Chapter seven

Arnold

I ran at full speed toward the eastern border. Trees blurred past me while branches snapped beneath my paws. My heart hammered violently against my chest, but I held onto one thought and one thought alone. Leticia was alive. She had to be alive. The bond still existed. Weak as it was, I could still feel it somewhere deep inside me. That was enough to keep me moving.

The scent of my warriors reached me first. Then the scent of blood followed. My stomach tightened immediately. By the time I reached the clearing, every ounce of hope inside me had already begun to crack. Several warriors stood around the area with their heads lowered while others searched nearby bushes. Nobody spoke when I arrived. Nobody looked at me. The expressions on their faces told me something was terribly wrong before my eyes finally landed on the dress lying in the middle of the clearing.

My entire body went still. I recognized it immediately because I had bought it myself. Leticia had refused to wear it at first because she thought it was too expensive and I remembered arguing with her until she reluctantly accepted it. Now the fabric was soaked in blood and torn in several places. For a second I simply stared at it, unable to move. Then my wolf exploded inside me and a roar tore from my throat so loudly that birds scattered from the surrounding trees.

"Search the premises!" I roared. The warriors immediately sprang into action. Some disappeared deeper into the forest while others spread out around the clearing looking for clues. Nobody questioned the order. Nobody hesitated. I stepped forward and picked up the dress myself. The blood had already started drying and the sight made something ugly twist inside my chest. There was too much of it. Far too much.

Mark arrived moments later and stopped beside me. He looked from my face to the dress before his expression darkened. "What did they find?" he asked. One of the scouts immediately approached. "Signs of a struggle. Multiple rogue scents. Broken branches. Blood. We also found drag marks leading west." The moment he finished speaking I was already moving. If there was a trail, then there was still a chance.

The drag marks weren't easy to follow but they were there. Several warriors joined me as we pushed deeper into the forest. Every few yards someone found another clue. A torn piece of fabric caught on a branch. Blood on a tree trunk. Deep claw marks carved into the ground. Each discovery painted a picture I didn't want to see. Leticia had fought. She had tried to escape. She had been terrified and alone while the people who should have protected her threw her away.

The thought alone was enough to make my vision darken. I remembered the way she looked in the ballroom. The tears she tried to hide. The way her hand instinctively moved to her stomach after I rejected her. Even then she had been thinking about our child before herself. I had told myself there would be time to explain later. Time to fix everything. Time to tell her why I had done what I did. Now I would give anything just to hear her call my name again.

A howl echoed through the forest and every warrior immediately became alert. I shifted without thinking and charged toward the sound. The scent hit me first. Rogues. Three of them. They were moving quickly through the trees and the second they noticed me they tried to run. The first didn't make it ten feet before I slammed into him. The impact sent him crashing into a tree hard enough to break it. The second attacked from the side but my claws opened his chest before he could reach me. The third turned and fled deeper into the forest.

I chased him relentlessly. Branches whipped past us while the distance between us disappeared with every second. Eventually I tackled him from behind and sent both of us rolling across the ground. He tried to crawl away but I shifted back immediately and grabbed him by the throat. Terror filled his eyes the moment he recognized who I was.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"I don't know!" he cried.

I punched him.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

"Where is she?"

"I swear I don't know!"

I punched him again. Harder this time. The rogue screamed in pain and tried to shield his face but I refused to let go. "You attacked a pregnant woman. Where is she?" His eyes widened immediately. "We never caught her!" he shouted desperately. The words hit me so unexpectedly that I loosened my grip without realizing it.

"What?"

The rogue coughed violently. "She escaped. We cornered her but she got away. By the time we found the blood there was no body." I stared at him for several seconds. My wolf immediately searched for deception but found none. The rogue was terrified. The scent of fear pouring off him was genuine. He wasn't lying.

Hope returned so suddenly it almost hurt. Small. Fragile. Barely there. But enough. If there was no body then there was still a chance. I released the rogue before snapping his neck and leaving his body where it fell. By the time Mark arrived with several warriors, I was already moving again.

The search continued for hours. We followed every trail we found and investigated every clue. More scouts joined the operation while additional patrols arrived from nearby territories. The entire eastern border became a frenzy of movement. Yet despite all our efforts, Leticia remained missing. Every lead ended in failure. Every trail eventually disappeared. It felt as though the forest itself was determined to keep her hidden.

The moon had climbed high into the sky by the time exhaustion began showing on everyone's faces. Warriors moved more slowly. Scouts returned empty-handed. Even Mark looked frustrated. Yet nobody suggested stopping. Nobody dared. Every member of Nightshade Pack understood exactly what was at stake. This wasn't just about their Luna anymore. This was about the Alpha's mate and unborn heir.

A scout suddenly appeared from the northern sector and rushed toward us. The look on his face immediately caught my attention. "Alpha," he said breathlessly, "we found more blood." My stomach tightened. Without waiting for another word I followed him deeper into the forest. Several warriors came with us while Mark stayed close behind.

The blood trail wasn't large at first. Just a few drops on the ground. Then more appeared several feet ahead. Then more again. My chest tightened with every step. Nobody spoke while we followed it. Nobody needed to. The silence around us carried enough dread on its own.

Eventually the trail led us to a narrow stream. The moment I saw the rushing water, I knew we had a problem. The blood ended there. So did the scent. So did every trace of Leticia. The stream had washed everything away. I stared at the water for several seconds before punching the nearest tree. The trunk cracked loudly. Another punch followed. Then another. Splinters scattered across the forest floor while nobody dared interrupt me.

A distant rumble echoed across the sky. I looked up immediately. Dark clouds were gathering overhead. Mark cursed quietly beneath his breath because he understood the danger just as quickly as I did. Rain would destroy whatever evidence remained. Rain would erase every clue we hadn't found yet.

The first drop landed against my skin.

Then another.

Then another.

Within minutes the sky opened completely.

Heavy rain poured across the forest. Warriors immediately started shouting reports. Tracks disappeared beneath mud. Scent trails vanished. Bloodstains washed away. Everything we had spent hours following was erased in minutes. Still I refused to stop. I continued searching long after common sense demanded otherwise.

The storm only grew worse. Visibility dropped until seeing more than a few feet ahead became impossible. Water rushed through the forest floor while thunder cracked overhead. Several warriors slipped in the mud. Others lost contact with their groups. The entire search operation began falling apart around us.

Mark eventually grabbed my arm and forced me to stop. "Arnold, look around." I wanted to argue. I wanted to keep moving. But something in his voice made me listen. For the first time that night, I looked at the search party properly. They were exhausted. Soaked. Blind. Every clue was gone. Every trail had vanished. We were no longer searching. We were wandering.

I clenched my jaw and stared into the darkness beyond the trees. Somewhere out there Leticia was alone. Injured. Frightened. Possibly in labor. The thought made me physically sick. Yet no matter how much I hated it, Mark was right. Continuing tonight would accomplish nothing.

"Pull everyone back," I said quietly.

Relief appeared on several faces. Not because they wanted to stop searching but because they finally had direction. The withdrawal began immediately. Warriors regrouped and started making their way back through the storm while scouts performed one final sweep of the area. I remained where I was for several moments, staring into the darkness as rain poured relentlessly around me.

The blood-soaked dress was still clutched tightly in my hand. I looked down at it and remembered Leticia standing in front of me wearing it for the first time. She had looked embarrassed because she thought everyone was staring at her. I had wanted to tell her she looked beautiful. Instead I had said nothing.

My wolf suddenly growled.

Not in anger.

Not in grief.

In certainty.

I froze.

The feeling hit me immediately.

Strong.

Unshakable.

Certain.

She isn't dead.