Princess...

Chapter 39

Ethan

My father said being an Alpha wouldn't be easy, though he probably wasn't talking about the severe difficulty of watching an innocent woman being abused by her mate. I left Barther guarding the library door with clear instructions that under no circumstances should anyone go inside unless I explicitly give my permission. He wouldn't disobey me, he owed me his life from when I saved him in my first year as Alpha from a rogue attack when he was only an Omega. I entered the foyer where a few Alpha's were already waiting to leave

"Gentleman! My apologies for keeping you waiting. I hope you enjoyed the ceremony, we'll have to do this more frequently!" It was blatant lies, and they knew it. We only ever came together for King Leon and the other pack leaders hated how close I was to the royal family. My father had been Leon's close companion their whole lives, and that courtesy was extended to me when I was born. I glared at the retreating backs of the Alpha's as they left the iron gates, before turning to see Alpha Indiana and his two men sauntering up to meet me. I noticed their red hair and anger burned through my veins, along with a renewed determination.

"Alpha Indiana! A word for a moment?" I led him to a more secluded area of the foyer for some privacy

"What can I do for you Alpha Lake?" He didn't have the bright blue eyes as Ace did, but the red hair was a concern and I had to level my breathing in order to keep composed

"The rogue I took in recently, did you ever banish a woman by the name of Ace?" I asked. The red-haired man's eyebrows furrowed in thought

"No Alpha Lake, never an Ace. Though there are no prizes for guessing why she was banished with a name like that." The shorter man chuckled and I forced a smile onto my face, escorting him back to the main foyer. We bid our goodbyes and I continued waving off any of the Alpha's that walked past. I asked Alpha Nebraska and Alpha Michigan if they had banished Ace, though they knew nothing of a woman with her name.

"Safe travels, Alpha Minnesota." I shook the final Alpha's hand, realising that the New Orleans pack hadn't come past whilst I'd been seeing everyone off. How long had I been down here? Too long based on my inner wolf's urges to check on the redheaded rogue in the West Wing.

Where are the Farkas family? I mindlinked Beta Deryn and Delta Kurt, who were nowhere to be found.

They left before the rest of the wolves, Alpha. Delta Kurt informed me and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing now that Ace was safe as all of the packs were gone, along with her ex-mate within the crowd. I moved to go back upstairs when I realised Alpha King Leon was still here. His son Lucatra stumbled up to me, barging into my leg and holding it tightly. I laughed and picked up the blonde-haired boy, ruffling his hair

"Lucatra! That is no way to greet Alpha Lake." Leon scolded but I smiled encouragingly to the little boy in my arms. A pang of longing settled in the pit of my stomach and reluctantly I put the toddler down, picking up Breena instead and kissing her cheek softly. She giggled in response and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck

"You can have them if you want, Ethan. They never run out of energy!" Luna Queen Cordea chuckled softly and took the blonde-haired girl off of me. I'd never wanted a Luna or children, so why was I reacting this way to the two toddlers in front of me? With a firm handshake from the Alpha King and a swift embrace from the Luna Queen, the royal family departed and my shoulders slumped; that was the most gruelling 48 hours of my life. I made my way back to the West Wing, dismissing Barther with an abrupt nod and entered my room, to see Ace curled under my covers, the book she was reading discarded next to her. I gently replaced the book on the shelf and gazed down at the sleeping figure, noticing how her chest shakily rose and fell due to the copious amounts of pain she was in, before exiting the room.

Boardroom. Now. Beta Deryn was going to help me figure out what bastard could hurt Ace and get away with it. Within minutes a top knot drifted into view, closing the door to the boardroom swiftly

"What is it, Ethan?" I must have interrupted something between him and Raula, given his flushed complexion.

"We had every pack leader known to the Alpha King in our territory for the last 24 hours. Why are we no closer to finding Ace's old pack?" The question was rhetorical, but a look of realisation spread to my Beta's face

"Raula was worried when I saw her earlier... I had asked but she wouldn't tell me. Maybe it was about Ace?" How much did my mother figure know? And what would it take for her to tell me? I nodded slowly and paced back and forth, trying to picture each Alpha's face from the last day.

"I asked the Indiana, Nebraska and Michigan pack leaders if they had banished Ace but they knew nothing of her. Their only link was the red hair so it was far fetched at best. Whoever the pack is, they are hiding Ace's abuser pretty well." I grimaced as I remembered what the redheaded rogue looked like as she wept on the floor of the kitchen. I hadn't seen anyone leaving, but then I remembered the reason why I went into the kitchen in the first place. "She does know something! Raula mindlinked me and told me to find Ace before I saw her on the floor. Her mate had found her again before I even got there. Raula must have known he was coming for her." Beta Deryn looked like he didn't believe me, but I concentrated on his aged face to show him the memory, exactly as I'd described. He nodded quickly and left the boardroom, on a mission to find answers from his mate. I exhaled lightly and exited the room, opening the door to my bedroom to find an empty bed and the fading scent of rogue. Where the fuck had she disappeared to now?