Delina just nodded in agreement. Who was the leader at the time she was born was Alpha Bernard. Despite being a bit cold, he was not a greedy man like the one who had led the attack on Erfreut. 'Probably they named the Pack wrongly, to confuse people here', Delina thought and she clung to that.
Suindara took her back to her quarters and allowed her to rest. Apparently, she was a very sensitive girl, which could be very good for him.
*
Kraig waited for the Rogues to contact him, but nothing of the sort happened. He was hopeful that Delina would be with them, and honestly, he would give his own life if necessary to save her.
Nora was with Kendric, watching Kraig's suffering closely. She was very worried about Delina and wondered what could have happened to her friend-sister. Delina could only have been captured by some other creature, for if she had just run away, she would surely have sent some news, at least to say she was alive and well. She would never let Nora or Elenora suffer like that.
"I need to go on patrol with him, okay?" Kendric told Nora, who, while she didn't like the idea of her mate wandering around where a rogue had probably captured Delina, knew it was necessary.
"Take care of yourself, love." She asked, before giving Kendric a kiss. Nora could not have asked for a better mate than he. He was always good-natured, but never a jerk to anyone. Well, neither was Kraig, until he was with Delina. Nora couldn't help but think that he deserved to suffer for what he had done.
Kraig watched as Nora and Kendric kissed and could feel the love between them. Kendric had a crush on Nora for a long time, and admired her, so it made sense that the two of them liked each other to the point of being soulmates. He remembered that Delina was one of the reasons he wanted to go to school, even though he hadn't told anyone. And now, he would probably never get the chance to tell her that. He wished Delina were there, so he could hug and kiss her, treating her like the queen she was.
Keira watched everything from afar. She was more than bitter. Kraig had finally paid attention to her and she would be Luna, as she deserved to be. But then, that miserable human took everything from her. Even when she was gone, she was still a problem.
"I hope she never comes back!" Keira said through her teeth, crushing the coffee cup in her hand. Someone grabbed her arm and turned her around, slapping her across the face.
"That girl is our Luna by right, so don't you dare wish for something like that!" Keira's father, Jason, growled. "I know Kraig was wrong for using you, but also, it wasn't like you didn't throw yourself at him, even though you knew he wasn't your mate."
"Father, how can you take his side, then?" Keira whimpered, her hand covering the side of her face that had been hit.
"Because he's our Alpha and he did what he did because he believed it was best for the pack. On the other hand, you wanted to be Luna for selfish reasons. I do not deny that I would love to have a daughter in this post, however, if there is a rightful known Luna, no matter who she is, I will never be in favor of anyone who tries to usurp her place." He looked into his daughter's eyes. "Whoever it is." With that, he ordered Keira into the house.
The search began and Kraig only stopped when the pack members begged them to return. Even though he had Alpha blood, it was too dangerous to be wandering alone, so the other rangers couldn't just leave him in there, by himself. Kraig wanted to have a moment of solitude, but he knew his safety was also the pack's safety.
"Tomorrow, we'll try again." Kendric said, running right behind Kraig.
"I will look every day until I find her, Kendric." Kraig said and quickened his pace. Kendric didn't try to follow him this time. They were close to the pack and he understood that Kraig must want a moment of peace.
Kraig ran and went to the Saito house. He knew Delina wasn't there, but her scent was still lingering in there. He reverted to human form, put on his clothes and knocked on the door.
Elenora opened the door, her eyes swollen. She was surprised for seeing Kraig there. She knew he was the future Alpha, but since she was Delina's foster mother, Bernard told her the whole situation. Elenora felt like slapping that boy.
"Mrs. Saito, I know it's late, but could you let me see Delina's room?" he asked, with all the courage he could muster. Elenora wanted to deny it, however, she knew very well what it was like to lose a mate and didn't wish that pain on anyone. Without saying anything, she just opened the door of the house wider and took a step aside, so he could walk in.
Nora was sitting on Delina's bed, caressing her friend's pillow. When Kraig entered, she looked up and was confused.
"Why are you here?" she asked, unable to hide her disgust at seeing him there.
"He just wanted to see Delina's room. Nora, why don't you come help me down in the kitchen?" Elenora asked and widened her eyes at her daughter, indicating that this was not a request, but an order.
"Of course, mother." Nora replied and stood up. As she passed Kraig, she took one last look in his direction and he understood that she didn't like him at all. Deep down, he couldn't blame her, as in that moment he hated himself as well.
Kraig walked over to Delina's bed. Although the room had two beds, he knew this was hers, as it was the only one with her scent, even when it was now mixed with Nora's. He touched the bedspread, the pillow. Then he sat down, and finally he lay there. He looked up and wondered if she'd stayed that way, thinking in her own bed, when he'd rejected her.
Zyon was there the whole time, but he kept quiet. He wanted to say that Kraig was an asshole and that if he'd listened to him, now the two of them wouldn't be suffering from Delina's absence. But he understood that this was throwing salt in the wound, so he remained silent.
Kraig lay on his side and saw the pictures on the nightstand. There were two in the room, one for each bed. He took the picture frame that was near him and saw that it was a picture of Delina with Nora and Elenora. Delina was smiling so happily that he ended up smiling along, unconsciously. She was indeed perfect. He remembered pressing her against the high school lockers, the day he'd rejected her. Her eyes weren't just brown, as he thought, but flecked with green. She didn't need an ounce of makeup to look beautiful. He hugged the picture frame and closed his eyes, letting himself be carried away by fatigue.
Nora was with Kendric downstairs. He'd stopped by his house, showered, and gone to visit his sweetheart, as he had every day since they discovered they were each other's mates. As he got close to the residence, he caught the scent of Kraig. Elenora explained the situation and the two lovebirds had to stay in the living room, much to their dismay.
"It's late. I'll go ask Kraig to come down." Kendric announced, looking at the clock.
Nora followed after him, and when they opened the room, they saw Kraig sleeping soundly in Delina's bed.
"And what now?" Nora asked. She couldn't sleep there if Kraig was sleeping in the bed next to hers. Kendric heard her thought and growled softly. "Oh, please." She rolled her eyes.
"I don't want any male this close to you. We can sleep in the living room." he offered.
"In the living room? Only if it's on the floor, because you definitely can't fit on the couch." Nora said. The two went downstairs and told Elenora the situation. She arranged a bed on the floor for them, with an inflatable mattress.
"Behave yourselves!" was all she said, before heading upstairs to her room.