Alpha's Little Vampire Mate
CHAPTER 138

Marcus POV

Three weeks...

Three excruciatingly long torturous weeks since Chloe had vanished without a trace, in the normal scheme of eternity, three weeks was a mere blink of an eye but for me, each day without her felt like a century.

I scoured the pack, interrogating pack members and pulling every string I could to find some clue to her whereabouts, but my efforts were met with dead ends and silence.

As I replayed my last conversation with Lily, in my mind I couldn't help but notice the way she seemed to avoid eye contact and how she shifted uncomfortably when I pressed her for more details, she always stylishly diverted the topic. Before Chloe disappeared, Lily was a constant presence in our lives, always ready to lend a sympathetic ear but in weeks since Chloe's disappearance, she had grown really distant, barely returning my calls and refusing to meet with me, like she was avoiding me.

Pacing my office, trying to keep my anger at bay, I delved deeper into my memories and recalled snippets of conversation that had once seemed but now took on a sinister turn.

Like the time Lily had casually hinted that Chloe might have gone to be with her family, especially her brothers, all Lily's words were not mere coincidence.

I had no concrete evidence, except a gut feeling and a few circumstantial observations but I couldn't shake the nagging suspicions that Lilly knew more than she was letting on. And if she did, I was determined to find out what it was.

I quickly dived out of my office using my vampire speed and made my way to Lily's office, my footsteps echoing through the quiet hallways of the palace.

Since Chloe's disappearance, the entire kingdom had been on the edge and Lily had taken the responsibility in her absence.

Entering Lily's office and catching her off guard, she quickly shoved a stack of papers aside and stood to greet me.

"Marcus." she called, a hint of surprise in her voice.

I stared at Lily letting the silence linger, she was good at hiding her emotions but I knew well enough to see the apprehension in her eyes.

"I'm here to discuss Chloe's disappearance," I said, not bothering with small talk. "I know you're busy, but this can't wait any longer."

Lily nodded, taking a seat behind her desk and gesturing for me to sit as well. "Of course, Aldric. I understand your concerns, but I'm afraid I don't have any new information to share with you."

I chucked, I knew this, this woman was implicating herself without even realizing it. I hadn't asked her any questions yet but she was already revealing more information.

"New information? How do you have information about Chloe and I do not know about it? I thought you said you were as shocked as I was when you learnt of Chloe's disappearance?" Lily's expression shifted from collected to visibly flustered as she processed my words.

"I-I don't know what you mean," she stammered. "Maybe I didn't put it right, I only wanted you to know I know nothing about Chloe's present whereabouts, I'm just as confused as you are."

"Are you?" I pressed. "Because it seems to me that you're hiding something. How else could you have known that she was probably with her brothers or grandfather when she'd never mentioned it to me?" Lily's eyes widened in surprise, a clear indication that I had struck a nerve.

"Chloe... didn't tell me anything Marcus, you should know we are really close, so I was just offering my two cents, probably meaning she might be there or not, these are all conspiracy theories, nothing serious."

I leaned forward, the tension in the room thickening. "You know those are not mere conspiracy theories Lily, I've visited her mother's house everyday for the past three weeks, no trace of her, Chloe is missing too and you tell me you know nothing? I am not buying that shit Lily, what are you hiding!"I yelled, banging my fist on the desk between us.

Lily swallowed hard, her fingers trembling as she interlaced them in front of her.

"I swear Marcus, I am not hiding anything."

"Lily," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the fury boiling within me, "I'm going to ask you one more time: tell me where Chloe is. Now."

Lily shook her head, her face a mask of determination. "I just told you I don't know anything, why can't you just leave me alone Marcus, I had work to do here before you came in and started accusing me of something I know nothing about, please Alpha, I am pregnant and..."

I rose from my seat, towering over Lily in a menacing stance before she could even finish "Stop with the bloody excuses Lily, the child is in your stomach, not your mouth, if you don't tell me, you leave me no choice. If you won't tell me, I'll make you tell me. And if anything has happened to Chloe, you'll be held responsible."

Lily's face drained of color as she met my steely gaze. She knew I wasn't bluffing, that I would stop at nothing to find my mate.

"Marcus please," she pleaded, her voice quivering. "You know more than anything that I want Chloe to come back, it's tiring fitting into her shoes, believe me, I know nothing about her whereabouts."

I ignored her protests, my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"And I'm telling you that I don't care. Your loyalty lies with the kingdom, not with my mate. If she's gone rogue, if she's endangered herself or our unborn child, I will find out and you'd be held responsible when I find out you know something about her disappearance."

"Listen... Marcus, even if I know her whereabouts, I can't tell you, I've betrayed her once, I can't betray her again, I don't mind if you kill me, I am not giving you any information, so quit trying."