Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Kael's POV.

The world stops.

Gone?

The word echoes in my head like a curse, as I halt mid-fight, the metallic clang of blood clogging my throat.

“What the hell do you mean she's gone?” I growl through the link, snapping the neck of a rogue before turning back toward the main house.

I don't wait for a response, I don't need one. My wolf already howling with dread, claws digging into the earth as I push my way through the chaos of battle.

This can't be happening. Not her. Not now.

She's in heat. Vulnerable. Fragile. Gods, what if–

No.

I leap over a burning barricade and charge past two warriors dragging an injured soldier to safety, my mind spiraling.

She wouldn't have just wandered off. Lila wasn't reckless. She wouldn't put herself– and us– at risk like that.

Unless…

Unless she felt like she had not other choice.

Guilt crashes through me like a rogue's jaw. Had I made her feel caged in? Did I push her too far when I asked her to stay inside?

Had I been too busy trying to protect her from the world that I'd forgotten she was still a damn warrior at heart?

My stubborn, hot-blooded wife.

By the time I reach the pack house, the front doors have already been busted in. Blood stains on the walls. The stench of rogue lingers, sour and foul, like rotting meat.

“Report!” I bark, shifting back into my human form, my voice raw.

Two guards stand at attention, eyes wild and shoulders tense.

“She was in her room, Alpha. We heard nothing– no sounds, no struggle. When Isabella went in earlier, she said she was weak but fine. But then… When we went to check on her again– she was just… gone. The window was open.”

I shove past them, heart pounding as I bolt up the stairs two at a time, into her room.

It smells like her.

Faint lavender, heat, and something else– fear.

My eyes scan the space. Her sheets are messy, damp from sweat. The floor shows traces of water– she must've taken a shower, trying to feel better.

I stride to the window, peering out. She wouldn't have jumped out without reason.

My fists clench at my sides, I look down and spot a single drop of blood near the ledge– fresh.

A growl tears from my throat. “She's been taken.”

“Alpha!” A warrior bursts in, panting. “We just found blood on the south perimeter. A trail– heading east.”

East. To the edge of the woods. To the border.

Without thinking, I shift again, not caring that I was bleeding from a cut from my side. My body is running on rage, instinct, and desperation. I can't think. I just run.

I had to get to her.

\~~~~~

LILA'S POV

Darkness. Pain. Voices– distorted and echoing like I'm underwater.

“… she'll be useful.”

“… Alpha Kael won't see this coming.”

Something cold presses to my cheek, and I groan, trying to move, but my limbs are heavy. My head throbs like someone took a hammer to my skull.

What happened?

The last thing I remember– sneaking out. The cold air. The screams. Then– the hit.

My wolf is a low whimper in the back of my mind, weak and disoriented.

The heat is still there, bubbling beneath the pain, making my skin crawl and my nerves flare. But worse than that– there's something terribly off about the place.

The scent is strange. Not exactly rogue. Not entirely witch, either. A blend… where the hell was I?

I open my eyes slowly, and find myself in what looks like a cellar. Stone walls. Chains. A horrible stench.

I try to sit up, but a sharp pain in my side makes me gasp.

“Don't move too much, sweetheart,” a voice drawls from the shadows.

I freeze.

A tall figure steps forward, cloaked, hood still on, but I can see the grin under it. “Wouldn't want passing out again before we have a little chat.”

“Who the hell are you?” My voice is hoarse, dry, but laced with venom.

“Let's just say I'm a friend of someone your Alpha's pissed off. Multiple someone's, actually." He chuckles, kneeling beside me. His breath reeked of mint and metal “But don't worry. I won't hurt you. At least not if your husband plays nice.”

Kael.

Panic flashes through me. He'll come for me. He has to.

“Why now?” I whisper. “Why attack us now?”

His smile widens. “Because you,” he gestures to me," are the perfect piece on the chessboard. A Luna in heat. Do you know how many enemy packs would pay to break your bond and claim you?" His fingers twitch as he talks.

I spit at him. “Go to hell.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he says with mock sympathy. “We're already there.”

My blood runs even more cold at the sinister turn of his smile.

What was going on, and who the hell was he?

The moon goddess hadn't revealed anything relating to this, to me… What was I to do then?

What if no one came for me?

This couldn't be the end. I wouldn't allow it. I had to think of something– fast.

\~~~~~

KAEL'S POV

The scent trail ends abruptly at the edge of the river.

Blood. Dirt. A single diamond chain, snapped clean– hers.

My heart slams in my throat.

“She was here.” I say through gritted teeth, crouching to inspect the broken chain. “They were dragging her. She must've fought back.”

“She's strong.” Alec says quietly beside me, his voice thick with anger. “And she's still alive.”

“She has to be.” I stare across the river. “Because if they've hurt her…"

I rise slowly, fury blazing like wildfire in my veins.

“... There will be no mercy.” Every word is laced with deadly seriousness.

I was ready to go to any lengths to look for Lila, and when I found the people responsible trying to steal her away instantly of distraction… I'd rip them apart with my bare hands.