Chapter 148
Asher
Seventy miles. She could be seventy miles away by now, drugged, terrified, in the hands of professionals who'd managed to penetrate our territory and snatch her from under our noses. The bond was still there—I could feel it like a phantom limb, that faint pulse that told me she was alive—but it was muted, distant, as if something was actively suppressing it. The collar, most likely. Konstantin had resources we'd underestimated.
"Marcus called in markers with three neighboring packs," I said, forcing my mind back to logistics. "Glacier Bay, Aurora Ridge, and Denali Summit all have patrols searching their territories. Alaska State Police have the BOLO, but..." I didn't finish. We all knew human law enforcement was useless against Konstantin's operation. They'd been trying to nail him for years and had nothing but bodies and dead ends to show for it.
"We're offering a reward," Blake added, his voice rough. "Five hundred thousand for information leading to her recovery. Marcus authorized it."
I nodded, though we all knew it was a long shot. Konstantin inspired more fear than any amount of money could overcome. Still, desperation made people stupid, and we only needed one weak link.
The door opened, and Marcus entered, followed by our newly hired investigator. Ethan Drake was exactly what we needed right now—a former Alaska State Police detective who'd specialized in supernatural cases before going private. At forty-two, he had the weathered look of someone who'd seen the worst humanity and wolves had to offer, his gray hair cropped military-short, his gray eyes sharp and assessing. A claw-mark scar bisected his left cheek, a souvenir from a case gone wrong.
"Gentlemen," Drake's voice was low and measured, carrying the calm authority of someone used to working crisis situations. He set a leather briefcase on the conference table and pulled out a tablet. "I've reviewed the scene photos and the evidence you collected. Let me be direct—this was a professional extraction. The chloroform dosage was military-grade, administered by someone with training. The wolf who climbed your tower was massive, well over two hundred pounds in shifted form based on the paw print measurements. The tactical cloth is Russian manufacture, same type used by Spetsnaz."
"We know it was professional," Blake snarled, his wolf bleeding into his voice. "Tell us something useful."
Drake's expression didn't change, though I saw his posture shift slightly, acknowledging the threat. "What's useful is this: someone inside your pack gave them the information they needed. Your building layout, patrol schedules, camera blind spots, and most importantly, Miss Sterling's location and routine. This wasn't an opportunistic grab. This was planned, probably for weeks."
The temperature in the room dropped as Blake's fury found a new target. "You're saying we have a traitor."
"I'm saying you have an information leak. Could be intentional betrayal, could be careless talk, could be someone who didn't realize what they were revealing." Drake pulled up a file on his tablet and projected it onto the main screen. "I've compiled a preliminary list of suspects based on who had access to the necessary information and who has motive or opportunity."
The screen filled with names and photos. My jaw tightened as I recognized faces—pack members I'd known my entire life, people who'd sworn loyalty to our family.
Crystal Vance, 35, Senior Event Coordinator. Her photo showed the same immaculately styled red hair and sharp features I'd seen sneering at Kara more times than I could count. The notation beneath read: Multiple documented incidents of hostility toward Kara Sterling. Public statements expressing displeasure with mate bond. Rejected romantic advances from all three Alphas.
Three young females, ages 18-22. I recognized them from Northern High—girls who'd made Kara's school life hell with their petty jealousies and cruel comments.
Two recent additions to the pack, both lone wolves with incomplete background checks. That was on us. We'd been so focused on Kara that we'd let security protocols slip.
Four pack members with external connections. These were the ones that made my blood run cold—wolves who did business in Fairbanks, who had ties to the Russian immigrant community, who could've been compromised or manipulated.
"Why wasn't this done before?" Blake exploded, his scent spiking so sharply that Drake actually took a step back. "These people had motive, had opportunity, and we just let them waltz around our territory while my mate—" His voice broke, the word 'mate' coming out strangled.
I moved between them, placing a hand on Blake's chest, feeling his heart hammering like a war drum. Through our private bond, I sent a pulse of forced calm even as my own rage simmered. Control. We need him functional.
I want to kill every single one of them, Blake shot back, his thoughts jagged with pain and fury.
So do I. But first, we get answers.
Out loud, I said, "Drake, start with Crystal. She's had the most direct contact with Kara and the strongest documented hostility. Blake, coordinate with Devon—I want perimeter security tripled and every entry point manned by warriors we absolutely trust. Cole, keep working the digital angle. If they used any electronic communication to plan this, I want it found."
"And the others on the list?" Marcus asked, his Alpha authority filling the room. Even in crisis, he commanded respect, though I could see the strain around his eyes, the way his own wolf prowled beneath the surface.
"We interview them all," I said coldly. "Today. Now. Anyone who hesitates, anyone whose story doesn't check out, anyone whose scent betrays deception—they're detained until we have Kara back." I let my gaze sweep the room, meeting each set of eyes. "I don't care about protocol or pack politics. Our Luna was taken from our territory. Until she's home, we're at war."
The word hung in the air—war. It wasn't hyperbole. In wolf culture, the abduction of an Alpha's mate was the gravest act of aggression, justification for total retaliation. And we had three Alphas whose mate was missing. The only thing keeping us from complete rampage was the cold knowledge that blind violence wouldn't bring her back.
Drake nodded approvingly. "I'll set up in Conference Room B. Bring them to me one at a time. I'll know if they're lying."
As he left, Blake turned to me, his eyes still more gold than blue. "What if one of them did help? What if Crystal or one of those bitches from school sold Kara out?"
"Then they'll wish Konstantin had gotten to them first," I said, meaning every word.
Through our bond, I felt Cole's spike of alarm, hismint scent taking on an even more acrid edge. Asher, we can't lose control. We have to be smart about this.
I am being smart, I replied. Smart enough to know that whoever helped take her deserves everything that's coming to them.
Marcus cleared his throat. "The interrogations are your call, but I'm activating the Pack Council. We need to coordinate with our allies, manage pack morale, and prepare for the possibility that this escalates beyond our territory."
"It's already escalated," Blake said darkly. "Konstantin doesn't just grab someone and give them back. He makes them disappear. Like Scarlett. Like Kara's parents, probably. And now—" He couldn't finish, his throat working as he fought for control.
I knew what he wasn't saying. Now Kara, our brilliant, damaged, brave little mate who'd only just started to trust us, who'd finally said yes to forever, was in the hands of a monster who specialized in making people vanish without a trace.
We'll find her, I sent through our three-way bond, making it a command, a promise, a prayer. We don't stop until we do.
No matter what it takes, Blake agreed, his mental voice raw.
No matter how long, Cole added, hismint finally steadying into something like determination.
I looked at the map again, at all those red pins marking places she wasn't. Somewhere out there in the frozen darkness, Kara was alone and afraid, cut off from our bond, probably thinking we'd abandoned her. The thought made my wolf claw at my insides, demanding I shift, run, hunt until I found her scent.
But I was Alpha. I'd trained my entire life to put strategy over instinct, to lead rather than simply react. So I locked down the howl building in my chest and turned to my brothers.
"Let's start with Crystal," I said. "And may the Moon have mercy on her if she's involved, because we sure as hell won't."