Chapter 72

Phoenix

"You look like shit, Nix," Luke mutters as he walks in and places a greasy brown bag and a cup of steaming coffee on the desk beside me.

I feel worse than shit. It's been three days since Selene was taken from me, and every hour that passes feels like a century. My patience is a thread stretched too thin, and my wolf is one step away from snapping that threat and killing anyone and everyone. I'm starting to feel like I'm losing my goddamn mind.

Zack and Kate have vanished like ghosts. I've been combing through every piece of surveillance footage, monitoring every camera in town, especially around the Devil's clubhouse, but it's like they've fallen off the face of the earth. The day Selene was abducted, my dad demanded answers. Now he and her mom know, along with Makayla and Sam. But the public doesn't know shit, as it should be. At least for now.

Once it gets out, I know it will be major news in both the werewolf and human world, but for right now, we don't need that kind of attention. I just need to get my little wolf back.

"Eat, nephew. You need your strength," Luke says sternly.

"I'm not hungry," I grumble, but I start unwrapping the burger anyway. He's right—I need to stay strong, even if every bite feels like sawdust in my mouth. Food is fuel, and if I can't sleep, I sure as hell can at least keep my body running and ready. It feels like there's a giant hole in my fucking chest, a part of me that is missing, and finding my little wolf is the only way to make me whole again.

The longer this drags on, the more the restlessness digs in, clawing at my insides. I promise Luke I'd stand down, give our men time to gather the intel we need, but they're taking fucking forever, and I'm not sure how much longer I can stand.

"Have you found anything?" Luke asks, taking a bite of his own burger, his blue gaze watching me wearily.

I snap, "Would I be sitting here if I did?" The sharpness in my voice echoes through the room as my wolf flashes through my eyes, my canines extending past my lips. I clench my jaw, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath so I don't accidentally shift and kill him. I can't lose control, not now.

"Sorry," I mutter, my voice tight with the effort of restraint. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I just...need her back."

He nods in understanding. "I know. I can see how much her absence has affected you. Which has me thinking...is it possible that she could be your true mate?"

I furrow my brows, confused. "Why do you think that?"

Shouldn't I have felt it if she were my true mate? I mean, I marked her and everything.

"When chosen mates are separated, it affects them, sure, but not like this. And when I said you looked like shit, I wasn't kidding. You didn't even look this bad when your mother died."

I hum, contemplating his words. Could it be true that I'm her second-chance mate? Is that why, no matter how much we tried to stay away from each other, something kept pulling us back together? A force stronger than either of us could resist.

But what difference does that make if she is? If she's lost to me forever, I'll just carry this gaping hole in my fucking chest until the day I die.

Loki suddenly steps into the room, his intense gaze locked on mine, cutting through my thoughts. "Phoenix, if she's your true mate, your wolf will be able to find her if you let him loose," he says, his voice rough with urgency.

What the hell? How long has he been on the other side of the door listening to our conversation? And how does he know anything about that?

My eyes narrow, my suspicion flaring. "How do you know that?"

He glances away, muttering, "Makayla."

Luke's expression turns deadly serious. "What?"

"Makayla," he repeats, his voice firmer. "She's my mate. I felt it the day I saw her at the club."

Holy shit. That explains a lot, like why someone like him would volunteer for babysitting duty. He wasn't just protecting Selene. He wanted to be close to Makayla, no matter what.

"Does she know?" Luke asks, an edge to his voice.

Loki's jaw clenches. "I don't know. I'm sure she can feel some kind of connection between us, but she hasn't said anything. And I haven't made it easy, I've been...avoiding being too close to her. If certain individuals find out she's mate, it will put her at risk."

My uncle just glares at him like he just found out his daughter is getting railed by the biggest deviant in town. But I'm not interested in any of that right now. My mate's out there, suffering Goddess knows what at the hands of those psychopaths.

"What did you mean my wolf could locate her?" I press, forcing my focus back to the only thing that matters.

"Even if they have drugged her with wolfsbane, your souls are connected in a way no one else can destroy. Even if Zack does manage to bite her, her body won't accept it. She's your mate until death does you apart," Loki explains, his voice steady, like he knows exactly what he's talking about.

Still, I doubt him.

I shoot a glance at look, wondering what he thinks about this. I don't want to waste my time because we're already running out of options, wasting time that we really don't fucking have.

Luke nods, reading my thoughts. "It's worth a shot, Nix. We don't many leads, and we have no idea where they're keeping her or what they're planning. We'll go with you, though. I doubt your wolf will just find her and let you take back over. He'll be out for blood, and we can't afford to walk into a trap."

I nod, the decision settling in my gut like a stone. "Okay. We try tonight then."