Chapter eight

Arnold

The search resumed before sunrise. Nobody complained about the lack of sleep and nobody questioned the order. Warriors were already gathering in the courtyard by the time I stepped outside while scouts prepared fresh search routes across the eastern border. The storm had destroyed most of yesterday's trails, but that wasn't enough reason to stop. Leticia was still out there and every minute that passed made finding her harder. Mark walked toward me while fastening the strap of his sword and informed me that the eastern teams were ready. I nodded without answering. My wolf was already restless beneath my skin, clawing for control. The moment we reached the forest edge, I shifted and took off into the trees.

The forest looked different after the storm. Broken branches littered the ground while rainwater collected in shallow pools between the roots. Most of the familiar scents had faded beneath the smell of wet earth and mud, making tracking nearly impossible. Several search teams spread through different sections of the territory while scouts moved ahead checking caves, abandoned trails and old rogue routes. I covered more ground than anyone else, crossing streams and climbing rocky hills without slowing down. Every passing minute increased the pressure building inside my chest. Leticia had already spent an entire night alone. The thought alone was enough to make my wolf growl.

Hours passed without progress. Every report sounded the same. No tracks. No scent. No sign of a pregnant woman. The frustration was becoming unbearable. I had searched this section of the border countless times over the years and knew every path, every stream and every clearing. Yet this morning the forest felt unfamiliar. It felt like it was hiding something from me. Mark eventually caught up with me near a rocky ridge and handed me another report from the western teams. They had found nothing. Before I could respond, a howl echoed through the trees.

Every wolf in the forest froze.

The signal wasn't an attack.

It wasn't danger.

Someone had found something.

I immediately changed direction and ran toward the sound. Warriors appeared from different areas of the forest, all moving toward the same location. Nobody spoke as we ran. Nobody needed to. The urgency in the howl had already told us enough. The scent of several warriors reached me before the clearing came into view. As I stepped through the trees, I found a group of scouts gathered near a dense patch of bushes. The expressions on their faces immediately made my stomach tighten.

Mark arrived beside me and looked around. "What happened?" he asked.

One of the scouts swallowed hard before answering. "We found a body."

For a second nobody moved.

The clearing seemed to shrink around me.

Then I pushed past the warriors and headed toward the bushes.

The smell hit me first.

Blood.

Rot.

Death.

Several branches had been pulled aside to reveal what was hidden beneath them. The body belonged to a woman. She was naked and covered in dried blood. Deep claw marks stretched across her arms, shoulders and stomach while bruises covered almost every visible part of her body. Her face had been destroyed so badly that there was nothing left to recognize. Whatever happened here had been vicious. My eyes moved lower and settled on her swollen stomach.

The woman was pregnant.

My chest tightened immediately.

Nobody behind me said a word.

I stepped closer and crouched beside the body. The injuries were extensive. Some looked like they came from a struggle while others appeared to have been inflicted afterward. Mud clung to her skin and leaves were tangled in her hair. The storm had done little to wash away the evidence. Whoever left her here had wanted her hidden. I stared at the body for several seconds before reaching toward her arm. There had to be something. A clue. A detail. Anything that would tell me this wasn't Leticia.

Mark remained beside me while the rest of the warriors kept their distance. I could feel their eyes on me. Waiting. Watching. The entire search operation had stopped the moment this body was discovered. Nobody needed to say what they were all thinking. A pregnant woman had vanished near the eastern border. Now another pregnant woman had been found dead near the same location. The connection was obvious. Too obvious.

I continued examining the body. The woman's size matched. Her age looked similar. Even the stage of pregnancy appeared close enough to raise uncomfortable questions. My jaw clenched as I moved more dirt from her arm. Something about the entire situation felt wrong. I couldn't explain why. The evidence was piling up in front of me, yet my instincts refused to settle.

Then my hand stopped moving.

A small mark sat just above her wrist.

My breath caught.

For a moment I simply stared.

The mark was partially hidden beneath dirt and dried blood. Slowly I brushed the mud away. The shape became clearer. My stomach dropped immediately.

No.

My eyes remained fixed on it.

The position.

The size.

The shape.

I knew that mark.

A memory surfaced instantly. Leticia sitting beside Ethan while helping him learn to read. Her sleeve had rolled up and the mark had been visible. Another memory followed. She had been standing in the garden during spring while complaining about the flowers Mora planted. The mark had been visible then too. I remembered tracing it absentmindedly one night while she slept beside me. She had laughed when she caught me staring at it the next morning.

The same mark.

The same place.

My hand tightened.

Mark noticed the change in my expression and followed my gaze. The moment he saw it, his entire body stiffened. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The silence that followed felt heavier than anything spoken aloud. Around us, the warriors began exchanging uneasy looks. They had noticed it too.

A scout finally spoke. "Alpha..."

I ignored him.

My eyes never left the mark.

The memories kept coming whether I wanted them or not. Leticia laughing because Ethan refused to eat his vegetables. Leticia falling asleep while reading. Leticia standing in the ballroom with tears in her eyes after I rejected her. Every memory felt sharper now. More painful. The guilt I had been carrying since yesterday suddenly became unbearable.

Mark cleared his throat quietly. "Arnold."

I stood abruptly and turned away.

The forest stretched endlessly beyond the clearing. Birds moved through the trees overhead while wind rustled the leaves. Everything looked normal. Peaceful even. Yet nothing felt normal anymore. I clenched my fists and forced myself to breathe. Behind me, nobody moved. Nobody touched the body. The warriors remained exactly where they were, waiting for instructions.

A younger warrior stepped forward nervously. "Should we bring her back to the pack?"

The question lingered in the air.

I didn't answer immediately.

Part of me wanted to order them to continue searching. Part of me wanted to tear the forest apart until I found another explanation. Because if this body belonged to Leticia, then everything was over. My mate was dead. My child was dead. And the last thing I gave her was rejection.

The thought made me sick.

I turned back toward the body.

The woman hadn't moved.

The mark remained exactly where I remembered it.

Mark watched me carefully but said nothing. For once, even he seemed unsure of what to do. The warriors lowered their heads one by one. Some looked away from the body entirely. Others stared at the ground. The grief spreading through the clearing was obvious, but I couldn't bring myself to share it.

Slowly I walked back toward the bushes and crouched beside the body again. My gaze returned to the mark immediately. I remembered the first time I saw it. Leticia had been embarrassed because she thought it looked strange. I remembered teasing her until she became annoyed and refused to speak to me for the rest of the day. At the time it had seemed insignificant. Now it felt like the cruelest detail fate could have given me.

Nobody interrupted me.

Nobody spoke.

The forest itself seemed to fall silent.

I stared at the mark for a long moment before looking at it again, because no matter how many times I checked, it remained there. Small. Familiar. Unmistakable. I looked at the birthmark again, the proof was right before me.