Chapter 6

Garth’s POV    

I may be the Shadow pack’s Gamma, but Xavier made everyone aware of why he was the pack’s head warrior. Just before he knocked me unconscious, I hoped Samantha was enjoying herself.   

Cal, my wolf, was mocking me as he healed my injuries. That’s when Lily’s mind link came through. Xavier hadn’t realized Samantha was missing from warrior training and immediately started searching for her. Calling out her name and searching for her.

I ran as fast as I could to the packhouse, which was when I saw a hysterical Lily being comforted by Jaxon on the porch. “Axel is searching the packhouse, trying to catch Samantha’s scent so she can be tracked.” He told me.   

Once Lily had calmed down, she admitted that Samantha had caught her wearing her ceremonial dress. Lily said Samantha went berserk, which is understandable. That dress is important both to Samantha and to the pack. It signifies our Alpha’s union with his mate. What the hell was Lily thinking, trying it on? According to Lily, Samantha vanished while Lily was changing. That was when Lily reached out to the pack.   

Axel ordered every pack member to search for Samantha. When Samantha wasn’t found on the day she disappeared, Axel sent out trackers in case she had been kidnapped. Cal joined them in case she was found and needed our bond to help her. 

The entire time, my guilt ripped me apart, causing Cal to block me out for long periods. I am not responsible for Samantha’s decision to run off. No, Lily is solely responsible for that. But I was the one who suggested Samantha return home. If I hadn’t done so, she wouldn’t have caught Lily in her dress, and she would be home, where she is safest. Cal has reassured me to no end that we would find her. But it doesn’t stop me from feeling awful. 

The trackers spent five days trying to find any trace of her. But there was nothing. Eventually, Cal had to accept that there was no trace of her anywhere. Heading home, he felt like such a failure. Surely, as her Gamma, I should be able to sense her location; we are connected spiritually.

Cal shifted outside the packhouse, expecting me to go inside, eat, and recuperate. But as I stared at the front door, I couldn’t bear to enter, knowing Samantha was out there somewhere.

So I grabbed my stinky, week-old, sweaty training clothes off the porch and went looking for Samantha at her favorite spots. The hole in my sneaker made hiking uncomfortable, but I persisted. The entire time, Cal insisted I go home and rest. But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. 

It wasn’t until the sole of my sneaker fell apart, 2 days later that I decided I needed to go home. It was hard walking through the front door and her scent not being anywhere. But what was harder was walking past Samantha’s dressing room.

The door was open, and I could see her dress for the first time. My jaw dropped when I saw how beautiful it was. A white princess dress, for the pure princess she was. Every inch of it had been created exactly to fit Samantha’s specifications. Which would have meant it would have never fit Lily. “What the fuck was she thinking?” I said as I closed the door. Until Samantha decides what to do with this dress, it should remain hidden from the public eye.

I hung my head in shame as I walked to my suite. It is my job to protect the Luna. Both physically and mentally, I could have helped her deal with her frustrations if only she had come to me. I felt that I had failed not only Samantha and Axel but also myself, proving I wasn’t worthy of the Gamma position. Despite the already-established connection I had with Samantha and Zola. “Stop that,” Cal snapped at me. “You’re no good to anyone if you continue beating yourself up.” He was right. How will I help Samantha if I can’t help myself?   

After a shower and a freshen-up, I didn’t feel much better. Physically, I felt more energetic, but my mind was elsewhere. I took my old and new sneakers to the kitchen to dispose of them. I also needed to cut the tags off my new sneakers. Rather than go to the trash bin twice, I dropped my old ones on the floor and reached for the kitchen scissors. But they weren’t in the block, nor was the butcher’s cleaver. Which was weird, as our housekeeper is meticulous. There was no reason they should be missing.

I had a drink of water and looked out of the window, questioning where Samantha could be. Cal growled as a breeze blew through the kitchen, and he caught Samantha’s faint scent. I hushed him as, of course, she lived here. Even though she hadn’t been here for a week, her faint scent would be all over the packhouse. I placed my glass on the side and went to throw my sneakers and tags in the trash can. As my foot pressed the pedal to lift the lid, Samantha’s scent hit me, and it was strong. “She’s been here!” I shouted as I rushed upstairs to find her.   

After searching the entire upper floor, I returned to the kitchen, frustrated that I couldn’t find her. It was strange because her scent was strongest in the kitchen, specifically the trash bin. Why was her scent so strong in there? I dashed to the trash bin, yanking out the garbage bag. As I rummaged through rotten food and trash, I found the kitchen scissors, which had pieces of hair stuck to them. Samantha’s hair. Those were the source of Samantha’s scent. “Why would Samantha cut her hair and then bin the scissors?” I asked myself curiously. When she moved into the packhouse, her hair was shoulder-length, but she had been growing it so that she could have curls for the Luna ceremony. “Maybe she cut it as a statement that there would be no ceremony,” Cal suggested. I didn’t buy it; Samantha could have easily changed the dress. Her hair had taken nearly a year to get to that length. There was no way she would have cut it in anger.

“Over there. The breeze and her scent are faint over there.” Cal informed me, wanting me to head toward the pantry. “There is no way Samantha is hiding in the pantry,” I scoffed as I made my way to the cupboard where we store food. I twisted the handle, opening the door, hoping she was there, and this was just a prank to teach everyone a lesson. But the room was empty. Cal growled in frustration.

A spider ran across the floor but stopped at my sneaker. That was when I noticed it wasn’t a spider but a clump of hair. “What in the goddess is going on?” I said as I picked up the hair, pulling it to my nose, “Samantha, I would know her scent anywhere.” Extremely confused as to what was going on, I looked around for anything else of hers. 

The only other things in the pantry were tins and jars oh and the hidden door to the interrogation room below the packhouse. Only Axel, Jaxon, and I are allowed down there. Everyone knows that. None of us would want any harm to come to Samantha, so why would she be down there? But then again, why would a piece of Samantha’s hair be on the floor in the pantry?   

I walked out of the pantry. Cal growled in frustration, and I had to agree with him. Something didn’t feel right. Curiosity got the better of me, so I retrieved the key. A key to the room I have only been in once since becoming Gamma.

Not knowing what to expect as I unlocked the door, I was surprised that the light was turned on. It could have been a mistake, as none of us go down there often.

As I pushed the door open wider, I was shocked by a revolting stench that made me want to vomit. As I wretched, Cal said a word I would never have expected: “Wolfsbane.” Something has been going on in the interrogation room, and I’ve not been made aware of it. We should not keep secrets from one another.

I will confront Axel and Jaxon later about my discovery. But in the meantime, I’m going down there.