CHAPTER 6

CATRIONA

I didn’t wait for another word.

I bolted through the hallway, my feet pounding against the floor. Godmother called after me, but her voice blurred into background noise. I slammed my hand against the elevator button—once, twice—until the doors hissed open. My breath came in sharp bursts.

“Please be in the room. Please, please…” I whispered as the elevator crawled upward.

The second the doors opened, I sprinted out and burst into Abriel’s room.

“Abriel?” My voice echoed, sharp and high with fear.

The bed was empty.

Exactly as Lauren said.

“No. No no no.” I threw open the bathroom door. Empty.

“Abriel!” I called louder now, my voice starting to shake. I spun in place, searching the corners of the room. I yanked the curtains apart—closed. Not even a breeze.

He didn’t climb out.

“Abriel, baby, come on!” I called again, breathless. My eyes scanned every inch of the room. My hands pushed toys aside, checked behind the chair, and inside the closet.

Nothing.

“I think he went to our room,” I gasped, brushing past Lauren as I ran. “He usually does that when he’s scared.”

We rushed down the hallway.

I shoved open the bedroom door.

“Abriel—” I froze.

Jayden was lying on the bed, hand over his forehead, shirtless. His eyes opened slowly.

“Is he here?” I asked, voice cracking. “Jayden, is Abriel in here?”

He sat up halfway, frowning. “Isn’t he supposed to be in his room sleeping?”

I shook my head, already scanning the shadows behind the armchair, the foot of the bed, the curtains.

“No. He’s not in his room. I thought maybe he came here. He does that sometimes when he’s upset.”

Jayden’s expression changed instantly. He sat up fully now. “Could he be in the playroom?”

“I don’t think so,” I said quickly, already backing toward the door. “It’s too late for him to be in there…”

And we were moving. All four of us. No one needed to say it, but the truth was spreading like ice in our veins.

The hallway stretched like a tunnel, every step pounding louder than the last.

We reached the playroom, Jayden pulling the door open before I could even reach for it. Bright toys, soft mats, and stuffed animals were scattered across the floor in perfect chaos—but no sign of him.

“Abriel?” I called, ducking my head in, scanning the corners.

No answer. No sound.

“Shit,” Jayden muttered, stepping back. “He’s not here.”

I felt my stomach turn. My mouth went dry.

Jayden tapped his temple. “I’ve already mind-linked with the pack members and night patrol. They’re checking the grounds, every hallway, every guest wing. I’ll head to the office and check the cameras.”

“That’s a good idea,” I said breathlessly, nodding. “We’ll see where he went—maybe he just wandered to another room.”

Lauren hovered near the doorway, pale and silent. Godmother clutched the edge of the doorframe like she was holding herself upright.

“Where could that little boy be?” she whispered.

Jayden started walking away, his jaw clenched, voice low but firm. “He’s in the house, Godmother.”

We followed him down the hall.

My heart was hammering against my ribs. Every step felt heavier than the last. My mind was screaming worst-case scenarios—what if someone took him? What if he’s hurt?

No. Stop.

He’s strong. He’s smart. He’s your son.

Jayden unlocked the office and pushed the door open. The lights flickered on, casting a cold glow across the sleek desk and the mounted monitor array on the wall.

He slid behind the desk, fingers already flying across the laptop keys.

I stood behind him, wringing my hands, barely breathing. My eyes darted between the screens, praying for his face to appear. Even a shadow. Anything.

“There,” Jayden muttered.

The footage popped onto the main monitor—Abriel’s bedroom hallway.

We all leaned in.

The timestamp read ‘11:42 p.m’

Jayden hit play.

We watched as the door to Abriel’s room slowly creaked open. My breath caught in my throat.

And then—there he was.

Abriel stepped out, quiet as a whisper, holding his favourite stuffed toy.

Mr. Patches.

That ragged brown bear with a crooked ear and one missing eye—the same one he clung to when he was sad, the one on his bookshelf in every photo I had.

He didn’t look scared. He didn’t run. He just walked… calmly.

“Where is he going?” Lauren whispered.

We watched as Abriel paused at the end of the hallway. He turned his head slightly—like he was listening to something.

Then he walked to the elevator and stopped. Just stood there.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Still.

Then the elevator doors opened.

He stepped inside.

My hand flew to my mouth.

Jayden clicked furiously, switching feeds. “Let’s see where he got out—there are only two active elevator cams tonight.”

The new screen came up—lobby camera, 11:48 p.m. Elevator doors slid open—

Empty.

“What the fuck,” Jayden breathed. “He just got into the elevator—where the hell did he go?”

I stared at the screen, frozen.

“That’s impossible,” Lauren said. “He got in. He didn’t get out.”

I took a step back, my breath shaking. “No, that doesn’t make sense. Jayden, rewind it. Maybe it’s the wrong elevator.”

“I’m telling you—this is the only route. He didn’t vanish mid-floor.” He rewound. Watched him walk in again. Then forward—empty lobby.

Jayden stared at the screen like it had betrayed him.

I felt my knees wobble. “He... he’s four. He doesn’t know how to press multiple buttons.”

“I’ve got the side stairwell camera too,” Jayden said quickly. “Just in case.”

Click.

Nothing.

He wasn’t on the stairs. He wasn’t in the hallway. He didn’t appear on any of the three camera feeds after entering that elevator.

“Where is he?” I choked, stepping forward, my hands braced on the desk as I stared at the screen. “Jayden, where is he?!”

“I don’t know!” Jayden snapped, standing suddenly. His chair rolled back. “I don’t fucking know. He walked into the elevator and vanished!”

“No!” My voice cracked. “He couldn’t have just vanished—he’s not—he’s not a ghost! He’s not a spirit!”

Jayden’s eyes flicked to me, something flashing there. “Unless something else is happening.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You think Abriel made himself disappear?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at the screen again. “If he’s still in the house, we’ll find him. But if something else is at play…”

His words hung there, unfinished.

I felt my chest tighten until it was hard to breathe.

Abriel was gone.

And none of us knew how.

I stumbled backwards from the monitor, my vision swimming.

My legs buckled slightly, and I caught myself against the corner of Jayden’s desk. The room felt like it was tilting. Everything in me screamed panic, my heartbeat drumming inside my ears.

“He’s gone,” I whispered. “Jayden… he’s really gone.”

“Catriona, breathe,” Jayden said quickly, rounding the desk. He gripped my arms gently, steadying me. “Look at me. We’re going to find him. You hear me? We will find him.”

I shook my head, voice trembling. “You saw the cameras—he’s not there. One second he’s in the elevator, the next—he’s just… gone.”

“I know what I saw,” Jayden muttered, jaw tight. “But I also know he’s not gone. He’s not dead. I’d feel it if he were.”

“How do you know that?” I snapped, tears burning at the corners of my eyes.

He met my eyes, steady. “Because I’m his father. And I am a werewolf.”

Just then, the office phone rang.

Not his mobile.

The landline on the desk buzzed sharply, piercing the silence like a blade.

Jayden’s shoulders tensed.

He sighed and walked back to the desk, grabbing the receiver with visible irritation. “This better be urgent.”

There was a pause.

Then his posture changed.

He looked at me.

Stared.

And something cold passed over his face.

“What?” I asked, my voice barely audible. “Jayden, what is it?”

He held the phone out to me slowly. “It’s your brother,” he said. “He wants to talk to you.”

My brows furrowed. “Edrine? How does he even have your office number?”

Jayden didn’t respond.

I took the phone from his hand and pressed it to my ear, my heart still thudding painfully.

“Edrine?” My voice cracked. “Let’s talk tomorrow—I can’t do this right now. Abriel is missing.”

A beat of silence on the line.

Then, calmly, Edrine said:

“Actually… that’s why I called.

Abriel is here.

He’s at Gabriel’s house.”