Chapter 4

Lucas's POV:

I was deep in reviewing quarterly Pack reports when my office door burst open without so much as a knock. A pack servant stumbled in, her face flushed with panic and exhaustion.

"Alpha!" she gasped, "Forgive the intrusion, but the pack's domestic affairs are in complete chaos! No one knows where anything is, the schedules are all screwed up, and we can't find Luna Sophia anywhere!"

I looked up from my papers, irritation flaring at the interruption. "What do you mean you can't find her?"

"She's... she's gone, Alpha. No one's seen her since last morning. Her room is empty, all her things are missing."

Sophia was gone.

The words hit me like a sucker punch, my expression freezing for a moment, but I forced myself to maintain alpha composure.

"So what?" I said coldly, setting down my pen. "Are you telling me this pack can't function without Sophia? She's my Luna, not your babysitter or house manager. Can't you people do your damn jobs without her holding your hands?"

The servant's eyes widened at my dismissive tone. "But Alpha, she handles all the communications, scheduling, household management, and—"

"Hold up," I interrupted, frowning. "How the hell did all of this become Sophia's responsibility? Since when does a Luna micromanage every little detail?"

The servant swallowed nervously, looking down. "This... this was Miss Aria's arrangement, Alpha. She said since Sophia holds the Luna position, she should shoulder all Luna responsibilities. She said it was the only way Sophia could prove she deserved the title."

An uncomfortable feeling twisted in my chest. "Aria arranged this?"

"Yes, Alpha."

The servant glanced at my expression, hesitated for a moment, then seemed to steel herself. "Alpha, I... I think I should tell you the truth. Miss Aria has been... bullying Luna Sophia."

My body went rigid. "What?"

The servant's voice dropped to barely a whisper, but she pressed on. "Miss Aria always gives Luna Sophia hell when you're not around. She'll deliberately spill dirty water on Luna's freshly changed clothes and pretend it's an accident. She makes Luna redo her room arrangements, sometimes several times a day, claiming the previous setup doesn't meet her standards."

Rage began building in my chest. "What else?"

"She... she humiliates Luna Sophia in front of other servants, saying she doesn't deserve the Luna title, that she stole what rightfully belongs to her. Once, she even deliberately talked about your... intimate relationship in front of Luna, making sure she heard all those... details." The servant's face turned crimson. "Luna went white as a sheet, but she didn't say a word—just took it all in silence."

My fists clenched, knuckles going white. "Why didn't anyone report this to me?"

The servant took a frightened step back. "Miss Aria forbade us from doing so, Alpha. She said if anyone ratted her out, she'd have our entire families kicked out of pack territory. She said... she said as your fated mate, she'd soon become the new Luna, and she'd remember everyone who 'betrayed' her."

"She also threatened," the servant continued carefully, "that if Luna Sophia complained about anything to you, she'd make Sophia's life even more miserable, especially since you always take Aria's side anyway. We all saw what was happening, but... we didn't dare speak up."

Every word cut through me like a knife. I'd always assumed Sophia was just jealous and hostile toward Aria, but the reality was... Aria had been systematically tormenting her.

"When was the last time anyone saw Luna Sophia?" I asked, the fury in my voice making the servant tremble.

"Yesterday morning—then she just vanished."

"Get out!" I barked. "Send Marcus to my office immediately!"

The servant practically fled the room. Minutes later, Marcus hurried in.

"Alpha, you summoned me?"

"Where the hell is Sophia?" I roared. "Find her! Now!"

Marcus's expression grew grave. "Alpha, we've already deployed search teams. We've combed the entire territory and surrounding forests—no trace of Luna Sophia. She's completely vanished."

Blood rushed to my head. "When did the search begin?"

"Yesterday morning, as soon as the servants discovered she wasn't in her room, I immediately organized search parties."

"Yesterday morning?" My voice was thick with incredulous rage. "You're telling me my Luna has been missing for over twenty-four hours, and I'm the last person to know?"

Marcus hung his head. "Alpha, I thought... I assumed she'd just stepped out temporarily. I didn't think it warranted interrupting your work immediately."

"My Luna is missing!" I slammed my fist on the desk. "And every damn one of you knew except me! What the hell does that say?"

"My apologies, Alpha. We'll continue the search."

"Expand the search radius," I thundered. "Check neighboring territories. I don't care if you have to turn over every rock in the kingdom. How the hell do you lose track of one woman?"

"We've already contacted nearby Pack for assistance," Marcus replied evenly. "Word just came back—no one's seen her. She's just... vanished into thin air."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to chill out. Maybe I was blowing this way out of proportion. After all, this was probably just Sophia throwing a tantrum—she'd come crawling back once she got it out of her system.

"Forget it," I said with a dismissive wave. "She's probably just needs some time to cool her heels. Women are always getting their panties in a twist over nothing."

Marcus looked somewhat puzzled, but he didn't push back.

I settled back in my chair, forcing myself to relax. Yeah, that had to be it. Sophia was just having a hissy fit, trying to get a rise out of me.

"She's an orphan—where the hell else would she go?" I said to Marcus, my tone already back to its usual calm.

Marcus's expression looked a bit off, but I didn't give it a second thought.

"Keep some people on it," I told Marcus, "but keep it low-key. I don't want the whole damn kingdom knowing my Luna is having a meltdown. Once she comes to her senses, she'll be back with her tail between her legs."