Talia checked the living room with the help of Keith and Arya while Axel spoke to guards and Ogas. He went to talk to them in person so he could gauge their expressions. Liam and Alia went with Axel.
Talia sniffed the air to confirm that there was Yasmin's scent lingering. She followed her nose to a storage ottoman that had a sweater and two onesies.
"That's Yasmin's," Axel said from the door. He recognized the sweater. It was one of Yasmin's favorites, and she complained a few days ago that she couldn't find it. They assud that Oga took it for washing, and it would appear eventually.
Talia pointed out baby clothes. "Edgar's and Valeria's, I assu. How often would they co here?"
Axel took the garnts and squeezed them tightly. "Mom and dad didn't co to the main house ever since you took over as the Alpha. Yasmin would bring the kids here every few days. She drops them off and cos back to pick them up later. There is no need for Yasmin to have her clothes here. This was her favorite sweater; she wouldn't leave it behind."
Talia nodded in understanding. "Soone kept this here."
"Why would anyone do that?"
Talia had no idea.
"What did you find?" Talia asked.
"No one is missing, and no one saw anything strange," Axel said dejectedly. "But guards are lax, and Ogas co daily to prepare food. If soone from the pack ca here, it could be easily missed."
Talia puffed her cheeks. "It might be possible that Yasmin didn't co here."
"You believe my parents?" Axel asked.
Talia didn't know what to believe. She wished that Damon or Jas were with her. They would know what to do.
"Let's go back to Sophia and Isaac and ask them about this," Talia said while gesturing at the clothes Axel was holding. "We need to know where Yasmin was seen last."
…
Sophia and Isaac swore they had no idea how those clothes ended up in the storage ottoman in their living room.
Axel released a low growl that ca with a wave of his aura.
"Axel," Talia called. "Do you want to wait outside?"
"No!" He snapped and turned to his parents. "I want to know what you were up to. You claim you have no idea what was going on, but Yasmin and my pups are missing. Why are you acting like you don't care?"
"Who said we don't care?" Sophia responded. "But we don't have any abilities, and you are treating us like villains. You want to know what happened?"
"YES!" Axel shouted.
"Then you should find your mate instead of wasting ti here!" Sophia shouted back. "We didn't see Yasmin and the kids today or yesterday. We have no idea how those clothes ended up there! That's the truth, and the longer you refuse to believe us, the more ti kidnapers have to run away with your mate and pups!"
"Kidnapers?" Talia asked.
Sophia spread her hands helplessly. "How else would you explain missing people and planted evidence? We didn't knock each other out."
Talia paused. Sophia was right. The healers checked them out and didn't find any injuries. If they inhaled sothing that knocked them out, Axel would find traces in that room. Unless soone removed the evidence, but that would point that soone else was involved, in which case kidnappers were accomplices. Which one was it? Talia was not sure.
"Why would anyone try to set you up with this?" Talia asked.
Sophia responded. "Can you think of anyone more suitable to delay you? Everyone knows that we are replaced. No one cos to visit. People don't respect us. If not for Axel and Yasmin, Ogas wouldn't co to clean and cook. We beca invisible. Outcasts…"
Talia raised her hand, interrupting Sophia's pity party. "If soone set you up, why did they knock you out?"
Sophia shrugged. "I hope you will ask them that question when you catch them. And the more ti you waste asking questions to which we have no answers, the more ti they have to flee and hide."
Talia had to admit it made sense. All these inconsistencies would cause doubts, but no proof, so they were bound to investigate and waste ti.
Talia turned to Axel, "Alert all warriors to start searching. Tell them that sothing precious that belonged to Yasmin is missing so they can track it by her scent."
"You think Yasmin is still here?"
Talia confird. "There are only two portals, and she didn't pass through them. Unless there is another portal we are not aware of, they are still here."
Axel's eyes lost focus as he was contacting warriors.
'Portal is not the only way to get out of here,' Liseli spoke in Talia's mind.
'What?'
'The stories speak of God-like creatures that could move among realms at will. They are the ones who created portals originally for the morals to travel,' Liseli reminded Talia of the old legend. 'What if the God-like creatures were Guardians? What if so of them have the ability to travel without using portals?'
Talia's stomach dropped. Those were not legends. Talia's mother left information in the necklace, and it ntioned opening a passage at will. No diagrams, crystals, or magic items. Only energy summoned by a Guardian.
The etchings they found in the realm of witches when they searched for Yasmin's father were remnants of a passage being opened. It requires an imnse amount of energy, and the caster would need days to recover in order to use his ability again, but it was possible.
'And there is one more,' Liseli said.
'There is?'
'Magical items. Your mother left you a ssage. That was embedding an item with energies that would trigger given the right conditions. There could be a necklace that opens a temporary passage, enough for a few people to pass through it.'
Talia really, really didn't like this. The Midnight Guardians pack enjoyed a fake sense of security because they believed that trouble could co only through two portals.
A commotion from outside got Talia's attention.
"What's going on?" Axel asked, and he moved to open the door and check.
They could see Keith and Cassandra wrestling in the hallway.
Keith pinned Cassandra on the ground and was twisting her arm, and her mouth was open wide, ready to bite Keith's leg.
Arya, Liam, and Alia stood on the side, all three baffled by the sudden brawl.
"What are you doing?" Talia asked, and the duo on the ground froze.
"She wanted to barge inside, and I told her no," Keith said while getting up.
Cassandra also stood up and dusted her long dress before turning to Talia. "Alpha, I need to speak to you."
"Speak," Talia said stiffly. They were facing an ergency, and she didn't have the ti to waste on nonsense.
"It's a prophecy from the Moon Goddess," Cassandra said.
Talia's eyebrows shot up. "For ?"
Cassandra nodded. "I saw Alpha Damon. He was blind, and his other senses were not working either."
Talia needed a mont to process this. "Are you saying that Damon will be in trouble?"
"It will be soon." Cassandra's eyes moved to Talia's belly. "You were not showing yet. The forest was covered in snow."
"We have no snow!" Keith barked.
Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest. "If you don't have it in your backyard, does that an your neighbors don't have it either? How much I know, so areas are always covered in snow."
Keith sneered. "Which ans your prophecy is rubbish!"
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