Chapter 47
**CALEB**
She fucking stood me up... again. She's blown her chance, and there's no way I'm ever going to see her again. I get back in the car, slamming the door behind me.
"Damn it!" I shout, slamming both hands on the steering wheel.
"I take it she didn't come?" Finn asks me, still in the passenger seat.
"I don't want to talk about it. Let's go home." I reply simply before turning on the ignition.
We've been driving for barely five minutes when my phone rings in the cabin. I answer it directly from the steering wheel and Theo's stressed voice fills the car.
"I can't find Elena. I joined her at home and she was not there, I looked for her in the house but she was not there. Her bag and phone were in the hall and the door wasn't locked. Silas didn't get home until five minutes before I arrived with Jensen and they didn't see any movement in the house. I called Gemma and Griffin but they didn't see him. I even called Matt to see if he'd heard anything... but no." He inhales sharply. "You guys need to come home now, I need you."
"Where are you now?" Finn asks him with clenched fists.
"Outside her house. Silas went with Josh to look around and see if she went for a run."
"We'll be there as soon as we can. Stay where you are in case she comes back and call Jo to fill him in on the situation so they can think of a search plan by the time we get there."
I hang up without waiting for an answer from her and press the gas pedal hard. Finn says nothing more and taps on his phone.
Where could she be? The three of us are her mates, so if we concentrate hard enough together, we might be able to locate her. I won't lose her. I can't lose her too.
***
As soon as we arrived at her place, I went around the house again, to make sure Theo hadn't missed anything in the panic. A small team of deltas had been briefed on the situation and were going through all the CCTV footage in town to try and find a fucking clue. She can't just disappear with a snap of her fingers. Finn calls me from the living room and I see he's with his father and Theo as I descend the stairs.
"We've got to talk about the sore subject. The main suspects." Finn begins. "In other words, your parents."
"So why my parents? "I ask and after a second I continue. "My father I can understand, but my mother?"
"She arranges a meeting with you which she doesn't come to, then just sends you a poor text saying Sorry. Sorry for what? For not coming or for kidnapping and sequestering our mate and mother of our unborn child?" He raises his voice slightly at the end of her question.
I don't want to believe it, but if it were the mother of one of them, I'd think exactly the same thing. My world is falling apart, but I can't afford to lose it. Elena needs me and I'll do everything I can to find her even if it's the last fucking thing I do.
**ELENA**
When I regained consciousness I was somewhat shaken... literally. With difficulty, I open my eyes and quickly realize that I'm in the back of a van. From the way I'm being tossed about, we must be on a forest road. I try to move and speak, but my body is still under the effect of the drug I've been given.
" Shhh baby girl, you should rest." A male voice I think I recognize says from the front of the vehicle, but I dive back into the darkness despite myself. My last thought is for my baby... I hope whatever I've been given won't harm it.
**FINN**
Elena has been missing for 24 hours now, and we decided at dawn to inform the pack's population of the situation. We welcome any help we can get in finding her. Matt also arrived today with a team from our companion's company.
Fergus, one of his employees, asked if we'd let him join us as head of operations. We readily agreed, given his experience in protecting and extracting kidnap victims. He gave us all the leads we had, and we called the deltas and reservists together for a meeting at the pack house.
We're all gathered in the hall with all these men and women as well as my father and Silas, who insisted on being present.
"The moment is serious." Caleb begins in a serious tone. "As you all know, it's been 24 hours since your Luna disappeared without a trace. Everything points to the fact that she has been abducted and that her departure was not voluntary. I'll let Fergus explain the plan of action to you and Jo." He nods to our Delta Commander. "You'll each be given your personal mission and schedule. Every minute counts in finding Elena and under no circumstances should we waste even one minute."
Fergus clears his throat. "The area around Miss Romano's family home was searched and we found tire tracks consistent with a van-type vehicle." Using a screen behind him, photos of the tire tracks are displayed for all to see. I scrutinize the reactions of everyone at this meeting because the person behind this may very well have an informant. "Unfortunately, the CCTV images didn't allow us to identify the vehicle clearly. That's what makes us think that the suspect is a member of this community." Fergus looks at Cal out of the corner of his eye and Cal nods. "The pack has been quarantined since 7 pm last night, and no one has been allowed to leave or enter. According to this plan, the only way out is here." He says, pointing to a spot on the map on the screen. The suspect most certainly passed through here between 5 and 6 pm, the time when a surveillance team inspected the perimeter. As Alpha Caleb has told you, every minute counts, and your Luna's state of health must be taken into consideration, as she is pregnant."