Hunting Her

Leandro's heart was in turmoil. His cold, flinty eyes darted to the South as he traversed the Gaean sky.

He truly hoped that Aisha didn't cross the borders and went to the Land of the Lycus Clan. That's the least place she should have gone to.

He already sent the Nephilus guards to scout for her on the Eastern Fields. He and Lord Emilio went to the Southern Lands themselves.

"We can hit two birds in one stone, your Majesty. You can also negotiate with Lord Lycano about our desired location for our Spelta grains," Lord Emilio opened up a conversation.

Perhaps he was attempting to relieve him of the boiling rage within him for the female human's carelessness.

With the Dracuses as their mode of transportation, they would reach the Southern Lands even before the sun peaked at its highest.

It would not be good if King Leandro would step into their territory with his furious emotions within him. It would cause a war.

Meanwhile, Leandro was reasonable enough to not allow his temper to get the best of him.

Lord Emilio was right. By now, he must have known the probable steps of Lord Lycano. He better get ready, so he would be unperturbed once they meet again.

"I could see the scouts, your Majesty," Lord Emilio informed him as he pointed to a traveling cart in the fields.

It seemed to be moving to the North. If it was their scouts, they were probably coming back to the Castle.

Leandro instructed Draco to immediately fly down, which Draco immediately obliged.

Like lightning, Leandro jumped down from Draco and stopped the cart.

The scouts pretending to be merchants quickly got down from the cart and bowed down to him. "Your Majesty, we were already on the way back."

"What information did you get?" Leandro asked as he encircled the cart, looking for traces of Aisha.

"Indeed, they would use the property to train the young wolf men, sire. Their children were already growing up, and they needed to give them proper priming, as they say," One of the merchants answered him with a hint of quivering in his voice.

"I see. I hope nobody noticed your actual intentions while you were there," Leandro responded as if he was really listening.

But he was checking out every trunk that the merchants brought with them.

"Did someone travel with you along the way?" He asked as he opened them one by one. There were different sorts of goods like salt, honey, and even garments.

But there was no sign of a lady hiding anywhere.

However, one trunk seemed familiar to him. His aquiline nose drew near it and sniffed the scent coming from it.

It was feminine, ethereal, and pleasing to his taste. It evoked in him various desires that he has never felt before.

He recalled the time when he first encountered that scent. It was when he brought Aisha to the Castle.

Her nearness to him as they rode Draco together made him aware of her natural scent.

It was probably one of the reasons why he was drawn to her.

The merchants were about to say no. However, they were already confronted by their King.

"Where is she?" He growled as he confirmed his fear.

The ground almost shook with his outburst that the merchants quickly bowed down to him.

"Please punish us, Your Majesty. But we assure you that we were not aware of her presence with us," the other merchant pleaded with his head on the ground.

"I will deal with you later. Get back to the Castle at once! If I don't see you, you know what will happen to your family," he threatened them, then he stormed back to Draco.

The Lycus Territory was too large. Even with his supernatural senses, he couldn't find her at once!

With an irritated gruff, he quickly went back to Draco and commanded it to fly at the speed of light.

His amaranthine eyes turned flaming red as he used them to scan the land. She could be anywhere!

He felt his lungs were about to burst as he imagined what could have happened to her. Other Gaean creatures were not familiar with her. They could mistake her for food.

Lord Emilio searched with him. But they didn't see any signs of her.

"I don't have a choice. I must talk with Lord Lycano," he said in a rough voice as he led Draco to the Manor.

Lord Emilio followed close behind. He must have seen his determination to protect her that he asked him straightforwardly, "Is she the Chosen One, Your Majesty?"

"Possibly," Leandro answered him bluntly.

He has no time to explain what the Great Theos just said as he was too focused on finding where she was, hoping she was still alive.

He didn't notice that Lord Emilio's face brightened up as he mentioned the possibility of her being the Chosen One.

"Lady Aisha is rough on the edges. But thank the heavens, your Majesty has now met a woman who would love him for her whole lifetime," Lord Emilio sincerely expressed his happiness for his King.

"Love and reproduction are two different things. One does not guarantee the other," Leandro quickly retorted back.

He did not want to get his hopes up. Besides, love is too big for the likes of him, a ruler who needs to tend to an enormous realm all his life.

In no less time, he was already in Lord Lycano's Gates.

His men immediately gave way to him being their King.

He was about to ask if he had seen Aisha. But to his surprise, she was already inside the Hall, speaking comfortably with him.

His face brewed into a storm.

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"Some people are like singularities. Get close enough and you will be uncontrollably consumed in an infinite attraction and will cease to exist apart from them."

― J.S.B. Morse, Now and at the Hour of Our Death