Chapter 23

ALPHA RUNE 

"I think their security cameras must have captured you. Just as you wanted, I believe they know you are coming." Carmen said bad we crossed into the city center of Twilight Zone pack. 

Truly, they must known that I was coming because the once bubbling street seemed desserted. And you could tell that they had hurriedly packed. As we drove through the city, you tell that we were being watched. 

"What do we know about Tristan and that battle with Moonshadow?" I asked as we approached the pack house.

"Not much, the shadow unit reported that Twilight Zone won but there are reports that Alpha Tristan was badly injured." Zita explained. "He had to be taken out of the battlefield by force."

"Well, it's time to confirm the truth." I declared as we pulled up at parking lot of Twilight Zone. The stench of the Twilight Zone pack house had changed. It no longer smelled of pine and arrogant strength; it smelled of rot, old blood, and the sour sweat of a dying man. "This place smells funny, it's possible he's truly injured." 

I walked through their heavy gates without an army. I didn't need one. To my left stood Carmen, her hand resting on her hip near her blade, and to my right was Zita, her gaze sharp and scanning for threats. Bringing only two women was the ultimate insult—a public declaration that I didn't consider Tristan’s remaining "warriors" worthy the effort of a full vanguard. The rest of my men were scattered all over, waiting for a signal from me, to attack when I give the order.

Tristan’s guards bristled as we moved through the halls. They were high-strung, their hackles raised, their eyes darting to my face and then away. They knew the Conqueror was in their midst, and they knew their Alpha was in no state to protect them.

When we reached the Alpha’s chambers. The doors were guarded by six of his strongest fighters, men with scarred faces and heavy broadswords and guns. They stepped forward to block my path, but I didn't stop. I didn't even slow down.

"Move," I said, my voice a low vibration that made the air hum.

They hesitated, looking at each other, then at the two lethal women at my back. Slowly, with a palpable sense of shame, they stepped aside. "That's what I thought." I wanted to avoid bloodshed if possible.

The room was dim, the air thick with the smell of medicine and infection. Tristan lay in the center of the massive bed, looking like a skeletal remains of the man who had dared to challenge me. His chest was wrapped in stained bandages, and his skin was a sickly, translucent gray.

"Rune," he groaned in pain, his voice a dry wheeze.

"Where is she, Tristan?" I asked, skipping the pleasantries. I stood at the foot of his bed, looming over him. "I know you took her from Mari’s clinic. I know you broke into her clinic like a thief in the night. Give her to me now, and I might let you die with a shred of dignity."

Tristan let out a wet, hacking cough. "I don’t... have her. I haven't seen her... in days."

"Don't lie to me while you’re at the gates of hell," I snarled, stepping closer. I looked at the man standing in the corner—Kaelen, his lead tracker. "I found your signature, Kaelen. The scent-masker at the clinic was yours. Silver-root and charcoal. Your trademark."

Kaelen’s face went pale, but he stepped forward, his eyes darting to Tristan. "I didn't do it, Alpha Rune. I swear. I... I taught that blend to an apprentice months ago. A boy named Elian. He must have been the one. He vanished shortly after."

"And where is this boy now?" Zita asked, her voice dripping with skepticism.

"Dead," Kaelen muttered. "We found his body in the ravine yesterday. Torn apart by rogues."

"How convenient," I spat. "A dead boy to carry the blame for a living coward’s crime. I don't believe a word of it."

"Search the house!" Tristan gasped, clutching his chest as a fresh wave of pain hit him. "Search... every room. Every cell. I give you leave. If she were here... I would be whole."

I didn't wait for a second invitation. "Search the house, search every nook and cranny, especially the lower areas. He blames her for the death of his mate, she'd be locked up somewhere. Get the others." I ordered. "Take this, this is her smell." I handed an heirloom she was holding when I brought her to Mari's clinic, that Tristan had forgotten when they took her.

Zita went out to carry out my orders while Carmen remained with me. "That looks really bad, you should have it looked at." I advised, trying to make conversation while I waited for report from my men.

"My healers are working round the clock to get it done." He replied casually, both of us ignoring the tension in the room.

"Mari is skilled in these kinds of things, that was why I took Sara to her after she became infected with wolfsbane. Then there's Yara in my pack, she's a wise healer, highly skilled." I offered.

"Thank you, but I think Nayomi and the healers I have here are good enough." He bragged and I smiled. He was scared and didn't want to expose himself to a healer he didn't trust. That was the quickest way to die.

"The full moon is in ten days time. You might become infected with wolfsbane if you don't take care." 

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine." He said dryly.

"Alpha." Zita said the moment she opened the door. "She's not here." I turned slowly towards her.

"Are you sure?" I suddenly felt a tightening in chest, listening to her.

"Yes, but...."

"But what?" I snapped.

"In the lowest level of the dungeon, we found a damp miserable cell. Her scent was there." She revealed and my eyes widened.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked calmly. 

"The scent was there. It was faint, buried under the smell of mold and misery, but it was hers. It was on the straw on the floor. It was cold. She hadn't been here for at least seventy-two hours or ninety-six hours, max."

I slowly turned to Tristan, the rage in my gut turning into a cold, hollow dread.

"Her scent is in your dungeon," I thundered, walking closer to stand over his bed. "She was here. She was in a cage!"

"She was, I told you that much." Tristan admitted, his eyes glazed with fever. "I brought her back to... to answer for her crimes. But she’s gone, Rune. She found a friend in pack, they took her..... she vanished while I was at the border battling the Moonshadow. They took Sara and fled."

He reached out a trembling hand toward me, his eyes wide with a desperate, pathetic hope. "The healers... they say the wound won't close. They say the toxin is... unique. But the legends... they say a woman with her lineage... I don't know if it's true , but Nayomi's apprentice say she's seen her heal someone with similar illness before. Sara is the only one who can save me."

I stared at him with pure, unadulterated disgust. "You kidnapped her, caged her, and now you expect her to save your life?"

"If you find her," Tristan wheezed, "send word. Please. I’ll give you... anything. Territorial rights. Gold. Just... bring her back to heal me, hmthen you can go with her."

I looked at Carmen and Zita. The disappointment was a bitter pill to swallow. I had come for a rescue, and I had found a graveyard of missed opportunities.

"If I find her, Tristan," I said, leaning down until our faces were inches apart, "the only thing you'll receive is a messenger telling you how much she enjoys her life in the Crescent Moon while you rot into the earth. You are a stain on our kind."

I turned my back on him, walking out of the room without another word. As we reached the gates, I looked at the shadow unit I had left waiting in the trees.

"Keep a man on every exit," I commanded. "If a mouse leaves this territory, I want to know about it. If Sara returns, you signal me immediately. Tristan is a dead man walking, but whoever took Sara is the one holding the keys now. Find them."