first, but there was no turning back now.

“Once a rogue always a rogue, I knew we couldn’t trust him!”

“We need to find him now, before he kills Amelia like he did Darius!”

“He probably knows we’re on his trail now! He’s gonna run!”

The pack began to drift away from Farryn’s home, even as she called out to them to stop. Her voice was frail and filled with unease at the sight of the pack ignoring her. Farryn stopped at the threshold of her door, her fingers curled into fists and her shoulders drooped. She was prepared to turn away, if they wouldn’t listen to her then they could do as they wished before a flash of golden yellow passed her eyes as Celeste slid past her and towards the pack.

Farryn watched silently as Celeste lifted her right hand, curling her fingers in a coaxing manner before bringing her hand towards her chest. The uproar slowly died off, many turned quickly with eyes full of alarm as Celeste moved her hand behind her back.

“Well, now that you’ve all gotten quiet, we can pay attention to Farryn!” She chirped proudly before turning her silver gaze to the Alpha. Her iris’ swirled as she grinned at Farryn, the Fae had stolen the voices of each pack member before Farryn. A cold chill ran down her spine at the reminder of just how dangerous and strong the small Faerie really was.

“Xavier has gone missing and so has Amelia. These are facts. We will not jump to conclusions until we have the evidence and proof to do so. We will run on facts and any who have an issue with this, well, you’re welcome to leave at any time. We still don’t know that Darius is dead, we don’t know that Xavier had anything to do with either disappearance, and I will not allow this pack to fall into hysteria.”

Farryn’s voice had started small. The rage in the pack’s eyes was terrifying and she knew that they thought less of her for having the Fae help enforce things. It made her seem weak, and at this moment, she needed to seem as strong as possible. Farryn motioned for Celeste to stop, to return their voices to them. The female seemed reluctant to do so but eventually, she uncurled her fingers and returned everyone’s voice with a deep sigh. Tony surged forward with a thunderous growl; eyes locked onto Celeste with a clear intent to kill.

“Tony, stop.” The command in Farryn’s voice was clear enough to bring the male to a stumbling halt, but it only turned his glare to her.

“You are a pathetic excuse for an Alpha, you don’t shift unless your life depends on it. You have these…*things* here to protect you because you’re so weak. Xavier should have killed you when he had the chance to.”

Farryn held the male’s burning gaze as she brought her hands behind her back to hide the fact that her hands had begun to shake. The faint scar on her neck seemed to throb in a slight reminder that he was right. To her surprise, Ian surged forward and tackled the male to the ground. She had grown used to seeing the Fae act out in such a way, but not her packmates.

“Don’t you dare disrespect our Alpha like that.” Ian held the larger male down by the throat, his fingers aimed just right to tear it out without a moment’s hesitation. Farryn pursed her lips, it would certainly be useful to have Tony taken out of the equation but Farryn knew he was strong and would be useful should a fight break out, so long as he was on her side.

“Ian, relax.” Farryn stepped forward until she was at his side and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He sighed before shoving Tony down harder into the ground before rising to his feet as Farryn tilted her head, gazing down at the male who had nothing but wrath in his gaze.

“Are you done wasting time now? While you throw this tantrum of yours no one is out searching for Amelia.” Farryn looked up to the rest of the pack and shrugged her shoulders.

“Is there a reason why no one has started searching for Amelia yet?!” The bite in her voice seemed to snap everyone back to reality to what they should have been doing. The pack scrambled as they set into motion, organizing search parties, and setting out without looking back to the small group that was still outside Farryn’s home. Tony propped himself up and was prepared to get up when Farryn stopped him with a hand held out. Farryn crouched down to his side, causing him to lean away from her with obvious disgust.

“I don’t owe you anything, Tony. Absolutely nothing. But I know you want what is best for the pack, I can see that. When I have an answer to give you, when I can explain without a doubt what is going on, I will. In the meantime, go find Amelia, and find her alive Tony. Please.” Farryn patted his knee before standing back up and turning to the four who were waiting patiently for her.

“Chandler, I need you and Vini to go look for Xavier. If someone else finds him first make sure they don’t kill him. I want answers first before any blood is shed.” Chandler dipped his chin and led the Fae male out of the town. Her gaze landed on Ian and Celeste, the male inching away from the Fae just slightly in discomfort.

“I need you two to…” She inhaled deeply before scratching her nose. “I need you two to find a high priest of the Moon Goddess. Tony would have gone in a few days, but I need one now. Sooner is better than later.” Ian glanced at the Fae at his side who nodded her head aimlessly now that she had been given her task.

“What’s a High Priest of the Moon Goddess? Who’s the Moon Goddess?” Celeste asked with a grin.

“Why is she coming?” Ian’s lips twitched into the hints of a growl, but he forced it down in respect for Farryn.

“Because she has done a lot of traveling, I trust both of you to be swift in this. Ian, I need this High Priest by the end of the day.” He straightened himself out before lowering his head in the proper show of respect before starting to lead Celeste out of the town. Farryn could still hear Celeste pestering the male with questions and couldn’t resist the smile that came to her face. It would be a miracle if Ian didn’t attempt to kill her once or twice during their journey. The sound of fabric rustling turned her attention back to Tony who had finally stood up and was brushing himself off.

“Rosemary told me you were sick and that only a High Priest could help. What is going on?” Tony didn’t look concerned as he asked. Farryn swept her hair back and tied it off as her gaze briefly drifted to her feet before lifting once more.

“When I have an answer, I’ll tell you.” Farryn brushed past the male with her head high, she was going to find Amelia, she owed it to the young female for the kindness she had shown her when she was found in the forest.

“If you’re going to keep playing Alpha, you might want to get the shaking under control first.” Farryn clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to give him the satisfaction of looking back. Her chest had tightened by the time she reached the edge of town. Her fever had returned but she had no choice but to push through even as she grew lightheaded.

A new pounding headache hit as the white wolf surged forward in her mind, demanding she return and kill Tony for the display of disrespect. Namia attempted to push her back in retaliation; killing everyone who disrespecting her would result in a smaller pack and they needed numbers at this moment. Farryn’s footsteps staggered for a moment before she steadied herself against a tree as they continued going back and forth with each other.

“Shut up, please, just shut up.” Her nails dug into the bark until the throbbing sensation faded into just a slight buzz in the back of her mind, still noticeable but much more bearable. As she inhaled slowly, she picked up several different scents, distinguishing the different pack scents was growing harder. Everyone in the pack carried the same scent of a grassy field just after a rainstorm. Farryn rubbed her nose before inhaling again. Amelia carried a gentle almond scent that was easy to get buried with dulled senses. Picking out her scent among the several others was nearly impossible, but it was there.

Farryn pushed herself from the tree and set off to follow the scent. She wouldn’t let Amelia be one of the ones to disappear. She was the better half to Emily, and Farryn needed her brightness in her life among the storms she was facing.