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THE SEARCH FOR ALIVIA

Step monster’s POV

It has been about thirty minutes since I gave Alivia the infusion. She should be sound asleep by now, but I can’t seem to shake the uneasy feeling in my chest and my wolf feels it too, twisting in my mind and making it difficult to concentrate. I’m sitting in the study room flipping through pages of castle affairs that need to be attended to. I’m startled out of my thoughts by a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I called out, and a serving girl came in carrying a pot of tea.

“Your majesty,” she bowed.

I motion for her to leave it on the table in front of me and she turns to leave, but this unease is driving me insane.

“Wait” I commanded, and she stopped at the door and turned to face me with her eyes fixed to the floor.

“Anything I can do, your majesty,” she asked.

“Go up and check on the princess” I said.

“Yes, your majesty” she says and turns and rushes off.

I keep turning the pages, but as the unease appears to overwhelm my thoughts, the words start to blur. I set the books down and start to pace the floor.

“It’s been so long, and that useless girl hasn’t returned” I snarled to myself.

The servant girl quivered in the study, her face bearing a mix of fear and respect. She slowly opened her mouth to speak, punctuating each word with a little stutter. “Your majesty,” she began. “The princess… she’s not in her room and her window was wide open. I’m afraid the princess has run away.”

I let out a loud growl, my anger boiling. “WHAT! Gather all the guards in the courtyard immediately!” I demanded. She nodded quickly and shuffled happily out of the study, too terrified to feel relief.

I rushed over to Alivia’s room and saw that the window was indeed open. I scanned around the room for any sign of what had happened, but the search yielded nothing. The wolf in me stirred angrily inside my head. Then I heard the servant girl’s meek voice from behind me; the guards had assembled. “Grab some of the princesses' clothes and come with me,” I commanded.

The servant girl bowed deeply before me, her hands trembling. I proceeded to the courtyard. Standing before me were a hundred armoured guards waiting for my orders with anticipation. Upon seeing my arrival, they all dropped to one knee, one hand over their chest, heads bowed.

“Greetings your majesty!” they all chanted in unison.

“The princess has gone missing; it is your duty to find her quickly before she endangers herself by wandering around ignorant of this world’s ills. Retrieve her scent and start searching for her clothing.” I commanded, and four officers stepped forward to take the garments from the servant girl.

They each took a deep breath, the cloth pressed against their faces before passing it amongst the guards. When they finished, they all let out a loud, unified howl and sprinted towards the thick forest that surrounded our castle.

My wolf's growl was low and menacing, its anger at Alivia's disappearance palpable. "She's made a mockery of us, of our kingdom," it snarled. I knew my wolf was not the only one concerned about the potential consequences of her actions, but as her stepmother, I felt an extra weight of responsibility to maintain our family's reputation.

I forced myself to push those thoughts aside and focus on the task at hand: finding Alivia. As I watched the servants and guards searching around the castle, I approached a group who were running about frantically.

"Has anyone found anything yet?" I asked, trying to sound genuinely concerned.

"Not yet, Your Highness," one of the guards replied. "But we're continuing our search and keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of the princess."

"Please, let me know if there's anything I can do to assist," I said, hoping my words sounded sincere.

The group nodded in unison, and I could see the relief on their faces that I was actively participating in the search. But deep down, I could not help but wonder if I could use this situation to my advantage.

The search continued, and I slipped away from the group and shifted into my wolf form, my senses heightened in hopes of finding Alivia quickly. The thought of punishing her for her foolishness myself gave me a sense of satisfaction, even though I tried to bury it deep within me.

I ran through the forest, my wolf instincts took over, scanning the surroundings for any sign of Alivia. I could not help but feel a thrill of excitement at the prospect of catching her and reprimanding her for her reckless behaviour.

Hours passed, the search party scoured every inch of the castle and its surroundings, but there was still no sign of Alivia. Frustration and worry gnawed at my insides, but I tried my best to look calm.

We made our way deeper into the forest. The once enthusiastic group now looked defeated and exhausted. I could feel my wolf form growing restless, sensing danger lurking in the shadows. The animals were going berserk Suddenly, a deafening howl pierced through the air, causing the group to freeze in their tracks. My wolf scanning the area hair standing. “Maybe it’s best to go back” my wolf said, “it’s not safe for us to be here.”

I agreed with my wolf's assessment. Whatever was out there, it was clearly dangerous. "Let's head back," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We'll regroup and come up with a new plan."

"But the princess... she could still be out here what if she is in danger?" one of the guards spoke up.

My wolf growled and stalked closer to him upset that he is defying our orders and the guard stumbled back. I took a few deep breaths trying to calm my wolf down.

"I understand your concern," I said to the guard, "but we can't risk the safety of the entire group. We'll come back with more help and resources."

The guard nodded reluctantly, but I could see the frustration and worry still present in his eyes. We started to make our way back to the castle, the howls and growls of the unknown creature echoing through the forest.

As we emerged from the forest and back into the castle grounds, I could see the worried faces of the servants and other guards waiting for us. It was clear that they had been unable to find any clues or leads either. We had hit a dead end, and the situation was growing more dire by the minute.

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