Vindicator

Chapter 18

Chance opened his eyes groggily, not quite knowing where he was. As his consciousness returned, though, his last moments before passing out hit him.

He jerked up to a sitting position, looking around desperately. His heart sank when he found himself in his room, alone, with not even the hint of the scent of his mate around.

In his head, Xander let out a sad whine. "Where's mate? What happened?"

"I don't know...We need to find out" Chance replied, throwing his blankets off.

"Mate is still hurting...I can feel it through the bond" Xander continued to whimper sadly.

"I know" Chance griped back, well aware of the pain resonating from the bond. "At least we know he's still alive, though" he reasoned, a bit more calmly.

The Prince was agitated; he was angry that his parents stopped him from rescuing Theo, although in hindsight he understood why. Still, he was hoping he'd find that they rescued his mate in his stead. He didn't allow himself to have much hope; but, he couldn't help the sliver that planted in his heart.

Not even bothering to change, Chance left his room barefoot, with nothing but his boxers and a t-shirt on. He took great strides towards the throne room, where he felt confident he'd fine his parents. And find them he did!

Along with a room full of elders.

Their expressions were of shock when they took in the sight of their dishevelled prince. Chance didn't even pause to pay them respects, instead he bounded towards his parents. "Please, tell me he's safe" he said, unable to hide the pleading in his voice.

The King knew his son was hurting, but couldn't believe he'd bring up this issue in front of the elders. He stared, wide-eyed at his son in an effort to get his point across. "Use the mind link for such topics!" He hissed at his son through their link.

Chance ignored his father and looked up at his mother. She didn't make eye contact, though, sadly looking at the ground with a slight shake of her head. That was all he needed to see to shatter his hope, so with a growl he turned and bolted out of the room as quickly as he'd entered it.

One of the bolder elders watched Chance leave, then turned back to the King and Queen. He cleared his throat, and asked "Who was it that the Prince was so concerned about?"

"That is not the reason we are here, Elder Roy" the King reminded him, in an effort to deflect.

"Apologies, your majesty; but, the Prince is acting rather unusual. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's acting as erratic as a man whose mate is in danger" the sly old man replied.

"My son, your Prince, is acting as a man who is worried about the safety of another person. If his mate was in danger, do you think any royal male would leave the room just now without tearing something apart?" The King answered with a laugh.

The elders murmured amongst themselves, mostly agreeing with the King. While it was true that Chance was acting odd, and the circumstances of him being brought home unconscious were highly suspicious, they had no other evidence to suggest what was going on. As such, they were no more than a bunch of nosy old wolves trying to gossip like old hens at this point. And as fantastical as the Prince having a male mate would be, there was no doubt in any of their minds that he'd have torn that room apart if his mate was truly in danger.

With this reasoning, the elders dropped the conversation for now to continue on with the topic at hand. "You're right. Forgive me, majesty. Where were we? Ah, yes...The Red Moon pack. You say that they have gone rogue?" Elder Roy asked.

The King nodded solemnly. "We are uncertain as to what is going through his mind exactly, but the Alpha rejected the pledge and broke ties with the crown. He forced his entire pack to go rogue. We have sent support to the pack lands to help those who did not wish for this outcome, and we will work to find them placements in new packs. For now, though, Alpha Russell is the only wolf we are certain to be an enemy" he explained

"Forgive me, highness" a female elder spoke up. "Is it wise to do so? We could very well be placing spies or worse amongst trusted packs. It would be best to write the entire pack off."

"And what of me, Elder Jane?!" Another elder demanded, glaring towards the woman. "I am the elder of Red Moon, will you toss me to the rogues too?! There are many innocent men, women and children who do not deserve the fate you are suggesting. They are not at fault for their Alpha's horrible decision!" He insisted passionately.

"Well, you raise a good point, Patrick" Elder Jane retorted with a chuckle. "We are pack elders. There is no more Red Moon, so truly you are not one of us; however, I will do you this last favour of conceding to the truth in your words...I still believe, though, it is unwise to place these wolves without somehow determining where their allegiance lies" she reasoned.

The one known as Patrick was fuming over the disrespect he'd been shown; but he knew she was right. Still, to be tossed aside almost as an afterthought was humiliating, and made the old man's blood boil. He glared at Elder Jane, but before he could speak again, the Queen cut them all off.

"How do we determine where their allegiance lies? They are no longer of our Kingdom, and therefore not compelled to obey our rule or command." She said, speaking as if she was thinking aloud. Truthfully, the Queen hated listening to the elders bicker and had just decided to interrupt with her innocent thoughts.

The room went quiet as everyone considered what options were available to them. After the silence dragged on for several minutes the King growled out "surely there are ways to determine honesty without an Alpha order! What do humans do?!"

"They would likely have someone do reconnaissance on the pack, such as spying or infiltrating their ranks to act as a double agent. And they also use devices called polygraphs which use biofeedback to determine one's honesty" one of the younger Elders chimed in, pushing his spectacles up his nose.

"And how do you propose we spy on or infiltrate a pack of wolves with the ability to scent us a mile away?" The King grumbled.

"Well..." the young Elder said hesitantly.

"Well?" The King demanded.

"You call on a professional. One who is infamous for their ability to breach pack security, kidnap wolves, and escape virtually undetected." He suggested.

"And where might we find such a—" the King began, before realizing what the man was suggesting. He narrowed his eyes and bellowed "Do you mean to imply that we enlist the aid of the Spectre?! Are you mad?!"

The Elder flinched a little, showing his neck in submission while shaking his head. "I know that there are many negative stories circulating; however, there are many who claim to have been saved by the Spectre and the Forsaken pack! It may at least be an avenue worth considering!" The nervous Elder explained quickly.

The King continued to growl, but the Queen piped up "If that is the best we have, then I task you with finding me a list of those who've supposedly been assisted by this Spectre...And more specifically, the ones who know how to contact the Forsaken pack. This is to take top priority! You are all dismissed" she said, wanting to waste little time. She had some digging of her own to do, and was eager to get started.