Xie's POV
I was walking casually back after wrapping up our little meeting with father and Lin. The fox king was also there and we decided that we needed to go check the Western Waters again. This time with reinforcement. 
I was walking casually back in, that is, till
 the scent of grime and metallic tang of blood assaulted my senses. 
I ran towards the chamber where Ruby was and banged the door open. 
 Panic clawed at my chest as I scanned the room, my eyes widening at the horrifying sight. Vomit and crimson stains mared the floor, the walls, and my soul. 
"Ruby!" I yelled. my voice a desperate, echoing plea. My eyes darted around the room, searching for any trace of her beautiful, ethereal form. My heart raced, and I felt the raw edge of my claws pressing against the skin of my palms.I still tried to believe that she must have gotten very sick and moved to the hospital wing, despite seeing the marks of struggle all over the place. 
Fear was coursing through me, mingling with the anger that began to bubble up like a storm inside me. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, a mixture of worry and fury, and I stumbled forward, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. "Where are you?!" I roared,the sound reverberating off the walls.
Tears of frustration and dread stung my eyes as I continued to call out for her, each cry more desperate than the last. The room felt like it was closing in around me, the walls closing in on my racing mind, my pounding heart. My nails kept digging into my palms, sharp pain momentarily distracting me from the all-consuming terror.
And then wave of anguish threatened to drown me. A guttural, inhuman howl escaped my lips, a primal sound of grief and rage that riped from the depths of my being.
I quickly wiped my face and then ran towards the infirmary. 
My last resort. The last place for hope. 
" Where is Ruby? Was she sick? What happened? "
I asked the very first nurse I saw coming out with a concoction in her hand. 
She bowed but then looked lost. 
" Princess Ruby, your highness? Wasn't she at her chamber? I fed her and gave her the medications and then came here to prepare some more.... What happened? Why do you..."
I already knew that would be the answer. Whom was I trying to fool? 
And then it started. The panic was escalating through all my veins. 
 I couldn't lose her, not like this. Not now, not ever.
Who would date harm my wife in my own kingdom? 
With a feral roar, I lunged at a nearby table, flipping it over with a crash that sent splinters flying. My vision was tinged with red, a maddening haze that blurred the edges of my reality. I was no longer in control, the raw force of my emotions propelled me forward.
I tore through the place, destruction following in my wake. Shattered glass, shattered memories, all consumed by the tempest of my fury. The anguish in my heart matched the chaos around me, a storm of emotions that threatens to consume me whole, as all the doctors and nurses began running around, trying to figure a way out to calm me down. 
I stumbled back in the room, my chest heaving, my senses still overwhelmed by the traces of her presence that linger in the air as the first nurse followed me close. My knuckles ached, bloodied and bruised, but I hardly noticed. All I could feel was the ache of loss, the torment of not knowing where she was, or if she's safe.
" Your highness, I saw your mother, our queen enter right after I left the room. May be you could try asking her if she saw anyone... "
I knew she was trying to help but it only made things worse. 
What was mother doing at this hour? 
There was only one way of knowing. 
" Mother is upto no good.... " Roe's words were ringing heavier in my ears than ever before. " We must stop her before she does something terrible once more... "
I couldn't help but think about Mia's mother and the terrible end, she had to meet because of my own mother's conspiracies and wrong doings. 
Ruby was her sister but she was also my wife. Moreover, she was with child. My child. Her own blood. 
Would she be so merciless that she would do something terrible to Ruby as well? 
I was constantly trying to reason with my inner demons and it was a loosing game. 
When I reached mother's room the place looked similar to my own place. There were shattered pieces of glass and wood everywhere, but there was no blood. 
My mother was in a bad mood. 
" Xie, what's the matter? "
I saw Lin and Roe come running towards me as did the Royal guards. There was too much going on in our clan. 
" Ruby.... Ruby's gone.... "
That was all I could manage to say, holding Lin's shoulder for support. 
" What do you mean by gone? And why are you here, at mother's place? "
Roe asked but she already knew the answer. She just needed confirmation by looking into my eyes. 
" No way. Has she crossed all limits? There is no more time to lose. "
She grabbed my hands and pulled me with force. 
" Where are we going? "
" We need to leave now. I am sure mother has something to do with the Western Waters and she took Ruby with her as leverage. " She looked apologeticaly at Lin and added. 
" I am terrribly sorry that she is our birth mother but women like her can go to great extends when threatened. I don't want to loose another family member because of her madness. "
" You mean like trying to kill Mia's mother? "
Lin's question startled both Roe and me. 
" How did you know? "
she asked. 
" Me and Boshu had over heard your conversations with those rogues in the human world, when you were chasing them. "
The veil of shame was lifted. 
It was good in many ways.