Blake POV
“What do you mean missing?!”
Alpha Donal was a fearsome man at the best of times. I had been doing my best to keep the fact that no one had seen Aiden since he left to propose to Ciara under wraps. But it had been 3 days now with no sign of him. As Aiden’s future Beta, it was my duty to break the news to Alpha Donal.
“I’m afraid that’s all the information we have Alpha. Aiden was last seen 3 days ago, by me, before departing to issue his proposal to Ciara as his chosen mate and future Luna. According to her, he never arrived and no one has seen or heard from him since.”
I flinched but tried to remain calm as Alpha Donal’s fist collided with the wall dangerously close to my face. I was a competent warrior, but no match for an Alpha, even an aging one. He moved in close, his menacing expression fixed directly at me.
“Find him pup. Do not find yourself in front of me again unless you have succeeded.”
He grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt and shoved me out of his office, my back colliding with the far wall as he slammed the door behind me. I knew why he was so furious. He suspected Aiden of abandoning the pack and his role as future Alpha. I didn’t agree. I knew Aiden, he was like a brother to me, he put his pack and his duty above all else. He didn’t want Ciara as his Luna, but that was something he would do willingly for the good of the pack. No, something was amiss here. If Aiden was missing, there was a damn good reason for it. Regardless, I was going to find him.
I took the path through the forest that led to Ciara’s cottage. I knew Aiden would have taken this route to attempt to calm his nerves. Declan, my wolf, had already picked up his scent and was leading me in the direction Aiden had taken.
“Stop,” Declan growled from my mind. “He shifted here. The scent changes from Aiden to Ronan. He ran north, off the path toward the dark corner of the forest. There’s another scent, distant and unfamiliar… yet, enticing. Perhaps he followed it?”
“I’m going to give you the reigns my friend. Take us to him.”
I shifted mid-run and let Declan loose. He was an expert tracker and an extremely cunning hunter. If Aiden was out here, giving Declan free reign was my best chance of finding him. It was risky. As much as Declan was a loyal wolf he was also unpredictable, I rarely gave him full control.
The forest flew past at warp speed as Declan sped after Aiden’s scent. Eventually, we came to a halt in a clearing, just off a ledge that looked down into a deep pool of water. Declan sniffed the air a few times before he spoke.
“He was here. And recently, hours ago, maybe less…”
His ears pricked up and he took us closer to the edge, with the heightened vision that came with our wolf-form I could just make out a silhouette behind the curtain of the waterfall. There were voices, muffled by the running water.
“How do we get down there?”
“Not sure. But this wolf doesn’t swim. If we’re going in the water, we’re doing it in human form…”
Declan relinquished control and we shifted back to human form. The downfall of an unplanned shift was always the ensuing nudity. I suppose the water would’ve ruined any clothing anyway. I dove from the ledge into the pool below hoping my splash would be hidden by the sound of the waterfall.
As I resurfaced, I swam toward the waterfall and carefully hid behind some rocks as I broke through from beneath the curtain. Trying my best to be silent, I remained in the water and moved toward the voices.
“It’s Aiden…” Declan’s voice echoed in my head.
“With… a woman?” I replied as I squinted and rubbed my eyes. I couldn’t quite believe what I was looking at.
There was Aiden, passionately kissing a beautiful platinum-haired woman. That seemed to perfectly match the description of the mystery woman he was so convinced was at the Harvest….
Selene POV"This is crazy..." Liana, my wolf, scolded in my ear. "You felt it, Liana. The pain. Whatever is happening to Aiden, I'd be surprised if he can withstand it for much longer.""But should we not at least have told your mother? I see no good coming from sneaking away on our own.""The only one that might have come was Evangeline, but I couldn't risk it. We have enough power to face whatever lies ahead, Liana. You can feel it as well as I can.""Exactly, I can feel it. It's volatile, and you've barely scraped the surface of being able to control it. You're being reckless, Selene, and you know it.""I'm not being reckless. I saw the vision, I know what this could mean. But how much longer do you want Ronan to suffer?"There was a long pause in my mind, and I wished Liana was in her corporeal form so I could get a better read on her. As strange as it sounds, I enjoyed having her by my side instead of it having to be one of us or the other. Even though it had been that way for m
Aiden POV My mind was racing as the blurred stone walls that made up the cell I was now trapped in became clear. That voice... I'd heard it before, but where? Who was it? How did they overpower me? Was it a betrayal? Gabriel. He was the one that sent me here. That son of a bitch, I should've known better than to trust him. I could hear muffled voices in the distance, but the volume suggested they were drawing nearer. A quick scan of my surroundings confirmed my suspicions. I was strung upside down, ankles and wrists bound by a metal so strong I couldn't make it flex with all my strength. Below my arms, which were hanging above my head, was a chalice with a distinct red liquid sitting in it. Dried blood on my palms indicated it had likely come from my wrists. As the footsteps neared, I closed my eyes, and the creek of the door alerted me that I had company. Three sets of heavy footsteps entered, and I focussed on slowing my heart rate, for little good it did me. "Reall
Aiden POV As I sat staring out the window of my bedroom overlooking the field that led to the great forest for what felt like the hundredth night apart from Selene, I prayed. The silence was deafening. I suppose I thought she might hear me, answer... Come back to me. There had been no activity since the gathering, which I'm certain was intended to be our slaughter. Something stopped the attack or someone... A knock at my door broke me from my thoughts. "Aiden? Sorry to intrude, I saw the light..." "Come in, Blake." Blake had been apart from Evangeline as long as I had been apart from Selene, and I recognised the look in his eyes and the fatigue in his soul. It was weakening us both, though not as much as it should have been. Wherever our divine mates were, they were well and making sure we were as well. "I thought they'd at least have sent word by now..." he mumbled, half to himself as he poured us each a glass of whiskey. "There must be a good reason for it. Though I
Selene POV I stifled a smirk as my Mother rejected my Father's advances for what felt like the hundredth time since we returned to the palace. "What on earth is going on? Aren't you supposed to be training?" Evangeline whispered to me. "Yes. But not before issuing a little payback." Rather than attempt to recount the events, I placed my hand over my sister's and showed her a snippet of the conversation I'd had with my father. "Selene... you didn't!" she gasped, her whisper squeaking as the pitch of her voice rose in shock. I simply shrugged, feigned a look of innocence and turned my attention back to my parents. "Hey... Dad." The word still tasted strange on my tongue, "Need I remind you of the grave and mortal danger being faced in the human realm and the lives that are dependant on my training?" My Father turned to me, my Mother taking the opportunity to slide out of the corner he'd backed her into and make her away across the room. "Of course. Forgive me, daughter. I
Selene POV My Father's private chambers were not at all what I was expecting. The palace of the gods, the place I had always known to be home, was luxurious and indulgent. My father, it seemed, preferred more minimalistic surroundings. The thing about Eden, is that no being will ever be able to explore its vast reach fully. The garden is alive, and it changes constantly. As my father guided us through the unassuming little clearing he called home, I understood why. He lived hidden in plain sight, watching us. "Why here?" I questioned as I took a seat on a log by the babbling stream. "Where else? It is perfect, Selene. So perfect. I wanted them to have it. But, as I have learned, with all great gifts, they are easily taken for granted by those who don't have to work for them." A silent acknowledgement lingered between us as my mind wandered to the power I had inherited. Something I was sure would betray me the moment I took it for granted. "So, you really expect me to believe al
Aiden POV When I rose to my feet, I could sense that something had shifted. The surge of power was intense but fleeting. With its disappearance, so went the darkness. I could no longer sense the presence of the vampires. As my eyes darted around the creatures that had gathered for the ceremony, I also noted that a certain leprechaun had vanished as well. "What the hell just happened?" Blake's voice broke me from my thoughts. "You felt it too?" "Aye, I felt it. We all did. Whatever it was, I think it just saved us from an attack." I turned to Gabriel, who stood a few metres away with his wings fully unsheathed, staring toward the heavens. "Do you know what it was, Angel?" I questioned. He lowered his wings before slowly turning his head to glance at me over his shoulder. "That..." he began, "Was divine power." "So? I'd have thought you'd be used to that... being your kind." "You'd think." he scoffed, "But I've not felt anything like that in millennia... Look around, pu