Found By The Lycan King

XANDER'S POV

I sat in the council room, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a plan for how Daciana and I would talk to Donavan about his current misbehavior concerning Adriana. I had just sent Aiden to the dungeon, knowing full well that the warrior would be locked up for a long time. But as I sat there, lost in thought, Daciana burst into the room, her eyes wild with panic

"Xander," she panted, "have you seen Adriana?"

I hadn't seen Adriana since the previous night. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the panic on her face.

"No," I said, trying to remain calm. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"She's gone," she said, her voice breaking. "I went to check on her right now, and she wasn't in her room. I've looked everywhere, and I haven't seen her yet."

I had a cold dread wash over me. I knew that Adriana would surely be upset about Aiden's incarceration, but I never thought she would run away or do anything stupid. I facepalmed, groaning as I thought about it.

I stood up abruptly, my chair scraping against the stone floor. "Summon the guards immediately. They must find her," I said, determination in my voice.

Daciana nodded, a look of relief on her face. "Thank you, Xander," she said, as I walked out of the room. I made my way through the Packhouse, my heart pounding with frustration. I knew that Adriana was out there somewhere, alone and vulnerable. I couldn't let anything happen to her. At the same time I wondered why she couldn't just make everything easy for us, why she would always expose herself to danger even after I had clearly warned her that I didn't want to see her outside on her own because she might be hurt.

I searched the Packhouse, but she was nowhere to be found. I searched the gardens, the training grounds, and even the forest near the Packhouse, but there was no sign of her. I sat in silence, my mind racing as I tried to process the events of the past few days. I couldn't believe that Adriana had run away, and the thought of her being out there alone filled me with a sense of dread. I knew that I needed to find her and bring her back, no matter what.

"F*ck!" I yelled in anger before slicing my claws through the air. I turned when I heard the crunch of pebbles behind me. Daciana was running towards me, a concerned look on her face. I turned away immediately, wondering where she could be.

Daciana stood before me, a concerned look on her face. "Xander, what's going on?" she asked. "Have you seen her yet?”

"I'm guessing that bastard took her. I pray he's not the one. I pray Donavan didn't take her, because I would kill him if he did." I growled, clenching my teeth as an image of Adriana struggling against him formed in my head

"So she hasn't been seen yet?" Daciana asked, getting on my nerves. There were guards running around the Pack, and the bells were already ringing, signaling the guards to come together at once. Some of the Pack members were gathered around us, wondering what was going on.

"I should be asking you that, Daciana. I warned you not to be soft on her. Stubborn people like her only need mean treatments that will shave those bold notions from their head. Let's hope she didn't run away on her own. If she does, I'll lock her up and make sure she doesn't come out for the rest of her fucking life. She will stay there until she fully understands what I'm capable of." I growled. "I'll make sure she suffers when I get her back.”

"Have you checked her room?" I asked her, grimacing as a terrible feeling settled in my gut when she shook her head. With that I headed back to her room, with hopes of finding her through her scent.

I burst into my mate Adriana's room with my sister Daciana by my side. The room was empty, but her scent was still fresh. I inhaled deeply, trying to pick up any clues about where she might have gone. My sensitive nose picked up a faint trail leading towards the back of the room.

"She's gone,” I growled, my anger rising. "But her scent leads this way.” Daciana nodded, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of a struggle.

"She's definitely been here recently,” she said. "But where could she have gone?" I didn't have an answer, but I knew one thing for sure: Adriana was in danger.

Without hesitation, I followed her scent out of the room and down the corridor. Daciana followed closely behind me, her senses on high alert. As we turned a corner, I suddenly caught a familiar smell: the distinct scent of the secret passageway that led out of the palace.

My heart sank as I realized that Adriana had left the safety of the palace on her own. "She's gone through the secret passageway,” I said, my voice tight with emotion.

As we stood there, I turned to my sister, Daciana. My voice was low and dangerous as I spoke, "How did Adriana know about the secret passageway?" Daciana’s eyes dropped to the ground showing her guilt, she hesitated before answering.

"I-I may have shown it to her," she stuttered. I felt a wave of fury wash over me.

"You what? Do you have any idea the danger you've put her in? And our entire Pack for that matter?" Daciana was wearing a puppy dog look.

"I'm sorry, Xander. I didn't mean for any harm to come to her. I-I just wanted to show her something special. A way to escape the palace if she ever needed to.” I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

My own sister had jeopardized the safety of our kingdom and my mate. My fists clenched at my side, my anger and frustration boiling over.

"That's not your decision to make, Daciana. You should have come to me before doing something so reckless.” Daciana hung her head. Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed back towards the secret passageway.

As I walked down the corridor that led to the opening of the tunnel, I couldn't shake off my anger. I couldn't believe that my own sister had put Adriana in danger and potentially jeopardized the safety of our kingdom.

The weight of responsibility as a king and a mate pressed heavily on my shoulders. I knew that I had to fix this, and make sure that something like this never repeated itself again. I didn't have an answer, but I knew that I had to find her. I turned to Daciana

"We have to find her. Now." Without hesitation, we both raced down the corridor towards the passageway. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I pushed open the door and stepped into the dark tunnel.

Adriana's scent was stronger now, and I knew that we were on the right track. I could feel my lycan nature taking over, my senses sharpening as I followed her scent deeper into the tunnel.

We ran through the dark tunnel and finally reached the end of it, we found a door slightly open and a fresh breeze came out. Daciana and I exchanged a glance, and without a word, we both charged through the door and out into the open air. We burst out into the same place where we were before running in.

"So what now?" I growled, shaking my head hopelessly. I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"The guards were taking Aiden to the cell, right?" Daciana asked, her voice heavy with exhaustion. We'd reached a dead end after doing to through the tunnel and the opening. Adriana“s scent mixed with the open air led to every direction. We came back to the rooms to try and think of a more plausible place to look.

"Of course. I had to lock him up, you know that." I said, looking at her with a pain-filled look, my face contorted in a frown. "You caused all this, none of this would have happened if you weren't extra nice to her." Daciana nodded, a sadness in her eyes.

"I know," she said softly. "But I think Adriana saw him being taken away, remember her window was open. She's been upset ever since she came here so I'm guessing she saw him." My heart sank. I had known that Adriana had feelings for Aiden, but I never imagined that it would lead to this.

"I don't care if she saw him being taken away," I said, determination in my voice. "As long as she doesn't complain about it. What do you think she could have done, eh? " Daciana looked at me for a moment, before nodding and leaving the room.

I sat there for a moment, lost in thought. I knew that I needed to find Adriana and bring her back, but the question was, how? I stood up, pacing the room as I tried to come up with a plan. She couldn't have gone far, but the thought of her being out there, alone and vulnerable, made my blood boil. Daciana walked back into the room, completely lost. She looked very disturbed.

She was in a deep shade of navy blue, with a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her curves. The bodice is fitted, cinching in at her waist before flaring out into a full skirt that falls to the floor.

"I think I might have found a clue but I don't think you will believe me.” She said, her breath coming in fast gasps.

"What did you find?" I asked her, glaring at her as she panted. "I think she might have gone to see Aiden in the dungeon after she had seen the guards matching him there. I don't think there is any other explanation for this. Perhaps we should go and-"

"No, no, no. Don't say that.” I interrupted. "That sounds as stupid as it comes, Adriana would never do that, would she? She must have escaped, or Donavan might have a hand in all this. That's what I think. I don't think she went to the dungeon, do you even hear yourself.” As I was about to head out to search for her, I heard a commotion outside.

I opened the door to find a group of pack guards gathered around, a look of fear and panic on their faces. There was a bit of a scuffle. They were silent until I asked what was wrong

"We found her, you grace." One of the men spoke up immediately. He was visibly disturbed.

"And where is she? Why are you not with her? Why didn’t you tell me immediately when you found her?" My voice rose with every word that left my mouth, glaring at them. "She's in the dungeon with Donavan. He asked us to inform you.”

I ran off instantly, walking towards the dungeons, my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white. My anger boiled within him, a tempest of fury that threatened to consume me. That's when a familiar voice began to speak to me through the mind link. It was him, Donavan. "Come to the dungeon, you cannot wait to see who I have here.” He chuckled.

"Donavan!" I yelled through the mind link, my jaws tightened as I fought the urge to stop my animal side from taking over because I knew the cons of allowing that to happen.

As I walked, my body trembled with the effort of containing my rage, the urge to shift and unleash my full power almost overwhelming. I felt my fangs elongate, the hair on my arms standing on end as my body prepared for battle. I descended into the depths of the dungeon, my steps echoing through the stone halls. The guards knew better than to get in my way, they could sense my rage and fear clouded their judgment.

My eyes were locked on the cells ahead, my vision clouded with a red haze as I searched for Donavan who had dared to defy him. As I approached the cell, I caught sight of him, standing over Adriana who was clearly hurt. I could see the smug grin on the bastard's face, and it was all I could do to keep from lunging forward and tearing out his throat.