Chapter 2

Ethan.

The cold air bit into my skin as I stood by the open window, watching the early morning mist curl over the training grounds. Everyone was taking care of what they needed to do. Everyone knew how they were going to be dealing with things by now. I did not need to instruct them on their every move.

The pack was already awake, warriors running drills, their breath visible in the chill. I watched in silence, watching as they trained, watching and supervising what they were doing. A heavy feeling settled in my chest. Though I did not understand what it was, I knew that it was one that I was not going to like.

My fingers tightened around the windowsill, the wood creaking under the pressure. My thoughts circled back to Aurora, those wide, wounded eyes staring back at me, her whispered acceptance of my rejection. The way that you had rejected me back so confidently and calmly, I did not understand why she had done so or how she managed to do so. 

I had expected tears, maybe a plea or two. Hell, I had braced myself for the typical display of desperation I’d seen before. But Aurora had just... left. Quiet. Resigned. It was as if this was not something that she cared about. It was as if this was the most casual thing to happen to her. No matter how weak she was, Wolves often fought back from rejections. Then again, she did not have her wolf, but that did not mean that this was something that she should have accepted easily. At least it was not something that I expected.

A knot twisted in my gut, unfamiliar and unwelcome. I forced the feeling down, smothering it beneath layers of discipline and control. An Alpha couldn’t afford to feel.

“Alpha.”

I turned sharply, my Beta, Tristan, stood at the doorway. His expression was tight, lips pressed into a thin line. I didn’t need to hear his report to know something was wrong.

“What is it?” My voice was cold, the same tone I’d used with Aurora. I still needed to calm my wolf down after being rejected by a weakling. This was something that not only scarred me, but him too.

Tristan hesitated, and I hated him for it. Hated that he was making me wait when my patience was already worn thin.

“She’s gone.” He said, making me frown in confusion. “The Omega, the wolfless Omega. She is gone.”

The world seemed to tilt, just for a second. “What do you mean gone? Where the hell could an Omega without a wolf just disappear too? Especially not caught or seen.”

“Aurora Ross,” he said, his voice softer, as if speaking her name would ignite something dangerous. “She’s not in her quarters. No one has seen her since last night. The maidens tried to wake her up. She needed to take care of her duties. As you are aware she is one of those that is in charge of the cooking. They did not find her.”

My jaw clenched. “She’s probably sulking somewhere. Check the borders. She wouldn’t dare leave the pack grounds.”

“We did. There’s no trace of her.” He said, making my heart drop.

I moved then, my body acting before my mind could catch up. I shoved past Tristan, striding down the hallways, my senses stretched thin. Her scent should be everywhere, lavender and rain. But as I moved through the packhouse, there was nothing.

Emptiness.

It was as if she was never in the pack in the first place. Or at least that she has been gone for a while.

“Alpha.” Tristan followed me, his footsteps echoing mine. “We searched the entire grounds. There’s no sign of her. We tried everywhere within the territory.”

“No.” The denial was sharp, a blade to my own throat. “She couldn’t have left. She doesn’t have the strength. She doesn’t even have a wolf. She would end up dying if she leaves the park. You need to understand that even she is not stupid to play this game.

I burst into her quarters, the door slamming against the wall. The small space was barren. The bed was made, everything neatly in place. It was as if she had never been here at all.

A cold dread seeped into my bones. “She... ran.”

Tristan said nothing. His silence was enough.

“Did she take anything?” I demanded. “Her things, things from the pack, did she take anything?”

“No, Alpha. Her clothes, belongings, everything is here. Even the things from the park, she did not take anything with her. We checked already.”

My fists curled, nails biting into my palms. “Then how? How did she just disappear? How could she get past security without being caught or seen? How can she just leave without anyone stopping her? Who helped her leave?”

Tristan shifted, his discomfort evident. “There’s a chance she crossed into rogue territory. We found a faint scent trail leading to the eastern border, but it disappears at the river. We are still checking the cameras, however we still cannot find anything on that. I doubt that anyone would help her leave. She is still an Omega. And she is the weakest Omega. She does not have many friends. You know that alpha.”

The river. I pictured its icy currents, the sharp rocks beneath its surface. An unshifted wolf, or an Omega without a wolf, wouldn’t survive those waters.

“She wouldn’t,” I muttered. “She wouldn’t be that stupid. She wouldn't be as foolish enough as to try to cross the riverbanks. If she manages to somehow survive the water, she's not going to survive the rogues, who are going to be waiting to see who had dared to cross their borders, or at least trespassed their territory and grounds.”

Silence.

My mind raced, battling the images of Aurora’s fragile form slipping beneath the water, of her broken body washed up downstream. My wolf growled, a low, mournful sound that echoed through my chest.

“No.” I gritted my teeth. “She’s not dead. She can’t be.”

But even as I said it, doubt slithered in.

“What do you want us to do?” Tristan asked.

“Search.” My voice was rough, edged with desperation. “Send out patrols. Check the riverbanks, the forests, every damn corner of this territory. Even if she is dead, I want her body brought over to me and I want to find out who helped her leave. A person like her cannot just simply run away.”

Tristan nodded and left without another word, the weight of my command settling over him.

When I was alone, I let the mask slip. My hands shook, my breath hitching in my throat. I had rejected her. Pushed her away. Told her she was nothing, that she didn’t belong.

And now, she was gone.

I pressed my back against the wall, sliding down until I sat on the cold floor. The alpha in me demanded strength, action. But the man, the mate, felt only a hollow ache.

I didn’t want her.

Then why the fuck did I care whether or not she left?

The words echoed in my head, each repetition carving deeper into my chest. I had convinced myself she was weak, unworthy. But now, with her absence stretching out like a wound, I wasn’t sure if I believed it anymore.

You pushed her too far. My wolf’s voice was a whisper, a ghost of the bond we had severed. You broke her.

I closed my eyes, dragging air into my lungs. I needed to focus. Find her. Fix this.

But beneath the resolve, fear festered. Because if she was truly gone, if I had driven her to her death, then I had done something far worse than reject my mate.

I had destroyed her.