Chapter 72|Double Fire.

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Alpha Drake Knight of the Bane Pack stood beside two other Alphas, Alpha Alexander De Luca and Alpha Matt Evans of the Lichen Pack. The three leaders had sent forth their best scouts and hunters as well as several soldiers and the Bane Pack's police officers in search of Arabella.

Alexander's jaw was clenched hard at the trick played on them. From the restaurant's surveillance camera they were able to observe how Arabella was taken and her guard killed. His mind was focused on Luke's whereabouts as well as Arabella. When he received a worried call from his distraught mate he dropped all he was doing and teleported to the Bane Pack without a second of his time wasted.

He was yet to apprise his Beta and Delta because what was at the top of his important list was soothing his deeply agitated mate.

The Lichen Pack Alpha was visiting Alpha Drake when word came that Arabella was lost and so he offered to help. Ironically, what brought him to the neighboring pack was related wholly to the girl in question and her grandfather.

Alexander slid past the doors as the scent of his mate filled his nostrils and all other senses he possessed. Isabelle in her prim jumpsuit looked up at him with red tinged eyes and he took her into his arms.

Her scent filled the whole of his being and he barely restrained himself from rubbing his nose over her body to have the scent intoxicating his senses.

He was already in hell without her in his arms for several days and having her in his arms without him being able to hold her the way he wanted to, kiss her they way he would've killed for and showed her exactly how much he missed her was killing him bit by bit.

It was vexing.

She sniffed, drawing his attention from the deep end of his thoughts to her face "Everything was going fine, they were supposed to dine and accept each other afterwards. They were supposed to be happy! Why would Martin do this? Why is he against everyone's happiness?" She cried on his chest and he rubbed her back in an affectionate gesture whispering sweet words to her before placing his lips on the top of her head.

A very irate looking Lucas came barging past the doors heading to the Alpha's office. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of his brother with his mate in his arms and felt as though his heart was being ripped none too gently off his chest at the sense of loss he felt at the encounter. His wolf howled, it ached for a taste of what they had.

Pushing aside pleasantries Lucas acknowledged his brother with a barely perceptible nod and parted his lips to speak, "I lost track of her scent at the borders separating the Bane Pack from another Pack."

"Towards which direction did it lead you to?" Alexander asked, tucking Isabelle to his side with a hand still rubbing over her arm in soothing circles.

Alpha Drake walked out of his private office at that moment and took in Luke's sight, his stance was rigid and it was obvious in the way he held himself back that he was barely keeping his fury at bay. The tension in the room was thick it could be cut with a knife and it all rolled off Luke.

Damnation.

"South." He bit out, biting the insides of his cheek to refrain himself from sprouting the words in his mind. He was downright livid at almost everything and everyone.

"My territory." Alpha Matt deadpanned. His eyes widened, "Fucking hell." He muttered under his breath clenching his fists tightly. "If she's taken to my territory I might have an idea of where she is but we need to act fast. Martin's cunning."

Alexander narrowed his gaze on the blonde haired Alpha with the distant but calculating gaze. He lowered his voice and with menace in his eyes and tone asked, "How would you know if you have no inkling to Martin being alive. What are you hiding Alpha?" His words were meant only for the Alpha but Isabelle's ears perked and she tensed, thanks to her enhanced sense of hearing.

"This isn't the time for this conversation, we need to get to the girl before it's too late. Afterwards we'll have the time for everything else." He muttered back. The hell if he wasn't angered too thinking how well Martin played his cards using the Lichen Pack territory to carry out a mission that was meant to enrage the Bane Pack and cause war between them. With him on their side he had every intention of getting rid of the stain on his white that was Martin and regaining the faithfulness of the Alpha staring warily at him. The Alpha who had every right to be wary of his motives. Even he himself felt like a fraud at the moment.

"Then let's get going, there's no point in wasting any more time." The Bane Pack Alpha called for the attention of soldiers and with Alpha Matt, Lucas, Alpha Alexander on his heels he urged them out of the building where they shifted to wolves.

Isabelle stopped behind, she whispered a soft prayer to God to protect the men and have them return Arabella hale and healthy with no casualties.

The wolves raced to the border where her scent was last felt at with a dozen of warrior wolves behind them.

Alpha Matt led them to a lone apartment in the middle of the woods and half of the wolves shifted to men, all the Alphas and Lucas included. With a gesture to be quiet they surrounded the cottage and Lucas moved forward instinctively, the air was strong with her scent. He could feel it so hard his wolf jolted and pounded agitatedly, restlessly in its confines feeling caged. It ached to turn the whole building over, rescue its mate and growl his acceptance of her as his for all to see before marking her. Possessively.

With a nod from the Lichen Pack Alpha the head of the soldiers pushed the doors open with all of his might and the piece of wood broke off its hinges into smithereens on the ground. Lucas was the first to walk into the house followed by the others while some stood behind to protect those that went in.

The house was eerily quiet until the sound of a gunshot ran through the air. Lucas broke into a run, he found himself skipping steps to reach the top of the staircase and in the first room came into contact with a terrified looking Arabella with her mouth covered with a duct tape and had her hands tied behind her. She stared at him with wide eyes shaking her head vehemently at him to move away. His feet propelled him towards her at the sight of blood pooling over her legs and a man pointing a gun at her chest.

"Move or I'll kill you and get to her next. I'll be delighted to kill you both at the same time." Martin growled. "A win-win for me." His mouth pulled into a sinister smile as his fingers pulled the trigger in time with a shot ringing through the air.

Double shots were fired at the same time.