4

Alaric froze, his entire body rigid with shock. His face drained of all color as the Beta's words sank in. He shook his head violently, refusing to accept what he'd just heard.

"Impossible!" he roared, his voice hoarse with disbelief. His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles turning white. "We had plans, and her birthday is tomorrow. How could anything happen to her? She was fine when I left her!"

His wolf surged beneath his skin, desperate to break free. The Alpha's eyes flashed between human gray and wolf amber as he struggled to maintain control.

"Alpha," the Beta began cautiously, keeping his distance. He'd seen Alaric angry before, but never like this—never with this edge of wild desperation. "Please try to remain calm."

"Calm?" Alaric snarled, taking a menacing step forward. Several pack members nearby instinctively lowered their gazes, sensing the dangerous energy radiating from their leader. "My mate is supposedly dead, and you want me to remain calm?"

The Beta's expression was complicated as he spoke quietly, each word chosen with extreme care. "Alpha, the hunting ground patrol said your Luna entered alone. The senior guard noted she seemed very upset. Then..."

"Impossible!" Alaric cut him off, his voice rising uncontrollably. The walls of Eliza's home seemed to vibrate with the force of his denial. "I don't believe it! Why would she go to the hunting grounds alone at night? That's not like Amara at all. Why didn't the patrol report to me the moment she arrived there?"

His breathing came in short, sharp bursts. Panic clawed at his chest, an unfamiliar sensation for the normally controlled Alpha.

The Beta hesitated, looking uncomfortable. His gaze briefly flicked toward Eliza before returning to Alaric's face.

"Alpha," he said, measuring each word with precision, "the patrol said they called you repeatedly throughout the night. They left six messages. But your phone... appears to have been turned off."

Alaric's face went slack with confusion. He looked down at his phone and saw the blank screen staring back at him. With trembling fingers, he quickly pressed the power button. The device vibrated as it came to life, immediately lighting up with missed call notifications.

Six from the patrol captain. Three from his security team. Two from the pack enforcer.

All within the past eight hours.

His head snapped up, eyes locking onto Eliza with an icy glare that could have frozen fire. "Did you turn it off?"

She flinched at his tone, stepping back instinctively. Her hand moved protectively over her pregnant belly.

"Alaric," she said, quickly composing herself. "How could I turn off your phone? We were working on my research presentation all night. Maybe it was accidentally pressed when you set it down, or it shut down from low battery."

Her tone carried a carefully calculated hint of grievance, eyes wide with practiced innocence. "You can't blame me for this. Besides, she could have contacted you through your mind link, couldn't she? That's what true mates do in emergencies."

Something dark and terrible flickered across Alaric's features at the mention of the mind link. Without another word, he turned and bolted from the room, shoving past Eliza so roughly that she stumbled back against the wall.

"Alaric!" she called after him, but he was already gone.

He ran the entire way to the docks, ignoring the startled looks from pack members as their Alpha tore through the territory like a madman. His powerful legs carried him faster than any human could move, his wolf lending him strength as panic fueled his muscles.

He couldn't hide the anxiety and gut-wrenching guilt contorting his face, his eyes swimming with growing unease and dread. With each step, the weight of realization pressed down on him harder.

The mind link. He had blocked it last night. Blocked his mate when she tried to reach him.

"No, no, no," he muttered as he ran, memories of the previous night flashing through his mind—Eliza's call, the potion research, the late dinner, the blocked link.

Amara's birthday. Today was her birthday.

When he finally reached the hunting grounds, he found the area cordoned off. Pack security, local enforcement, and Alliance investigators crowded the entrance. The grim expressions on their faces told him everything he needed to know even before he pushed through to see for himself.

The safety barriers at the perimeter had been damaged, leaving no protection between the grounds and the rogue wolf territory beyond. Blood stained the grass near the broken fence—not much, but enough to track by scent.

Alaric dropped to his knees, pressing his palm against the dark stain. He closed his eyes, desperately seeking any trace of Amara's energy, any hint of her wolf's presence.

Nothing. Just emptiness where their bond should be.

An Alliance investigation officer approached, his expression professionally neutral though his eyes held a hint of pity. "Mr. Blackwood," he began, his tone grave, "we've conducted an initial search but haven't found Luna anywhere within the Northern Territory hunting grounds."

Alaric rose slowly to his feet, his body feeling impossibly heavy. "What happened here?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"According to patrol testimony and surveillance footage, Luna arrived here shortly after midnight. She waited alone for several hours before deliberately approaching the perimeter fence."

The officer cleared his throat uncomfortably. "The footage shows her... purposefully crossing into rogue wolf territory around 5 AM. We found evidence of an intense struggle approximately half a mile beyond the fence line. Blood patterns and claw marks suggest a rogue wolf attack. Given the amount of blood loss and the... violence of the attack, Luna is likely... gone."