Adina crouched down, pulling the child out from behind her. She looked at the girl fully now; she truly was no more than seven, her blonde hair tied into rough pigtails, dirt streaked her cheeks, coupled with the woman's fingerprints from earlier. Adina brushed her hair back, smiling softly.

"Hey, are you okay? Did she hurt you badly?" She asked.

The girl didn't reply; she only stared blankly at Adina.

Adina brushed the dirt off her body, "What's your name?" She asked again.

Still no reply, the girl only kept staring. Like there was no single emotion behind her eyes. Adina cleared her throat, feeling awkward.

"Are you okay?" She asked again.

Still no response.

Okay… Perhaps the girl is nonverbal.

"Okay, I think you're fine, but if you're hurt, then maybe I can—"

"The woman was wrong," the girl said suddenly, cutting Adina off.

Adina blinked, startled. "What?"

The girl shook her head like she was bored. "She said you're one of those—those that are like me."

"But she was wrong. She's always wrong. You're nothing like me…" she paused, staring at Adina intensely. "Your glow… it's different."

Adina's brows furrowed. "My glow?"

The girl nodded, then tilted her head the other way. "Yours is dim though, like it's hiding."

The girl's eyes flickered over Adina's body, stopping at her stomach for a second then back to her eyes. "It's weak, that's why. You must be broken. But it's okay." Suddenly she grinned. "You'll glow brighter soon."

Adina's lips parted; she was more than confused. Unlike the others, she didn't think the girl was mentally ill. She just seemed highly delusional.

"You'll burn soon, though. It'll hurt a lot. Then you'll shine. So bright it'll hurt everyone around you."

Adina stiffened, chills running down her spine. She forced a smile to her face and stood up. "Okay! That's enough for today. Perhaps I should let you rest. You and I have had quite a rough day," she said.

The girl shrugged, running back to her bed where her doll was; she took it and began playing with it. Adina stared at her for what felt like seconds then shook her head. Weird. She turned to leave, only to reach the door and have the girl's voice stop her.

"You'll burn soon, though. Then you'll shine. So bright it'll hurt everyone around you."

Adina walked out of the room as fast as she could; she shuddered outwardly, remembering the way the girl had stared at her.

Perhaps she truly was mentally ill.

She walked back into the room only to find Thorne there, pacing around, eyes unfocused like he was communicating internally.

Adina walked to the window, gaze flickering over Redmoon. They've only been here for a day, and she already wanted to leave. As soon as possible too. It was weird, how come there was not one normal pack in the realm? Well, at least the eastern part. First was Silverwater, and now Redmoon. She shook her head, knowing Crystal moon was even worse.

Her body went lax instantly when she felt Thorne behind her, wrapping his arms around her body. "Where have you been?" He asked.

Adina snuggled more into him, enjoying the way the cold breeze filtered through them.

"I was bored and somehow stumbled into their daughter's room," she replied.

"The mentally ill one?"

Adina nodded, "I found a maid hitting her repeatedly. They said it was her punishment for what she did."

Thorne frowned, "Hitting her?"

"They said she's a demon and has an evil spirit in her."

At this, Thorne rolled his eyes. A demon? Evil spirit? These were the things Alpha Kael chose to surround himself with, thereby forgetting the crippling economic crisis of his pack.

Adina shook her head, turning to face Thorne. "How about you? Did you find out more about the missing people?"

"Just like I suspected. Those missing in this pack are also low-born. Poor starving people. This means they being missing is a perfectly planned work."

Adina's eyes widened. "But why target them?"

Thorne's jaw clenched, his expression hardening. "Because they're the easiest to erase. No one looks for the poor or thinks of them," he said, not bothering to burden her with all that he's found out.

Adina sighed; there was nothing she could say to take away the feeling. The entire day had been very weird. She wondered if she should tell Thorne of what the girl had said but thought against it. They were just words of a sick child.

A knock at the door jolted the both of them apart; Thorne called for the person to step in, and Mason entered the room.

"Your majesty," he bowed.

Adina looked between the two of them and immediately excused herself, knowing they were going to discuss matters that didn't concern her.

Once she was gone, Thorne nodded, stepping forward. "What have you found out?"

"I've looked into the rebels' situation like you asked me to. Unfortunately, there's nothing pinning these missing cases on them. No rebel has been sighted for the past month and a half," he replied.

"Not even a single one?" Thorne asked.

"None."

That was weird. He remembered Caelum saying they'd set up a camp in the eastern district and now, suddenly no one has sighted those miscreants for that long?

Thorne shook his head; something was inanely wrong.

"Have you gotten the names and ages of those missing? Those they spoke to last? Their families?" He asked.

The gamma nodded. "Everything as you ordered, my king."

Thorne nodded, "And what's the ratio?"

"Eight percent, your majesty. Of all ten that disappeared, eight of them are men. The two were women." He paused for a second, stepping closer. "But I must say, your majesty. There's a common denominator here."

"That is?"

"Desperation. Most of those missing weren't just poor… they were desperate."

"According to their families and neighbors," Mason said, lowering his voice, "they were either drowning in debt, starving, or trying to find a way out of the pack. Most had reached their breaking point."

Thorne paced the room slowly, hands behind his back. "So they were vulnerable."

"Extremely so, your majesty."

Thorne nodded, his thoughts running far and wild. After some minutes, he looked up at Mason.

"Prepare for departure. We leave for Crystal moon at sunrise."

Mason paused, brows furrowed. They'd only spend one day in Redmoon?

"Shouldn't we investigate more, your majesty? What if—"

"There's nothing more to investigate. I need to confirm my suspicions, and I need to do that fast. Send word to Alpha Roman of Crystal moon. The king, His mate, and his entire entourage will arrive in Crystal moon at sunrise."