The Disappearance

Sloane's pov.

“Bella is gone!”

My heart stuttered before my head snapped to the door. Dad was standing beside the opened door, his face laced with a frown, a glint of anger beaming in his eyes.

I stood up from the chair and turned to face him completely, my face twisted in confusion. “What do you mean Bella is gone?”

“You heard me clearly, Sloane” His face darkened.

My heart dropped.

Gone?

A day to her mating?

“She could be out to get something, she will come back soon—” I said, but was cut off immediately by Dad's voice.

“No,” Dad said sharply. “She's gone”

From the serious look on his face, I could tell he had looked everywhere for Bella but couldn't find her.

Bella is my half sister. Her mating day is tomorrow, and everyone has been busy preparing for the big day. At least, that's what she told me yesterday with a wide smile on her face.

She looked so happy merely thinking about getting mated to Lucien Collins, her fiance.

If she's disappeared, then……

“I think we better call the mating off,” I murmured softly.

“We can't,” Dad's grey eyes roamed through my face, darkened. “You'll have to take her place”

I heard him right.

But the words didn't register at first.

“What?” My voice trembled, coming out thinner than I had expected. My face was filled with disbelief and my eyes blinked in shock.

“It's too late to call the mating off. You'll have to show up tomorrow in Bella's wedding dress”

He stepped back, roaming his eyes through my body from head to toe.

“Your build is similar, you are the same age as Bella.” He paused. “There won't be much difference, you are the perfect substitute for this”

Dad was serious.

But no, this is way too ridiculous.

“I can't.” I shook my head and stepped backwards. “I don't want that marriage”

Bella's mating has nothing to do with me. It was an alliance between our pack and Lucien's. She agreed to mate Lucien Collins and that has entirely nothing to do with me.

She disappeared, but why should I take her place? Why should I agree to be trapped with a mate I don't want all for the sake of the alliance?

“You are ungrateful, Sloane,” Dad scoffed. “You are not my daughter but I took you in and you dare question my decision?”

My head lowered and I flinched at his tone. My hair fell to my face, covering my eyes as if they were protecting me from his dangerous gaze.

“You are wolfless” His voice was dangerous and low. “An Omega, a shame.”

He stepped closer to me. “A burden I chose to keep in my household but now you think you are old enough to have your own opinions?”

“Don't make me regret the choice I made, Sloane” he growled.

Yes, I wasn't his daughter. A marriage with my mother was what made us become family. I was grateful he took us in when my real father proved his worthlessness and left five years ago, leaving Mom to cater for us:

My brother and I.

Carl was only three by then and I was thirteen. Mom remarried almost immediately, like she had been waiting for us to be discarded by my real Dad. She married Oscar Bianchi, the man standing in front of me right now and he had taken care of us ever since. He was always harsh, but that was expected of him as an Alpha.

Even after Mom died two years ago, he didn't stop taking care of us.

His reminder was enough to silence me, but still, I couldn't allow my future to be decided for me.

“No” I shook my head, stepping backwards. “I'm not doing this”

My voice lowered into a whisper. “This is not my marriage”

“If Bella doesn't want this marriage….” My eyes shot up and my voice rose loudly. “Then we just call it off”

It would be better to call it off. I never liked the idea of Bella mating Lucien anyways. I didn't know why, but it saddened me that she was going to mate him.

It was better this way. Better if we just call the mating off.

Dad stepped closer and my heart dropped. His hand grabbed my chin roughly and he lifted my face to look at him.

“That. Is. Not. Happening!” He grumbled under his breath.

“You won't have a choice, Sloane.” His gaze lingered on me, cold and certain. And for the first time since we've been standing here, a strange feeling of unease crawled up my spine. “You will have to do this”

He let go of me roughly and turned, walking out of the room and slamming the door after him.

I was left alone in the room and finally, I could exhale. I sighed and sank back into the chair, thinking about his last words.

What did he mean by that?

What does he have up his sleeve?

I picked my phone and dialed Bella's number. The line rang once.

Twice.

I tightened my grip around the phone and tapped my feet on the ground while fidgeting on my fingers.

“Come on….. pick up…” I whispered.

But all that came was silence and the ringing tone that filled the air before the call dropped into voicemail.

My head was filled with questions no one except Bella could answer.

Why did she leave?

Didn't she agree to this marriage of her own will?

I groaned and ran my hands through my hair. Everything was unsettling and I couldn't stop thinking about how tomorrow would unfold with Bella not here, and Dad not wanting to call the mating off.

Thoughts about Bella and her mating day were pushed to the back of my head and my brother, Carl replaced all that. It's time to cook his meal, it's almost time to pay him a visit.

I stepped out of my room into the quiet mansion and silently made my way to the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, the cook was standing in front of the counter, slicing onions. She snapped her head and flashed me a smile which I returned without hesitation.

“I know it's time to prepare a meal for Carl, so I'm helping out” She grinned.

I stepped into the kitchen beside her, patting her shoulder lightly. “Thank you, Hannah. I'll take it from here”

I reached for the knife and resumed slicing the onions but almost sliced my fingers when my hand slipped.

“Careful,” Hannah said softly, voice concerned.

“I'm fine” I muttered, though I knew I wasn't. My thoughts were scattered and worse, they were nowhere near the kitchen.

I managed to finish cooking and packed the meal in a box then returned to my room to change my dress. The moment I walked into the room, my eyes moved to the nightstand where the screen of my phone lit up with a missed call.

I picked the phone up and my brows furrowed in confusion. I had six missed calls from Nurse Celia, the nurse in charge of Carl's treatment.

Yes, Carl is severely ill and is admitted in the hospital.

I dialed the nurse's line again and she picked up instantly.

“Miss Sloane…” her voice trembled, raising alarm.

My stomach dropped. “What is it?”

“Your brother……”

Her voice was shaky and those two words trembled terribly.

“What about Carl?”

My breath hitched.

And I froze.

“He's going to die….” She trembled.

“He's not going to make it…..”