Chapter 6

Ryan's POV

"Ryan, please. Come back and mark me. Please, you have to save our baby."

Claire's desperate pleas tore through my sleep.

I opened my eyes, her voice still ringing in my ears. Her tear-streaked face flashed through my mind, along with the memory of her begging me to return.

I glanced at the date on my phone.

Several days. No calls, no messages. She begged me so desperately before, but there's been almost no word from her these past few days.

What could possibly happen in those days?

The unease in my chest refused to settle. I threw off the covers, got dressed, and headed for the door. Whatever the reason, I needed to see Claire with my own eyes.

Sabrina was waiting in the hall.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

Her expression changed. She stepped in front of me, then wrapped her arms around my waist.

"You just woke up. Can't you stay for breakfast?" Her voice softened. "I've waited years for us to have this time together, Ryan. I don't want to lose it again."

She tilted her face toward mine. I turned aside, leaving her kiss to land against my cheek, and gently removed her hands.

For a moment, she said nothing.

"Are you avoiding me?" she finally asked. "You've been different these past few days. Is it because of Claire?"

I frowned. Why did she keep bringing Claire into our conversations? Was she comparing herself to my wife, or trying to find out which of them mattered more to me?

Sabrina stepped closer, resting her hand against my chest. Her fingers traced a slow path over my shirt, a familiar gesture that had once been enough to draw my attention.

"Don't tell me you're worried about her," she murmured.

I caught her hand before it could wander any farther and held her gaze.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Sabrina."

Sabrina stiffened.

"I'm not questioning you. I'm asking you to stay with your family."

"I've made my decision." I adjusted my cuffs and met her eyes. "You know better than anyone that I don't change my mind because someone dislikes the answer."

Her hurt expression sharpened. "So I'm someone now? After everything we've been through, you can't spare me another day?"

"I have already given you several days." My voice remained level, but I left no room for argument. "I won't be staying here indefinitely. I'm Alpha of Blackridge, and I won't neglect my responsibilities to satisfy anyone's wishes. Not even yours."

A small voice came from the sitting room.

"Daddy?"

Reign stood in the doorway, still dressed in his sleep shirt. His eyes were already filling with tears.

"They used to say I didn't have a daddy," he said, his voice breaking. "Now I have one, but you're leaving too."

His crying filled the hall. I pressed my lips together. Every time I had to leave, he reacted the same way. I understood that he was afraid of being abandoned. He had spent five years growing up without a father, and I had only had a month to adjust to suddenly having him in my life.

I glanced at Sabrina. Had she been letting him get away with this every time?

He was a child. None of this was his fault, but someone had to teach him that I couldn't stay at his side every hour of the day.

His puppy eyes stared at me.

Fine. Whatever had happened between Sabrina and me belonged to the adults. Reign had done nothing except grow up believing his father wasn't there. I wasn't going to punish him for that.

I crouched and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll come back, Reign. You have my word."

"But I want you to stay!"

"I know." I kept my voice firm, though I softened it for him. "And I'll see you again soon. But I have to go now."

Sabrina watched me with wounded eyes, clearly expecting me to reconsider. I didn't.

I kissed the top of Reign's head, stood, and walked past her.

I had indulged Sabrina because I wanted to make up for the years she had spent without me. That didn't mean she could dictate where I went or how I spent my time.

Still, as I drove away, Claire's voice returned to me.

Calm sown. I told myself. Claire had always been reasonable. Once I saw her, I would know what she wanted and deal with it. A designer handbag, a custom-made wardrobe, anything she could name.

***

The pack house was unusually quiet when I arrived.

I expected Claire to be in her office or overseeing the household staff. Instead, the moment I stepped inside, I found myself listening for the familiar sound of her voice.

"Where's the Luna?" I asked the housekeeper who came out from the kitchen.

She hesitated.

"I don't know, Alpha. She took her belongings."

I stared at her.

The woman lowered her eyes, but not before I caught the concern on her face.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, Alpha." She paused, then added carefully, "The Luna has always taken good care of us. She made sure the staff were paid on time, and she even helped Nora pay for her mother's treatment. We didn't know she was going to leave until it was too late."

I said nothing. Perhaps she went on a trip to clear her head. It was probably for the best.

And... Claire had never mentioned any of that to me. I had never thought to ask what she did beyond the duties I expected her to fulfill.

I went upstairs to her room. The bed was made, and her closet looked almost untouched. The designer dresses I'd bought her still hung neatly in place, along with the bags and accessories I'd given her over the years. But the drawers where she'd kept her personal belongings had been emptied, and the little things that had once made the room feel like hers were gone.

This wasn't an overnight trip.

I searched the rest of the house, unwilling to accept what I was seeing, until I returned to the living room and noticed the papers on the table.

The mate bond dissolution agreement.

I picked them up.

Claire's signature was already on the last page. The agreement formally relinquished her position as Luna and listed the belongings she had taken and those she had left behind.

My grip tightened around the papers.

She had planned this. While I was at Sabrina's, while I was convinced Claire would eventually calm down and come to her senses, she had been preparing to leave me.

"No," I muttered. "She wouldn't."

For four years, Claire had stood beside me in front of the pack. She had handled disputes between pack members, organized relief for families affected by rogue attacks, and kept the household running without ever demanding recognition. Even the elders, who rarely praised anyone, had come to rely on her judgment.

Hadn't her loyalty always been a given?

And Claire had never walked away from our disagreements. She always gave me time to cool down, then returned to discuss whatever needed to be settled.

I had assumed she would do the same this time.

After all, what was there to end our mate bond? A misunderstanding about her supposed pregnancy? I had already made my position clear. If she wanted to prove me wrong, she could have done so without resorting to this.

She was my wife. She was the Luna of Blackridge. Surely she understood the weight of walking away from both.

I set the agreement down, then picked it up again.

I took out my phone and called the eastern border guard.

"Alpha," he answered.

"The day you reported Claire at the gate, tell me exactly what happened."

There was a brief pause.

"The Luna said she was leaving Blackridge, Alpha. I stopped her under standing orders and contacted you."

My jaw tightened. "And you let her leave?"

"You told me not to interfere in her affairs, Alpha. You said she could do as she pleased."

Damn it. I had been busy with Sabrina and Reign, and I had dismissed the report without a second thought. I had assumed Claire was trying to get my attention.

"You should have made it clear that she intended to leave the territory."

"Alpha, I did. You told me you didn't want to be involved."

The guard's words stopped me cold.

He had followed my orders. I couldn't fault him for that.

I took a slow breath, forcing my emotions back under control.

"Send me the time she left and the direction she took. Check the gate records. I want to know whether she left alone and which road she used."

"Yes, Alpha."

I ended the call and contacted the head of the guards.

"Put every available patrol on this. Search the roads and nearby towns. Contact the neighboring packs and ask whether anyone has seen her. I want updates directly from the team leaders, not secondhand reports."

"Yes, Alpha."

"And make it clear that this is a priority. Claire is not a stranger passing through our territory. She was our Luna. Find her."

The orders went out immediately.

I stood in the middle of the living room, the mate bond dissolution agreement in my hand, while my men began searching for the woman I had been certain would never leave.

I should have been angry. She had walked away from her position without consulting the elders, leaving me to deal with the questions that would inevitably follow.

But another thought kept intruding.

Where would she go?

I knew where Claire worked, where she slept, and how she managed the pack house. I knew the way she stood beside me at ceremonies and the calm authority she used when settling disputes. Yet I couldn't name a single person she might turn to now.

I had never needed to know. I had always assumed her life would remain here, within the boundaries of mine.

I folded the agreement and slipped it inside my jacket.

If my men couldn't find her quickly enough, I would go myself.

The doorbell rang before I could leave.

For one foolish second, relief swept through me.

"She's back."

I opened the door, already prepared to tell Claire that this stunt had gone far enough.

But the man on the doorstep wasn't my wife. It was Dr. Hale from the pack hospital.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He bowed his head. "Forgive me for coming without an appointment, Alpha. I'm Claire's personal physician. I've been trying to reach her for several days."

My hand tightened on the door.

"Why?"

"She missed her follow-up examination. I was concerned when she didn't show up, and I haven't been able to contact her. Given her condition, I thought I should come here myself."

I frowned. "What condition?"

Dr. Hale studied my face, his expression turning cautious.

"Alpha Ryan, has Claire received her mate mark yet?"

I froze. Why was the doctor asking me the same question Claire had been so insistent about?

The doctor's next question came quietly, but it struck harder than any accusation.

"And the baby—is the baby all right?"

For a moment, the world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.

The baby?

What the heck was he talking about?