Vanished Scents

The silence that followed their cry of “MATE!” was crushing.

Sebastian’s hand trembled on the door handle. Inside him, his wolf growled impatiently. Open it now! Don’t hesitate. Our mate is in there!

Before he could think, his wolf surged forward, flooding him with strength. The handle twisted under his grip, the door shoved wide. Caius moved in instantly, staying close, eyes sharp, his wolf pacing with unease.

The scent hit them like a storm sweet, intoxicating, undeniable. Both wolves growled low, claws itching beneath their skin. But instead of the radiant face of a fated mate, they were met by the sound of quiet, broken sobbing.

A maid sat crumpled by the bed, tears streaming, clutching a piece of fabric in shaking hands.

Sebastian froze. Caius stiffened.

“This… can’t be right,” Sebastian whispered. His wolf snarled in frustration. She’s here. I feel her! Why isn’t she standing before us? Why a stranger?

Caius’s wolf rumbled suspiciously. The scent is real. But why does it cling to her clothes? Unless… the mate is gone.

Sebastian and Caius locked eyes, both unsettled, neither with an answer.

The maid’s broken whisper shattered the silence.

“She’s missing… Oh, goddess. What do I tell Alpha Mason? I should have stopped her.”

Sebastian’s chest tightened. He stepped forward, his wolf clawing hard at his control. “Missing? Our mate is missing?”

Caius clenched his fists, speaking to both Sebastian and his wolf. “This doesn’t add up. How could we both feel the same mate?”

His wolf’s reply was grim. Either fate is cruel… or something darker is moving against us.

The maid’s head snapped up, her eyes widening at the sight of two strangers standing in her lady’s chamber. Panic flared in her face. Without a word, she bolted, skirts brushing Sebastian’s hand as she rushed past.

“She’s going to tell him,” Caius muttered, already moving.

Sebastian’s wolf howled inside. Follow her! She knows where our mate is!

Without hesitation, they sprinted after her, boots striking the stone floor in rhythm with their pounding hearts. The maid was too lost in her own fear to notice them trailing her.

Her hands shook as she reached Alpha Mason’s office. She knocked once hesitant and at his curt “Come in,” she slipped inside.

Alpha Mason sat behind his desk, posture straight, eyes sharp. His brow furrowed at the sight of her pale face. “What is it?” His tone was clipped, edged with impatience.

The maid’s gaze dropped to the floor, her words tumbling out in broken fragments. “Sh-she… left. I-I’m sorry, Alpha. I couldn’t stop her.”

Shocked but quick cover up his expression.

Silence fell heavy. Mason’s expression froze. His jaw tightened in anger, but in his eyes flickered something deeper pain.

“What do you mean, she left?” he demanded, voice booming. “Where? How? And you what were you doing when my daughter disappeared?”

The maid flinched, trembling under his fury. Before she could reply, Sebastian’s wolf roared inside him. Daughter? Did she just say daughter?

Sebastian staggered back, his heart pounding. He shot a look at Caius, who looked just as stunned.

Mason didn’t notice them yet. His voice thundered through the link as he mind-called his Beta. “Search the borders. Now. I want every warrior sniffing her trail!”

The door swung open moments later, and Beta Luca entered, his expression heavy. He bowed.

“Forgive me, Alpha. We searched… but her scent, along with Elora’s, has crossed the border, said Alpha Mason’s Gamma. They are gone.”

Mason’s face paled. His body swayed as though struck. One hand gripped the desk, holding him upright as grief threatened to drop him to his knees.

Sebastian’s wolf snarled in fury. Gone? Our mate is gone? Fate dangles her before us and snatches her away in the same breath?

Caius’s wolf growled, sharp and mistrustful. Two heirs vanish together? No. This stinks of something planned.

“Explain!” Caius’s voice broke the silence, fists clenched tight. His wolf pressed against his skin, demanding answers.

At last, Mason’s gaze found them. His voice was raw, filled with loss. “My daughter… Aria. She ran away. I failed her. I failed my mate. I failed as a father.”

The name sliced into Sebastian. Aria. It echoed through his chest, his wolf howling her name like a vow.

His voice shook. “How could you let this happen? How could you lose her?”

Mason’s eyes blazed not at Sebastian, but at himself. His wolf glimmered behind his gaze, tormented by his daughter’s absence.

Caius stepped forward, his own confusion plain.

“We both smelled her. We both felt the bond. That’s not possible.”

Sebastian’s wolf snapped, sharp with possessive fury. She is ours. Don’t question it. Don’t let him believe she belongs anywhere else.

But Caius’s wolf countered with equal force. The scent clung to both of us. You know what that means. Something is twisted here.

The tension coiled tighter. Mason’s ragged breathing filled the room, broken only by the scratching of claws against the inside of Sebastian’s skin.

Sebastian whispered hoarsely, “We were a heartbeat away from her… and now she’s gone.”

Caius’s hand gripped his shoulder, steadying him.

“We’ll find her, Sebastian. No matter where she went we’ll find her.”

But inside, both wolves thrashed, snarling in fury. The mate bond was no longer a blessing waiting to be embraced it was a wound, burning deeper with every breath.

And beneath that wound, one question twisted like a blade in both their minds:

Whose mate was Aria Moonclaw truly meant to be?