Chapter 320 320
Maurice POV
“How many guards are on tonight?”
“Twenty in total, Alpha. Would you like to increase the number?”
“No. That should be sufficient.” I rub my temples, pressing into the tight knots that have become far too familiar. “We’re no longer classed as high risk.”
Things have been… torturous lately. Not because of anything tangible nothing I can point to and explain but the entire pack has been living on edge for six months straight.
I’ve been meticulous in my planning. Obsessive, even.
“Should we begin discussing bringing the trackers back?” Maxime asks. My long-serving beta. My second. “It’s been three months.”
“Can we spare others to replace them?”
“No, Alpha. Not right now.” He shakes his head. “They need the break. It’s been relentless and I know for a fact they haven’t encountered a single Bloodnight pack tracker during that time.”
They haven’t?
In three months?
That makes no sense.
“They haven’t?”
“No.” He studies me carefully. “Are you certain Alpha Damien even has trackers active in the field?”
“That’s what he told me.”
I push back from my desk and stand. Maxime remains seated opposite me, the daily pack report resting in his hands. On paper, everything is running smoothly better than smoothly, in fact.
So why does my chest feel tight?
I know the answer. I just can’t allow what’s personal to interfere with how I lead.
For three months, I’ve had men combing territory after territory. Following whispers. Chasing shadows.
And they’ve found nothing.
Nothing.
How does a person simply vanish?
How do you track someone who has erased themselves so completely it’s as though they never existed?
Because on every digital record that matters… she doesn’t.
Evening approaches. The border patrol shift is about to change, and as it does every single night, unease coils low in my gut. My wolf bristles, alert without cause, restless without reason.
Since the lake house. Since the soldiers in the woods.
I increased pack security as a precaution then despite having no solid explanation for doing so.
Ash Valley has always stood apart from the royal alliance. Damien and his wife, Alpha Aurélie of Darkvale, may lead it, but even as outsiders I know they would answer my call without hesitation.
So why do I still feel the need to keep my eyes on the borders?
Only recently have I reduced our status from high risk, after six long months. My pack is exhausted every member rotating through extra duty, carrying the strain without complaint.
Even now, I’ve kept night patrols heavily staffed.
I cross the room and pour myself a glass of whiskey, letting the burn settle nerves I can’t command into silence.
“Very well, Maxime. Call the trackers back.” I take a slow breath. “After tonight, reduce the guards to minimum levels. It’s time we return to normal.”
It doesn’t take long for the trackers to return. They must have been nearby.
I have a rule once on assignment, communication with myself or Maxime is limited. That’s why I’m only now learning that Bloodnight has had no trackers active at all.
Two days after ordering their return, they’re seated in my office when I enter fresh from my morning run. They look rough around the edges. Unshaven. In need of hot food, clean clothes, and a proper rest.
But they look healthy.
“Morning, chaps,” I greet them as I take my seat. “I trust you rested well last night?”
“Yes, Alpha. It’s good to be home.”
“I imagine it is. Thank you for extending your assignment.” I fold my hands on the desk. “Now tell me what you know.”
The lead tracker exhales slowly. “Unfortunately, Alpha, every promising lead went cold. It was almost as if…” He hesitates. “As if the lead never existed.”
“As if,” I say quietly, finishing the thought for him, “she’s being hidden by someone.”
The idea has been circling my mind for weeks.
Going into hiding is one thing but to be completely invisible in a digitally governed world? That takes help.
“I don’t want to speak out of turn”
“You won’t,” I cut in. “Speak.”
He straightens. “I know one of Bloodnight’s trackers personally. He’s been stationed at their pack for six months. He hasn’t been deployed once.”
What?
“That’s impossible.” My gaze sharpens. “How do you know this?”
“We have an off-the-record information-sharing agreement. We may not be alliance members, but we’re treated as such.”
I lean back. “What was your last confirmed lead?”
“Case Raven. She’s been moving across the country hitching rides with human forry drivers.”
A low growl rumbles from my chest, my wolf reacting before I can suppress it. The image alone what she might be risking to stay hidden sets him on edge.
“We checked the last known service station,” the tracker continues. “She was caught on CCTV.”
“And then?” Maxime prompts.
“The footage after she leaves was tampered with. One moment she’s paying at the till. The next she’s gone. Off-camera. No trace of which direction she took.”
The nightmare tightens its grip.
For six months I’ve lived in this state half Alpha, half hollowed-out shell. My wolf argues with me daily, urging me to leave the pack behind and search for her myself.
But I have a duty.
A pack to protect.
I can’t abandon them.
“Did you check every possible route anyway?” I ask.
“Yes, Alpha. Repeatedly.” He lowers his head. “The trail ends there.”
I see the disappointment etched into their faces. They’re not accustomed to failure especially not after sacrificing months away from their families.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “I’ll decide our next course of action. For now rest. Be with your families.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Each of them bows their necks before leaving my office.
Silence settles.
I pick up the file still waiting on my desk.
Raven.
Fitting.
For six months I’ve lived without the other half of my soul my heart split cleanly down the middle between duty and desperation. A mate bond begun… then torn apart before it could root.
He knows how badly I need to find her. He promised he’d handle it. That his trackers would take over, that I didn’t need to worry.
And yet
Why hasn’t he sent them?
If Damien has been lying to me, I need to know why.
“Maxime?”
“Yes, Alpha?”
“I’m going to see Damien. I want to know why his trackers were never deployed as promised. You’re in charge while I’m gone.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Keep a closer watch on the borders at night. Something doesn’t sit right with me. I won’t be long.”
I always called her my kitty-kat.
But maybe Raven suits her better always ready to flee, never willing to land.
Still…
Every bird is caught eventually.
And perhaps this Alpha is the cat that finally does.