Chapter 6 — The Trade

Aldric POV

The forest felt too quiet on the way back.

Even with the steady patter of rain through leaves and the soft sounds of boots against damp earth, an unnatural stillness pressed against Aldric’s senses like a warning he couldn’t quite name. Regina walked between him and his father, wrapped in his coat, her steps slow but steady. Every few moments he caught the faint tremor in her breathing, the lingering edge of shock clinging to her scent.

Alive.

The word repeated in his mind like a steady drumbeat, grounding him against the rage simmering just beneath his skin.

She was alive.

That mattered more than anything else right now.

Still, the memory of the cave — the rope biting into her wrists, the faint trace of blood in the air — made his jaw tighten until it hurt. His wolf paced restlessly, agitated and protective, unwilling to fully settle even with Regina beside them.

Whoever had taken her had been close.

Too close.

And that scent… cold and metallic, unnatural.

Aldric’s mind kept circling it, trying to place what his instincts already knew.

Not wolf.

Something worse.

“Almost there,” Darius said quietly, glancing back at Regina with a gentleness Aldric rarely saw him show outside family.

Regina nodded, though her gaze stayed fixed ahead, as if she were afraid to look anywhere else in case the cave reappeared. Her fingers were curled tightly into the front of Aldric’s coat, knuckles pale.

Aldric slowed slightly without thinking, matching her pace exactly. The urge to reach out — to steady her, to reassure her — tugged at him again, unfamiliar and persistent.

You barely know her, he told himself.

It didn’t matter. She was under his protection. That was enough.

The lights of the estate finally appeared through the trees, warm golden glow spilling across the wet grounds. Relief loosened something tight in his chest. The estate meant safety. Walls. Pack.

As they approached, the front doors opened before they even reached the steps, one of the house guards rushing out, eyes wide.

“Alpha—”

“We found her,” Darius said, voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of steel. “Get the healer.”

The guard nodded quickly and stepped aside, his gaze softening when it landed on Regina. “Thank the Moon,” he murmured.

Inside, the warmth of the estate wrapped around them, firelight flickering across polished floors. The scents of wolves filled the air — familiar, grounding — but beneath it Aldric caught the sharp edge of anxiety.

Word had spread fast.

Several pack members lingered in the entrance hall, their conversations dying the moment they saw Regina. Relief rippled through the room, mixed with curiosity and lingering tension.

Aldric felt their gazes shift to him, unspoken questions hanging heavy.

Is she alright? Who did this? Are we safe?

He kept his expression controlled, giving nothing away. Leaders didn’t show uncertainty — not when the pack needed stability.

A healer hurried forward, an older woman with silver threaded through dark hair and sharp, kind eyes. “Let me see you, child,” she said gently, guiding Regina toward a nearby sitting room.

Regina hesitated, glancing back once — not at her father.

At Aldric.

The look was brief but unmistakable — gratitude, and something softer beneath it.

He inclined his head slightly, offering silent reassurance.

She disappeared into the sitting room with the healer, the door closing softly behind them.

Only then did Aldric allow himself a deeper breath.

Darius turned to him immediately, voice low. “We need to talk.”

Aldric nodded once.

They stepped into his father’s study, shutting the door behind them. The room smelled of leather, old paper, and faint cedar smoke. It had always felt like the center of command to Aldric — the place where decisions were made, where problems were dismantled piece by piece.

Darius moved behind his desk but didn’t sit, hands braced against the wood. “What did you scent?”

Aldric crossed his arms, staring at the floor for a moment as he sorted through memory. “Not rogue. Not wolf. Something… cold. Metallic. Controlled.”

Darius’ expression darkened. “Vampire?”

The word settled heavily between them.

Aldric’s stomach tightened. “Maybe,” he said slowly. “But different. Fainter than I’d expect.”

Rafael’s face flickered briefly through his mind — calm, composed, trusted.

Aldric shoved the thought away immediately.

No. Rafael would never—

Would he?

The idea felt wrong. Impossible.

Darius exhaled slowly. “We’ll increase guards. No one leaves alone until we know more.”

Aldric nodded. “I’ll double the perimeter watch.”

A sharp knock sounded at the door.

Both men turned.

“Come,” Darius called.

The door opened — and one of the younger guards stepped inside, face pale beneath his tan skin.

Aldric’s wolf instantly lifted its head, senses sharpening at the scent of fear rolling off him.

“What is it?” Darius asked, voice already tightening.

The guard swallowed hard. “Alpha… it’s Rebecca.”

The world seemed to tilt slightly.

Aldric’s heartbeat stuttered once. “What about her?”

The guard’s eyes flicked to him, sympathy flashing briefly before he spoke.

“She’s gone.”

The words landed like a physical blow.

Aldric stared at him, mind refusing to process. “Gone?”

“Her room window was forced open,” the guard said quietly. “No one saw anything. No scent trail yet — the rain…”

The rest blurred into white noise.

Aldric’s ears rang, the world narrowing until all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

Rebecca.

His little sister.

Images flashed through his mind — her laughing in the training yard, her teasing him mercilessly over dinner, her stubborn refusal to back down from any challenge.

Gone.

“No,” he said, the word low and rough, more growl than speech.

His wolf exploded forward, rage and terror colliding into something feral. The need to move, to hunt, to tear apart anything in his path surged so hard it made his hands shake.

Darius’ face had gone completely still — the kind of stillness that meant volcanic fury barely contained.

“When?” he asked, voice deadly calm.

“Within the last hour,” the guard said.

The timing hit Aldric like ice water.

They’d been gone. Searching for Regina.

And in that window—

“It’s a trade,” Aldric said hoarsely, the realization slicing through him.

Darius’ gaze snapped to his. “Explain.”

“They took Regina,” Aldric said, chest tight. “To draw us out. To split our attention.”

To take Rebecca.

Guilt crashed over him with suffocating force.

If he’d stayed. If he’d left more guards. If—

No.

No time for that.

“We track,” Aldric said, already turning toward the door. “Now.”

Darius nodded once, eyes blazing. “Sound the alarm.”

Within seconds, the estate erupted into controlled chaos — wolves moving fast but organized, orders shouted, the deep echo of a warning howl rolling across the grounds.

Aldric moved through it like a blade, senses flaring, searching desperately for any trace of Rebecca’s scent beneath the rain-damp air.

Nothing.

The storm had washed the world clean.

His chest tightened painfully.

I should have protected her.

The thought looped endlessly, sharp and merciless.

In the distance, thunder rolled again, low and ominous, like the sky itself mourning what had been taken.

Aldric stood at the edge of the grounds, staring into the dark forest, fists clenched at his sides.

Somewhere out there, his sister was alone.

Afraid.

And whoever had done this thought they could bargain with his family.

A slow, dangerous calm settled over him — colder than anger, sharper than rage.

They had just made the worst mistake of their lives.

Because Aldric Thorn would tear apart the world itself if that’s what it took to bring her home.

And when he found them…

There would be nothing left.