Chapter 78
(Zarkhan's POINT OF VIEW)
I tore through Giselle's room like a man possessed, pulling open drawers and checking under the bed with increasing desperation. My hands trembled as I searched, and my heart hammered against my ribs with a force that made it hard to breathe.
"Zarkhan, what exactly are you looking for?" Hakkan asked from the doorway, his voice laced with confusion. "Why are we even in Giselle's room?"
I didn't answer him. I couldn't. My mind was too focused on the image that kept replaying behind my eyes—Giselle being dragged away by those guards, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled against their grip. I'd been helpless, collapsing to the ground before I could reach her.
She should be here. Mother ordered them to lock her in here.
But the room was empty. Too empty. Too quiet.
"Brother, talk to me," Hakkan pressed, stepping further into the room. "You're scaring me."
I raked my fingers through my hair, groaning in frustration as I spun around to face him. "I saw her," I said roughly. "Right before I passed out outside the engagement hall—I saw the guards dragging Giselle away. Luna Valeria ordered them to lock her in her room until the engagement was over."
Hakkan frowned, looking around the clearly vacant space. "Then where is she?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" My voice came out harsher than I intended, but I couldn't help it. Every second that passed without finding her felt like a knife twisting in my gut.
I was still in doubt about her claim over me and Hakkan as mates—the masking powder had done its job too well, leaving me confused and uncertain. But standing here now, frantically searching for her, I couldn't deny the truth anymore.
I love her.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. I was deeply, irrevocably in love with Giselle. The doubt, the confusion, the questions about the bond—none of it mattered compared to the raw terror consuming me at not knowing where she was.
"Maybe she left on her own," Hakkan suggested, though his tone was uncertain. "After how we treated her at the boutique, maybe she decided she'd had enough."
Pain lanced through my chest at his words. Had I driven her away? Had my doubt pushed her to run?
No. She wouldn't leave without confronting us first. That's not who she is.
Giselle was fire and defiance. She'd fought for our relationship against everyone—our father, her mother, Khuraan, the entire pack. She wouldn't just give up and disappear without a word.
Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones.
I resumed my search, more methodical now despite the panic clawing at my insides. I checked her closet—clothes still hanging neatly. Her desk—papers undisturbed. The bathroom—toiletries in place.
Nothing was missing. Nothing except Giselle herself.
"Zarkhan," Hakkan said quietly, watching me with concern. "Are you sure you're not just feeling guilty? About doubting her?"
I froze, my hand on her dresser drawer. Was that what this was? Guilt manifesting as paranoia?
No. My wolf snarled inside me, restless and agitated. Something happened to our mate.
Even with the masking powder dulling her scent, I could still feel the faint tug of our bond. It was strained, stretched thin, but present. And right now, it was pulling at me with an urgency that made my skin prickle with unease.
I looked around the room again, my frustration mounting. There had to be something, some clue to where she'd gone or what had happened.
I was about to give up and search elsewhere when my eyes caught on something near the bed. A splash of color against the wooden floor, partially hidden by the bedframe.
My body moved on instinct, crossing the room in quick strides. I crouched down, reaching for the object with shaking fingers.
A purple napkin.
It looked innocent enough, just a piece of fabric lying on the floor. But something about it made my wolf's hackles rise.
"What is it?" Hakkan asked, moving to stand beside me.
I didn't answer. Instead, I picked up the napkin carefully, bringing it closer to examine. The fabric was soft, expensive—not the kind of thing that would normally be left discarded on the floor.
Out of sheer curiosity, I brought it to my nose to smell it.
The moment the scent hit me, my entire body went rigid.
A strong, acrid odor assaulted my senses—sharp and chemical, unmistakably the smell of chloroform. My stomach dropped, and I quickly threw the napkin away from my face, but the damage was done. I'd recognized the scent immediately.
My mind raced, processing the information faster than my conscious thoughts could keep up.
Chloroform. Someone used chloroform.
"Zarkhan?" Hakkan's voice sounded distant, muffled by the roaring in my ears. "What's wrong? What did you smell?"
I stared at the purple napkin lying on the floor, my hands clenching into fists so tight my claws broke through skin. Blood dripped onto the wooden boards, but I barely felt the pain.
Giselle had been kidnapped.
The truth slammed into me with devastating clarity. She hadn't left on her own. She hadn't given up on us. Someone had taken her—drugged her with chloroform and stolen her away while she was locked in this room.
While I'd been unconscious and useless.
"She's been kidnapped," I said, my voice coming out as a low, dangerous growl. "Someone drugged her and took her."
Hakkan's eyes widened in shock. He picked up the napkin carefully, sniffing it before his expression hardened with the same rage I felt burning through my veins. "Chloroform," he confirmed. "This was used to knock someone unconscious."
My wolf surged forward, demanding to be released, demanding blood and vengeance. I forced it back with effort, knowing I needed to think clearly if I was going to find Giselle.
But God, it was hard. Every instinct screamed at me to shift, to hunt, to tear apart whoever had dared touch what was mine.