Chapter 37- We're Coming

^^Naaw! Pissed off Ali Mali in suspenders! How freakin' adorable xD^^

"The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope.'"

-Samuel Johnson

Chapter 37

Alastair's POV

A blood-curling scream escaped River's throat, his body convulsing as he hit the ground. My hands squeezed into a tight fist as a deep, guttural growl escaped my throat. The men around him laughed, high-pitched, vile sounds, eyes glowing a bright red through the bleakness around us. Their hands reached, all at once, grime-covered hands against pure white skin.

"Don't touch him!" I roared.

I lifted my feet in haste, running to my angel as fast as I could but to my dismay I wasn't getting any closer. I picked up speed, breath sharpening as I pushed my body to move faster but I couldn't. I ran and ran but I wasn't getting any closer. It was like I was running in a sea of ink, unmoving.

I watched in utmost horror as the men pulled at River's fallen form, each tugging harshly at his small form as he screamed for me, tear-filled eyes watching me with terrified horror.

"Get away from him!" I gasped as my body collapsed.

What was happening? Why can't I move?

It was as if I was paralyzed as I laid uselessly on the cold ground, leaves and dirt sticking to my body like a second skin as tears streamed down my face watching my love forcefully beaten by a group of men as I laid uselessly, watching.

"Alastair!" River screamed eyes hooded as blood streamed from red slashes across his porcelain skin.

My body shook, fist clenching as I pushed to the ground, attempting to lift myself but I couldn't. I was stuck, the flooring becoming one with me like a cold addition to my body.

No. No. No.

His soft voice screamed, voice cracking along with my heart as I roared, blood dripping from my fist as I pushed harshly on the ground. I screamed at my body's incompetence, mouth drying up as my throat pushed itself to its limit.

A soft thump filled the dark abyss as a small, pale hand fell to the group, blood flowing around it like a moth to a flame.

The ground shook, my heart stopped.

Silence.

"No!" My voice shook as River's body laid motionless, eyes open in a blank stare as I watched all color drain from his eyes as the pool of red filled around him.

My breath grew shallow, body shaking in both sorrow and rage.

"River!" His eyes watched me, cold, empty eyes that took the form of a dull gray as the men closed in on him until all I could see of him was his arm peeking through the legs of menacing men.

"No!" I roared, eyes clenching, body convulsing, heart-shattering.

I felt my body lift, the ground detaching itself from my growling form. A ray of light began to stream into the dark abyss around me. My hands lifted to shade my eyes as I pulled myself up. The dark figures around River began to disappear as if the light was burning them away, each one by one burning away until all that was left was River's fallen form.

"River-" I watched as he too began to disappear. My eyes widened as slowly from the bottom up he began to disintegrate until all that was seen was his face, a small tear falling from one empty eye as he completely disintegrated away.

"No!" I felt myself fly forward, light hitting me harshly, my vision a blinding white as I squinted.

Slowly my vision cleared, blankets, pillows, and chairs filling my vision as my breath came out ragged, hands shaking as my mind spun.

What...?

I looked around. It took me a few moments to remember where I was. Lady Beatrice's estate.

A dream. It was a dream.

I let out a sigh of relief, a choked sound escaping from my raw throat.

River. It had been two weeks since I'd last seen him and I was beginning to show signs of madness. Vivid nightmares, an excruciating heat wave, and trouble controlling my anger. He was the only being that kept me sane. Without him, I was slowly losing it. My heat had already begun to strike over a week ago, shocking almost everyone around me. Mates didn't usually go through heat when separated. It was a coping mechanism for one's wolf if rejected or to force a mating after the third or so day of meeting. I had already gone through it, it was not meant to happen again. Perhaps there was something wrong with my wolf, already I had to be careful when I was intimate with River in fear of losing control and hurting him. My wolf was slowly starting to take control. I could feel his presence in the back of my mind, slowly pushing forward, demanding control. I wasn't meant to feel him so strongly, not with the suppressants I'd taken.

Not once had I shifted out of fear of losing control. He was stronger than me and I had this deep fear of him taking complete control of my body if I ever were to shift, of never coming back, being stuffed into the darkest depths of my mind as my wolf ran free, terrorizing all with his bloodthirsty tendencies.

I heard heavy whispers outside my room. Clearly, maids who were too afraid to actually open the door for fear of my temper. So they stood there, as usual, too afraid to enter yet too afraid to leave.

"You may enter," I called.

The whispers hushed to a near silence as the door slowly crept open. One maid stuck her head in with a nervous smile to which I returned as a couple more maids peeked behind her, slowly scurrying in with trays of food.

They placed the trays carefully on the bed stand beside me, each sending me worried glances.

Did they hear my cries?

My staring must have unnerved them because as quickly as they entered they exited, closing the door behind them. Their whispers could be heard as they scurried down the hall until I was left with nothing but silence as I peered at the hot food beside me.

On a regular day I would have dug in but after such a morbid nightmare, my appetite was no longer present. The previous image of a broken-formed River had taken my strength along with my appetite as he had disappeared into the back of my mind, haunting me.

"Your Majesty!" Beatrice flew into the room, hands waving in excitement.

How could she be happy in the absence of her mate?

"We've found a witness!"

A witness?

"To our mates' taking!"

My eyes widened, "Where? Where is the witness?" I began to lift myself from the bed, eyes searching for clothes to put on, "I must speak to him."

"Her," She interjected.

"What?"

"Her. The witness is a woman."

"...Okay." I collected the clothes I needed before turning to her, impatiently.

Her face turned slightly red as she cleared her throat, "Right, you need to change. Sorry. Meet me downstairs when you're done," she curtsied before running out and closing the door.

I sighed, quickly changing before making my way downstairs. My eyes landed on Beatrice's smiling form as I held the banister, walking off the last step.

"This is Mila," she moved slightly to show a small, nervous looking woman dressed in a washed out, ripped, brown dress. The woman curtsied, " she's the woman I spoke to you about."

I nodded, "Thank you for coming," I gave a charming smile to which she blushed and looked down. "Please, sit." I directed her to an empty seat as I sat beside her. "If you wouldn't mind. Would you start from the very beginning, describing what happened?"

The woman nodded, "I was taking a break from my stand. My boss allows us a twenty-minute break per day. A breather he calls it. I was walking past the apple carts by the alleyway, when I saw it," her hands clenched on her stained dress, "A group of men surrounding a small woman," Beatrice gasped.

Was this her first time hearing this?

"She was small, blond little thing, pressed against a stone wall," my teeth clenched. River. "A big man was standing above her, intimidating her. Then I saw another girl come from nowhere. A brown-skinned folk. She started screaming at the blond girl. I could barely hear what she was saying but the men seemed startled by her appearance. I thought it was over, that she was going to scream for help and then the men would get arrested but then," the woman paused, peering back at Beatrice with worried eyes, "a man came behind her, so quickly that you'd think he'd always been there and then the woman fell, like a pound of bricks," Beatrice choked, hand cupping her mouth as tears fell down her face, "I ran at that point. Didn't want to stay longer and be found by them. I ran and ran, went to tell the other folk what I saw but not one would believe me."

I took an unsteady breath, hand shaking as I ran it through my hair, "If I were to ask you to direct my men to the site where you saw this take place, would you be able to?"

She nodded, sniffling as she rubbed a dirty hand under her nose.

"Very well," I stood up and called for my men.

They filed in from outside as I introduced them to the witness and commanded them to search the entire perimeter of that alleyway and surrounding places. Perhaps they were being held captive by a local. I didn't want to think if it were seamen who had taken them. If so it would be impossible to find them. They could have boarded the ship and left over a week ago.

They nodded and filed out after the sniffling woman.

The moment they left, I collapsed back into my chair.

For all I know, that clue wouldn't help us with anything. That was two weeks ago. If they were smart they would have changed towns by now. But one can always hope.

I paced my room silently. It had been hours since I sent my men out to scope the area and my nerves were raising with every moment passing. No information was coming back to me. It worried me that no one had come to report back to me yet. Did that mean they hadn't found anything? Was all this for nothing like chasing after breadcrumbs that had long been eaten?

A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing a maid. She curtsied before speaking, "One of your men is at the door asking for you."

My eyes widened as I made a beeline for the stairs. My eyes laid on a tall man by the door, standing, arms folded, in his navy blue attire.

"Adams," I stated as I made my way to him, giving off an air of confidence when inside I was but a tight knot of anxiety.

"Your Majesty," he bowed his head, "we've found something we think you may want to see," he lifted his head with a spark to his eyes.

"And what may that be?"

"An entrance, Your Majesty, carved into the bark of a large tree by the edge of a forest near where the witness last saw them."

An entrance in a tree?

"Very well." I extended an arm, allowing him to proceed in directing me.

He nodded as he turned and began to walk. I strolled beside him, watching as the servants watched us from behind their work. I nodded in their directions, causing them to jump and bow before continuing their work. Still giving side glances when they thought I wasn't looking.

I ignored them, continuing on as Adams led me past the marketplace and off road into a dark forest.

He ushered me to my men, all standing around a thick tree, observing it with quizzical glances.

"Your Majesty," one breathed as he turned to me. They all bowed their heads in acknowledgment as they made a pathway for me to go to the front.

My eyes narrowed as I took in the strange site. A hollow tree going downwards, like a dugout tunnel. But to where did it lead?

"What are you suspecting?" I asked, rubbing at my chin.

One man spoke up, "We suspect it's a rebel hideout. It wouldn't be the first time they escaped underground."

I nodded in agreement. They had earned the title 'tunnel rats' for a reason. But not once have we ever found an occupied tunnel. It was as if they knew each time we'd come and would long since been gone before we could even get our hands on them. Only a few times had we caught any but even then it was outside their safety haven. The act of one stubborn rat, thinking he had any chance fighting against us. One too dour to run like the rest of his kind.

Is it merely a coincidence that we have found a rebel hideout by the place where River and Anna were supposedly abducted?

My mind raced with the possibility of him being tortured by a group of ill-bred rebels. I shivered.

Disgusting.

I cleared my throat, causing my men's chatter to die down.

"We're going to regroup, call all the rest of the men back. We're going to battle men," eyes widened as mouths widened in loud cheering, some fist pumping each other as others gave crooked smiles to one another, "this is unknown turf. Not once have we ever entered a tunnel with the possibility of being met by rebels. Keep your eyes peeled and weapons on hand. I want my mate found," I growled, "whether alive or...dead," I croaked, "he will be found."

They nodded in unity, a series of cheers ensuing as I turned back to the entrance with hooded eyes.

Don't worry, love. I'm coming. Please...just be okay. I need you to be okay.