It was on a hot afternoon, Maria sat at her courtroom with her Beta , presiding over the recent success they had over building their pack.
She was told that everything had been working in order just as they planned ,when her Grammar rushed in breathing heavily. From the look on his face , Maria smelt danger.
Immediately, Lucy walked also giving her that tensed reaction as well.
Maria immediately sensed that something was wrong and had to stop her meeting with her Beta ,while she asked them what the matter was.
" It's Karen ,my lady. She has just been abducted by some strangers!", Lucy reported with a teary eyes.
Maria was so shocked and dumpfounded to hear that. she stood still for sometime, while Lucy helped her in taking back her seat.
" How did this happen, where was she abducted from?", Maria asked while her voice kept breaking.
Lucy was reluctant to talk, Irene was actually the one with Karen when she got abducted and she knew that if she had to speak out , Irene was going to have to answer for it.
" I don't really know my lady", Lucy managed to say.
" My Luna , the pack guards reported to me that, Irene was with her when this happened", Maria's Gamma said.
" Did you know about this Lucy", Maria asked.
Lucy got uncomfortable when Maria asked her that question, she didn't expect the gamma to have told Maria that Irene was there when the incident took place.
Although there relationship has been for a long time, she knew Maria wasn't going to take anything lightly when it came to Karen.
" Get me Irene immediately, I want to question her", Maria said.
" My lady , please, let Irene be. I am sure she knows nothing about the abductors, yes they were together ,but she has no idea who there are", Lucy explained.
" Quiet Lucy, I only want to question her and nothing else. Or do you have something to hide ?",Maria asked in anger.
" Not at all my lady", Lucy said.
Maria ordered her gamma to go fetch Irene who was in Lucy's court. As soon as Maria saw her ,she could tell the young girl was equally traumatized by what had happened. She kept fidgeting, but Maria couldn't understand why Lucy had not wanted to get her involved.
It was her daughter Karen they were talking about, so why would Lucy not want her to ask Irene who happened to be the one with Karen about the situation.
Maria asked everyone to leave the room, she wanted to speak to Irene alone , without Lucy or any other person being around them.
" Sit ", she said after Lucy and the rest had left the room, shutting it's door behind them.
" Now tell me, what happened when you were with Karen. You both are good friends ,did you see the men that abducted her? and what were you both doing when this happened?", Maria asked.
Irene was so scared to let Maria know that she always accompanied Karen into other distant packs to met other kids.
" Talk to me Irene. You want Karen back here, don't you?", Maria asked.
" Yes I do my lady".
" Now tell me , so we can be sure of where to find her ", Maria said.
Irene knew how good Maria had been to her and her mother Lucy, but at the same time she didn't want to be on her black book if she failed to give her any positive answer that would help them find Karen.
The Luna never plays with her own, Irene said in her heart.
" My lady I want Karen back here and that's why I would tell you all you need to know. Karen always wanted to have a clue on what other packs looked like and so she begged me to accompany her there", Irene said.
" How long has this been ongoing?", Maria asked.
" Since she turned eight my lady".
Maria was so shocked to hear this, how possible was it that Karen left the pack to distant packs since she was eight and she knew nothing about it.
" I don't believe you Irene, you both can't go all the way to distant packs alone! ".
" Yes my lady, we most times go there with Carlo", He was the first to take us there, where he sells some of his fishes ",
Maria got very angry hearing that Carlo was the master mind behind Karen leaving the pack all these while.
" Carlo! How dare him take my daughter out of this pack without my notice?", Maria ranged in anger and Irene got scared.
" My lady, please it wasn't Carlo's fault, he refused to let us out, but Karen insisted that he took us out to the packs we visited", Irene tried defending.
" So how many packs have you visited so far?", she asked .
" About three my lady",Irene replied.
" Scooper, scooper...", Maria called out to her gamma.
Scooper walks in so fast and prostrates before Maria.
" You called my lady", he replied.
" Go to the river and fetch me Carlo, tell him that I want him here at the immediately", Maria ordered as scooper left.
Irene got so scared and could only pray that Karen should be found as soon as possible, so Carlo wouldn't run into any problems. She knew how stubborn Karen had always been in going out without letting her mother know about it and how she always pressured Carlo to fall for her constant pleas.
" Now tell me how did it happen?", Maria asked.
Irene knew it was going to be better she opened up and told the whole truth on how Karen suddenly got missing.
" We had both gone to the arena of a distant pack, where Carlo once took us, for some afternoon practice on the upcoming ball dance of the pack, when someone approached Karen , and full grown man. At first I thought Karen didn't know him, but they got talking and from a distance ,I saw them laughing and discussing so freely. I got so relaxed although I had never seen that man and had no idea what he came to do at the arena", Irene said and suddenly stopped.
" Keep going, I want to hear it all", Maria pushed.
" I called on Karen and asked that we both leave ,but she told me that she would join me shortly. She returned to the man and shortly they both walked out of the arena. I noticed that Karen wasn't smiling and she acted like someone who was hypnotized, just following that man, so I went after them".
Irene took a breath and Maria could see how reddish her eyes had turned.
" I'm listening", Maria said calmly.
" I got hit at the back of my head by an unknown person and I fell unconscious while trying to know where she was been taken to", Irene explained, showing Maria the back of her skull which was bandaged.
" When I woke up probably few minutes later, I saw myself in a woman's house , I asked about Karen ,but she had no clue , she helped me return back home and I had to tell my mother about it immediately ,my lady", Irene said.
Maria got scared, she had no idea that this had ever happened and she had no way to find Karen.
The door opened and Scooper walks in with Carlo. Irene tells Carlo about everything and he tries calming Maria down.
" I know my way round that pack very well my lady, and I promise you, I will bring Karen back to you", Carlo said.
Maria got so scared ,but she knew ahe mustn't show it. Although she was angry that Carlo took Karen out without letting her know, but she was happy that he was willing to help look for her.