"Lord Malakai." Emmett appears beside me, his expression grave. "The eastern wing guards report Lady Seraphina hasn't been seen since her outburst at sunset. Her distress scent was apparently quite strong."
"Have the palace searched," I command. "Every chamber, every pathway, every garden. I want my mate found immediately."
Emmett nods sharply before relaying my orders. I continue alone, my shadows tearing through the corridors ahead.
In the eastern wing, I find evidence of her distress: a shattered vase, a torn tapestry, her scent still lingering faintly.
The trail leads to a corridor near the old treasury before disappearing. My shadows find faint traces of her scent and something else—a chemical odor that makes them recoil. Something that could suppress scent, block bonds.
"My lord?" A guard approaches cautiously. "We've found blood."
My shadows freeze mid-swirl. "Show me."
In a small alcove, crimson stains the stone floor—not much, but enough to trigger a primal rage that sends my shadows into violent patterns.
I kneel beside the stain, dragging my finger through it before I can think better of it. Still wet. I bring it to my lips.
Sweet. Bright. Hers.
The taste I'd savored last night when my fangs pierced her throat—now spilled on cold stone.
My Alpha roars. Whoever did this will die screaming.
And there, a small object half-hidden in the shadows.
A silver ring. I recognize it immediately—the band Seraphina constantly fidgets with when anxious or deep in thought. She would never willingly abandon it.
Cold fury crystallizes in my chest as I close my fist around the ring. "Who was assigned to her guard today?"
"Cade, my lord. He was supposed to report after her evening meal, but..."
"But?" I growl.
"He never reported, my lord. We assumed he was still with Lady Seraphina."
"Find him. Bring him to me immediately."
Hours pass in methodical searching. The palace is turned upside down, every chamber examined, every hiding place explored. I interrogate anyone who might have seen Seraphina—servants, courtiers, guards. None provide anything useful beyond confirming she's been missing since sunset, her scent trail ending abruptly.
When Emmett returns, his expression tells me everything before he speaks.
"The blood matches Lady Seraphina's," he reports grimly. "And Cade is nowhere to be found."
"Find the fairy!"
Emmett's expression says more than his words. "She's missing also."
My control shatters. Shadows explode outward, cracking the marble floor, the temperature dropping precipitously.
"Seal the borders," I decree, my words deadly quiet. "No one enters or leaves without my approval. Summon the shadow hounds. Every tracking spell, every tracing magic—find my wife."
I examine the ring more carefully, noticing it's undamaged—simply dropped or torn from her finger in the struggle. My shadows probe deeper, searching for any trace of magic or clue.
"My lord," Emmett says, keeping a cautious distance. "The guards who searched Cade's quarters found something concerning."
I turn sharply. "What?"
"Maps of the palace with certain areas marked. Instructions written in a cipher we haven't broken yet." Emmett hesitates. "And evidence he's been gone for hours."
