Chapter 62

Chapter 62
James raced back into his own bedroom after he sent out the announcement to the entirety of his pack. Every wolf that had the pack bond with James felt their alphas panic and his fear. It took only seconds before Jett came up to the bedrooms, he looking stressed out from the message he received and he went right into James’ room without knocking or asking for permission to enter.

“What happened?!” Jett asked, looking around and then going to the bathroom where James was knelt down next to the tub and looking into the red-tinged water.

“Damn it Taylor you cant just come barging into the Alpha’s personal room like this!” Alaric snapped, coming in just seconds after the former beta. He grabbed Jett by the arm and jerked him back from the bathroom door. It earned him a glower from the older wolf and a show of teeth.

“She was my Alpha!” he argued back, but stopped when James snapped and stood up.

“ENOUGH!” he yelled, glaring at Jett and Alaric both. “You want to call her your alpha? Fine. She is an alpha female. Ive never encountered one before, but she can control me with just a few words. If you want to continue to call her Alpha and you want to follow us both… I will give you the title of secondary Beta and the rank of it in this pack.” James said coldly. He had already planned to give Jett some kind of rank. He had been a good pack member and he was loyal. He knew the man would protect Cassidy with his very life if he needed to. “Now… go get the fucking video footage of the cameras. No one leaves this house or the territory. Tell Jaxson to tell his men and then you two meet me up in my office.”

There was little choice for Alaric and Jett when James gave his orders. They bowed themselves respectfully to James before both of them took their leave to carrying out their orders just as Julian, the alphas father, was coming into the room.

Julian closed the door behind Alaric and Jett, locking it so his son would not have any more interruptions. “What happened son?” he asked as he looked around the untouched bedroom and then to his son that seemed almost disconnected at the moment.

James was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, staring off into space while looking at the floor. He was trying to remember any kind of detail that he missed, but his mind was quickly falling into complete chaos from just not knowing where Cassidy was.

“JAMES.” Julian shouted, gripping his son by the shoulder and giving the young alpha a little bit of a shake to startle the boy from his thoughts. When James looked up at his father in confusion, Julian sighed. “What happened son?”

Alpha Black shook his head and his eyes scanned the bedroom for the hundredth time since he had arrived. “I don't know.” He admitted in a low voice. “I don't know what happened. I came home. I followed her scent up here to my room. She had been in the bath but…” he stepped out of the way a few feet so his father could see the state of the bathroom. “I don't know where she is.”

Julian looked into the bathroom and the mess that was there and nodded. “Get some pants on at least James. I know the men you grew up with wont say anything about you running around naked, but your mother will throw a fit.” He instructed James, giving his son something to do to help him get his mind focused on something other than his missing mate.

“You know… Your mother was kidnapped once.” He said as he walked around the room, looking at the little things like hair ties and shoes Cassidy had left in his sons normally clean and spotless room. “Was maybe five years after I became alpha. That bastard from tall pines took her. He always had a crush on your mother and he had been chasing her tail for years until we announced we were mates and bonding.” Julian said with a bit of a smirk, remembering those days back when it was constant skirmishes between BlackStone and TallTree's. “Alpha Pine and his son are sons of bitches with no respect for life. There is a reason their larger territory is in the south… Anyways… Rudy comes one day and convinces your mother to go to his pack for some reason or another to help one of the women in labor over there. Then he locks her up and tries to keep her prisoner. The boys and I laid waste to Tall Tree territory until we were at the door and he rolled belly up.”

James was only half listening to his father. He didn't know what happened to Cassidy but he sure as fuck was going to find out. If someone took her… he wasn't going to be as forgiving as his father was. If she ran off on him after everything they have shared together over the past few months. Marking each other and bonding. Her heat… James could feel his wolf bristling in anger of the thought of Cassidy leaving him now. He wouldn't be forgiving of her either. James shook his head, banishing the thought of her betraying him like that. It wasn't a possibility anymore.

He pulled on some sweats and a shirt, socks and tennis shoes before he stepped out, ignoring his father as he went to the door. He knew the elder wolf was trying to help, but James just wanted answers. Not stories. His father followed in grim silence as the two men went up to his office. James sat down in his chair behind his desk, resting his elbows on the surface and then putting his for head in his hands. Julian took a seat on the leather sofa against the wall and quietly waited, giving his son some time to think and process.

Nearly ten minutes went by from the time Alaric and Jett were sent out to get the videos before they were coming back with Jaxson as well. The laptop was set on the desk and opened, Alaric’s fingers speeding across the keys while James watch cameras coming up one by one in a grid of four by four, all replaying at the same time from the time she had come into the house after the fight.

Everyone watched in silence while the cameras played back as Cassidy went up the stairs on one camera, the view switching to the ones that shown the stairs and then the one that shown her go down the hall to James’ room and disappear inside.

“That doesn't show me what happened to her…” James said with an impatient growl and Alaric gave his friend a steady cool look.

“Just watch for a few more minutes.” The beta instructed, doing his best to not lose his temper, just as upset as the rest of the pack over the Luna missing. “There… this man.” He said, pointing to the gathering room camera when a large male carrying an equally large stack of clean linens and towels was taking them upstairs, using them to hide his face. Silence fell over everyone as they watched with held breath as the man made his way on the same path Cassidy did, then went into the Alphas bedroom. Alaric stopped the videos and James took a sharp breath.

“When did they leave? The water was almost cold when I got home. She likes her baths hot enough to scald.” James demanded.

Alaric shook his head, standing up and looking down at the laptop with a frown. “They didn't. They never left the bedroom.” He said in confusion. “I fast forwarded it and the next one thought the door was you, Alpha.” He said lowly.

“The patio… The door was open.” Jett said and then took off like his tail was on fire out of the office to go and check the patio off of James’ room.

“Show the outside cameras…” James said, Alaric already doing it. “Remind me to thank you when we have her back for getting this security shit set up last year…” he grumbled and then watched as Alaric was rewinding the camera that faced the side of the house to the point where the rogue from the forest jumped down with a limp Cassidy in his arms.

James didn't wait another second and got up, rushing to go and join Jett who had already shifted and was in his wolf form, jumped down and tracking before he shifted back and looked up to James when the alpha was on the balcony. “I cant smell them… But I can smell her bath oil. The mint. Its strong enough to follow.” He shouted up.

James growled lowly and looked over to Jaxson. “Get your men ready. Anyone who can fight and follow after us.” He gave the order and Jaxson nodded, running back through the room to get the warriors rounded up. “Alaric…”

“Waiting on your slow ass.” Alaric said, taking the jump and landing on his feet where he shifted and shook off his clothes, he and Jett running ahead with noses to the ground.

James glanced back at his father, who just gave a nod of understanding between them before he took the jump as well and shifted, following after the two betas, praying to the god and goddess that his mate was not being harmed.

Authors Note
Thank you to all my readers for your support! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I would like to invite you to join my personal discord to discuss this book with other readers and myself, share thoughts, get updates and provide valuable feedback! Join discord with the code W7yVWxDXk9 Full link will be in comments! -Until next chapter, Miranda Burke