The Darkness Before The Dawn

I stood there in the doorway, facing the setting sun. I could still smell her here, but her energy had gone. I made my way down the grand staircase, to the rose garden she loved. There was no trace of her energy here. I made my way to the back patio and gardenias. Again, I could not find a single trace of her energy or scent. I couldn't understand it. Luna was not one to run off. I knew she was overwhelmed with meeting her parents for the first time in years, but this was not like her. "Did you find her?". Lucas was the last person I wanted to see right now. "I don't know where she is...". The panic was beginning to set in and I didn't know what to do. She's never shown any interest in leaving here so to run off was completely out of character.

Lucas and I made our way back to the front of the House. "Can you smell that?", he shouted before running towards the front door, with me following closely behind him. Lucas was sniffing the air and around the front door. "What's going on?" I asked, curious as to what he was doing, but he ignored me and continued sniffing around. Lycans were a weird bunch indeed and Lucas was bothering me right now more than Luna being missing was. "WOULD YOU STOP THAT!". He was really beginning to piss me off! He shoved me out the way before turning into his wolf form. His wolf form was more than half my height and his demeanour changed as he began to sniff the ground, following it back down the stairs to the gravel path that led to where the cars were parked outside the House. He let out a mournful howl and transformed back into his human form. "Alex! She's been taken!".

His words crushed me. No it couldn't be true... could it...Luna had been taken...I couldn't believe it. Who would take her and knowing Luna, she would have put up a fight. She was a tough one and wouldn't have gone easily, so there must have been more than one of them. "There was several of them." Lucas muttered under his breath before turning and pinning me against the wall. "Why did they take her? What did you do!", he snarled at me. I pushed him off me with enough force, he fell to the ground. He jumped back up and charged at me. "WHAT DID YOU DO!". As we scuffled for a few minutes, we were broken up by members of the wolf pack, Draven and Silvano. "Ahey, break it up boys! No time for a bar room brawl, at least not till we've had a few drinks! So, what's going on? What started this now?", Draven asked. Lucas stood and straightened his suit. "Ask him! Ask him what's happened to Luna!". His words pierced through my very being. "I don't know where she is..." I uttered as I hung my head, my heart full of pain. "Huh? Bullshit! Don't lie!". Jess' said as she joined the group. Her confused tone sounded as pained as I did. "I smelt it. Someone has taken her. It was your kind! So why did they take her!". Lucas bellowed at us. As soon as he spoke the words, I could have sworn that my heart sank to my feet, as I recalled the events of the last few days, in particular our meeting with the Council. "They wouldn't have taken her, would the Alex?". Marco asked as he stepped forward. "Mason was with them.". Carter interjected. "I can smell him.", he snarled.

That couldn't be true. Mason had been missing for some time, pretty much hadn't been seen since our run in with Ravnos House. "You must be mistaken Carter. He disappeared some time ago. No one has been able to find him and with his history with the Council, I doubt that's where he would have ended up.". Silvano stated very matter of factly. I nodded in agreement. "It was definitely him. I've been around all of you enough to know his smell.". Silvano's eyes could have burnt into Carter as he spoke. "There is no way that Mason, with his debt to Alex, would ever consider for a second being involved in kidnapping Luna. He would have a death wish.". I could feel the demon in me growing in anger and pain. If Mason was involved in this, his head would be hanging off a spike in my front yard.

"Children! What's going on? Your Mother and I have been worried about how long you've been gone for.". Father said, standing in the doorway of the House, viewing us all. Mother walked up behind him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It has happened.". A small tear ran down her cheek. My Mother never showed emotion and to see this, hit me hard. I rushed to her, "You knew, didn't you? You knew this was going to happen.". Whilst I didn't want to know, I had to know. She nodded her head and looked me dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry Alessandro.", she whispered as she grabbed my hand. I flung her hand off mine and began to storm away before turning to her and unleashing on her. "You knew! You damn well knew! And you could have stopped this! Who took her! Why! Why didn't you tell me so we could have kept her safe! Why did you let this happen?". All of a sudden I dropped to my knees, with a sudden pain in my stomach that felt like it had been torn open suddenly. They are hurting her. Mother dropped to me to comfort me. Silvano rushed to me and attempted a healing. "Stop it! I'm not physically hurt!". Silvano hit my hands away as I tried to push him away. "I know! But she is. If you are feeling this, maybe some healing from me can heal her!". Mother nodded in agreement. The pain shortly stopped, so I hoped that whatever Silvano had done, had worked on her.

"I need to find her Mother. You need to tell me where she is...I can not lose her.". I begged her to tell me. I didn't care about anything else than finding her. I promised her I would protect her and again I have failed in the promise. I needed to find her now. Mother sighed. "Alaric has her...". It took a few moments for that to sink in. No. No. He couldn't have. He wouldn't have.

I need to get her back.