The Prince’s Unwilling mate

116 Griffin

Even if this was just a run, where we would keep our eyes, ears, and noses open for clues. It was not the same as a patrol or a mission.

Still. we agreed to go on a run in a few smaller groups. This way we could cover more ground. Running alone would be unwise, both for safety concerns. And because we might find a clue we needed to secure, the leader of the group could stay with the clue. As the others would help the rest of the army to find us. Eventually, we would always find each other, but here on unknown terrain, it could take us a little longer. Time was a luxury we could not afford ourselves.

We divided the army into five groups, Dillion, Colin, Gerald, Jessa and I all leading one group. As soon as I shifted I let Conan take over, there was a bigger chance he would find something. We agreed he would give back control the second my human form was needed. I told my team Conan would be in control and of course, they all agreed. As the Crown Prince, I have had to lead and train the pack in both forms. So letting Conan lead them was nothing new for the pack.

Even now, when my entire world is crumbling down around me, I enjoy the feeling of being along for the ride. Experiencing the speed at which we were running, the scents and sounds around us when I was not in control was different. I was along for the ride, and it felt like it. I also noticed Conan seemed unwavering about the direction where to run to. Hoping he had noticed something I could not, I was feeling good about the decision to go on this late–night run.

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And then it hit me, the overwhelming scent of blood, and not just any blood. I could smell it was Ayla’s. If I had been in my human form, I would have probably crashed to the floor. My legs would have given out from under me. Now I heard Conan mindlink everyone they needed to hurry in our direction..

“It’s her blood, you all smell it right,” Nikita, Nicky’s wolf asked through

the mindlink.

We all knew it was, and normally a question that redundant had pissed me off, and it would have pissed Conan off even more. He must have heard the fear and sadness in her voice too. Nikita wasn’t stating the obvious, she seemed distraught about the fact that her future Luna and Queen had lost blood here in the woods. I had noticed how loyal the pack was to Ayla already. I knew she made an impression during the BBQ, but I never knew Nicky, and her wolf seemed to adore her.

In fact, Nicky had been one of the very first to ask if she could join me on this mission to get Ayla back. She had become a guard just to be able to. While she had always been a very skilled fighter, Nicky had seemed a little flaky about what she was going to do. Almost like she was scared. to make a decision that would change her life.

“Griffin, I am sorry, but I am going to have to give you control back” Conan’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

My brain had drifted somewhere else as Conan had been getting closer and closer to the source of the blood. It was like my mind had tried to protect me for as long as it could. Now it was my time to see what we

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had found. To stay as calm as I could, so as to not make matters worse. My stomach clenched together and that weird feeling in your throat that makes you feel like you are about to vomit was back.

“It’s a picture, but we need our human form to read the back,” Conan told me before giving back control.

Our wolves cannot read at all, it’s nothing something an animal can do. When our human spirits are in control of our wolf body, we can still read. But holding a picture in your hand is far easier than holding one in your paw. I told the rest to stay in their wolf forms to give me

cover if needed. I send two of them out to walk ahead and hopefully guide the rest of the pack towards us.

The picture was of me and Ayla during the BBQ, where I introduced her to the rest of the pack. I had to blink a few times to see clearly again as my vision blurred with my unshed tears. There was so much love in this picture, it hurt me to know it had been weeks since I had been able to. make her feel that love. With no time to be sad about that, I turned the. picture around to find a message written in Ayla’s blood.

u”

“Luv u

It wasn’t a lot, but she must have written it in a hurry. The letters were shaky, wriggly lines. It was a smart move on Ayla’s part, I was sure she was in this forest somewhere now. The blood had made it so

much. easier for Conan to find the picture. The message let me know that she left it on purpose. I told myself that if she was able to do all of that and

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think about it like she had. It had to also meant she wasn’t in any danger.

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Gerald was the first one to reach our group, the others soon followed after.

“She told me about that picture, she must have had it on her body when she was kidnapped” Jessa confirmed what I was thinking.

“So what is next Griff” Colin asked me refraining from using my titles. Rather, addressing me like the friends we are.

It kept me grounded, reminding me of the fact I was still here with my friends. Close to Ayla’s family, my family.

“Let’s go back to the BloodMoon pack house. Alpha Jay, and the rest of his family, will want to see this too. Princess Ayla left us a clue, so we owe it to her to come up with a plan on how to get her out. As much as 1.5 want to find her tonight. Going on a wild, unprepared goose chase in the middle of the night isn’t going to help her.” I addressed everyone through the mindlink, seeing as most of them were still in their wolf forms. They could hear me regardless of mindlink in both forms. But when in wolf form,

we could only communicate through the mindlink. And they did because my mind soon flooded with shouts of agreement and loyalty to both me and Ayla.

To keep up with the rest of the pack, I shifted back again. After carefully

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placing the picture between my teeth. Making sure I wasn’t damaging the picture, and I was not losing it either. We all took off running back towards the pack house.

When we arrived it seemed as though the lack of wolves, and the lack of a strong. big army, was solved by other forms of security. Because again before we arrived Jay, Tessie and now even Dan and Krystel were walking up to us, worry etched on their faces. Not that I could blame. them, even I wasn’t sure of how much good news this was.

“I made sure the homes for the warriors are done. They just need to decide who to bunk with, we can comfortably fit six wolves inside a home. I have 15 empty homes, so I figured maybe you and the others can stay at the pack house with us.” Jay told me. His hint was clear, I dismissed my warriors and followed him to the meeting room. Hoping one of them would be able to make more sense of the clue I had found.

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