Chapter 18—I HOPE SHE'S OKAY 2

Sophie needed to be taken home first.

The thought of continuing this search with her sleeping in the backseat had already bothered me for hours. She was only a child, and regardless of how much she loved Brea and Blake, she did not belong in the middle of whatever was happening.

If Brea had truly been in an accident, I needed to find her.

And I needed to do it without putting Sophie in danger.

The drive home felt longer than usual.

Throughout the journey, my eyes kept drifting toward the rearview mirror. Sophie remained asleep, completely unaware of the fear tightening around my heart.

I wished I could be like that.

I wished I could close my eyes and believe that everything would be fine when I woke up.

Unfortunately, my wolf would not allow it.

Find her.

His voice entered my mind, low and restless.

“I know.”

Something is wrong.

“You don't know that.”

Neither do you.

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

That was the problem.

I didn't know anything.

I didn't know where Brea was.

I didn't know whether she was hurt.

I didn't know if Blake was safe.

The moment that thought entered my mind, my entire body stiffened.

My foot pressed harder against the accelerator.

“Damn it.”

The rest of the journey passed in silence.

By the time I arrived home, the entire house was dark except for the lights near the entrance. My housekeeper had obviously remained awake, probably waiting for Sophie and me to return.

After parking, I stepped out and quietly opened the back door.

“Sophie,” I murmured gently.

She didn't move.

Reaching inside, I carefully lifted her from the seat. Her body immediately relaxed against mine, and she let out a small sleepy sound before resting her head against my shoulder.

I carried her toward the house.

The door opened before I reached it.

My housekeeper appeared, looking surprised when she saw the time.

“Sir, you're back. I was beginning to wonder if—”

“Please take Sophie upstairs,” I interrupted gently. “Make sure she sleeps properly tonight.”

She nodded, but before I could hand Sophie over, the little girl stirred in my arms.

Her eyelashes fluttered.

Then her eyes opened.

“Daddy?”

“I'm here.”

Her sleepy gaze moved around the entrance before returning to my face.

“Did you see Aunty Brea and Blake?”

The question hit me harder than I expected.

For a moment, I could only look at her.

Then I slowly shook my head.

“No, sweetheart. I haven't found them yet.”

Her expression changed immediately, and even though sleep still clouded her eyes, concern appeared across her small face.

“Are they lost?”

“No,” I said, forcing a calmness I did not feel. “They are not lost. Aunty Brea simply went somewhere, and Daddy is trying to find out where she is.”

Sophie studied me carefully.

Children noticed more than adults gave them credit for.

“Are you worried?”

I hesitated.

“Yes.”

Her small fingers curled around my shirt.

“Then don't go anywhere without me.”

The softness of her voice almost made me smile, but my chest was too tight for it.

“Tonight, I need you to stay here,” I told her, kissing her forehead. “I promise I will be careful, and I will come back to you.”

“But what if you find Aunty Brea?”

“Then I will make sure she knows you were worried about her.”

That seemed to satisfy her slightly.

Her eyes closed again.

“Okay,” she whispered. “But find her, Daddy.”

“I will.”

Handing Sophie over to the housekeeper, I waited until they disappeared inside before turning toward the security office.

My head of security was still awake.

Within minutes, he came toward me.

“Sir?”

“I need you to track a phone number.”

His expression immediately became serious.

“Whose number?”

“Doctor Brea Anderson.”

He paused slightly.

“The doctor from the hospital?”

“Yes.”

“What exactly am I looking for?”

I stepped closer.

“I need to know the last location of her phone before it went dead. Find out where she was when the signal disappeared, which direction she was traveling, and anything else you can get from the number.”

The man nodded.

“Was there an emergency, sir?”

My jaw tightened.

“I don't know yet. I spoke to her earlier, and I heard what sounded like a crash. Her phone has been switched off since then. Also check the hospitals around there and find out if there were any emergencies.”

His face changed immediately.

“I understand.”

“Good.”

“I'll get my team on it immediately.”

“Do that, and report back to me as soon as you find anything. I don't care what time it is, and I don't care whether you think the information is important or not. The moment you discover where she was, I want to know.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

He turned and hurried away.

The moment he disappeared, I walked back into the living room.

There was nothing else I could do at the moment. But my body refused to remain still.

Moving across the room, I began pacing, each step becoming heavier as different possibilities continued running through my mind.

What if she was injured?

What if Blake was injured?

What if the accident had happened somewhere isolated, and nobody had found them?

I stopped.

“No.”

The word left my mouth before I could stop it.

My wolf stirred violently.

Find her.

“I am trying.”

Try harder.

I closed my eyes.

The connection between Brea and me had been unexpected from the beginning. I had been searching for a mate, and she had clearly wanted nothing to do with the bond between us.

Yet the thought of something happening to her was unbearable.

Even though she rejected the idea of us, walked away and ignored my messages, none of it mattered.

At least, not now.

We are not losing her.

My eyes opened.

The words settled heavily inside me.

I stood in the middle of the room, listening to the silence surrounding the house.

Then I nodded.

“We won't.”

My wolf went quiet.

A few seconds passed before I spoke again, this time to myself.

“I don't care where she went, what she is running from, or why she believes she has to deal with everything alone. I will find her.”

Find her by all means, my wolf stirred.

A slow breath left my lungs.

“I swear to you,” I murmured, my voice low but unwavering. “I will find her.”