CHAPTER 04 A Clue in the Wilderness

~Aldrich's Pov~

We have searched three packs in the south, and we haven't had any clue on the whereabouts of the princess, if she was alive or dead we had no idea about it.

It was just one pack left that we hadn't searched in the south.

Since the Southern Pack has four Packs in it, the last of the pack was the Nightstalkers Pack.

We had followed our father's direction because this was the mission he had before he passed, he had gone to the packs in the northern side of the country, and the western part was where our pack was located.

The southern Pack was the only pack left that had to be searched.

I was studying about the Nightstalkers Pack, so I could know about their Alpha, Alpha Jenkins Johnson. Our departure for the pack was tomorrow, and it was already getting late and Arsenio wasn't at the hotel where we were staying for a night.

I turned off the light in the room because I needed to get some rest before our journey tomorrow, and we had to leave early in the morning so we could get to the pack before nightfall.

"Beta, we are ready."The few guards we had taken along bowed, they were already waiting outside the hotel in front of our cars.

"Where is my brother? We need to leave now."I glanced at my wristwatch, it was past the time we agreed on leaving for the Nightstalkers Pack.

"No, Beta. He has not come out yet."

I ran a finger through my hair and exhaled.

"Did he come back to the hotel last night?"I asked.

"He was at the bar in the hotel, Beta. That was where we saw him last night."

I couldn't believe Arsenio, this wasn't the time for this.

I growled and marched back into the hotel, he must've gotten another hotel room since he didn't come back to the one we shared.

He was probably there with a woman.

'Where are you?' I mind-linked him.

There wasn't any response from him, was he sleeping?

Fuck, Arsenio!

I met with the receptionist and asked if she was a guy who looked like me and if he had booked another room last night.

She informed me he was here, and the room number.

I hurried to his room and broke the door with my fist. Arsenio woke up because of the sound of the door breaking, and a woman was beside him on the bed with her hands around his body.

I was irked by the sight.

"What the fuck are you doing? Arsenio."I growled furiously.

"You went to the bar and if that wasn't enough you took another girl to your room, a girl that isn't your mate."

Arsenio rolled his eyes and stood up from the bed, he picked up his pants and wore them.

I glared at the lady, she hastily picked up Her dress. "Get out!"I yelled.

She ran out of the room, and I pushed my hair backward with both hands aggressively.

"We should have been on our way to the Nightstalkers Pack by now, but because you failed to show up in time, we've got delayed."

"So?"He replied nonchalantly.

"So?"I stepped forward into the room and got close to him. "That's what you have to say?"

"What the fuck do you want me to say? We have been searching for her for weeks now, and I can't get some rest and you didn't have to break the door."

"You should have answered when I mind-linked you and found out you were with another woman."

"Don't chide me! Aldrich."He shouted.

"This isn't important!"

"What's important?"He glared, using the same tone as I did with him. "Finding the lost princess?"He snorted. "Isn't that what could have taken Dad's life?"

"Dad has enemies in the council of elders court, it could have been anyone and I won't let you talk to Dad in that manner. We need to complete the mission and show the Alpha King how loyal we are. If we could get to trust us when we bring his daughter, we will be able to investigate Dad's death properly and get some powers not just in the pack but also in the werewolf country. That's what you want to mess up?"

"What do you mean I'm messing it up?"

"Why would you sleep with someone that's not our mate!"My voice came up again, the thought of seeing him with another woman in the bed irritated me.

"Don't make a big deal out of it."He scoffed and took a shirt from the chair and wore it on.

"You're disrespecting our future mate!"I raised my voice.

"I see no wrong in finding pleasures when I need one."

"You never see anything wrong in anything!"I pointed out.

"And you should stop acting like you're dad because you're the older twin doesn't give you the right to talk shit at me."He walked out of the room, brushed his shoulders over mine, and stepped out of the hotel.

I took in a deep breath and punched my fists against the wall leaving a crack on it.

I waited for a few minutes, managed to calm myself, and left the hotel. I met with them beside the car.

"Let's go,"I ordered, and we got into the car.

We drove for a while and Arsenio and I took separate cars and didn't speak to each other.

We were driving when a truck appeared on our tail. I noticed and instructed the guard to drive faster.

They came after us at speed and hit our car from behind, the other truck had crashed into Arsenio's car, and it had bashed against a tree.

Our car screeched to a sudden halt, and I was jerked forward. I came out of the car, and we were immediately surrounded by wolves, their scent masked.

The three guards that came to us were killed, and Arsenio and I were outnumbered but I wasn't gonna let the wolves hurt my twin.

I shifted into my wolf form and fought with the wolves that were fighting with Arsenio. I pushed the wolf off Arsenio and got bitten on my arm instead, I splashed my claws across the chest of the wolf.

'We need to run, Aldrich. We can't fight them, we need to run.' Arsenio mind-linked me.

'Aldrich you're wounded.' He insisted. He pulled me up, and we ran into the wood that was by the roadside.

They came after us but lost them in the woods. I leaned against the tree when they were gone and shifted back into my human form.

I groaned at the pain in my arms.

"You should have let me handle it,"Arsenio murmured when he saw the wound on my arm.

"They were royal wolves, else why would they mask their scent and how did they know where we were? They were sent from our pack,"Arsenio muttered. He tore off a piece from his shirt and tied it around my arm.

"I will be fine."I winced.

"You think the council of elders has something to do with this?"I asked.

"It might be some of them or any of them, they didn't want us to find the princess. The Alpha King's sickness is getting worse if we don't find the princess there will be a usurped in our pack."He answered.

"And they sent those wolves to stop us from finding the princess."It wasn't a question or a statement.

We have to keep moving, we can't stop here. We'll find our way through the woods.

"Let's go."I tapped Arsenio's shoulders.

"Can you walk, you're limping."

I hummed, it would start healing soon, and I didn't want to see those guilty looks in his eyes.

Before we reached the Pack house, we halted when err saw a group of male wolves chasing someone.

Arsenio and I exchanged glances and joined the pursuit following the male wolves as fast as we could.

'What do you think is going on?' Arsenio mind-linked me.

'I don't know. We have to find out.' I responded through the mind link.

We hunkered down when they lost track of the person they were chasing. But we saw a naked female wolf in the bushes, she was clutching a necklace identical to the one the king gave Arsenio. He took it out of his pocket, and we stared at it.

It was similar to the one the king had given us.

"The heirloom."