LUTHOR’S POV:
”Would you look at that?
A gift from the moon goddess herself,” Ragner teased as he followed behind me into my room.
“Quit it!” I immediately hushed him, trying so hard to hide the smile on my face.
Ragner and I would occasionally cross the lines of friendship.
He had been with me for the longest and had earned the right to tease me, but now was not the time.
“What’s the plan to make the wedding happen this week?” I probed, taking a seat at my study desk.
“I have the maids working on a menu and the decorations as well,” he replied, sitting on the other side of the table.
“What do you mean decorations and menu?” I raised a brow, “keep it small, just the elders. It’s all for formality, remember? She already signed the contract, so technically, we’re already married.” Saying we were married felt like I was about to throw up.
I was still struggling with that truth.
“Absolutely not!” Ragner said.
His words triggered slight confusion, which I revealed on my face.
“You’re the Alpha of Hellbound pack. If you’re going to have a ceremony. It’s going to be loud. Neighboring packs are already receiving their invitations as we speak.” I froze for a bit, digesting his statement.
“Ragner, this is not the time for one of your classic jokes.
You of all people know what all of this is…”
”Which is why I, of all people, know why it is important to have a ceremony that doesn’t raise doubts in anyone’s heart.” I saw the seriousness on his face and I knew him well enough to know that when he said things were in motion, they actually were.
“Fine!” I replied in exhaustion, accepting defeat.
“Do what you have to do and get me Aria,” I dismissed him with a final order.
“Save the intimacy for the honeymoon,” he teased again, walking out of the room.
I took a quill holder from my study desk and threw it at him.
It missed him by a bit, as he shut the door behind him, but I could hear him laughing from the other side of the door.
Sometimes, I hated him for making things a joke, but that was classic Ragner.
One minute he was all serious, moving the world for my comfort, the next minute, he was making everything a joke.
Minutes burned into hours and I eventually forgot I requested her presence.
“Daddy,” I heard a soft knock on my door.
I recognized that voice anywhere.
I quickly pushed out my chair and rushed to the door.
“Ella, honey,” I bent and gave her a hug, before picking her up in my arms.
I quickly noticed worry in her eyes that made her naturally pretty eyes dim.
“What’s wrong?” I probed.
She did not say a word and only kept pointing to the hallway.
“Talk to me. What’s wrong?” I demanded, but Ella would not say anything.
She was not a very verbal child and I found it disturbing.
“Ella…”
Ragner and two guards were standing outside my door.
He had the same worried look in his eyes that Ella had.
“What is going on?” I probed.
“We can’t find Aria,” Ragner said.
His words felt like a big punch to my face–something strong enough to cause a nosebleed.
“What?”
”No one has seen her since the introduction,” He proceeded.
“The guards at the exit did not see her leave either, so…” I placed Ella on the floor.
“She wouldn’t dare,” I said.
I walked right past Ragner and the guards and locked the door behind me with Ella in my room.
“If no one saw her leave, then she must be around here, somewhere,” I stormed down the hallway.
“Alpha, what are you doing?” Ragnar probed.
That I didn’t have to be involved, but I did not want to hear him.
“Deploy three troops to check all the exits. If she managed to go out, she couldn’t have gotten far,” I said.
My blood was beginning to boil.
I could not believe that after signing a contract, she’d want to elope.
‘Oh!
How I’ll make her suffer!’ I could only think about it as I moved around, anticipating the minute she’ll be caught and I could finally lay my hands on her.
I ordered a thorough search through every corner of the pack royal house, the pack and surrounding environment and in a few minutes, there were war men tearing down every bit of the pack in search of Aria.
“We’ve been searching all night,” Ragnar said, “there’s still no trace of her,”
”You will keep searching and you’ll bring her back here and she better be alive when she’s back,” I said to him.
I wanted to be mad that she’d run away from a deal she signed, but running away did not make sense at all and my wolf was unsettled.
A part of me could feel she was in danger.
“Alright, Alpha. We’ll do everything to bring her back, but Ella would be so scared right now. You should go back to her,” I felt chills run down my spine.
Ragner knew what to use against me and how exactly to use it.
I couldn’t argue when it came to Ella.
“Notify me if you have any leads or find her,” I said,”Of course,” I turned and left the men at Ragner’s reassurance.
As I strolled the hallway, wondering what might have happened, how Aria managed to disappear with no trace, I hoped and prayed that the curse that took Helen from me was not playing out again”Hmmm,” I heard a faint muffled sound as I was about to take the last turn to my room.
I looked around and just as I had thought, there was no one in sight.
I tried to take another step forward, but the sound came again, this time slightly stronger.
I paused and looked around, unable to trace its direction.
“Who’s there?” I stood with open legs and clenched fists–combat ready.