Upon seeing it was Skylar and Brown that escaped, Alpha Asher went back to the forest to search knowing they hadn't gone far. Finding them wasn't going to be so difficult. His anger knew no bounds when he found Brown alone, where he was lying weakly. He looked around for Skylar but didn't find her and quickly, he seized Brown with his eyes blazing with fury.
"Where is Skylar?" Alpha Asher demanded, grabbing Brown by the collar.
"I don't know. She should be back at her dungeon," Brown replied.
"Shut up!" Alpha Asher thundered in anger.
"Where is Skylar whom you helped to escape?" Alpha Asher questioned again.
"Helped to escape?" The word sounded strange to Brown.
"I didn't help her escape nor did I escape with her," Brown stammered, trembling in Asher's grasp.
"I swear, I don't know where she is. I only escaped alone, Alpha," Brown added.
"Are you trying to protect her? Are you kidding me? Are you playing with me?" Alpha Asher lost his temper as he couldn't believe Brown. He saw them when they escaped together and he was now trying to say he didn't know her whereabouts and escaped alone.
Losing his patience, he raised Brown to his feet and was about to hit him to force him to say the truth as he didn't believe him but then a crumpled letter, tied with a golden ribbon, fell from Brown's tattered clothing and quickly guard who was nearby retrieved it and handed it to Alpha Asher. As he scanned the contents of the letter, his eyes widened in shock.
The letter detailed a scandalous plan involving Brown and a palace servant, aiming to eliminate Luna Skylar. The quality of the paper, which was gold in color, suggested the scheme had been orchestrated by someone of power, sending a shiver down Asher's spine.
"What is this?" Asher growled, shoving the letter in Brown's face. "Where is Skylar? Tell me, or I'll tear you to shreds!"
Brown's face paled as he realized he was in big trouble since it seemed like Skylar had also escaped.
"I didn't escape with her," he pleaded, his voice trembling. "She was still in the dungeon, when I escaped I swear! But Please, if she had escaped, she was helped by someone. Alpha, please you have to find her before it's too late! The person who saved her would have her killed, because their plan of her getting executed by you didn't work out since you choose to banish her," Brown revealed, shaking in fear.
Confusion and fear warred within Asher's mind. "What do you mean?"
Brown's eyes filled with terror. "I was paid to do all of this – to frame Luna Skylar, just as the letter says. But they forced me to do it when they threatened to kill my family if I didn't comply." His voice broke as he choked back a sob. "But they killed them anyway. I was used, and now they've poisoned me, too."
As he spoke, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, an evidence of the poison coursing through his veins.
"And They killed my children, to achieve whatever they wanted? Alpha Asher said, his voice dangerously low.
"Who did this? Who sent you?"
"I don't know," Brown whispered, desperation clinging to his words. "They never revealed their identity. But I know they're close to you. They have spies within the palace, and they want to see you suffer. They want your position too,"
Asher released Brown, his mind whirling from the revelations. He watched as Brown slumped to the ground, his body convulsing as the poison took its final toll.
In the silence that followed, Alpha Asher clenched his fists, his resolve hardening.
He had been betrayed by someone close to him, and now his Luna whom he never knew was framed was in grave danger.
Alpha Asher's heart raced as he knelt beside Brown's lifeless body, his mind wrestling with the terrible truth.
With Brown's final words ringing in his ears, Asher knew he had to find Skylar before it was too late. He vowed to save her, uncover the traitors within his pack, and avenge his children's tragic demise.
"We have to find the luna," Asher commanded, his voice resolute. "She's in grave danger, and time is running out.
"Spread out and search every corner of the kingdom. Leave no stone unturned."
The guards nodded, their faces etched with concern, and began to disperse.
Asher joined them, his heart pounding in his chest as they made their way through the dense woods.
As they approached the dangerous cliff that divided their territory from that of the Lycans, the scene before them was chilling.
The bodies of fallen guards littered the ground, their lifeless eyes staring unseeing into the darkness.
Asher's eyes fell upon the tattered remnants of Skylar's dress, its bloodstained fabric fluttering in the breeze. His throat tightened as he recognized the bracelet he had given her, now lying on the ground, stained with blood.
His voice barely a whisper, Asher fell to his knees. "No... Skylar… where are you? Where are you Skylar? What happened to you?" He cried.
The guards exchanged worried glances, their Alpha's despair rising in the air. One of them hesitantly spoke up.
"Alpha... it seems she was thrown over the cliff. What if we go search?" He suggested.
"I'm not sure she would survive the fall, Alpha, no one ever did and that is the territory of the lycans, they wouldn't let us leave alive," Another guard said, leaving Alpha Asher's heart shattered in pieces.
Asher clenched his fists, his eyes burning with unshed tears.
The thought of his beloved Luna meeting such a tragic end was unbearable. His voice shook with emotion as he addressed his guards.
"I vow to find those responsible for this heinous act and make them pay. No one will be spared."
The guards rallied around their Alpha, their faces set with determination.
"We stand with you, Alpha," one of them declared, his voice steady despite the fear that lingered in the air.
"Together, we will avenge Luna Skylar and protect our pack from those who seek to harm us."
Asher nodded, his gaze fixed on the ridge before them. The pain of losing his Luna was unlike anything he had experienced before, but he knew he couldn't afford to succumb to his grief. He has to get revenge by any means possible. He would uncover everything that happened, he hoped his Luna survived and they would meet someday if she did.