Chapter 87 Chapter 0087
•MASON•
I was still holding the phone after Nadia's voice cut out.
I didn't even ask who took him or what happened. I wanted to be home and find my son.
I was already pulling my jacket from the chair before the phone had fully left my ear.
I looked around the guest room at the small collection of things I had brought with me, grabbed what I needed, and left the rest.
I stopped in the corridor outside and called Cassandra.
It rang twice.
"Mason?" She answered. "What's going on?"
"I have to go back to Silvercrest tonight," I answered. "Please tell Alena that I will see her soon. There's something I need to take care of at home."
"That's okay, I will tell her."
I breathed, fighting the urge to tell her that our son was missing. "Thank you."
I ended the call and pushed through the exit door. I went to my car and hit the road.
The drive back to Silvercrest took three hours, but I pushed it in two and a half.
I tried calling Nadia twice more during the drive, but both times it went to voicemail, even when I tried Rowan's phone.
My chest tightened as I thought of all the possibilities regarding my son's disappearance. But I couldn't think of anyone who could've taken him.
When I drove through the border, something instantly shifted in my chest, and Ryder growled lowly.
There was something we couldn't put our fingers into. The pack's bond was weakening, which caused my stomach to drop.
For a moment, I thought everyone had been killed, just as I had seen them in my dreams. But I pushed that thought aside and kept driving.
The courtyard was lit when I arrived. The pack members and the elders had gathered around, and I thought they were probably talking about finding Rowan.
I parked my car in the driveway and got out of the car.
Several faces turned toward me immediately. But I knew at that moment something was wrong.
None of them moved toward me.
That was the first clear signal. In nine years of leading this pack, arriving home had always produced a particular response toward me as their Alpha.
Tonight nobody moved.
I walked toward the courtyard.
I was ten steps from the edge of the gathering when two scouts stepped into my path from opposite sides.
Young men I had personally approved for the scouting unit eighteen months ago. They moved with coordinated purpose and their eyes were not apologetic.
"What is this?" I asked.
Neither of them answered.
"Stand down," I said, commanding them with my Alpha command voice, but they didn't flinch.
My stomach dropped when I realized that the pack bond had shifted. They no longer recognized me as their Alpha.
I didn't fight the scouts. I let them move me forward through the gathered pack members who parted and watched in silence, and I kept my face entirely controlled.
Nadia was standing at the front of the courtyard. And beside her stood my father-in-law, and Beta.
Noah.
They both looked at me as if the entire gathering had been planned to play a trick on me. I didn't even know if I was dreaming, or being tricked.
I looked at Nadia. "Where is Rowan?"
"Rowan is safe," she replied. "He will remain safe as long as this goes smoothly."
The scouts pushed down on my shoulders.
I resisted for a full three seconds before the combined weight forced me to one knee on the cold stone of the courtyard.
One knee.
Before my own pack.
I looked up at Nadia from the ground and felt something move through me that was beyond anger.
"What's this, Nadia? What are you doing?"
"Declare it," she said, looking down at me. "Declare me as your Alpha in front of all these people and I will let you and your son live. But if you don't—" she paused and scoffed. "I won't promise if either of you will live."
The courtyard was completely silent.
Every face I had known for years looked back at me from the gathered crowd. Some of them were uncomfortable. Some of them were blank. A small number were watching with expressions I couldn't read.
I looked at Nadia. "Why would I declare you as the Alpha in my pack?" I sneered. "You have no right to compete with me. I am still your husband. Or has that escaped through your narrow skull?"
"It's the full moon, Mason," she said as she leaned closer. "So, don't make this difficult for us. Declare me as your Alpha and live, or refuse and die. You choose, husband."
My jaw tightened.
The word she wanted sat in my throat like something I would choke on before I allowed it out.
But I would be dead before that could happen.