Chapter 28
It took three days.
Three days of blood, smoke, and silence.
The kingdom no longer spoke of the Mate Ball.
It spoke of the King’s wrath.
Lucas did not sleep.
Did not rest.
Did not eat unless forced.
He followed fragments of scent through ruined roads and broken territories, cutting through rogue camps and hidden routes that no one dared admit existed.
Every place he arrived at-
ended in silence.
Until finally-
he found the warehouse.
–
It stood at the edge of an abandoned industrial zone beyond the northern forest.
Old stone.
Rotting metal.
A place even wolves avoided.
Lucas stopped at the entrance.
His expression did not change.
But the air around him did.
The wolves behind him hesitated.
Ethan stepped forward cautiously.
“My king… this is the last confirmed scent trail.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
He simply walked inside.
–
The warehouse was filled with cages.
Not empty ones.
Occupied.
Rogues.
Bound wolves.
Broken alliances.
And at the center-
a council emblem burned into the floor.
Lucas paused.
Very slowly.
His eyes lifted.
“So it’s you.”
A voice echoed from above.
Clapping.
Slow.
Deliberate.
An older man stepped forward from the shadows.
Council Elder Haron.
Serene’s father.
Behind him stood Serene herself.
Calm.
Composed.
But watching Lucas carefully.
“My king,” Haron said smoothly, “you’ve caused quite the disturbance.”
Lucas tilted his head slightly.
No emotion.
Only stillness.
“Where is he.”
Serene stepped forward slightly.
“You’re still asking about the human?”
Lucas’s gaze shifted to her.
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Serene hesitated for the first time.
Haron continued calmly.
“This kingdom needs stability. A proper queen. Someone of bloodline.”
Lucas took one step forward.
Then another.
“I asked,” he said quietly, “where is he.”
A rogue laughed nervously behind them.
Haron raised a hand.
“Enough of this obsession, Your Majesty. The human was never suited for your position. We arranged a better future for you.”
Serene’s voice softened.
“You could choose me. I understand your world. I belong here.”
Lucas stopped walking.
For a moment-
it looked like he might listen.
Then-
he laughed.
Softly.
Coldly.
And completely without warmth.
The rogues froze.
Because that sound meant death.
Lucas looked at them all slowly.
“You think,” he said, “this was about a throne.”
Silence.
His silver eyes darkened.
“It was never about the throne.”
The pressure exploded outward.
Glass shattered.
Metal bent.
The rogues dropped to their knees instantly, choking under the force of his aura.
Ethan stepped back in shock.
Lucas moved.
After that-
it was not a fight.
It was judgment.
One by one, the rogues fell.
Haron tried to run.
Lucas caught him before he reached the door.
Lucas Didn’t hesitate.
and tore his head off.
Serene screamed once.
But Lucas didn’t look at her.
“Put her in the dungeon”
“You’ll never find him.” She screamed.
Lucas grabbed her throat and slammed her into the near by pillar so fast that the stone cracked.
“Oh! I will.”
“Then I’ll kill you in front of everyone to show what happens when you mess with the king’s mate.”
Then he released her suddenly.
She collapsed coughing.
But before she could breathe-
Lucas’s voice cut through the room.
“Search every exit.”
When the chaos ended-
the warehouse was silent again.
–
Lucas stood alone in the center of it.
Blood on the floor.
Dust in the air.
Broken chains everywhere.
Ethan rushed in cautiously after the last enemy fell.
“My king… we’ve secured the area. He must be here somewhere-“
Lucas didn’t answer.
He was already moving.
Cage after cage.
Room after room.
Empty.
Empty.
Empty.
Danny was not there.
No scent.
No trace.
No warmth.
Nothing.
Lucas stopped in the center of the warehouse slowly.
His hands trembled once.
Barely.
Then stopped.
Ethan’s voice lowered.
“…My king.”
Lucas stared at the empty cages.
For the first time-
his voice broke slightly.
“He’s not here.”
Silence.
Ethan swallowed.
“We will keep searching-“
Ethan froze.
Lucas slowly turned his head toward the broken doors.
His eyes were dull now.
Empty in a different way than before.
Not rage.
Not power.
Just loss.
“I was too late.”
A long silence followed.
Outside, snow fell gently over the ruined warehouse.
Inside-
the Alpha King of all werewolves stood alone in a place that promised answers.
And found none.
Lucas lowered his gaze slightly.
His voice came out quieter than anyone had ever heard it.
“…Danny.”
And for the first time in centuries-
the king looked heartbroken.
