Chapter 37 Chapter 37: Vanished

Chapter 37 Chapter 37: Vanished

POV: Elena
The tray hit the marble floor with a sharp crash, porcelain shattering everywhere.
“Master Sam… he’s gone,” the young maid stammered, her voice trembling so badly I could barely understand her. “He’s not in his room. We checked the library, the gardens, the entire east wing. He’s not anywhere in the estate.”
I watched Marcus closely.
The change in him was immediate and terrifying. His entire body went rigid. The coffee mug in his hand exploded, hot liquid spraying across the counter and floor. He didn’t even blink. His golden eyes flared bright, pupils shrinking into slits as pure alpha rage rolled off him in waves.
“Find him!” Marcus roared, the sound shaking the windows. “Now! Lock every fucking exit! I want every guard on the grounds! Move!”
He stormed out of the kitchen like a beast unleashed. I followed right behind him, my heels clicking rapidly against the polished floors. Servants and guards scattered out of his path, pressing themselves flat against the walls, eyes wide with fear.
“Search every room!” he bellowed as he took the stairs three at a time. “Check the cameras! I want teams covering the outer perimeter in under a minute! If anyone saw anything, bring them to me!”
His voice echoed through the massive estate like thunder. I kept pace with him, my mind racing. This wasn’t normal anger. This was something much deeper. Much more dangerous.
Marcus slammed open the door to Sam’s bedroom. The room was empty. The bed was still unmade from earlier. Marcus moved like a predator, snatching Sam’s phone off the nightstand. The screen cracked under his grip as he checked it.
“He left it behind,” he growled, tossing the phone onto the bed.
He stormed over to the window. The lock was broken. A section of glass near the edge was cracked, and cold night air seeped inside. Marcus leaned out, nostrils flaring as he tried to catch a scent. Rain and wind whipped against his face.
I stepped into the room behind him.
“Marcus,” I said firmly. “Stop this. You’re losing control.”
He spun around, eyes blazing. “He’s out there alone. After everything with Draven. After what just happened. And you expect me to sit still?”
“Sam is a grown man,” I replied, keeping my voice calm and level. “He’s probably just overwhelmed and went to see his friend Silas. You know how much pressure he’s been under. Give the boy some space. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”
Marcus stared at me for a long moment. His jaw tightened so hard I could see the muscle flexing. The suspicion in his eyes was sharp and unmistakable.
“You don’t seem worried at all,” he said slowly, voice dropping into a dangerous growl. “Your own nephew disappears and you’re standing here telling me to give him space? Like none of this matters to you?”
I lifted my chin. “Because unlike you, I’m not treating him like some helpless little thing you need to keep locked away forever.”
That pushed him over the edge.
“You don’t care,” Marcus snarled, stepping toward me. “You never fucking cared about him.”
His hand shot out faster than I expected. He grabbed the front of my coat and lifted me off my feet, slamming me backward onto the heavy oak desk. The wood cracked loudly beneath me, then shattered completely as I crashed through it. Pain exploded across my spine and ribs.
I didn’t hesitate.
I grabbed his arm with both hands, twisted hard, and used every bit of strength I had to throw him across the room. He smashed straight into the large crystal chandelier. Glass and broken crystals rained down around him in a loud, glittering shower. Several staff members who had gathered at the doorway gasped in horror, some stepping back in fear.
Marcus rose from the broken glass without a single flinch. His eyes were pure molten gold now. He came at me again like a freight train.
I swung at him, landing a solid hit to his jaw, but it barely slowed him down. He caught me by the throat, lifted me clean off the ground, and slammed me into the nearest wall. The impact rattled my bones and knocked the breath out of me. I clawed desperately at his forearm, drawing deep lines of blood, but he didn’t even react.
“Marcus—” I choked out, legs kicking uselessly.
He threw me again. I hit the floor hard, sliding across broken glass and wood splinters. Before I could push myself up, he was on top of me. His knee drove into my chest, pinning me down. One massive hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to make my vision blur.
The staff watched from the doorway, frozen in terror. No one dared move.
“Please…” I gasped, fingers digging uselessly into his wrist. My voice came out weak and strained. “Marcus… mercy…”
For several terrifying seconds, I thought he might actually kill me right there. His face was twisted with pure rage and something far more frightening — raw, unfiltered obsession.
Then something shifted in his eyes. He leaned down close, his breath hot against my ear.
“Know your place,” he growled, voice ice-cold and deadly. “You are my beta. Never forget that again.”
He released me suddenly and stood up. I lay on the floor coughing violently, chest heaving as I tried to suck air back into my lungs. Broken glass dug into my palms and back. I tasted blood in my mouth.
A young male staff member stepped nervously into the room, holding a folded piece of paper in his shaking hands.
“Alpha Marcus… this note was left at the side entrance,” he said quietly. “It’s from Sam.”
Marcus snatched the note from his hand and read it quickly. His shoulders relaxed slightly, but only for a moment.
‘I need fresh air. Will be back soon.’
The relief on his face vanished almost instantly. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the young man who had delivered the note.
“I’ve never seen you before,” Marcus said, his voice dangerously quiet. “Who the hell are you?”
The young man started trembling visibly. His eyes darted toward me for a split second, fear written all over his face.
Before he could speak, I pushed myself up from the floor, brushing pieces of glass off my coat with as much dignity as I could manage.
“I recruited him recently,” I said smoothly, keeping my voice steady. “He’s new.”
Marcus slowly turned his burning golden gaze toward me. The suspicion in his eyes had now turned into something much darker.