Chapter 05

Vincent’s POV

“Missing?”

The word left my mouth like a growl, low and lethal, vibrating in my chest. The trembling servant in front of me flinched so hard I could smell the sharp tang of her fear.

“Yes, Alpha,” she stammered, her eyes glued to the ground. Her hands twisted in her apron until her knuckles blanched. “Lady Delilah sent me. Young Miss Myra vanished from her chamber. Her bed was empty when they went to wake her.”

My jaw tightened, sharp enough to ache. “Empty? She’s gone.”

The silence that followed was razor-edged, taut enough to snap. I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. Myra. My little girl was missing.

The world tilted. Myra was fragile enough even under my roof, guarded by warriors and wrapped in every protection I could summon. Out there, in the dark, every shadow hid teeth, every breath of wind carried danger. The thought of her small hands reaching for me and finding nothing hollowed me out in a way no battle ever had.

I rose from my chair so fast it scraped the floor, the wood shrieking in protest. My wolf stiffened. My voice was ice when I spoke.

“Who failed their watch?”

The servant trembled harder. “S-she was last seen in the palace square earlier today. Witnesses said she spoke with… a woman from the lower quarter.”

My nostrils flared. “A woman,” I repeated slowly, my claws itching to unsheathe.

“Yes, Alpha. The guards have been searching for her but none has returned with any positive feedback. Lady Delilah is worried something bad must have happened to her.”

Delilah barely crossed my mind. Whatever she felt was irrelevant. All that mattered was Myra. My daughter was missing, and every thought, every breath, narrowed to one truth: she had to be found.

“Mobilize every patrol,” I barked, my voice snapping like thunder. “Wake every tracker and release the hounds. I want her scent followed to the ends of this territory if necessary. Lock down every exit from the tribe. No one leaves.”

“Yes, Alpha!”

The wolves scattered, boots slamming against stone, doors flying open and still, I couldn’t breathe.

I stormed through the corridors, my stride a barely leashed snarl. Myra’s face filled my mind, the soft curve of her cheeks, her frail body tucked under blankets when I kissed her forehead at night. The thought of her alone and afraid, made my wolf snarl inside me.

The cold air hit me as I pushed outside, my warriors falling in step behind me. Their scents—steel, wolf, determination—were sharp and grounding.

We moved fast, cutting through the village. The pack stirred nervously, whispers rippling as they caught the sharpness in our steps. The scent hounds bayed, pulling us toward the edges of the territory.

The forest swallowed us whole, branches clawing at our arms as if the land itself wanted to slow us. My wolf raged inside me, straining to break free, to tear through the trees and find her faster. Each time the hounds howled, my heart leapt, convinced it meant she was close—only for dread to twist tighter when the trail dragged on.

Her scent curled around me, small and tender, all soft sweetness. I followed it like a man possessed, every step fueled by the pounding in my chest, and then it led us here.

A small, secluded cottage on the outskirts of the Black Moon territory. Modest, hidden by the woods. The scent hit me before I even stepped forward.

“Open up!” The warriors yelled. But I was running impatient, if Myra was truly inside the door shouldn't be a barrier.

"Get it open,” my voice was unsteady, laced with urgency.

The warriors surged forward. The wood splintered under brute force, the door crashing inward with a deafening crack.

Her scent. My lungs seized.

I froze, chest clamped tight. That fragrance—hers—rose through me like it had been waiting in my blood all along. I’d buried it under rage, silenced it with years of denial, sworn I’d never breathe it again. And yet it wrapped around me now, a ghost that refused to die. For one staggering moment, I wasn’t Alpha, wasn’t warrior. I was just a man standing in the ruins of everything he’d lost.

Six years. Six years since I’d stumbled into fire and smoke, searching until my lungs tore, desperate for a sign of her. Instead, the rogues’ howls led me deeper into the wreckage, and there—amid torn bodies and blood—I found a child. Our child. Her scent and mine clung to that fragile skin.

But the story that spread from those snarling mouths gutted me: she had abandoned her baby, left her to the mercy of teeth and claws, and run to save herself.

The thought split me open. Rage clawed up my chest, raw and choking, at the idea that she could turn her back on us. On her. On me. My fists tightened until my bones ached.

For a heartbeat I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Then I forced myself still. None of it mattered. Not then. Not now. Myra came first. Always.

But standing before me was.

Adeline.

She stood framed in the doorway, her hair tumbling in dark waves, her sharp eyes locking onto mine. My breath hitched, just once. Six years hadn’t dulled her. If anything, she was sharper now

.

My heart suddenly trembled, and I suppressed the urge to question why she was here. I just asked coldly: Where is she?

She didn’t flinch. Her expression remained maddeningly calm. “Who?”

“My daughter,” I snarled, stepping closer. The wolves fanned out around us, the air taut with tension. “Where did you hide her?”

Her brow furrowed. “She’s here. Safe.”

My claws extended before I realized it.

“Safe?” I echoed. “You dare speak of her safety after what you did?”

Her eyes flashed, anger blazing hot. “After what I did? Your child was left behind by your so-called warriors. And you have little to no idea that your fiance and everyone else bullies her and calls her names just because she's wolfless. If anything, you should be ashamed of yourself as a father!” she snapped, her voice cold and unyielding.

The title I wore like armor—Alpha, protector, father—she stripped bare with a single accusation. My wolf lunged against me, desperate to silence her, but another part of me recoiled, because shame already gnawed at my bones. I had failed Myra in ways no one knew, in ways even she couldn’t begin to imagine. But I kept my face stoic

“What did you say? Ashamed? If there's anyone here who should be ashamed then it should be you.

My anger shimmered beneath the surface, begging for release. Her words pierced deeper than she could ever guess, yet she still stood there—unaware, blind to the truth that burned in my chest. She doesn’t know… she doesn’t even realize the child she calls mine is also hers.

For an instant, the weight of that secret nearly crushed me, and I almost broke. Almost. But I swallowed it down, burying the truth behind the coldness of my voice.

“Daddy?”

A soft voice cut through the tension

The sound struck me like lightning and I froze.

From the hallway, small footsteps padded forward, uneven and light. Myra appeared, tiny fingers clutching a blanket around her thin shoulders. Her hazel eyes looked up at me.

“Myra,” I breathed.

Everything else vanished. I was moving before I knew it, crossing the room in two strides and scooping her into my arms. She was so light it made my chest ache. I crushed her against me, inhaling her scent like it was the only thing tethering me to sanity.

“You’re safe now,” I murmured, pressing my cheek to her hair. My voice cracked despite myself. “You’re safe, little one.”

She shifted, peeking over my shoulder. “Daddy… she helped me,” she whispered, glancing at Adeline.

My grip tightened.

I turned back to Adeline, cold armor slamming back into place. “Stay away from her. From me. From us.”

Her eyes narrowed. “If I hadn’t found her, rogues would’ve eaten her alive. Or maybe that's exactly what you want since you care more about your fiancé than your own daughter.”

A snarl tore from my throat. “What did you say?”

Myra’s small voice cut me off. “She’s right,” she whispered, trembling. “Delilah… she’s…” she trailed off as her eyelids fluttered.

Time slowed, every second stretching like eternity. Her lips tried to form words, her small throat working around them, but nothing came. I shook her gently, willing her to finish, to stay awake. The room blurred at the edges, my wolf’s howl thundering in my skull. Then her lashes fell, and the world snapped.

“Myra?”

Her body went limp in my arms. Panic exploded in me.

“Myra!”