Chapter 7: I Must Get Her Back

Leonard

The pain had been clawing at me for hours. It sat deep, twisting, burning straight through my chest, threading itself through my veins like poison.

I felt it every second, it was constant, merciless, and impossible to ignore.

The mate bond pulsed again, hard enough to make my vision blur, my fist slamming into the wall beside me as a sharp, sickening awareness settled in my gut. I felt so much heat, disorientation, and a pull that didn’t belong to me.

My breath came uneven as realization sank in, slow and cruel. Someone else was inside her.

Another man was touching her through my bond, moving her body, making her feel things that were meant to be mine alone.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my vision swimming even more as fury boiled over. Allene had never cheated on me before, so I hadn’t known the bond could hurt like this.

No.. No! I shook my head violently, refusing the obvious truth even as my body betrayed me. Allene wouldn’t dare. She wouldn’t be stupid enough, reckless enough, to do something like that. She knows I would never truly forgive her, if she ever cheated on me. What I hated the most was my woman’s body being tainted by another man.

But the bond didn’t lie. It never does.

The painful sensations bled through relentlessly — the tightening, the release, the undeniable rhythm that made my stomach churn with fury and disbelief. My jaw clenched so hard it ached as the truth forced its way in, stripping away denial piece by piece.

Allene had crossed a line she could never uncross.

When the pain finally stopped, I released a long breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, my shoulders sagging slightly as the worst of it passed, even though the anger and disgust remained.

I was still lost in my thoughts, replaying everything over and over, when the door opened.

“Leo, my love.”

Jessica’s voice pulled me out of it.

I turned to her. She walked in slowly, deliberately, wearing only a thin layer of cloth that left very little to the imagination. She knew what she was doing. She always knew how to present herself, and pull my attention when she wanted it.

Usually, it worked. This time, I barely registered it.

“Why are you so lost in thoughts?” she asked, tilting her head as she walked closer.

“They haven’t found Allene,” I said coldly. “I’ve sent even my biker wolves.”

She frowned slightly. “And?”

“And she disappeared without a trace,” I continued, my voice tightening. “And now she’s…”

I stopped. The word burned at the back of my throat.

Fucking someone. I wanted to say she was fucking someone else.

The thought alone made my fists clench, anger rising sharply in my chest, hotter than before. The anger surged to another level. Jessica watched me for a moment, then scoffed lightly. “Why are you this worked up over her?”

“She’s not of any good to you anyway,” she added dismissively. “You should stop bothering about that bitch.”

She moved closer, pressing herself against me, her hands already moving towards my trousers, trying to arouse me. “Forget her, Leo,” she murmured nibbling on my ear. “I’m here to make you feel good.”

Normally, this was where I would give in.

But my body didn’t respond. My mind refused to follow. My mind wasn’t there. It was still stuck on Allene. On the bond. Allene was mine!

She was something I was supposed to be able to summon, touch, control whenever I wanted. And the idea that another man was out there, touching what belonged to me, made my blood boil again in a way I couldn’t suppress. I just knew I had to find her as soon as possible.

And when I did, she would pay in so many torturous ways for letting another man put his hands on her.

Jessica was still talking beside me, her voice continuing like noise I hadn’t given permission to exist. Her words blurred together, meaningless, irritating, and unnecessary.

“Stop trying to convince me to let go of the matter,” I snapped, shoving her away from me.

She froze, clearly not expecting it.

“I will find her,” I said, my voice low, cold, certain. “No matter what.”

And I meant every word.

Just then, the door opened again.

“Alpha Leonard,” my beta said. I slowly looked up. “She’s been found.”

My heart slammed hard against my chest.

“Where is she?” I asked, my voice already tight.

There was a pause. A brief, stupid pause that made something snap inside me even before he answered.

“Well,” he said carefully. “She could be around or inside of the rogue encampment.”

For a second, everything went quiet. “What?” I snarled, the word tearing out of my throat as I took a step forward. “What did you just say?”

He swallowed. “Allene was last seen near the forbidden borders, but we’re not too sure where she is.” Rage surged so fast it made my head spin, my vision narrowing as one single name echoed in my mind.

Of all places.

I let out a sharp, humorless breath, my teeth grinding together as the thought formed on its own, ugly and unwanted. Could it be what I’m thinking?

The question burned.

What if…

I didn’t finish it out loud. “Get more of my wolves ready right now,” I said coldly, already moving. My beta hesitated. “Alpha… ”

“I said now,” I snapped, my eyes blazing. “I’m going there to find, and bring her back myself.”