Chapter 116 Find Her
1091words
I felt the tug of the mate bond pull tightly as my eyes stayed glued to my mate while she ran off into the tree line, running away from me. My vision suddenly became hazy, everything spinning violently, making it harder to think and process her words that seared so deeply into my soul. How had I let this happen? Things had been great between us just hours ago. Maybe coming here was a mistake. I had some pack business to take care of, but I also thought it would give Adeline and me some time to connect—maybe our connection would lead to an heir.
She had always been excited about pups in our future. I even had my men back in Midnight Moon putting the final touches on the lake house she dreamed of calling home; a home for our family. Something had obviously changed. Something was off between the two of us, and I just wished she would tell me what it was so I could fix it.
My wolf scowled inside, "Go get our mate or I'll do it myself." I released a thundering howl so loud that I could feel him retreat inside. This was not the time to further pester her, but I would ensure she paid for her disrespect. Thankfully, she pulled this stunt on Alpha Christian's territory. If she had done this while visiting any other pack, it could have put Midnight Moon in danger. Once another alpha noticed trouble in paradise between the Alpha and Luna, they would see it as an invitation for invasion. Lives would be lost—the lives of the people who counted on me to protect them.
I steadied my breathing and mind-linked my men. "The Luna has gone for a run," I said, feeling partially embarrassed. "If she doesn't return in the next ten minutes, I want every shifter from Midnight Moon to conduct a search through the forest."
I heard a familiar voice from one of my enforcers come through the link. "Why did she go for a run alone? Between the attack and her not being familiar with the grounds... I mean, it's dangerous, Alpha."
I growled through the mind link, and he retreated quickly. "Sorry, Alpha, won't happen again." He was right, though. Danger seemed to be looming throughout this forest. Something was amiss, and I couldn't shake the feeling. If the situation at hand wasn't complicated enough, she was also a rare red wolf. I still didn't understand how her old pack had been so casual about that fact. I was surprised she hadn't faced at least a dozen kidnapping attempts.
I placed my hands on the wooden banister, not even noticing that my grip was so tight the wood grain began to split. "Shit," I muttered. This would have all been easier if Mom were still alive. Being a red wolf herself, I should have listened to her. I should have spent more time with her. I might be an adored Alpha, but I wondered how absent of a son I really was. I must have caused my mother such grief and pain by locking her up and isolating her for her own "safety." I wondered if she would ever forgive me for everything I'd done.
"Ten minutes, Alpha," sounded through the mind link, and I realized I'd become lost in my thoughts. "Head out, men," I responded, pulling my clothes off my back and shifting into my black wolf. I took off and let my wolf lead me to our mate. Her scent was weak by now, but I could still pick up the notes as I raced through the forest. I knew she was okay, given the strength of the mate bond. If something had happened, I would have felt that searing pain numbing me and slowly killing me piece by piece.
"No sign, Alpha," another called through the link. "Northwest, I'm picking up her scent."
"Find her," I responded. It took me a few minutes to realize there was another familiar scent looming in the wind—Christian. What would Christian be doing way out here? He should be with Sophia, having dinner and winning over his mate. I ignored the scent and kept following Adeline's. There was no way she had gotten this far so soon.
"I told you to go fucking find her. Now you've lost our mate," my wolf piped up. This wolf was giving me a damn headache with all his pestering. "I'll find her," I told him through gritted teeth.
Another twenty minutes must have passed because by now I knew I was too deep on Alpha Christian's land, so far inside the forest that I was heading into no man's land. I'd tried to mind-link over and over, but it felt like she had blocked me out. I felt panic start to flood my chest. She had to be somewhere nearby. I'd already run more than half of this side of the tree line.
To say I was relieved when she replied to me in the mind link was an understatement. I was itching to find her, itching to fix whatever was wrong between us. "Stand down, men," I commanded through the mind link as I whipped my wolf around and rushed back to the cabin.
When I arrived, I didn't miss Sophia's intense glare burning into me like I had done something wrong, like I was the reason for the chaos between Adeline and me. Alpha Christian was sitting beside Sophia, one leg resting over his knee as he shot me an all-too-cocky grin. What the fuck was he so happy about? I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and rushed into the cabin. As happy as I was to see she'd returned, I wasn't looking forward to this newly found attitude of hers.
I was pleasantly surprised when she locked eyes with mine and apologized. I wanted to scold her like a child; I needed her to understand how dangerous the little show she had put on was. Another part of me knew I had to trust her. She was my mate. There was a reason the Moon Goddess had paired us together.
The next thing I knew, I had her legs wrapped around my waist, and I was struggling to hold it together. I wanted to take my time and explore every inch of her. I also needed to address the tension between us. Like two magnets being pulled together, I realized this discussion was going to have to wait.
