Chapter Seventy-One: The Howl of Despair
Liam ran through the dense forest, the sharp scent of pine and damp earth filling his lungs with every rapid breath. His heart pounded against his ribs, his wolf restless beneath his skin, clawing at the surface as sheer panic fueled his every movement.
Charlie was gone.
His mate was gone.
His mind raced back to earlier that evening—how he had left her alone in their room, telling himself it was fine, that she was safe, that he’d return before she even noticed his absence.
He had been so wrong!
Now, he was tearing through the woods alongside his brother, hot on the fading trail of Charlie’s scent. The fear curling in his gut only worsened as they neared the area where Luther had been just minutes before with the captured rogues.
How could he have lost her so easily?
She was in our packhouse. She was safe
His wolf snarled inside his mind, furious at him. ‘You left her alone.’
Liam gritted his teeth, running faster. ‘I know.’
‘Luther told us not to let her out of our sight, but you didn’t listen.’ Liam’s wolf snarls out in anger, the echo of it running through Liam’s mind loudly, nearly making him trip in his running. After righting himself, his eyes look forward towards his brother.
Luther was just ahead, his massive black wolf leading the way. His shoulders were hunched, muscles bunched tight with tension, his own panic seeping into the air around them.
The moment they reached the southern outpost, Liam caught the first trace of Charlie’s scent, lingering like a ghost in the air. His stomach twisted.
She had been here.
So close to where Luther had been, hiding just beyond the trees and thick brush.
But something wasn’t right.
The scent was too faint.
Liam skidded to a halt just as Luther did, both of them sniffing the air, ears twitching for any signs of movement. The scent trail led them straight to a small, overgrown bush near the tree line, then... nothing.
Just emptiness.
Like she had vanished into thin air.
Liam’s breath came in ragged bursts as he and Luther searched the ground for any signs of struggle—footprints, claw marks, broken branches, ANYTHING that would give them even the slightest clue as to where she had gone.
But they found nothing.
Nothing but a faint trace of her and a calm earth all around.
Panic swelled in his chest like a suffocating wave.
Liam's wolf prowled anxiously inside of him, snarling in frustration. ‘She was right here. RIGHT HERE. Where is she now?’
Luther shifted back into his human form, his bare chest heaving as he let out a vicious growl. “Her scent is completely gone.” His voice was sharp with barely contained rage. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
Liam shifted as well, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. His pulse thundered in his ears. "How the hell does someone just disappear?" He turned to Luther, his jaw clenching. “She was right beside you. How did you not sense that she was here?”
It wasn’t fair, throwing the blame at his brother like that, but Liam didn’t care. His panic was suffocating him, twisting his thoughts into a chaotic mess that couldn’t decipher right from wrong.
Luther’s head snapped toward him, his golden eyes blazing with barely restrained fury. “You think I don’t feel responsible?” His voice was low, lethal. “I did sense her at one point.” Liam’s breath hitched. Luther exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “I thought I was imagining it because I was worried about her.”
Liam wanted to scream.
His mate had been so close! If either of them had just paid more attention, if they had realized she was watching instead of safely tucked away in their room, they could have prevented this.
They could have saved her.
A deep, mournful howl suddenly split the night air. Luther had thrown his head back, his wolf's sorrowful cry echoing through the trees. Liam swallowed hard as pain squeezed his chest, the grief in that sound cutting into him like a blade.
He didn't hesitate.
Tilting his head back, he let loose a howl of his own, his voice mixing with his brother’s in an anguished symphony of despair. Within moments, dozens of howls answered their Alpha’s mournful cry.
A ripple of sound cascaded through the pack lands, a call to arms.
The pack had heard their agony.
The message was clear.
Their Luna was missing. And the pack would not rest until she was found.
The forest around them came alive.
The pounding of feet, the rustling of leaves—wolves were coming from every direction, responding to their Alphas' call.
A large brown wolf burst through the trees first, shifting mid-stride into a lean, muscular man. Donnovan, one of their top warriors. He barely looked winded. "Alpha," he said, voice tight with urgency. "What happened?"
"Charlie’s gone," Luther ground out, his voice dangerously low.
Donnovan’s brows furrowed. His gaze flickered between them before dropping to the ground where Charlie's scent ended.
Others began pouring in, shifting back into human form as they approached—Beta Henry, Delta Marcus, nearly every ranked warrior and sentinel that wasn’t already patrolling the borders.
The weight of their expectant gazes pressed down on Liam, waiting for orders.
He forced himself to breathe, to push aside the fear, the guilt, the rage, and focus.
"We follow her trail as far as it goes," Liam ordered, his voice steady despite the chaos raging inside of him. "Search for anything—any sign of where she might have been taken. We move fast and we move smart."
He turned to Beta Henry. "Send two scouts back to the packhouse. Have them check the surveillance footage from the perimeter cameras. See if anyone picked up anything unusual."
Henry nodded sharply before shifting and bolting toward the packhouse.
Liam turned back to the gathered wolves. “The rest of you, spread out. I want every inch of these woods searched. If she’s out here, we’ll find her.” A chorus of agreement rumbled through the warriors, and without hesitation, they shifted, disappearing into the forest.
Luther clenched his jaw, his fists shaking at his sides. "This isn’t random," he muttered darkly, his eyes scanning the trees. "Someone knew she’d be here."
Liam nodded grimly. "And that means they planned this. It is the only explanation on how they were able to hide her scent."
His stomach churned violently at the thought.
Someone had taken their mate.
And if they didn't find her soon…
Liam refused to finish that thought.
Because no matter what it took, no matter who he had to hunt down, he was going to get her back.
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