As the door opened, King Alandar's bones cracked. Baley entered, but the king was nowhere to be found.
"My king! My king," Baley panicked.
*SOMEWHERE IN THE WOODS*
A giant wolf with grey fur could be seen running fast through the trees, intensifying...
"You should tell someone," Aaron said.
Aaron is Alandar wolf
"You mean, I should tell someone that I'm a werewolf?" Alandar mindlinked, still running fast.
"Yes, you should," Aaron argued. "Who would believe that I'm a werewolf? They think it's a myth. My people don't know my secret, and I want it to stay that way. I might be feared and ruthless as the king, but I don't want my people to fear me when they find out."
"Alandar, you were born like this. You shifted when you turned sixteen. You should look for our mate."
"Mate?" Alandar scoffed. "I don't need a mate. I'm fine just the way I am... That's why I masked our scent."
"You will look for our mate, and that's final. You can't live on like this... Without our other half, the kingdom is dying, and so are you," Aaron said, cutting off the mindlink.
Alandar sighed.
Still running in the woods, he came across a cave beside a river and rested there for the night.
"I hope this curse laid on my kingdom can be broken someday."
*BACK IN THE KINGDOM OF AVALOR*
Baley summoned an emergency meeting.
"What do you mean the king can't be found?" voices could be heard.
"I knocked on the king's door, and he asked me to come in. Next, I couldn't find him again," Baley explained.
"So, you're telling us the king suddenly disappeared without a trace?"
"I'm afraid that's what happened... The king needs to be found; the war is just a few days away."
*FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE KING'S DISAPPEARANCE*
As soon as the king's bones started cracking, he turned into a giant wolf with grey fur.
He knew a lot could happen. With the speed of a wolf, he jumped out of his window, running towards the woods.
*FLASHBACK ENDS*
"What am I missing?" Baley asked himself.
"Okay, I entered the king's chamber; he was nowhere to be found... Oh yeah, I think I saw the window wide open."
Immediately, he rushed into the king's chamber and checked it out. It was indeed open. He looked down the window, shaking his head, objecting to his thoughts.
"The king couldn't possibly jump... Oh, my! My stupidity is getting the better of me to even think that." As soon as he said that, he closed the window and left the king's chamber.
*KINGDOM OF RAVEN*
"What do you mean Alandar can't be found?" King Maros asked with great interest.
"I heard he disappeared from his chambers just when his right-hand man wanted to enter his chambers."
"I see," King Maros snarled. "You can leave and get back to me with any details about what's going on in Avalor."
"Yes, my king," she bowed and left.
"I sense a lot is happening. I'm sure Alandar is keeping a dark secret, and I'm determined to find it out, either by hook or crook."