"Meeting Rhys wouldn't be enough, my Queen." Haldir closed the door when Adrianna sat inside. He mounted the broom and ordered the journey to the palace. "You should allow me to send spies to the Kingdom of Serpents, the Human Realm and also to the Werewolves Realm."

A muscle feathered in Adrianna's jaw when she heard 'Werewolves Realm'. "I trust my husband's people."

​​

"Except your husband, you shouldn't trust anyone. Even me."

"Don't be preposterous, Haldir." Worries gripped her mind. She fingered her necklace.

Haldir became unusually quiet. When they reached the gates of the royal palace and Adrianna was about to alight the carriage, he said, "I would like to meet Rhys if my queen would allow."

Adrianna created a mental tally of what could go wrong if he met Rhys. "Send a message to him. I want to meet him today whenever possible." She didn't answer his question. Haldir stared at her as she walked to the palace. He pursed his lips at his inability to help her.

After twenty paces, she turned. Haldir's eyes stirred with excitement. "You may send a Mozia to the Human Realm. Although I don't think you would find anything there."

Haldir bowed, "Thank you Queen."

Adrianna went inside while Haldir started calculating who would be the best fit for the job as he mounted the broom. He hated the broom and longed for his beloved horse – Avasha, a black stallion with giant wings. He had to abandon him in the elf lands.

When Adrianna went to her room, she found a fresh glass of blood ready for her. Dmitri wasn't there and she came to know from the servants that he had gone to the werewolf realm to meet his parents.

---

Cora and Pierre were sitting in the main hall with Dmitri, Liam and Nate.

"How is Ookashi Nate?" asked Cora, taking a cherry in her mouth.

"She is doing good. Just that she has become very temperamental," he smiled with so much love in voice that Cora laughed. Werewolves were known to bear all the temper their mates showed.

Nate turned to Dmitri and reported in a serious tone. "There've been a few cases of disappearance of werewolves from adjoining territories. Liam and I have been investigating for a few days now but there hasn't been any concrete findings."

Dmitri frowned. "Disappearance? How can that be possible? And where have these instances occurred? Have these werewolves gone to hunt in the deep jungles?" Werewolves being killed and eaten by wild animals wasn't new. But that being the case, the werewolves had changed their hunting grounds.

"Most of the disappearing is taking place on the edge of the jungle from where the human realm begins with a few on the lake side." Liam said. "I went to investigate on the lake side. We had camped there for two days but nothing untoward happened." He paused before adding, "But it's the other edge of the jungle I am worried about."

"Why?"

"I saw three werewolves coming back from the town in an inebriated condition. They were accompanied by people who were not humans."

Dmitri stopped eating the cherry he had in his mouth. "How can you say that?" he asked with rage building in him.

"They smelled of ocean, of salt, of seaweeds."

Dmitri's mind raced. His eyes narrowed. "Liam, you said you didn't find anything happening on the lake side. Do one thing – get some werewolves to station secretly at the lakeside. No one should know that they are patrolling the area. I will ask one of the wizards to be with them in order to cast invisibility spell."

He turned to his father who was listening to everything. "Father, do you have any contacts in the human realm? Like really discreet ones?"

Pierre sighed. "I had a few but that was a long time back. If you want I can revive them."

"Yes, go to the town and activate them. I want to know all activities taking place over there," suggested Dmitri.

Nate and Liam discussed other issues about the Werewolf Realm.

"We would like you to come and take a walk with us through the Blue Moon territory. Everything is in order but something isn't fitting well." Nate was suspicious of a group of travelers from another pack although he didn't have reasons to pinpoint his suspicion.

"What is it Nate?"

"It is better you come and take a look. Liam feels that my suspicion is baseless."

"What are we waiting for? Let us go now."

While Dmitri went to inspect his territory, Pierre left for the town.

The four wizards sent for his protection accompanied him.

Nate took them to a travelers' inn that was located on the east of the territory. Set in a busy area, it had a pictorial sign hung over the door. Dmitri asked the wizards to wait for him outside.

"Disguise us," he commanded.

The three of them entered the common room where the patrons were served as tawny, sun-kissed laborers in very ordinary clothes. The smell of wood smoke from fire, rich scent of meat pie and some brothy soup wafted through their nostrils. They sat at the nearest wooden table that was made from flimsy planks and creaked.

The patrons were drinking, gambling and talking loudly and garishly to each other and with the girls who were serving them.

Dmitri ordered for the local liquor. A girl who placed the mugs in front of him winked and jiggled her boobs while doing so. He ignored her and when she was gone, he asked Nate, "So what are we looking for?"

"My spy reported that there are two men and a woman here who are staying here for almost ten days. Now I wouldn't have had any problem if they were here meeting a friend or relative. My spy says that they are generally mingling with the local people here and seem like vagabonds. I doubt they are werewolves."

"Are they here?" asked Dmitri scanning the room. His gaze passed over the usual rabble of werewolves.

"Yes," Nate pointed to his right with his chin.