Unlike the last time Micah had been in the West Pack, security had never been this tight. Now, guards were stationed to every corner, the rooftop, and even the main gate looked like a fortress. It almost felt like President Roy himself was dwelling here.
Even though Alpha Irene had requested his presence, the guards still scanned them and searched the carās trunk before granting access to the pack house.
As soon as Micah stepped out, Irene was already there to welcome him.
"Youāre here," she said briskly. "Sorry for the inconvenience, but security is tight right now and for good reasons."
"Whatās going on?" Micah asked, falling into step beside her.
Ireneās expression hardened. "A lot."
They walked into the house, and just like the gate, the atmosphere was tense. There were so many guards around that not even a cockroach could sneak past unnoticed.
As they climbed the twisting staircase, Micah asked, "Thereās something I donāt understand. How did you know Iām the Oracle?"
Irene glanced back at him, her expression unreadable. "Griffin told me."
"What?" Micah cursed under his breath. He shouldāve known better than to trust those little rascals with his secret.
"My son and I are quite close," Irene said, continuing her climb effortlessly. "He once told me that if anything ever happened to them, I should contact you that you have lots of information." She paused briefly, looking over her shoulder. "He said youāre trustworthy, which is hard to believe for a demon."
"Half-demon," Micah corrected sharply.
"Correction taken," she said smoothly. "Although, trust is a luxury none of us can afford right now. Youāll see why soon."
At the end of the hallway, Irene stopped before a large door and pushed it open.
As soon as Micah saw what was inside, his feet froze.
The room was filled with familiar faces. Alpha Aeron, Ireneās husband, sat at the center, his expression grim. To his right were Alpha Ezra and his mate, Nancy. On the left, Alpha Leon and his wife, Alexa. Jeremiah, Asherās beta, stood near the window, his piercing gaze locked on Micah.
Every pair of eyes in that room turned to him the moment he entered.
Micahās stomach dropped. This was more serious than he thought.
"Heās here," Irene announced from the doorway.
Aeronās deep voice cut through the room. "Close the door behind you."
Micah complied, pushing the door shut before walking toward them with the confidence of someone used to scrutiny. He stopped in front of the long table where the Alphas and their mates sat.
"Iām Micah Raymond, son of the former Alphaā"
"We all know your identity, son," Aeron interrupted him, "Irene tells me you have access to a lot of information. We believe you might be able to tell us the whereabouts of our children."
Micah exhaled slowly, eyeing the serious faces before him. "Yes, they call me the Oracle because I deal in information. But my playing ground is Lunaris Academy. I only dabble outside once in a while. And to make things clear, Iām not a seer. If you want one, you should contact Alice. Sheās the best, and thatās your territory, isnāt it?"
Irene told him. "Seers see what theyāre meant to see and only at the right time. The fact that we havenāt heard anything from her means weāre on our own."
Nancy spoke up, her voice trembling slightly. "Violet is missing, alongside the Cardinal Alphas. If you know anything about that, then I beg you to tell us."
Micahās gaze swept over the room, taking in every hopeful face turned toward him. Never had he imagined there would come a day when his little "skill" would be demanded like this. He had always felt safe because his identity as the Oracle was hidden, but now that it was out in the open, the protection was gone. This could come back to bite him later, but heād deal with that when the time came.
He exhaled and said, "As you already know, Iām half-demon. I get my information by visiting hell and gathering news from the souls of the dearly departed. Aside from that, I have other means of getting intel." His eyes flicked briefly toward Aeron, then Irene. "Unfortunately, Iāve been occupied lately. But I did my research, and it turns out thereās unrest in the West Pack. A rebellion. Alpha Cane tried to take out Alpha Asher."
Murmurs rippled through the room. They did try their best to keep that information under lock.
Micah continued, "I donāt know much beyond that. The rest of the information is locked down, which, now that I see this place, I totally understand." He met Ireneās eyes and added wryly, "Iāll need more details in case I need to make a trip down below."
Jeremiah was the one who spoke. "You wonāt need to make any trip. According to the investigation report, a portal suddenly opened up, and then some girl dragged Asher and Roman into it. Upon reviewing the camera footage, I found out it was Lila Meadows."
"Lila?" Micah muttered, his brows knitting together.
"Then we got another report from the North Pack that Alaric, Griffin, and Violet are missing," Jeremiah continued. "Although thereās no confirmation that the same kind of portal appeared there, the coincidences are too good to ignore. We believe sheās responsible for all of this."
"So what do you want from me?" Micah asked flatly.
"Youāre the Oracle," Jeremiah said. "That means you have information on Lila Meadows. How do we find her? How do we find them?"
Leon joined in. "Are the kids even safe? Is she an enemy or a friend? What does she want with them?"
In an instant, questions bombarded Micah from all directions.
When the noise finally died down, every gaze fixed on him, waiting for an answer.
Micah drew in a long breath. "If a portal really opened up, and youāve been unable to find them since," he said slowly, "then I can assure you, theyāre no longer in this realm."
"What?!" murmurs of disbelief rippled through the room.
Micah went on, undeterred. "Whether theyāre safe or not..." he shrugged, "that, I canāt tell. You might have to start praying to the goddess for that."