Chapter 166 Come Find Me
921words
It had been days. Two days, to be exact. Forty-eight hours on the dot. Not a single soul had seen my mate. The pack was frantic; some had begun their own searches for their Luna. I pressed the bottle of whiskey up to my lips, taking a swig of the brown liquid that burned down my throat before slamming it against the wall. No one had answers, no one knew how this might have happened. We had tightened security since the mess with Beverly, re-trained every warrior in the damn pack to ensure our borders were unbreakable, yet here we were, faced with another traitor inside Midnight Moon.
They said a man's biggest weakness was his mate, and I concluded that was undoubtedly true. I was willing to sacrifice myself to ensure Adeline's safety. I now understood how my mother must have felt when she lost my father—or rather, when he was ripped away from her. I hadn't been able to sleep; every time my eyes fluttered closed, I faced the painful screams of my mate. The alcohol had helped numb the pain inside, but it was still there, like a wildfire blazing through a forest. She screamed out for me, searching and reaching for me, yet I couldn't get to her. It was like running through the same damn maze—except this one had no exit. I held on to the only hope that she was indeed alive. I could still feel her, meaning the mate bond was still very much intact.
A knock echoed through my office door, and before I could reply, it slammed open. I stood up and pounded my fists against my desk. "What gives you the fucking right?" I seethed.
"Have you ever heard of lights?" Beta Don teased as he walked in, which only further irritated my wolf. I hadn't needed the light because the moon lit up my office through the big bay windows. They called tonight's full moon the hunter's moon, or rather the blood moon. It shone exceptionally bright because, as legend went, shifters of all species spent the night gathering meat for the long winter ahead. We, as wolves, could survive without hoarding an entire season's worth of food; however, it did become slightly more complicated since winter was the time for plenty of animals to hibernate.
Alpha Blake stood beside Beta Don while three of his men followed behind. It was as if he knew how badly I wanted to rip his throat out.
"Sir Europe would like to show you something," Beta Don explained. I wanted to laugh, but I had little energy left for that. I just wanted my mate back. Titus had even retreated deep inside, feeling lost and confused without Adeline nearby.
Alpha Blake growled at Beta Don, and before I realized it, he was dangling off the floor as my hand remained wrapped around his neck. I was so tempted to squeeze just a little bit harder, just a little bit more. He begged for mercy through choked words until Beta Don stepped forward, "Alpha, stop. He has information. Hear him out."
I growled, my wolf starved, as I released my prey that I had been yearning for—a taste of blood, just a single drop I could feel Titus begging for.
Alpha Blake dropped roughly to the ground as he spat out blood through his hackled coughs. His men stared blankly at me, as if their own lives had just flashed before their eyes. I turned to move back behind my desk as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror's reflection. I could barely recognize myself. I was falling apart. A beard now covered my face, and dark bags surrounded my eyes.
"I don't have time or energy, Blake. Don't fuck with me and your Broken Ridge crap. If you want to help, then fucking help already," I lectured, plopping back down on the leather office chair.
Alpha Blake struggled to stand, but eventually his men helped him onto the chair across from my desk. He reached into the pocket of his blazer, pulled out a cellphone, and passed it to Beta Don. Beta Don pressed a button on the screen, trying to conceal his gasp as he approached me and handed me the phone. I repeated the action, pressed the little button on the screen to play.
The room began to spin. I felt like my lungs were closing as the air was knocked out of me. My heart stammered inside my chest at a rhythm no man should ever have to experience. I imagined this was what death might feel like as beads of sweat dripped down my forehead.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, WHO SENT THIS, BLAKE? I'LL KILL THEM AND THEN KILL YOU JUST FOR FUN!" I screamed as the blood rushed to my eyeballs.
There was Adeline on the 6-by-3-inch screen, seated on her knees. Her hair was unbrushed and tangled, and I was quick to notice the bruise marks on the porcelain skin of her face. The camera pointed directly at her as tears streamed down my little wolf's face.
"Jaxon, DON'T give in to anything they ask. They won't give me back. He wants to keep me for himself," she pleaded before a large hand backhanded her face, sending her spiraling across the floor.
"So, you want your red wolf back? You think we're stupid enough to let you keep the only red wolf noted in decades?" a man laughed on the other end of the line.
