Chapter Eighty Three

LUCY

"Cade," I muttered.

My body was covered in his blood as I tried to stop the bleeding. Cade whimpered and pleaded for forgiveness, but it was too late for that. All I needed was the name of whoever did this.

Cade tried to speak but I couldn't figure out what he was saying. "He's here," that was all I heard.

His bloodied hand pointed to something ahead of us. I raised my head to see who it was but his face wasn't clear enough.

"Looking for me?" the man sneered. Before I could say anything or do anything, he struck me with his sword.

My eyes fluttered open, the remnant of the nightmare still clinging in my head like a cobweb. I glanced around the dimly lit chamber, my heart pounding heavily against my ribs as I tried to shake off the fear.

"Chris," I called out after I realized that he wasn't beside me.

There was no answer and my unease deepened. Where could he be? I recalled that he had gone to see Lothar to further discuss ways of catching the murderer, but I didn't realize that he had been gone for what felt like forever.

With shaky hands, I brushed the sweat that formed on my forehead as I tried to calm myself down. The dream had felt so real, fear gripping me in its icy grip. But I couldn't dwell on that, I had to find Chris.

As I left the chambers, I recalled my meeting with some of the guards who had been poisoned by the murderer and I must say that there was nothing helpful that came out of it.

The guards had said that they didn't notice anyone enter the dungeon and nothing unusual had happened except them losing consciousness. They had been offered their meals like the rest of the guards by the palace maidens.

I had left them in a state of devastation, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something they were missing, a piece of evidence that would unravel the truth of the mysterious killings.

The cryptic whispers of my dream echoed in my ear, the name Cade had mentioned still eluding my grasp like a fleeting shadow. It was so hard to figure out who this mystic being was.

Minutes stretched into hours and my anxiety grew more. Chris still hadn't returned to the palace, the silence was killing me. I couldn't shake the feeling that danger lurked beyond the walls of the palace, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Unable to bear the anxiety, I decided to go in search of Chris. As I approached the door, I heard voices coming from one of the quarters and I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation that ensued.

"No one is to be trusted. We need to keep our guards up," one of the whispered voices said.

"There's something off about that man, I'm telling you," another said.

"Until we find proof, we need to tread carefully," a third voice chimed in.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to make sense of the conversations. What were they talking about? Where was Chris in all of this?

I pushed the door without hesitating and stepped into the room. There, I met Lothar with some of the guards, a surprise flickering in my eyes.

Chris wasn't in the room with them. The last time I spoke to him, he had mentioned meeting with Lothar so why was he absent at this meeting?

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Lothar asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Where is Lothar? He was supposed to be with you," I asked, ignoring his question.

"Me? I've been in the palace the whole time making arrangements with the guards. What are you talking about?" Lothar said.

I was stunned. "Chris went to your quarters hours ago and hasn't returned since then. Where else could he have gone if not to see you?" I questioned, my fear increasing.

Lothar exchanged glances with the guards before turning to face me. "I haven't seen him, Lucy. Are you sure he went to see me?"

He quickly instructed the guards to go find Chris while I remained with him. "We were planning safety measures for the pack, I didn't know Alpha Chris had gone to seek me at my quarters," Lothar explained.

After a long wait, the guards returned with no positive news. "Alpha Chris is nowhere around your quarters, neither is he anywhere around the pack."

"What did they mean," I pondered. Where could he have disappeared to? I feared that he could possibly be in danger.

"Find him, he could be in danger as we speak," I pleaded.

"You have nothing to worry about, I believe Alpha Chris is safe somewhere," Lothar said.

He was wrong, I had an odd feeling about it. My instincts had never failed me before, so I knew something wasn't right.

I left them and began to solely search for Chris. I called out his name with a trembling voice but there was no response from him. My voice echoed softly in the walkway.

"Please be okay, please," I cried.

I continued my search but there was no sign of him around. I searched Lothar's quarters but he wasn't there, my heart pounded in my chest as fear enveloped me. I didn't know what to think anymore, there was nothing unusual to show if something had happened.

"Chris!!" I called out again. Yet there was no response.

After searching for a long time, I decided to sort Lothar's guidance on what to do. On my way back, I came across Chris , his usual strong form now being slumped against his betas shoulder. My heart lurched at the sight of bloodstains on his clothes , evidence of the turmoil he must have gone through.

Without a second though, I rushed to him to inspect his wounds. "Who did this?" I asked. "What happened?"

Chris winced in pain as he struggled to speak. "Lothar," he said, his gaze flickering at the door.

"He's searching for you as we speak. I'll go tell him I've found you," I said. I rushed to go find Lothar but Chris pulled me back.

"Lothar," he said again. I still couldn't understand what he meant. His gaze still remained at the door.

Confused, I turned to glance over my shoulder. Lothar stood there to my horror, an evil sinister smirk on his lips which sent an unusual cold chill down my spine.

"Lothar….I- I was…"

"I found you, didn't I?" Lothar said, his voice filled with terror. His words hung in the air like a dark cloud, his sinister intention clear for all to see.

Was he who I thought he was?

Glen moved to stand between me and Lothar, his stance protective as he glared at him. "What do you want Lothar?" He snarled, his voice a rumble of warning.

Lothar sneered. "I want what is rightfully mine!!"