Where Are You?

**\[ALPHA BELLAMY’s Point of View\]**

The alarm was on. My ears rang as the noise of the siren alerted the whole resort. Red lights were blinking on the walls as the residents and workers moved and ran towards safety.

My jaw stiffened as I walked past them, pushing myself in the opposite direction toward outside the main lobby. I was sure Alice had gone inside the resort when I walked out of the labyrinth! I made f*cking sure she did!

With my heart beating so hard and fast in my chest, I saw the terrified faces of the people pushing themselves to get to the underground safety as fast as they could. The monster lingering in the forest had awakened. I couldn’t remember the last time it happened, though. It was decades ago when that creature attacked this place and Zen and I saw the horror it brought to the people of the MoonClaw pack.

Nobody could describe what it looked like. What I could remember was that it had a wide wing span that covered a whole building. It was massive. More likely fifteen hundred pounds with four feet and sharp claws, it used to tear down houses and buildings. So many MoonClaw residents died that day and it was also that day that I swore to Zen my loyalty after saving my life from that hideous monster.

The MoonClaw patrol entered the lobby when I reached the place and all of them were holding a flashlight as if they just searched for something after I smelled the distinct scent of the forest on them. 

“Briar! What’s going on?” I asked, hoping the idea that had been haunting me since the alarm blared inside the resort started. “What are you doing in that f*cking forest?”

He looked at me with a scowl. Briar knew my connection with Alice and of course, he hated me, thinking I was trying to compete with his Alpha. “Not your d*mn business, Bells. I thought you already left. Why are you still here?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I started to run out of patience. I knew Briar would be upset if I asked him about Alice but I didn’t f*cking care anymore. “Have you seen Alice?”

He looked at me with dark, arrogant eyes. His frown deepened and his scarred eyes stretched as he scoffed. “One of my men saw you and Lady Alice in the garden, Bellamy,” he snarled at me, leaning closer in a threatening glare. “I told you before. Stay away from her and my Alpha, you lowlife rascal.”

The insult was nothing compared to my worry for Alice so I let it slip and hissed back at him. “I am asking you a question. Have you seen Alice!”

He gave me a disgusted look and grimaced. “My men and I tried to search for her but we failed to find her. Knowing she’s a witch, I am sure she used a spell to hide her tracks.” he squinted his eyes at me and growled, “The question is, why? Why doesn't she want us to find her, Bellamy? What happened in the garden?”

That mockery in Briar’s voice was enough for me to decide to leave and get the f*ck out of his face before my eyes darkened and bury his face against the marbled floor of the lobby. I didn’t care what Briar thought of me or if he was skeptical about my friendship with his Alpha. But Zen knew me from head to foot. I only wanted happiness for him for being there for me my whole life.

But Alice came and things just spiraled into an unexpected chaos.

Could they blame me for this? Could they blame me if I wanted to be happy for once in my life?

But of course, no one cared for the happiness of a small-time Alpha like me, who only has one-fourth of Zen’s territory. If it wasn’t for Zen’s support for me and my people, I didn’t exactly know where I would go. After my father died in an accident and found out that all our assets and money were paid to all his f*cking debts to a multi-million bet he lost, I thought I would also lose the trust of our people as their Alpha. But Zen saved me and my mother in our most desperate times and since then, I have become one of his mercenaries when it comes to eliminating a potential enemy that threatened his throne as the most powerful Alpha of the continent.

Goddess, how would I handle these emotions if it meant confronting a wealthy and influential man such as Zennon Miller?

I wish I could explain this to Alice. I wish I had that f*cking courage to face her and let her know that it also kills me to give her up. But how when I never wanted to do that kind of sacrifice? How could I live seeing Alice in the arms of the man that I treated as my own brother my whole life?

My fear felt like spiders crawling up my neck to my face. I had never felt such fear before as I ran out of the gates of the resort to look for Alice. Mother confirmed she wasn’t inside and after what I did to her, I understood she would never want to go back if it meant seeing me again.

I was such an *sshole and I hated myself. F*ck! I would never forgive myself if something happened to my mate!

I blinked. My breathing was fast as I scanned the whole beach and found she wasn’t there. Mate. Yes. Alive was my mate and I didn’t know what I was doing with my life and why I kept on hurting her. Torturing her with my cowardice. 

Despair started to eat my soul as I entered the thick, dark forest, hoping I could sense her there through our matebond. I closed my eyes despite that terrifying shriek reverberating in every corner of the place. No sound of crickets, no noise from any nocturnal creatures. It was as if these creatures were also scared they would die if they made any little screeching after the monster awakened.

I went deeper and deeper into the forest, hoping to find Alice safely hiding somewhere. But what I only saw was the scarf she was wearing the last time we talked in the garden.

I felt the fabric in my hand and bit my lower lip hard. 

Where the hell are you, Alice? I hissed internally as I looked around the old tall trees.