She could not believe what she heard when she had first stepped foot inside the mansion. Whispers about her sister missing roamed around the place. But the helpers quickly shut their mouths when they noticed her arrival.
"Martha, where is Avana?" Facing the chubby, middle-aged woman who greeted her by the main door.
She immediately ran into her embrace, missing her for the few weeks that she had been away. She had to confirm from her nanny what the rumors were implying.
She left because her parents insisted that she should spend some time with her friends, only to learn that her sister had gone missing.
What happened while she was away? Why did her parents not tell her anything about it?
Was it because her parents always saw her as a child, but she was already going sixteen. Not so young anymore.
"I think you better talk to your parents about that," Martha answered, running her fingers on her long brunette hair. "Come on to your room. I prepared a nice bath and your favorite dinner after."
Martha dragged her further inside her home, but it felt so quiet. Where were her parents? They should be here, welcoming her home. But they were nowhere in sight.
"Where are Mom and Dad?" She immediately asked, feeling something odd about the entire situation. It had appeared like the mansion was in some gloomy spell as eeriness seemed to envelop the air, making her skin somewhat crawl from dread.
"They will see you later. At the moment, your father and mother have some company." Martha explained, ushering her towards the massive staircase.
Suddenly, her instinct was nagging at her, finding Martha's acting suspicious. Something was happening, but her nanny did not want her to discover it.
Usually, her father would entertain his guests in his library or his office, so she pulled her hands away from Martha and strode to his library first since it was the closest. Empty.
"Avana, your parents are busy at the moment." She heard Martha spoke not far behind her. She rushed to his office then, also finding it void of anyone.
She could only think of one more place. Her feet moved much quicker this time, not allowing Martha to stop her. Then, she finally heard voices coming from the room, but Martha was still yelling behind her.
Then, she rushed passed the guards who wished to prevent her from entering the room. Inside, she finally saw her parents, but more than that, she was shocked by what she heard from his father's lips.
"What have you done to my sister? Where is Avana?" She could not stop the accusation coming from her lips as she directed her questions to the visitors in the room.
She quickly strode toward her father, only stopping when she was just two feet in front of him.
Usually, she was mild-mannered, but at the moment, she stared at her father with eyes blazing with anger, more spirited than her older sister.
"Resha, mind your manners. We have guests." Mara quickly stood up from her seat and walked toward her, placing her hands on her shoulder to calm her down. "Come on. We will talk more about this in your room."
But she would not have it. She loved her mother, but she would not sit down quietly on the sideline while everyone was busy protecting this family from their enemies.
Unfortunately, her brother had already left her when he died very young. Now, her sister was missing, probably taken by their enemies. The thought that Avana might suffer the same fate as Dylan was a horrifying thought.
"I want to join you. I want to save my sister from those monsters." She firmly announced, hearing what her father had said earlier. "They will never harm my sister as long as I am alive."
She could see the surprise in her father's face upon hearing her declaration, but his eyes also reflected pride in them. She would show her parents that they had raised their children to be brave despite the fear that went through her.
"You don't know what you are saying." Mara pulled her shoulders toward her, forcing her to face her mother until their eyes locked. But she stared at her defiantly, not ready to back down from her decision.
"I think your daughter has a point. But we should look into this situation before acting. We could not afford to act impulsively." Connor interjected calmly, mildly agreeing with her or whatever his father said earlier. Standing up from his chair and faced her father without any fear.
Her eyes automatically turned to him, the youngest Alpha of the Lion Roar Pack. She always had a crush on him, but who did not. But he only had eyes on her sister.
"I don't think going to war against the Vatalis is the solution." Marcia once again opposed her father's suggestion. "I think we should look for your daughter and continue this arrangement."
Her eyes showed no fear but a determination not to give up on what she believed was the right thing to do. But she was surprised by what she said.
"No one knew where Avana is." It was more of a statement with a hint of a question. She had thought that their enemies already had her in their hands.
A slight relief passed through her body, knowing this. If that was the case, then her sister was ok. Still, she was clueless about what was happening. She realized that she might have jumped the gun without knowing the details.
"Your sister had run away." Finally, her mother spoke up again, looking again at her. "But I believe she is ok. Why don't we go back to your room so I can explain it to you further."
She looked at her mother with her pleading eyes, and suddenly, she nodded her head. She allowed her mother to guide her out of the room.
She believed it was time that she listened to her mother first before going all-out war with guns blazing.