The Broken Queen

Chapter 39; The Fury:

Alpha Reece's POV:

I send Ger with some of my guards and warriors to collect provisions for a search party, even though I know deep down that this useless mutt is probably already dead by now. I doubt she could survive on her own, especially outside of these pack-lands, in no man's land. She is weak and pathetic, nonetheless, both myself and Tib insist on searching for the bitch, even if it's pointless. As I pace back and forth in the foyer of the pack-house, Ger comes running up to the steps with four of my best trackers in tow. As soon as he reaches my side, he tries to question my decision to do this, but I don't give him the chance, not wasting another second and taking off towards the border of our pack for the first time in years. As I run as fast as my legs will carry me, this little voice starts nagging me and the further I get from the pack-house, the more my unease grows. My mind starts racing with overwhelming thoughts as I race towards my borders, with Ger and the trackers on my heel. 'I should stop. Diana would not be proud of me for doing this, in fact she would be ashamed of me for everything I've done. And wherever she is, she will haunt me for the rest of my life. Our youngest child, not that I consider her such anymore, but she is the reason the love of my life is gone and the reason my eldest son, my pack's late alpha to be, is gone too. I remember that crushing pain in my soul like it was yesterday. Honestly, I don't know how I'm still breathing. My hatred for my daughter is the only thing that keeps me going some days, but without her here to torment, blow off my steam on etc, I have been going insane these last six days. I had wanted to go out to look for her the day it happened, the day she escaped, but it wouldn't have been a smart decision. I had the tigers waging war over wanting her as a maid and slave. I protected her from that fate for the sake of her mother's memory. She belongs to me, and how does she thank me for protecting her? By running away! That little bitch. I had to deal with the Tigers before doing this unfortunately, having to compromise with their leader in order for war to be avoided. Not that I was scared of him per se, or war, in fact I relished in the idea of breaking bones, ripping wolves apart and declaring victory, but dealing with this problem is more important and I've been feeling physically drawn to her in some way. She is going to pay when I find her. As the group and me runs toward the pack border, our feet pound against the soil in chorus and once we reach a few meters from the edge of my lands, we all shift before crossing into no man's land.

It's creeping into the evening, so the sun is starting to set. I can see mountains in the distance that are a long way off as I try my best to catch a whiff of her scent as we run but to no avail. There is nothing that I wouldn't expect there to be. With it being six days ago and all I'm not surprised, but still, I couldn't help feeling frustrated as hell. Tib takes most of the control as we run through a large clearing twice the size of my pack lands. It takes us a solid hour to reach the other side of the clearing. Tib spent the whole time dropping his snout to the ground every few minutes, hoping for a whiff of her, but there was nothing. There should be something, even just a slight trace of her scent considering we are blood. I growl at that thought, we may be blood, but she is no daughter of mine, not anymore.

As we stop by a small stream for a drink and a rest. Tib keeps growling in frustration as we pace back and forth on all fours. Huffing, I lay down on the ground dipping my tongue in the cool water. It's so refreshing as it trickles dow my throat, quenching my thirst. I get pulled out of my thoughts as the wind picks up and Dani's scent, mixed with blood and rot wafts in on the air from the east. Rogues. Growling furiously, I jump up immediately, startling Ger beside us. "Alpha? What-" I cut him off with a gruff "This way" before bolting in the direction of the stench of rogues and the familiar smell of my biological pup. Now that she has had a few days without our scent dampening concoction in her system, her scent should get stronger and stronger the closer we get to her. I am going to make her beg me for death for disrespecting me and my pack like this...she will pay.

Quinn's POV:

The dinner was absolutely delicious. This pack's cooks were truly talented. I sigh contentedly as wolves begin to file out of the hall. I notice Fionn still hasn't come back into the room. I had just assumed he had gone to the bathroom or gone out for some fresh air like is usually the case when he wanders off, but his soup is still left on the table where he had sat, cold, and he is nowhere to be seen. I push on his mind through the pack link, but I am only met with a wave of annoyance before it's rejected, and I'm pushed back. I blink slowly, what the hell is going on? I just wanted to make sure he was okay and not getting himself into any trouble, that's all.

I walk over to Ethan and Sophia as the maids start coming around the room to collect all the dishes. "Hey Quinn, how was your dinner?" I turn to Sophia with a smile as I give Ethan a side hug. "It was lovely, how was yours?" She rubs her tummy with a grin, which is answer enough. I laugh at her swollen tummy. "Is there a baby in there?" I ask with a giggle as I poke her bellybutton. She swats my hands away with a faux glare. Ethan chimes in by pulling me into his side. "Sophia won't be having any babies in her stomach any time soon little one, and we already have one, you!" I growl and smack his chest with a scowl, and he tries to tickle me in response. I yelp and run behind Sophia, peaking out from behind her. "Ethan, leave the pup alone" she laughs. Straightening out my dress, I pick up my bag from the rack in the corner of the room and ask a more serious question through a link for privacy. Their brows furrow when they feel my nudge, opening to it instantly.

"Do you guys know where Fionn went? I saw him leave shortly after the food arrived and I just assumed he went to the bathroom, outside for some fresh air or to explore. Ethan, you know how he is, always wandering off and often seems to be up to something. But he hasn't come back, and my gut says he is up to no good. Guys, we finally have an Alpha who cares for us, who respects and protects us, who has just made a crucial alliance with this pack so we can save our Beta. The last thing we need is for Fionn to be caught doing something shady and fucking this up for all of us."

They listen intently, Sophia looking sorrowful, Ethan like he has more information on the matter. He looks at her before responding, as I see the two Alpha's and Hulu huddled in the corner mind linking too. That makes this situation all the weirder. "I noticed him leave too and you are right, he has been acting really weird lately, especially since Dani took us under her wing. I think he is up to something, but I think the two alphas know what that something is, maybe Hulu too. They have been linking on and off this whole dinner, and what I noticed as well was that shortly after Fionn left his seat, Alpha Timothy nodded for three of his guards to leave the room in the same direction as Fionn and Alpha Brown was looking at his empty seat with her jaw set and Kayla on the surface. I brushed it off but that was over thirty minutes ago and neither Fionn nor those three guards have come back. Something is definitely going on." My breath hitches as I realise he's right, those three guards are no longer around, and I had barely registered their absence most of the dinner. Damn it, what has Fionn done now? He always did have a violent and reckless streak, I just thought he had been that way under Edgar's control, but maybe that's just who he really is deep down. I never liked him but it's not like we could have been picky right now. Sophia clears her throat as she picks up her satchel. "Why don't we see if we can we find him ourselves? If we can find him and we aren't too late, we can stop him from doing whatever he is thinking and protect Dani's fresh alliance. I don't feel right just sitting back and waiting for this to kick off..." We all agree to Sophia's suggestion, and we cautiously leave the room, throwing a curt nod and wave to Hulu and a slight bow to the alphas as we pass.