Chapter 99 MISSING
Kael felt the strange discomfort settle in him, it's like a break in the thread that has been steady all evening.
He is still standing among the other Alphas, a cup in his hand, when his chest tightens without warning. The laughter around him suddenly sounds wrong. Too loud, yet too distant.
Adam.
Mate.
He turns sharply, scanning the raised platform.
Empty.
His fingers curl around the cup until it nearly cracks… but then he remembers Adam leaving a little earlier.
“Excuse me,” he says evenly, already stepping back.
No one stops him. They assume he is answering another greeting, another obligation. He walks with measured steps until he clears the crowd. The moment the noise dulls, his pace quickens.
He steps into the dark open field.
The music fades behind him. The torches no longer reach this far. The moon throws long shadows across the grass.
“Adam,” he calls, voice low but carrying.
No answer.
A guard approaches quickly from the left— the same one Kael had signaled earlier, to follow Adam.
“Alpha.”
“Where is he?” Kael demands.
The guard bows his head slightly. “I followed him to the edge of the field. He walked further in. I searched the area but… I couldn’t find him.” The guard explained, trying to clear himself of guilt even though he didn't see Adam walk further in anywhere.
Kael’s jaw tightens. “You lost him?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
For a second, Kael says nothing. He holds himself back as his mind races through possibilities.
Adam could have felt overwhelmed. He could have gone back inside. Back to their chamber.
Kael turns without another word and strides toward the main building in the pack house.
The corridors that had felt alive earlier now feel suffocating. Servants still move about, unaware. Music filters faintly through the walls.
He reaches their chamber and pushes the door open.
Empty.
The sitting area, the bedroom, the bathroom, the closet… Adam's not here.
The bed is untouched, the curtains are still, and there's no sign of Adam.
Kael felt cold creeping up his nerves.
It starts at the base of his spine and spreads outward, slow and merciless. His skin prickles. His hands tremble once before he clenches them into fists.
“No. Get yourself together, Kael.”
He closes his eyes. And he lets his wolf surface.
Not physically or enough to shift, just enough to open the link.
Ryn rises in his mind like a shadow stepping forward.
“Where is mate? I can't feel him.”
Kael swallows. “I don’t know.”
Ryn’s presence sharpens Kael's senses instantly. Every sound becomes clearer. Every scent is now more distinct. The air itself feels textured.
“Find him.” Ryn growls.
“I will,” Kael mutters.
He moves through the pack house quickly now, checking rooms one by one. Storage halls. Guest corridors. Empty lounges.
Nothing.
He goes to Sara’s chamber.
He doesn’t knock before he pushes the door open.
Empty.
The sheets are neat. The window closed. No sign of struggle. No sign of anyone.
Kael steps back into the corridor, heart pounding hard enough to hurt.
He spots his Beta across the hall and grips his arm, pulling him aside into a shadowed corner.
“I can’t find my mate,” Kael says, voice low and dangerous.
The Beta stills. “You searched the field?”
“Yes.”
“The chambers?”
“Yes. I can't find him.”
The Beta’s expression doesn’t change, but his eyes sharpen. “We will find him.”
“End the party,” Kael orders. “Keep everyone in. No one leaves until I find my mate.”
The Beta draws in a careful breath. “Alpha… that would attract serious backlash.”
Kael’s eyes flash. “I don’t care.”
“You should,” the Beta replies calmly. “Almost all your guests are Alphas of equal rank. Locking them in against their will could turn alliances into opposition overnight. And if they learn your mate is missing…” He pauses. “It would be seen as a failure of your security.”
Kael’s chest heaves once.
Ryn growls in his mind.
Weakness invites the enemy's fangs.
Kael closes his eyes briefly.
“Then make sure everyone leaving is observed,” he says tightly. “No one slips away unnoticed. Assign men at every exit.”
“It will be done.”
“And keep an eye on Vance.”
The Beta nods once. “Understood.”
Kael turns to leave again.
The Beta steps in front of him. “You cannot disappear now.”
Kael’s eyes blaze. “My mate is missing.”
“And if you leave before your guests do, suspicion will spread,” the Beta says carefully. “Give me a moment to assign the duties you ordered. I will search for him myself. But you must return before anyone begins to ask questions.”
Kael’s breathing is uneven.
Ryn presses against his mind, restless and furious.
Go back. Watch. Smell. Listen.
Kael drags in a shaky breath.
He turns toward the field.
“Alpha,” the Beta calls softly.
Kael pauses.
“Control your pheromones,” the Beta says. “You might hurt someone.”
Kael hadn’t realized.
But now that it’s said, he feels the sharp edge of his scent flooding the corridor, heavy and oppressive. Servants down the hall have slowed, uneasy.
He forces it down.
Forces himself into control.
Then he walks back into the celebration.
The music is still loud. The torches still burn. Laughter still rises into the night.
No one knows.
Vance approaches him almost immediately.
“I was wondering where you suddenly went,” Vance says smoothly.
Kael’s expression is unreadable. “Why would you?”
Vance’s lips curve faintly. “It’s time you stop fighting me. Let’s put our past behind us.”
“How wonderful,” Kael replies evenly. “I hope you’re having a good time.”
“Yes,” Vance says lightly. “Praise the goddess.” His eyes flick around. “Where’s your mate?”
Kael’s gaze sharpens. “Why?”
“Just wanted to say hi.” Vance tilts his head. “Is he too sick to stay outside too long?”
The words hang between them.
Kael steps closer, not enough to cause a scene, but enough to make the air shift.
“Enjoy the party, Vance,” he says quietly.
Vance studies him for a second longer, then smiles and steps back.
The music swells again.
Kael stands there, every sense straining, every instinct screaming.
And somewhere far from the light and laughter, Adam whimpers in his drug induced sleep.
His wrists are pulled behind him.
Cold metal closes around them with a soft click.
His head lolls to the side as he murmurs something incoherent, breath uneven.
A shadow looms over him.
A man’s voice, low and satisfied, breaks the silence:
“Welcome back, Archie.”