In Which The Greysons Went Seeking

[RUKIYA]

[A week ago]

"She left," Adolf said to his alpha, looking at her, hoping to the goddess that she didn't do anything irrational. Rukiya had been so invested in saving Awuor and even making sure she got her justice to the point that the betrayal had become personal.

Maybe she was biased, but she had taken a liking to the alpha banished by her own people and blamed it for something that wasn't even her fault.

Adolf knew she was a ticking time bomb, especially since Awuor had sent her away the last time. She hadn't wanted their help, even when they had offered and now, she had left.

"What do you mean she left?" Rukiya asked, looking at her beat who for the first time wasn't sure how to tell her, the disbelief crowded Rukiya's face as she looked at her beta, and her mother who had been with her in the alpha's office.

Instinctively, Adolf removed any sharp objects that were around, even though they were not sure that the alpha would start throwing things, and sometimes, those things were never pretty.

"Rukiya—" Razia tried but her daughter just looked at Adolf like she couldn't believe that Awuor had just upped and left.

The last time they had talked, she had tried to convince Awuor to come with her to Greyson, but the stubborn woman had stayed in her shelter. There was just no way she left. It was impossible.

"Get the horses ready in five minutes. And you're coming with me," Rukiya said, hurrying out the door, leaving behind a confused beta, and a mother whose heart was torn by the agony on her daughter's face.

"Go on Adolf, and please take care of my daughter out there," Razia said and Adolf just nodded at the luna. He didn't know what else today to the mother who was watching her daughter slowly while back into the pit that they had struggled to get her in.

Ten minutes later Rukiya was on her horse and alongside her, in silence, was Adolf, who was going to be riding with her. They weren't even saying anything, even as the gates of Greyson opened and the alpha saddled into the free lands.

She wanted to see for herself, because she knew that a determined woman like Awuor couldn't just leave. If she had wanted to leave, she would have left in the past eight months, instead of enduring the torture that she had experienced in the free lands.

She had literally gone from being the alpha of a strong pack, to being the alpha of nothing, bound by rules so insane that no one would ever wish to be subjected to, and yet even then, Awuor had stayed strong.

She hadn't relented or even given in to the damn pull. And now she suddenly was giving up when she had waited eighteen days outside Sicario? That had to be some sick joke, and Rukiya wasn't buying it. Hell, even Adolf refused to buy it.

"Yaa!!" Rukiya said as she fastened her pace on the horse. She wasn't going to rest till she found out what had happened to the woman who wasn't even scared of her.

The woman who had been through shit, and the woman that Ruikiya had somewhat hoped would be her friend, because they understood each other in more than one way.

When they got to the palace where Awuor's shelter once was, they were met with dried blood. Rukiya sniffed and the scent was a little too familiar. It was the scent of the girl she had grown to admire and like, and the girl she hoped would find justice.

"No. This is impossible," Rukiya said when she got off her horse and walked near the place where the shelter once was.

There was literally no trace of Awuor and the only reason they were able to tell the spot where her shelter was, was because of the grass that had dried up over the eight months that Awuor had been sleeping there. She hadn't even tried to change anything and now, she was gone.

"Find me, scouts. Find her—" Rukiya began and Adolf looked at her. He was one of the people she trusted and without a doubt, could be classified as Rukiya's best friend, if Rukiya ever acknowledged such relationships.

"No, Rukiya. Don't do that. If we send the Greyson scouts, think of what will happen with the Sicario pack. Think of the questions that will be raised. How will we explain that we were looking for the alpha that Sicario had banished?

It all just won't make any sense to the general public and could put us in odd situations," Adolf argued and Rukiya glared at him. She knew he was right, but she just wanted to know what had happened to Awuor.

Knowing Awuor's past had made Rukiya feel like the woman deserved better than being thrown into a mix of whatever the fuck they had managed to get her into. She seemed to be an understanding person, even though they had met in dire circumstances.

The woman had held her head high up until the last minute, which frankly, Rukiya refused to belive was her last breath.

"But Awuor—" Rukiya said and Adolf pulled her into a hug, silencing her momentarily, even though that was meant to keep her thoughts free. She was worrying too much, and anyone could easily be tempted to assume that the Greyson alpha had a thing for the banished alpha.

Adolf had never seen Rukiya so disoriented about another pack's alpha. She always minded her business, even when the other alphas were murdering themselves before her, so Rukiya wasn't going to sit there and pretend like this was nothing.

Rukiya Greyson had decided to be on Awuor's side, and Adolf could tell why, even though he was scared shitless of spelling it out to Rukiya. Maybe this one was Rukiya's to find out on her own, after all, some bonds were too sacred to be toyed with.

"We will find her, Besides, you and I know her scent better. We can find her, okay? At least if we don't find her in three days or even a clue of where she is we can conclude that the worst happened," Adolf said and Rukiya looked at him, staring emptily as she wondered where Awuor was.

She seemed desperate, a sight that Awuor would have no doubt laughed at, but then what else was there to be done?

Maybe if she was desperate enough the universe would pity her and give her a hint as to where the banished alpha and gone or if she had truly died like someone was determined to make it out to be.

All of this was just too fast, especially for a woman who had fought tooth and nail to survive the dangerous free lands, and one who was unhinged enough to go back to Sicario.

As they kept talking, a bunch of rogue wolves passed by, watching curiously as they saw the Greyson alpha and her beta.

"Hey!" Rukiya suddenly said, startling the rogues. They weren't trespassing on Rukiya's land, and went even trying to best her in any feud, so why did she seem too interested in them?

This was the free lands, so the rogues didn't even hesitate to walk toward Rukiya. The laws of the lands said that no one was to be harmed in the free lands.

"Hello alpha Rukiya, I see you and your beta are looking for the banished alpha, eh?" one of the rogues spoke as the other stared silently. They didn't want to have any issues with Rukiya, considering everyone knew that the woman had anger issues and all.

"Yeah, she owes us some shit, considering she acted all tough and all. But as you can see, she jumped ship already. I never knew the Sicario alpha could be that much of a coward," Rukiya strained out making sure her voice came out with disgust instead of the worry that was lacing her.

She was desperate and was more than willing to give the rogues whatever they wanted to get information about the Sicario alpha.

"Well, she won't be paying whatever she owes you, because she died. We heard from the Sicario wolves that she died after the rejection by her mate. Anyway, good luck finding her, or whatever remains of her.

"Excuse us," the rogue said before they walked away, leaving behind a broken Rukiya, who for some reason didn't understand how he was affected by Awuor leaving, and now, apparently she had died. What was she even to make of that anyway?