123

123
Chase’s POV

I sat at the long, polished dining table, my eyes scanned the plate set before me, though my mind wandered elsewhere. The hearty meal, rich with flavors of roasted meats and vegetables, seemed to blur in my peripheral vision, I had barely touched it. Instead, my thoughts were fixed on Emily.

The frustration of trying to reach her, every call I’d made since the afternoon had gone unanswered. My fingers drummed impatiently on the table as the thought of her, and her unreachable line, gnawed at me.

Leonie sat across from me, quietly enjoying her own meal, completely unaware of the turmoil brewing inside me. She seemed at ease, her laughter light and her eyes twinkling as she chatted about the mundane details of her day. I gave her a half-smile, though my mind was far from the present moment.

A sudden rapping at the door broke my concentration. A guard entered, holding a letter in his hand. The wax seal on the envelope was unmistakable, it was from Tristian. I let out an exasperated sigh before waving the guard off, dismissing the letter.

“It’s just an invitation,” I muttered under my breath, though my eyes remained fixed on the letter. “Probably for another one of his pointless parties.”

I gestured to the guard. “Keep it. I’m not interested.”

The guard hesitated for a moment before nodding and retreating. My attention quickly returned to Leonie, though the letter continued to sit at the edge of my thoughts.

Tristian’s parties were always a circus of distractions, filled with empty pleasantries and shallow conversations. There was no point in attending, not when I had more important matters on my mind. But the letter lingered, its weight an intrusion on my already divided focus.

“Everything alright?” Leonie asked, her voice soft and concerned, as she noticed my distracted air.

I gave her a quick, reassuring smile. “Of course. Just a bit tired. You know how it is.”

Leonie nodded, seemingly accepting my answer, though her brow furrowed for a brief second as she studied my face. She couldn’t have known what was going on in my head, but she could feel the unease on my face.

I had been trying to reach Emily all afternoon, yet there had been nothing but silence on the other end. That silence was driving me crazy, gnawing at me like a distant echo in a darkened room. I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t answering. Was she avoiding me? Was something wrong?

Just as I was about to dismiss the thought, a rush of footsteps echoed through the hall. Another guard entered, his face strained with urgency.

“My Alpha,” the guard began, his voice tight with distress. “The Elder has called for an urgent meeting.”

I stood immediately, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. Leonie looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes as she rose from her seat.

“I’ll take care of myself,” she said, her voice calm but with an edge of concern. “You can go,” she said with a light smile.

I nodded briefly, offering her a silent smile of appreciation, before quickly excusing myself. I walked toward the door, I couldn’t help but wonder what the Elder could possibly want at this hour. But as I made my way through the corridors, a sense of unease settled over me. The Elder was not one to call for meetings unless something serious had happened.

Entering the large, stone hall, the flickering light of several candles illuminated the room, casting long shadows on the walls.

I approached, my boots echoing on the cold stone floor. I had barely taken a step inside when the Elder turned to face me, their expression taut with concern.

“My Alpha,” one of the elder said, his voice low but firm. “There’s been an incident. A serious one. You need to hear this.”

I raised an eyebrow, but my heart sank as I stepped closer, my instincts alert. “What happened?”

Another Elder motioned to the maps spread out across the table, pointing to a location near the border. “It’s a house just outside our territory. A pack station. We’ve lost contact with them.”

My brows furrowed. I had heard nothing about this. “What do you mean? Lost contact?”

The Elder’s eyes were heavy with sorrow. “Fifty members of the pack were killed. All dead. No survivors.”

My breath hitched in my throat. Fifty. The number rang in my mind like a cold, cruel drumbeat.