Chapter 3

Inside her room, Emma paced like a caged animal, her heart pounding with fury. Today was the day of Ever’s mating ceremony with the Sutherland Alpha.

She clenched her fists. Ever had won every other battle, but Emma wouldn’t let her win this one.

The lock clicked sharply, and Emma realized she was trapped again. They had locked her in, just as they always did. For a moment, despair threatened to overwhelm her, but something deep within her stirred.

Her wolf.

A growl rumbled in her chest as a sudden pull of strength coursed through her veins. With a furious cry, she slammed her body against the door. 

And soon it came open, there was a storm and it greeted her like icy needles as she ran into the night, her feet pounding against the ground. Her breath came in sharp gasps, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t.

The forest was dark but she didn’t care. She continued to run toward the clearing where the ceremony was taking place. Different scents filled her nose but her focus was solely on the Sutherland Alpha.

She had to tell him the truth.

But just as the clearing came into view, shadows emerged from the trees. She skidded to a halt, her heart hammering in her chest.

“Not so fast, little omega,” a voice sneered.

Before Emma could react, hands grabbed her from all sides. She snarled and thrashed, but the iron grips of her captors held firm. These weren’t ordinary wolves—they were stronger, faster, and far more prepared than she had expected.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, her voice raw, but the rain drowned out her cries.

A cloth was pressed over her mouth, and a sharp, suffocating scent filled her nose. Her vision blurred, the world spinning as she fought to stay conscious.

Her last thought before darkness claimed her was a desperate plea: Please, let someone stop this before it’s too late.

Back at the ceremony, the storm raged on, the wind howling through the trees. Ever stood at the center of the gathering, her composure fragile beneath her practiced smile. The Sutherland Alpha stood beside her, his expression unreadable.

The faintest furrow in his brow hinted at unease, but he said nothing. The weight of the moment bore down on both of them.

Suddenly, Ever staggered, her vision was blurry, and a sharp pain coursed through her body, but before anyone could react, she collapsed to the ground.

The crowd began to gasp, everyone wondering what just happened. Luckily enough, the pack healers were close by, so they rushed to her side.

“She’s weakening again,” one of them murmured, checking her pulse. “We need her blood match immediately!”

Mr. Sinclair’s face turned pale as realization struck. “Fetch Emma!” He barked. “Now!”

But as the guards rushed back to the mansion, they found the shattered door and no sign of Emma.

“Where is she?” Mr. Sinclair demanded, his voice sharp and commanding.

“We’ve searched everywhere, my lord,” a guard stammered. “She’s gone. The door… it was destroyed.”

The realization that Emma was missing spread panic throughout the Sinclair household. Guards scrambled in every direction, shouting orders as they scoured the mansion and surrounding grounds.

Mr. Sinclair stood in the grand hall, rage burned within him. His piercing eyes looked between the panicked guards and the healers tending to Ever, who lay pale and unconscious on the ground. For the first time, the usually composed patriarch seemed shaken.

“Where is she?” He growled, his voice sharp and dangerous.

“We’ve searched everywhere, my lord,” one guard stammered, sweat beading on his brow. “The door to her room was destroyed. We… we don’t know how.”

“Destroyed?” Mr. Sinclair hissed. “You’re telling me she escaped? How?”

The guard nodded hesitantly, his voice trembling. “It appears so, my lord.”

Mr. Sinclair’s jaw clenched. Emma, the meek and obedient omega, had never shown such strength before. For her to break through a locked door was unthinkable. He turned his attention to the healer, his voice low and strained. “How long does Ever have?”

The healer shook his head grimly. “She needs her blood match soon. Without Emma, I can’t stabilize her condition.”

Jayden and Kale Sutherland, who had been silently observing the chaos, exchanged a look. 

“There’s another Sinclair daughter?” Kale asked, his tone sharp.

Mr. Sinclair hesitated for a split second before nodding. “Yes. Emma. But she… she’s irrelevant to this ceremony.”

Jayden’s icy gaze locked on Mr. Sinclair. “Irrelevant?” He repeated, his voice dangerously calm. “If she’s the one Ever relies on for survival, she doesn’t sound irrelevant to me.”

The room fell silent, because of the truth in Jayden’s words.

“Find her,” Mr. Sinclair barked to his guards. “Now!”

Meanwhile, bound and unconscious, Emma lay in the grip of her captors, the cold rain soaking her hair and clothes. 

“She’s lighter than I expected,” one of them muttered, his voice low and mocking.

“Doesn’t matter,” another replied. “We were told to grab her. Her pack can deal with the rest.”

The insignia on their jackets marked them as members of a rival pack, far from Sinclair territory. The leader of the group, a tall man with piercing eyes, cast a wary glance back toward the mansion, his grip tightening on Emma’s bound wrists.

“We need to move faster,” he ordered. “If her father finds out she’s missing, he’ll send trackers. I don’t want a fight on my hands.”

One of the younger wolves chuckled darkly. “Relax. No one’s going to care about a useless omega. Her sister’s the one they’re all fussing over. Emma’s just… expendable.”

“Expendable or not, we’ve been paid to deliver her,” the leader snapped. “Keep your mouth shut and focus.”

Unaware of the chaos her absence was causing back at the ceremony, Emma remained unconscious, her body limp as the wolves dragged her further into the shadows.

Ever lay on a low bed, pale and trembling, her breaths shallow. The healers worked tirelessly around her, mixing herbs and applying salves, but their efforts seemed to do little to improve her condition. The bond between her and her wolf had always been fragile, and without Emma, her body was weakening by the second.

“Her pulse is fading,” one healer murmured, his voice tinged with worry. “We need Emma now.”

“She’s not here,” snapped another, slamming a mortar onto the table in frustration. “How long do they expect us to keep her stable without the blood match? We’re not miracle workers.”

At the far end of the tent, Jayden and Kale Sutherland stood side by side, their identical frames rigid with impatience. Their presence alone commanded the attention of anyone nearby. The twin Alphas, known for their control and composure, now looked anything but calm.

Jayden’s icy blue eyes scanned the scene, his gaze lingering on Ever’s unconscious form. The faintest twitch in his jaw betrayed his growing frustration. “This is a waste of time,” he said finally, his voice low but sharp, cutting through the murmurs of the healers.

Kale glanced at his brother, his expression equally steely. “We need answers,” he agreed.

Without another word, the twins turned as one and strode toward Mr. Sinclair, who stood at the entrance to the tent, barking orders at the drenched guards scurrying about the clearing.

“Where is Emma?” Jayden demanded, his tone calm but laced with authority. It wasn’t a question, it was a command.

Mr. Sinclair stiffened, his shoulders tightening as he turned to face the Alphas. His frustration was evident, but he attempted to mask it under a veneer of control. “I told you, she’s missing,” he replied evenly. “My guards are searching for her as we speak.”

Jayden’s gaze narrowed, the piercing intensity of his eyes making Mr. Sinclair falter slightly. “Then they’d better find her soon,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet. “Because if they don’t, this alliance will mean nothing.”

The words hung in the air like a blade balanced to strike.

Mr. Sinclair straightened his back and his jaw clenched as he met Jayden’s gaze. “The alliance is important to both our packs,” he said firmly. “My men are doing everything they can to locate her. You have my word.”

Kale stepped forward, his smirk faint but his presence no less commanding. “Your word means little when the one we came for is at the brink of death,” he said, his voice softer but no less cutting. “We came here for what was promised. If there’s something you’re not telling us, now would be the time.”

Mr. Sinclair’s eyes flashed with something—guilt, perhaps, or fear. He remained silent, his lips pressed into a thin line.

The pressure between them increases with each minute. Time was slowly parading by and the twins didn't seem to have much patience left in them. Jayden’s fingers twitched slightly, his wolf stirring beneath the surface, but he forced himself to remain calm.

Kale tilted his head slightly, his gaze never leaving Mr. Sinclair. “We were led to believe this arrangement was clear,” he said, his tone deceptively light. “But now, we find ourselves in a rather… complicated situation. A bride who cannot fulfill her role, and a missing omega who seems to hold all the answers.”

Mr. Sinclair’s patience snapped. “Emma is of no consequence to this arrangement!” he barked. “Ever is the one you’re here for. My guards will find her blood match, and this ceremony will proceed as planned.”

Jayden took a step closer, his voice dropping to a near growl. “Emma is of no consequence?” he repeated, the dangerous edge in his tone making even the guards nearby pause. “She’s the reason your daughter is still breathing, and she’s the reason we’re still standing here, waiting for a ceremony that should have ended hours ago.”

Kale’s smirk faded, replaced by an expression of cold disdain. “Tell us, Mr. Sinclair,” he said, his voice soft but deadly. “Why was your omega locked away?”

The question hit like a thunderclap.

Mr. Sinclair’s eyes widened slightly, the mask of composure slipping for a fraction of a second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said stiffly.

Kale chuckled, though the sound carried no humor. “Come now,” he said, his gaze sharp. “We overheard your guards whispering about a shattered door. It seems your weak little omega isn’t as fragile as you’d like us to believe.”

Jayden stepped even closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over the older man. “Where is she?” he demanded again, his patience hanging by a thread.

Mr. Sinclair opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, a commotion erupted outside the tent. Shouts and the sound of hurried footsteps broke through, drawing everyone’s attention.

A drenched guard ran into the tent, with a pale face and heavily heaving chest. “My lord!” he gasped, his voice shaking. “We found tracks leading into the forest… but there’s no sign of her. It’s as if she vanished.”

Jayden and Kale exchanged a glance, their gazes darkening.

“Vanished?” Kale repeated, his voice low and dangerous.

The guard swallowed hard. “There were other tracks, larger ones. She was… taken.”

A growl rumbled in Jayden’s chest, low and menacing, as his wolf surged closer to the surface. “Taken?”

The guard nodded, trembling under the weight of the Alpha’s fury. “We believe it was another pack, my lord. Their scent was faint, but it was there.”

Kale’s expression hardened, his gaze snapping back to Mr. Sinclair. “You’ve made a mess of this,” he said coldly. “And now, it’s up to us to clean it up.”

Jayden turned on his heel, his movements sharp and purposeful. “We’re done waiting,” he said over his shoulder. “If you won’t find Emma, we will.”

Kale followed without a word, the anxiety between them showed in their synchronized steps.

Mr. Sinclair remained rigid, with a racing mind. For the first time, he realized the full scope of what he had allowed to happen.

The Sutherland Alphas weren’t just guests, they were wolves with a bond that couldn’t be broken.