Fifty

Something was wrong.

Eva had spent most of the day trying to focus on looking at transfer requests between the Silver Moon township and the Hellhound township; however it had proven difficult as her mind wandered to other places. Nothing about the day seemed right from the moment she got up and realised Daniel hadn't come to bed. On top of that, her conversation with Bethan had left her confused. The way Ethan had looked at his little sister had been unsettling and it seemed odd he had walked in just as Bethan revealed she remembered more than one attacker.

However it wasn't just the fact she was now convinced Bethan was hiding something or that her mate had been elusive since the morning before. Kalla had been stirring underneath the surface, wriggling like a startled fish in water. Anxiety fluttered up into Eva's chest like a swarm of bees making her shift restlessly in her seat.

Something was definitely wrong.

Giving up on the paperwork, Eva decided to check on her mate, concerned that he wasn't responding to her messages via mind-link. Daniel wasn't much for using the gift, preferring actual talking to it, even if he wasn't a man of many words. But this was extreme even for him. The trepidation didn't ease when Eva found his office and the war room empty and no sign of him out on the training grounds. Eva had learnt that if he wasn't in any of those places and not outside smoking then something must have happened.

"Eva, hey!" Duncan grinned as he walked back from the command center. "Everything okay?"

"Have you seen Daniel?" Eva asked, casting a glance towards the command center but not seeing any sign of the male.

"No, I've not seen him since yesterday." Duncan scowled, glancing in the direction Eva was looking. "Is he in his office maybe?"

"No." Eva shook her head, looking at her friend, hazel eyes clouding with worry. "He didn't come to bed last night but I figured he was working so thought nothing of it. I haven't heard from him and he's not in any of the usual spots."

“Have you mind-linked him?”

Eva nodded, taking a shaky breath. “Yeah but he hasn’t replied. It’s like that is nothing there.”

Something was definitely very wrong.

“Okay, have you tried calling him?” Duncan offered.

Eva hadn’t thought of that. The Mind-link ability was not without limitations. Distance made the link weaker and outside of pack territory it was virtually non-existent. That’s why they had phones. That and social media.

“You’re right,” Eva nodded, grabbing her phone from her pocket. “He’s probably just busy and forgot to mention it.”

Eva quickly pressed on her mate’s number, lifting the phone to hear ear and listening to the pur of the ring. Eva felt her heart pounding in her chest as she waited desperately for Daniel to pick up.

*“Your through to the voicemail for Daniel Wolfe…” *

Eva’s heart dropped into her stomach as she felt like the air had been knocked from her lungs. “He’s not answering.” She managed, his eyes wide as she looked at Duncan. “Why isn’t he answering?”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Duncan spilled out quickly, grabbing Eva’s shoulders to center her. “We’ll put an alert out. He has to be somewhere. I’m sure one of the patrol groups have seen him.”

“But surely he would say something if he was going out alone.” Eva breathed. “He’s stubborn and arrogant but he’s not stupid.”

“Eva,” The warrior said sternly, looking into Eva’s eyes. “It’s going to be okay.”

Something was definitely terribly wrong.

Eva nodded and followed Duncan back to the command center. She had promised herself she would approach all of this rationally and with a clear head but just the hint that Daniel might be trouble brought to life a fear Eva had successfully ignored for so long now.

What if she lost Daniel?

Eva wanted to tell herself that she was worried about the impact it would have on the pack but she knew that her worries were far more selfish. She had already lost Noah and he had been her chosen mate. Daniel was her destined mate, whether it be because of the Moon Goddess’s decree (as Eva was raised to believe) or simply natural selection by their wolves (as Daniel believed). The loss would destroy Eva and she couldn’t comprehend how she would survive if that bond was severed.

It only took a few minutes of checking in with the patrolling wolves to determine that no one had seen the Alpha since yesterday afternoon and that had been when Duncan and Joe had seen him storming into the forest like a man on a mission.

“What was he doing going out there alone?” Eva hissed, pressing her fingers into her closed eyes to try and hold off the threatening headache.

“Not sure but he asked where Ethan was.” Joe pointed out. “He was heading to the attack site.”

“Okay, maybe Ethan has seen him.” Eva nodded. “Can you start a search? I don’t want to alarm the whole pack so warriors and scouts only for now. Check the holding facilities as well in case he’s gone there for some reason.”

“On it.” Duncan nodded, him and Joe turning away to begin contacting the necessary personnel.

Eva headed back to the packhouse to find the visiting beta. He was meant to be leaving today but not until the evening which meant he should still be around. Sure enough, she found the blonde male in his room packing, his brown eyes looking at Eva questioningly when she burst into the room.

“Hey,” He started slowly, raising an eyebrow in bemusement. “Is everything okay?”

“Have you seen Daniel?” Eva asked.

“Daniel?” The beta’s confusion only deepened. “No. Why?”

“No one has seen him since yesterday afternoon when he went looking for you at the attack site.” Eva explained quickly, pushing her fingers through her hair as she paced. “Where the fuck is he?”

“Calm down,” Ethan interjected, putting a stop to Eva’s pacing. “We can look for him. Maybe he took a different route and got hurt although I’m sure he’s fine and just really busy.”

Eva nodded, sighing out a calming breath. “Okay yeah, I’d really appreciate your help.”

“No worries.” Ethan nodded with a reassuring smile. “Let me just finish up here and I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.”

Eva agreed although she didn’t feel any better. Reluctantly leaving Ethan to finish what he was doing, Eva headed back downstairs to wait by the front doors. With every passing moment she hoped that Daniel would come through the front door acting like his usual self and completely fine but with every moment that passed, that didn’t happen and Eva’s dread grew. Ten minutes seemed like an eternity but true to his word, Ethan came jogging down the steps donned in a jacket and walking boots suitable for the bumpy terrain. The area was not as hilly or rocky as up north but it was still a challenge especially with the spring rains making everything wet and slippery.

“Thanks for doing this, Ethan.” Eva spoke up once they were out of the packhouse and heading for the forest. “I know you need to get back.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Ethan shrugged. “I just wish we had realised sooner something was amiss.”

“Yeah but Daniel has a habit of working all night.” Eva confessed, watching the ground as they walked. “Even before all of this craziness started Daniel would be off doing something.”

“He obviously cares for the pack.”

“He does.” Eva agreed. “He puts everyone first. I just… I can’t lose him. I can’t go through it again.”

Ethan frowned at the future luna. “Again?”

Eva nodded, eyes scanning around for any sign of her mate. His scent was nonexistent and her wolf was not picking up on his. “Daniel might be my destined mate but he’s not my first mate. I was mated to someone else but he died. I can’t go through that again.”

“Eva, don’t worry about it. You’re going to see him again soon.” Ethan chuckled.

“That’s very optimistic of you, Ethan but what if you’re wrong?” Eva frowned at the blonde male, eyes clouding in worry at the thought. It took everything in her being not to shudder.

“I’m not wrong.” Ethan came to a stop, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket while he flashed Eva a care-free smile. “In fact, I know you will see him again.”

Eva wanted to have that same optimism but couldn’t muster it. With everything going on, from the attacks to Kade’s possible murder, there was every posibility Daniel had been hurt or attacked. The Mad Alpha had made a pledge to take Daniel out next. What if that promise had come to fruition and they had all been too oblivious to notice? How had she been too oblivious to notice?

Eva finally sighed, looking away from her companion, watching the light green leaves around them flutter. “Ethan, look, your attempts at keeping me positive are sweet but--”

The words died in Eva’s mouth when she felt a sharp scratch in her left bicep, her head whipping around in time to see Ethan’s thumb press the plunger down and empty the pale yellow contents of the syringe into Eva’s arm.

Something was definitely very terribly wrong.