Chapter 7: Not What I Expected

Alpha Roland's POV:

I needed to figure out what caused that ruckus. I opened the door back up and walked out into the corridor, closing the door behind me. Then, I headed toward the staircase leading down to the lower level. When I got to the base of the stairs, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I noticed the Matron I spoke with earlier was being led away by two men I had never seen before.

'Who are they? Where are they taking our pack member?!' (Rex demanded.)

"What's going on here?" I demanded, taking a few steps after them.

Suddenly, I stopped when no one turned to face me, nor did they pay me any heed. Why could that be? When I spoke, everyone listened. When I made a statement, everyone acknowledged it. Who exactly are these men? Why are they taking away one of my pack's Matrons? That was when I was passed by two other men who had yet another member of my pack, and they were leading him away as well.

What happened in such a short amount of time while I was up in my study? Who exactly are these men? Why were they taking members of my pack? I was the Alpha of this house, not them! Did they think they could just come in here and intervene when it wasn't warranted by my actions?!

'Duke! Where are you? There's something going on. You're needed back here. NOW!' (I commanded via Mind Link to my Beta.)

'We were... hunting. We're returning now.' (My Beta finally responded, almost out of breath.)

'Do they not know who you are? Go after them!' (Rex demanded, seeing them ignore my previous demand for answers.)

'I need to see where they came from first, Rex. There has to be an explanation for all of this. Maybe I will find an answer in the dungeon. That is where I need to go first.' (I responded in aggravation as I put up the barrier to block out everyone, including Rex.)

I have to admit, I was getting pretty aggravated by the situation as it unfolded without my knowledge. That was when I turned around, and I could not believe my eyes. When I turned, I was almost knocked over by His Highness Himself as I scurried over to the wall to get out of the way. I couldn't believe He was already here. What? How, no why?! Why was He already here!? Why was He here so early when He was always late during all His former appearances?

None of that made any sense at that moment. If His Highness was already here, then why did no one bother to come and tell me that was the case? Whoever knew about this. They were going to pay dearly for not coming to tell me promptly when he arrived. And not just a regular treatment. They would certainly experience me being involved in their treatment for sure. Something was bothering me, now.

When His Highness rushed past me, He didn't bother to say anything to me, but I knew there was more to it than that. He seemed not to be paying attention to anyone else in the hall as he was carrying someone in his arms. That's it! Who was it that He was carrying? And why? What could they have possibly done to have Him carry them out exactly?! Wait, could it be? No, it couldn't be, could it?

I was extremely confused at that moment. Was He actually carrying the one servant who knocked over the chair, causing it to break in the dining hall? Could this be what this was about? Was He upset that He was going to deal with her Himself? Well, if that was the case, then I was shocked, to say the least. I knew Him to be a man who wouldn't have any issue taking matters into His own hands.

He could be ruthless when the time called for it. I knew no one dared ever disrespect Him, but if that was the case, something didn't make sense on account of what the other men were doing a moment before His Highness appeared. Why were they taking two of my pack members? They weren't simply walking with them. No, they were being led out? But why? None of this made any sense. Why would His Highness intervene and yet take other pack members away?

I turned around and tried to follow His Highness to the door. When I reached the door, He was already climbing into the back of a blacked-out vehicle. I tried to rush down the stairs before he pulled away, but I was too late. They didn't see me, nor did they stop after pulling away swiftly. I wanted answers, but I didn't know how to obtain them. What did all of this mean? Did that mean we weren't going to have our meeting after all? Or was it just postponed for now?

I have to admit, I didn't like the expected outcome of this. Then, in the distance, as I looked over the field, I saw a pack of my Warriors returning from a hunting venture. I knew they had a large stag they intended to cook and serve for lunch after our business meeting. Just then, I felt a knocking on the barrier. Someone was trying to communicate with me. I let it down enough to see who it was. It was Duke, my Beta.

'Who's leaving in such a hurry?' (Duke asked me as he approached.)

'Are you really going to tell him?' (Rex cautioned me as I saw them coming closer.)

'I'll tell you when you come inside.' (I responded in return to Duke.)

'Well, is it that bad?' (Duke responded.)

At that, I didn't bother making any other remark, but I instead turned around and walked back inside. I was waiting for the others inside the foyer. I was going over various thoughts about how I was going to fix this debacle. I needed to know why all of this happened and how I was going to cover for it if that was even an option. It wasn't all that much longer before Duke walked in through the castle doors and over to where I stood.

I looked up at him and then turned to walk away, causing him to follow me swiftly. I was headed back to the staff corridor and all the way to the end, where the stairs led down to the dungeon. I figured if I was going to get answers, this would be the best place to start.

'Well, are you really going to tell him?' (Rex asked me.)

I guess I didn't realize I had left the barrier down earlier when Duke wanted to inquire as to who was departing. I didn't realize I had forgotten to put it back up so that my thoughts would remain undisturbed. Now, it is as good a time as any to answer his previous question and tell him who had departed so suddenly upon Duke's arrival. His Highness arrived, without my knowledge, mind you. Not uttering a single word to me.

We finally managed to reach the stairs at the end of the corridor that led down to the dungeon. I wasn't exactly sure what I would find. Also, I didn't know if I would like what I saw. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, you could hear several voices talking amongst themselves as we quietly walked down the hall toward their location. Servant staff were not allowed down here unless they were escorted, of course, for a treatment of sorts.

"What's going on in here?" I demanded quite loudly as I entered the room when I entered.