Maxwell's POV
Finding my Beta is taking too long. I'm on the verge of turning back to get the girl first when I finally connect with my Beta, Henry, through our mind-link.
"Apologies, Alpha," Henry pants, running up to me with a few of his warriors. "They forge your distress call—it's flawless. They use it to draw us out to the northern frontier, completely severing our mind link. The failure is mine!"
"Don't blame yourself. They're cunning." I say, my voice tight with controlled fury.
"Are you badly hurt? Alpha, you're covered in blood!" Henry's eyes go wide with worry when he see my torn clothing. His nose twitches. "And your scent... it's strange. Were you drugged again?"
"Yes," I nod. "After they drugged me into a frenzy three years ago, I've been so damn careful. But even that wasn't enough to stop me from getting caught on this patrol."
"Their tactics are more cruel and clever now. An aphrodisiac doesn't register as a physical threat, so my wolf—my instincts—gave me no warning. I could only feel it fogging my mind, draining my power, until I was too weak to fight back when their ambush came."
"I'm calling a healer over right now." Henry takes a deep breath, his eyes flashing with light as he prepares to activate the mental link.
"Don't," I say, holding up a hand to stop him. "I met a... Healer. At the border. She healed me, and we need to go bring her back. Right now. She didn't just save my life—she's in some kind of trouble herself."
Damn it! I curse myself internally. How can I almost blurt that out—calling her a sex slave? She's obviously not. She's so, so, so much better than that.
She's spirited and defiant, bold, a woman of action... and yet, when it comes to that, she's endearingly shy and inexperienced. She's so much better than most of those pampered heiresses, and deserves respect.
"OK, Alpha, let's go." Henry responds quickly.
But when I get back to the splintered tree stump, she isn't there. The clearing is empty.
I search the entire area, but there's no trace of her.
The only thing I can lock onto is her lingering scent, and the trail heads west, deep into the lands of the Shadow pack.
My eyes narrow. "Henry, I need you to think. Is there a young female of noble blood within the Shadow Pack—one who's been cast aside, tormented by the others?"
"Alpha, why the sudden question?" Henry looks puzzled. "But yes, there is a single shunned noblewoman in the Shadow Pack. Her name is Zara Jones. Rumor has it that three years ago, she and her mother, Ave—who was their Luna at the time—were traveling when they were ambushed by Rogues. Zara, who has the gift of healing, supposedly ran to save herself, leaving Ave to die while taking the Rogues down with her."
Henry continues, "Ever since then, Zara is reduced from heiress to maid, forced to serve her father, Alpha Derek, and her stepsister, the new heiress, Sophia. It seems she's confined to the house, as no one has seen her make a public appearances for a long time."
"Interesting." I nod.
Low status, and a powerful healing ability—both traits match the girl who just saved me.
If she's really Zara, then I'm almost one hundred percent sure she was framed.
After all, she may be thin and pale, but what she just did? That's definitely not the act of a coward who would abandon her own mother.
"Are there any major auctions coming up?" I continue, walking over to the clearing in the woods where we slept last night. "The ones selling sex slaves, to be specific." I stand there for a moment, letting both my wolf, Logan, and I commit her lingering scent to memory.
"That's... a strange line of questioning, Alpha," Henry says, clearly confused. "But yes, there is one. Tonight, the Shadow Pack is holding a sex slave auction at their Dusk Auction Hall. This one is particularly noteworthy because rumor has it..."
He stops short, his eyes widening as the pieces click into place. His voice drops to a shocked whisper. "Because rumor has it a pleasure slave of mysterious origin—but with noble blood and a potent healing ability—is being sold as the 'special feature'."
"Let me get this straight, Alpha," Henry says, swallowing hard. "You're saying the healer who saved you... is Zara, the former heir to the Shadow Pack... and she's the 'special feature' being auctioned tonight?"
"This is insane. It's completely irrational! Even if she did let her mother die, she still has the blood of an Alpha in her veins! To be sold off like she's nothing more than property... it's a profound dishonor!"
"Nothing surprises me when it comes to Derek. A wolf who replaces his Luna with his mistress that quickly is capable of anything," I state, my voice flat and cold. "Arrange it. I'm attending the auction gala tonight. And not as a proxy—I'll be there myself."