I will find the truth

Luther Steph stood frozen as the final wisps of smoke thinned and disappeared into the open air.

The street looked wrong in its normalcy.

Cars rolled past at the far end of the block. A paper cup scraped along the curb when the wind pushed it. Laughter drifted faintly from somewhere down the road. The world kept moving as if nothing had happened, as if Valentine Spade had not been standing here moments ago before darkness swallowed her whole.

But she was gone.

“She was right here,” Luther said, the words sounding unreal even to his own ears.

His gaze dragged over the pavement, the walls, the rooftops, anywhere she could have been taken. His heart slammed hard against his ribs, each beat sharp with panic.

Micha stepped closer, his expression tight. “I didn’t sense a struggle,” he said carefully. “No blood. No panic. No fear.”

He paused.

“Just smoke.”

That unsettled Luther more than violence ever could.

Smoke meant intent. Planning. Control.

Liam stirred inside him, restless and agitated. She did not leave on her own. Her scent cuts off too cleanly.

“I know,” Luther murmured.

He dropped into a crouch and pressed his fingers to the pavement where Valentine had last stood. Her scent lingered faintly. Warm. Familiar. Hers. But it was broken apart by something bitter and invasive.

Chemical.

Magic-laced.

His jaw tightened. “This wasn’t an attack.”

Micha frowned. “Then what was it?”

“An extraction.”

Understanding crossed Micha’s face. “You think she was taken.”

“I know she was.”

The memory came without warning. Valentine’s eyes when she turned away from him. The sadness she tried to hide. The way her shoulders stiffened when another man touched her waist.

Regret burned through Luther’s chest, hot and merciless.

You rejected her, Liam said. No accusation. Just truth.

Luther closed his eyes briefly. “I did what I had to.”

Did you? The wolf’s voice held doubt. Or did you do what felt easier?

Luther pushed the thought aside. There was no time for that now.

He stood sharply. “Spread out. Call the scouts. I want every entry and exit within five miles locked down. No one moves without us knowing.”

Micha hesitated. “The Council will demand answers.”

“They can wait,” Luther snapped, silver flashing briefly in his eyes. “Valentine Spade is missing.”

Micha nodded and turned away, barking orders into his comm.

Luther remained where he was, fists clenched, breathing through the storm inside him.

He had severed the mate bond.

Spoken the words.

Felt the tearing pain rip through him.

Yet the emptiness never came.

Instead there was this ache. This pull. Like something vital had been torn away but still screamed inside him.

“She’s not free of you,” Liam murmured. “And you are not free of her.”

“She needs to be safe,” Luther said quietly.

She needs you.

Before he could respond, the air shifted.

It was subtle. A tightening in his lungs. A prickle along his spine. Luther straightened, senses sharpening.

The streetlamps flickered.

Shadows stretching longer than they should have.

Someone was still here.

“Show yourself,” Luther said calmly, though threat edged every word.

A soft chuckle echoed across the street.

“How predictable,” a smooth voice said. “Always arriving after the damage is done.”

A figure stepped out from the shadow of a building across the road.

Tall. Cloaked.

His face remained hidden, but his presence pressed heavy against the air, ancient and controlled.

Micha appeared instantly at Luther’s side. “Do you recognize him?”

“I do now,” Luther replied.

The stranger inclined his head. “The Alpha himself. I wondered if the stories exaggerated your intensity.”

“What did you do with her?” Luther demanded.

The man smiled faintly. “Straight to the point. Good. She is unharmed.”

“For now.”

Rage surged. Liam snarled, claws scraping against Luther’s control.

“You will tell me where she is,” Luther said, his voice deadly calm.

“No,” the man replied evenly. “I will not.”

Micha tensed. “Alpha.”

Luther lifted a hand, silencing him. His gaze never left the stranger. “You used smoke infused with binding runes,” he said. “Council level magic. That narrows the list.”

The stranger’s smile widened. “Impressive.”

“You’re either very brave,” Luther continued, “or very stupid.”

“Neither,” the man replied. “I am necessary.”

The word settled heavily between them.

“She belongs to something bigger than your pack,” the stranger went on. “Bigger than your bond. Bigger than you.”

Luther let out a short, humorless laugh. “No one owns her.”

“Oh, Alpha,” the man said softly. “You already gave her up.”

The words struck deeper than Luther expected. His control wavered for a brief moment.

The stranger noticed.

“So the rejection was real,” he murmured. “Fascinating. Do you know how rare it is for a severed mate bond to still linger?”

“You know nothing about us,” Luther snapped.

“I know enough,” the man replied. “Enough to know she did not stop mattering just because you said the words.”

Micha shifted uneasily. “What do you want?”

The stranger glanced at him briefly before returning his focus to Luther. “Time. Cooperation. Restraint.”

“From me?” Luther scoffed.

“From you,” the man confirmed. “If you want her returned alive and untouched by forces far less patient than I am.”

Silence stretched between them.

Liam paced furiously inside Luther’s mind. This is a trap.

“I know,” Luther answered internally. But it is one we walk into.

Aloud, he said, “You have forty eight hours.”

The stranger tilted his head. “To do what?”

“To explain yourself,” Luther said. “And to bring her back.”

After a pause, the man nodded. “Forty eight hours. After that, events may move beyond even your control.”

“And if I find you before then?” Luther asked.

The stranger smiled. “You won’t.”

He stepped back and vanished, dissolving into shadow as if he had never been there.

The street fell silent once more.

Micha exhaled slowly. “That was unsettling.”

Luther did not respond. His gaze remained fixed on the empty space.

“She is not just a mate,” he said finally. “No one risks this for nothing.”

Micha frowned. “What are you thinking?”

“That Valentine Spade is tied to something ancient,” Luther replied. “And cutting her loose did not protect her.”

Liam growled softly. It did not.

Luther closed his eyes, the weight of that truth settling deep in his chest.

“No,” he murmured. “It didn’t.”

When he opened them again, hesitation was gone.

Only resolve remained.

“Mobilize the inner circle,” he ordered. “I want every sealed record, every prophecy, every forbidden text uncovered.”

Micha’s eyes widened. “Alpha, that archive has been locked for generations.”

“Open it,” Luther said. “If she is tied to something ancient, I will find it.”

Then, quieter, meant only for the wolf inside him, he added, “Bond or no bond, she is not facing this alone.”

Liam stilled.

Then, for the first time since the rejection, the wolf howled.

Not in pain.

But in absolute agreement.