We Couldn't Find Her

••• Hayden’s POV ••• The pack’s higher-ups (me, Noah, my Gamma, and subordinates) had all become restless as the scandal continued to spread and even worsen to the point it couldn't be contained anymore. “Have you guys found Charlotte yet?” I mindlinked Noah and all my subordinates. It had been a few days, and yet there still was no news about her whereabouts. “I’m sorry, Alpha, we couldn't seem to find her,” my subordinates replied, and Noah echoed their words. “You are all trash! How could you not find a woman like her?” I was angry. Charlotte was an orphan. How difficult was it to find her? “I’m sorry, Alpha. We are trying our best,” they mindlinked me, but I ignored them and closed off our mind links. Why was it so challenging to find her? Did she already join another pack and seek protection from her new Alpha? That thought made me growl low. I didn't like the thought of her belonging to some other pack. But she was practically a rogue now with no pack backing her if she hadn't joined any pack yet. A rogue... Shit, did something terrible happens to her? Was she killed? Packs were intolerable towards rogues. Did she get captured, enslaved, or, worse, killed? My rage toward her turned into worry. No, with her stubborn and cunning personality, she couldn't be captured easily. Even my subordinates, one of the best at tracking werewolves, couldn't find her. She must be deliberately hiding from us! Did she hate me so much now that we were not mates? Did she hate me for misunderstanding her? It couldn't be. She was the one who provoked Sofia to do all those things, and now the doctor told me that Sofia couldn't conceive anymore. “Sofia is the one who is lying! You’ve heard the recording. It was all Sofia’s doing! You fell for her being-weak act. You are so blind, Hayden!” Rhett growled at me. He was still protective of Charlotte even though we were not mates anymore. Ignoring him, I sat in my study in a daze. Why did I feel a stabbing pain in my heart when I thought that she hated me so much right now and didn't want to see me? Why did I worry, thinking something terrible might have happened to her? “Now you regret it. You should’ve thought about it before you humiliated her and spewed nonsense of untying the matebond,” Rhett mocked me. His words cleared my mind, and I snorted. “Humiliated her? She deserved it! Even as the Luna of the pack, she should still take responsibility for her actions. I was already being nice enough by giving her a choice, but she was so stubborn and preferred to break the matebond.” “Giving her a choice? Did you even listen to yourself, Hayden? Asking her to kneel, apologize, divorce, and sever the matebond is NOT a choice. You were practically forcing her to kneel and apologize!” Rhett growled. I was so fucking tired of arguing about the same fucking topics with Rhett. “Stop defending her! She’s not our mate anymore!” I yelled and pushed him to the back of my mind, not wanting him to irk me even further. Thinking that I was worried about Charlotte and feeling a stabbing pain in my heart because we couldn't find her a moment ago made me feel embarrassed, ashamed, and ridiculous. Why should I worry about her when she obviously didn't want anything to do with me anymore? I snorted. My eyes fell on our wedding picture once again. I looked around and saw many things in my study that were given by Charlotte. There was a pen holder, tiny figurines of whatever characters they were called, a painting, a board filled with many Post-it notes containing reminders and sweet words of her feelings for me, and a small potted plant. I sneered, stood up, picked up the pen holder, tiny figurines, and potted plant, and threw them into the trash can. I also picked up the painting, tore it, and threw it into the trash can. I did the same to all the Post-it notes -tearing them and throwing them into the trash can. I didn't need anything reminding me of someone who preferred not to be my mate anymore. My hand went to touch the framed wedding picture, but I hesitated to throw it away. Instead, I opened the bottommost drawer of my desk and stuffed it inside, under all documents. Out of sight, out of mind, I thought to myself. Just as I closed the drawer, the study door opened, and my dad appeared. I stood up as a sign of respect. “Dad, we still haven't found Charlotte, but I promise we are doing our best to locate her and bring her here to deal with the scandal,” I quickly explained and promised him. He waved his hand and sat down. “I’m not here for that.” I was surprised. I thought he would fly into a rage and scold me for being incompetent in finding an orphan girl. I sat back down in my seat and asked him, “Then why are you here, Dad?” “There has been a rumor circling amongst the werewolf’s community that a nearby pack would be hosting a banquet in the near future,” he said. “A nearby pack? Which pack?” I asked. “The Moon Crest Pack,” he replied. The Moon Crest Pack? The Moon Crest Pack was the second-largest and second-most powerful pack on this continent. Their numbers are more significant than us by a lot, and all their warriors were highly trained. Even though my pack, the Red Claw Pack, was the third-largest and the third-most powerful, our strength and numbers were nothing compared to theirs. “Is there a reason why they would hold a banquet?” I had been busy dealing with the scandal and searching for Charlotte; the news of this banquet had somewhat escaped me. “They are going to announce their heir,” Dad said as he handed me an invitation. I frowned, but not because the Moon Crest Pack was hosting a ball to announce their heir, but because I knew the Alpha of the Moon Crest Pack only had a son, but he was working in the Alpha King’s Palace. Did he finally return home to take his rightful place as the next Alpha of the Moon Crest Pack? “No, not Ethan Adler,” Dad said as if he could read my mind. Not Ethan? Now I was confused. “Alpha Alrick has a daughter, and he's going to name her as the next Alpha of the Moon Crest Pack,” Dad explained. Now, I was surprised. An heiress? There were not many heiresses. Heck, there was never any heiress in the history of werewolves. This heiress would be the first. Now that I think about it, I heard a rumor of a powerful female Alpha-in-line three years ago. She was supposed to take the position of the Alpha, but she declined and disappeared for reasons unknown. I guessed now she was back and ready to take her rightful place in the Moon Crest Pack. Dad placed a red envelope on the desk and slid it toward me. “It is not a rumor, as we’ve received an invitation. I want you to take your sister and go to the banquet as the representatives of the Red Claw Pack,” Dad said. As the current Alpha of the Red Claw Pack, it was customary for me to go to these kinds of events as the representative of the pack, so I agreed readily to my Dad’s demand. Dad then left my study once he was sure I would attend the banquet. I picked up the red envelope and took off the invitation inside. It was of dark red color with gold letterings - A bold choice of color for invitations. Now I wondered what kind of heiress the Moon Crest Pack had. I couldn't wait to see the legendary powerful she-wolf who deserved to be the heiress of the second-most powerful pack on this continent.