Chapter 3

BRAUN

Taking one last glance at her room, I rushed towards the hall to address the staff panicking as I've just lost something vital.Before I could get there, the terrified and perturbed staff members were already assembled.

I stood in front of twelve staff members who all looked nervous. They should be nervous. Someone had to have seen Solana leave. My burning gaze scan then as adrenaline pumps inside me.

"Did anyone see Solana today?" I asked. "After three o'clock?"

They all shook their heads in denial. How the fuck did she go missing without one person noticing? I'm firing everyone!

"Someone must have seen something. She didn't just disappear into thin air." I snarled, running my fingers through my hair before they connected with my jaw.

Martha, the head housekeeper, stepped forward. "Alpha, I was preparing dinner in the kitchen all afternoon. I didn't see Ms. Solana at all today." She defended and I returned a soft glare at her.

"What about the rest of you?" I looked at each face. "James? Did you see anything when you were working in the garden?"

James twisted his cap in his hands. "No sir. I was in the back garden all day. Nowhere near Ms Solana's wing."

Fuck!

I wanted to throw something. I wanted to shift and tear through the woods until I found her. But I forced myself to stay calm.

"Check the security footage," I told Marcus, the head of estate security. "Every camera. Find out when she left and which direction she went."

Marcus nodded and hurried off.

I pulled out my phone again and called Solana's number. It rang once then went to a message saying the number was no longer in service.

My heart thudded loudly in my chest. According to my mother, she stood outside my door about that time I was discussing the contract dissolution with Ezekiel. What exactly did she hear?

I tried again, same message.

She'd disconnected her phone, the only way I could reach her.

My mother appeared in the doorway. "Braun, I've searched the entire east wing. She's not there."

"I know she's not here." I was pacing now. "She left. She took her things and she left."

"But why would she do that? Tonight was supposed to be special. You said you were going to propose." Mother said beneath her breath as it sounded like she was crying already.

I couldn't even console her, not when my heart was aching. Why does it hurt so much?

"I don't know why." But even as I said it, a cold feeling settled in my stomach. Had she overheard something? Maybe she thought I was ending things instead of trying to start them properly.

Marcus came back into the hall. "Alpha, I checked the footage. Miss Solana left through the garden door at approximately four fifteen this afternoon. She was carrying a bag. She walked into the woods heading east toward town."

East toward town led to the bus station. My face beams up as a soft gasp escapes my lips. She left!

"Get the car," I told him. "Now"

***

Twenty minutes later, I was at the Greyhound station talking to a bored looking clerk behind the counter. My impatience was running low as my eyes scanned the passengers.

"I'm looking for someone who might have caught a bus today at about four thirty or five o'clock. Young woman, dark hair, about this tall." I held my hand up to show Solana's height.

"Blue eyes, kissable lips and..."

The clerk grimaced at me as he cocked his head silently to the side before shrugging his shoulders.

"We get a lot of people through here. I can't remember everyone." He said nonchalantly while gesturing to me to leave the line as he had other passengers to attend to.

"This is important." I said calmly and not wanting to start a fight.

"Look man, I can't give out passenger information anyway. Privacy laws and all that."

I slammed my hand on the counter, causing his shoulders to jump to his ears as glared into his eyes and almost immediately, I let some of my alpha energy leak out.

"I need to know where she went." I roared at his face. The passengers behind me had to move back, petrified already as my veins tightened.

The clerk's eyes widened slightly as he was trembling now and dared not look into my eyes.

He could feel what I was even if he didn't understand it. "I really can't help you."

His response had me shooting my hand and I grabbed his collar, wanting to shred him right here into pieces.

"Braun." My mother's voice came from behind me. She must have followed in her own car as I had refused her to tag along with me. Mother was beside me now, her hand resting on my back as though controlling my temper with that subtle touch.

"This isn't helping." She pressed on and I let go of his clerk who ran away from his post.

She was right but I didn't care. Solana was gone and no one could tell me where. No one could tell me why. 

Everything I'd planned was falling apart and I didn't understand what went wrong.

I was spiralling and it was taking so much effort to shove down the panic climbing up my throat. 

Back at the estate, I called Victor Brace. Maybe she'd gone back to the Brace Pack lands. Angrily, I shoved her hand off my back and stormed out of the station, heading back home.

As soon as I arrived, I didn't get out of the car, I had to call Victor on the phone. I had my head banging the headrest, waiting patiently to hear his voice.

He's my only hope now. I wasn't really close to him but I can tell he seems like a brother to Solana.

"Alpha Julie," Victor answered smoothly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Is Solana there?" I cut him off, not ready for the formalities.

"Solana? No, why would she be here?" He asked me and I grunt, punching my fist on the steering wheel.

"She left a few hours ago. I thought she might have come to you." I muttered, my voice cracked as I tried not to break down.

Victor was quiet for a moment. "Left? As I left the estate?"

"Yes."

"Well that's unfortunate. But perhaps it's for the best. The contract is almost up anyway, isn't it? Maybe the girl just decided to get a head start on her freedom." He suddenly said in a tone that neither has remorse for me.

I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him. "If you hear from her, you call me immediately.

"Of course, Alpha." He politely said but I'd just want to believe he was putting himself in her shoes.

I hung up before I said something I'd regret.

The engagement party. I'd completely forgotten about it. The plans, the events, and I had even ordered a technological company to prepare some drones that would write the proposal in the sky.

Everything felt like a fallacy.

I called the restaurant and canceled everything. The owner tried to charge me anyway but I didn't care about money. I would have paid double just to have Solana back.

I felt so broken and even when I left the car, I was staggering to the study room, my mind void of thoughts, and my eyes dropped low like I was sick.

My mother found me in my office at midnight. I was sitting in the dark staring at my phone like Solana might magically call. Her image, she has never smiled and I wish to suddenly see it on her lips.

I had secretly taken this image when she was at the balcony, staring at me, with those dull eyes that expressed nothing but pain.

"You need to rest," she said softly, cutting through my memories but then, it wasn't even working.

"I need to find her." I muttered weakly as every effort to find her remains was in vain.

"You will. But not tonight. Tonight you need to think clearly about why she might have left."

"I don't know why she left. Everything was fine. In fact, better than fine. We were finally getting somewhere." I mused running my fingers through my hair again as I subconsciously licked my lower lips.

My mother sat down across from me, her pale eyes were staring at me as though wanting to dig more than this from me. "Were you though? Or was that just what you thought?"

"She loved me. I know she did." I confidently announced and the thought of that makes me breathless.

"Maybe. But did she know you loved her? Did you ever tell her?"

Love? Is that what it's called? This fear of losing her and I feel I'm suffocating.

I hadn't. I'd planned to tell her tonight at dinner, to get down on one knee with the ring and tell her everything. But I'd waited too long and now she was gone.

"I'll find her," I said more to myself. "I'll bring her back."

"And if she doesn't want to come back?"

I looked at my mother, my expression dark. "She doesn't get a choice. She's my wife. She belongs here."

Even as I said the words, I knew how they sounded, like I was talking about property instead of a person. 

But I was livid, she shouldn't have left without talking to me first. All that we had and built, all those feelings were they unreal? I'd been planning the perfect proposal while she was packing her bags.

How was it so easy for her to leave?

I would find her. No matter how long it took and where she'd gone.

I would find Solana Brace and I'd make her listen to me.

Even if I had to drag her back here myself.