Chapter 13 The Hunt

Chapter 13 The Hunt

Kael's POV

Being this close to Serena without being able to sink my dick into her was driving me insane.

Every time I caught her scent in the hallway, my body reacted. Every time I saw her walking past with those wide, frightened eyes, I wanted to pin her against the wall and make her forget about everything except my name.

But I could not. Not yet. Not while she was still terrified of everything in this world she had been dragged into.

So I did what I always did when the need became too much. I called Marcus, my beta, and told him to bring me a woman. Any woman. I did not care who.

He showed up an hour later with a redhead who knew exactly what she was here for. No talking. No pretending this was anything more than scratching an itch.

That was how I ended up with her in my bed when Cassian burst through my door like a lunatic.

The redhead screamed. I was ready to rip his head off for the interruption. But then I saw his face.

Something was wrong.

"Where is she?" His voice was cold enough to freeze fire.

"Who?" I climbed off the bed, not bothering to cover myself. Modesty was for humans.

"Serena. Where is she?"

Those three words cut through everything. The arousal. The irritation. All of it vanished like smoke.

My chest tightened. It felt like someone had wrapped a chain around my lungs and was pulling it tighter with every breath.

"I thought she was in her room," I said, already reaching for my pants.

"She is not."

I cursed and pulled on my clothes as fast as I could. The redhead was saying something behind me but I was not listening. All I could think about was Serena. About where she could be. About who might have taken her.

We needed to find the organizer. Now.

"Get dressed," I told the redhead without looking at her. "And get out."

Cassian was already out the door by the time I finished buttoning my pants. I followed him through the mansion, my mind racing through possibilities. Maybe she had just wandered off. Maybe she was somewhere in the building, lost or hiding.

But I did not believe that. Not really.

We found the organizer in the main hall, talking with some of his staff. He looked up when we approached, and whatever he saw in our faces made him take a step back.

"Where is Serena?" Cassian asked.

The organizer blinked. "The human girl? In her room, I assume."

"She is not in her room," I said, moving closer. "Her scent is gone from the entire floor. Where is she?"

"I... I do not know. She should be—"

"Should be is not good enough." I grabbed him by his collar and lifted him off the ground. "You are responsible for everyone in this mansion. So where the hell is she?"

"I swear, I do not know! No one reported anything unusual. The guards have been at their posts all night."

I could hear his heartbeat. Fast but steady. He was telling the truth. He genuinely had no idea where she was.

I dropped him and he stumbled back, adjusting his jacket.

"Search the mansion," Cassian ordered. "Every room. Every hallway. Now."

The organizer nodded quickly and started barking orders at his staff.

Within minutes, the entire place was in motion. Guards checking rooms. Staff searching the grounds. Everyone is looking for one missing human girl.

Cassian and I stood in the hallway, waiting. The silence between us was heavy. We might be working together right now, but we were still enemies. Still competing for the same woman.

But none of that mattered if she was gone.

Twenty minutes passed. Then thirty. With each minute, that chain around my chest pulled tighter. I could feel my wolf pushing against my skin, wanting out. Wanting to hunt.

Finally, one of the guards came back. He was holding something in his hand.

"We found this at the east fence," he said, holding up a piece of white cloth. "There are tire tracks too. Someone left through there."

Cassian took the cloth and brought it to his nose. His expression darkened.

"What?" I asked.

He handed it to me. I inhaled and immediately recognized the scent beneath Serena's. Male. Humans. And something else. Something chemical and wrong.

"I know that scent," Cassian said quietly. "Scorpion."

"Who?"

"He is a kidnapper. Works for hire. If you want someone taken quietly, he is who you call." Cassian looked at the guard. "Where did those tire tracks lead?"

"We traced them as far as we could. They headed toward the industrial district."

Of course they did. That was where all the rats liked to hide.

"Do you have an address?" I asked.

Cassian nodded. "I know where he operates. Come on."

We headed for the garage. I did not even think about which car to take this time. We just got into mine and I drove.

The streets were empty at this hour. Good. I did not have the patience to deal with traffic.

"How do you know this Scorpion?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"I have dealt with him before. He took someone I was... interested in. A few years ago."

"What did you do?"

"I got her back. And I made sure he understood what happens when you take something that belongs to a vampire."

I glanced at him. "Clearly the lesson did not stick."

"Apparently not."

The warehouse was exactly what I expected. Rundown. Isolated. The kind of place where screams would not carry.

Perfect for someone in Scorpion's line of work.

We got out of the car and I could already smell him inside. His heartbeat was steady. He had no idea we were coming.

That was about to change.

The front door was locked but Cassian ripped it off its hinges like it was made of cardboard. The sound echoed through the empty building.

Inside, the warehouse was dark. But I could see perfectly. And I could hear that heartbeat getting faster now. He knew something was wrong.

We found him in a back office, already halfway out of his chair when we walked in.

"Going somewhere?" I asked.

He froze. His eyes went wide when he saw us.

"Cassian. I... I did not know—"

"Where is she?" Cassian interrupted.

Scorpion's mouth opened and closed. He was calculating. Trying to figure out if he could lie his way out of this.

I walked over and grabbed his hand before he could decide. Then I snapped his pinky finger.

The sound was satisfying. So was his scream.

"Let me save us all some time," I said, grabbing his ring finger next. "You took a girl tonight. Human. Brown hair. Terrified. Where is she?"

"I do not—"

I broke the ring finger too.

He screamed again, louder this time.

"Wrong answer," I said. "Want to try again?"

"Okay! Okay!" Tears were streaming down his face now. "I took her! I was hired to take her!"

"By who?" Cassian asked.

"I do not know her name! She just paid me to grab the girl and deliver her!"

I grabbed his middle finger. "You are going to have to do better than that."

"Wait! Wait! She said... she said she was from the Charisata Coven. That is all I know, I swear!"

I stopped. Looked at Cassian. He looked just as confused as I felt.

"The Charisata Coven?" Cassian repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Yes, I am sure! She gave me half the payment upfront and said I would get the rest when I delivered the girl to her people. I dropped her off three hours ago at a meeting point outside the city. That is everything, I swear!"

My mind was racing. The Charisata Coven. I knew the name. Everyone in the supernatural world knew that name. They were one of the most powerful witch covens in existence.

But why would they want Serena?

"Where exactly did you drop her off?" Cassian asked, his voice deadly calm.

Scorpion gave us an address. His hand was shaking so badly he could barely write it down.

I let him go and he crumpled to the floor, cradling his broken fingers.

Cassian and I walked out without another word.

When we got back to the car, I just stood there for a moment. Trying to make sense of what we had just learned.

"Why would the Charisata Coven want her?" I asked. "She is just a human. There is nothing special about her."

Cassian was quiet for a long moment. "Maybe there is. Maybe there is something about her we do not know yet."

I looked at him. "What are you saying?"

"I am saying that covens like that do not just kidnap random humans for fun. They need something. Power. Blood. A specific bloodline." He paused. "We need to find out what makes Serena special. And we need to find her before they do whatever they are planning."

The chain around my chest was so tight now I thought it might snap my ribs.

But I pushed the feeling down. Buried it somewhere deep where it could not interfere with what needed to be done.

Serena was out there. And I was going to get her back.

Even if I had to burn the entire Charisata Coven to the ground to do it.