Chapter 10

Lucas' POV:

I turned around and met the bewildered gaze of Beatrice. Her hands covered her eyes to avoid looking at my bare skin. I wasn't bothered because she's just an omega and if she wants to retain her status as a servant in the palace, then her best bet is to remain silent.

I quickly glanced at Veronica. Her face was bowed, probably in shame or embarrassment. I began walking towards the palace doors and headed to my room, walking quietly to avoid waking anyone up. As I opened the door to my room, the wood creaking softly, I let out a sigh of relief.

I felt exhausted after a long run and I needed to take a warm shower. I step into the bathroom and turn on the shower, I sink into the warm embrace of the bathwater, and my mind begins to wander. I close my eyes and let the steam envelop me, thinking back to the events of the day. And then, suddenly, my thoughts drift to Veronica.

I remember the way she looked at me, her eyes full of a certain intensity that I couldn't quite put my finger on. And then, in one swift motion, she leaned in and kissed me. It was unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. The softness of her lips against mine, the warmth of her body pressed against mine - it was all so surreal.

As I relive the moment in my mind, I can feel my heart rate start to quicken. My body responds to the memory, and I feel a familiar stirring between my legs. The water around me seems to grow hotter, and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss Veronica again.

But then, just as suddenly as the memory came to me, it fades away. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts and focus once again on the soothing sensation of the bathwater against my skin. But the memory lingers, taunting me, and I can't help but wonder what it all means.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, I felt the cold night wind wrap around my body like a blanket. I quickly dried up my body and dressed in my favorite black pajamas. I look around my sparsely furnished room and heaved. So much simplicity for a prince.

I tucked myself under my blanket and drifted off to sleep.

"Lucas, Lucas wake up" I heard someone bang loudly on my door, jolting me from my slumber.

"Code Red, Code Red" I heard the alarms beep.

Oh, gracious! What is it this time?

The alarms were blaring loudly and I quickly changed into a pair of sturdy jeans and a white T-shirt. As I ran down the stairs, I met Jordan, Karen, Ethan, and J'Cole alongside my Dad. They were all dressed up as if they were expecting this situation.

"What's the situation report," I asked Ethan as we headed to the door.

"Suspicious individual loping along the road. Running on all fours, the suspect is possibly a large animal" Ethan explained as we walked on.

"Suspect is no longer loping but running", Karen interrupted, "With two legs moving fast. The suspect is too large to be human".

"Wait, isn't that supposed to be normal?" I asked, stopping in my tracks which made everyone stop and look at me.

"I mean, we're all werewolves so it's it supposed to be normal for any of us to shift into their wolf form and take a run?" I questioned rhetorically. I wasn't expecting an answer to that since I already knew the answer.

I shook my head in frustration.

"It's supposed to be normal, except that four people have been found dead and two others are missing" my Dad spoke for the first time. His commanding voice was enthralling.

"This isn't a coincidence, someone is lurking in the dark and is killing people. It is our responsibility to protect the pack and if you have a problem with that you should go back to bed" my dad added, shooting a deadly glare at me.

As we stepped out of the palace and got into my dad's bulletproof truck, I felt goosebumps crawl over my skin as though something bad was going to happen.

The darkness of the night enveloped us as we drove into the woods. The only light came from the headlights of our truck, and the moon peering through the thick canopy of trees. It was eerily quiet as we made our way deeper into the forest.

I sat in the back of the truck with my father and the four-pack warriors. We were all tense, ready for whatever we might encounter. I glanced over at my father, who was driving the car. His face was grim, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. It was clear that he was just as uneasy about this as I was. My father spoke up to break the silence. "We're getting close. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone."

Suddenly, we heard a rustling in the bushes ahead of us. We all tensed, gripping our weapons tightly. As we cautiously approached, we could see something lying on the ground. As we got closer, we could make out the shapes of four bodies, all mangled and torn apart.

My heart raced as we stepped out of the truck and examined the bodies. It was clear that they had been killed by a powerful creature, but there was no trace of the killer. My father cursed under his breath. "This is bad. Real bad."

Suddenly, one of the warriors let out a sharp cry. "I found something! Over here!"

We all rushed over to see what he had found. It was a set of footprints, large and deep in the soft earth. My father's face hardened as he examined them.

"These aren't from any animal I know of," he muttered. "Whatever we're dealing with, it's not natural."

I clenched my fists, feeling helpless and angry all at once. "We have to find whoever did this," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"We will," my father said, his voice firm. "But for now, we need to focus on getting these bodies back to the pack. We can't leave them here."

My father nodded, his expression grim. "Agreed. We need to report this to the council and come up with a plan. Let's go."

As we climbed back into the truck, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. I knew that whatever had killed those people was still out there, and it was only a matter of time before it struck again. But for now, all we could do was drive back to town and try to come up with a plan of action.

As we drove back, the silence was heavy with the weight of our thoughts. Finally, my father spoke up. "Lucas, I need you to keep your eyes open. We need to be ready for anything."

I nodded, steeling myself for whatever was to come. It was going to be a long night, but I knew that I was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

We drove back to the palace and I headed straight to my room. I felt weak and helpless. The death of the pack members was taking a great toll on me. As I strode feebly through the hallway, I noticed a set of footprints. Tension began to build in the pit of my stomach as I traced the footprint. I followed the footprint till it got to the point where it suddenly vanished, there were no more traces of the footprint. I looked up to see where the footprint led me, it stopped right in front of a door.

And not just any door. It stopped right in front of the door to my room.