She wasn’t by my side.
My chest tightened, the air expelled from my lungs as if I’d been punched. I bolted upright. Kade was still snoring against the edge of the bed. I grabbed the blanket and yanked, tearing the fabric from its clips, bathing us in light. My gaze raked the room.
Nothing.
No, no, no.
Not again.
“What’s going on?” Kade groaned, stretching.
I ignored him, lunging for the bathroom. The door was ajar, but I knew before I crossed the threshold. Vera was gone.
I backtracked, trying to pinpoint where I’d fucked up. I’d done everything to ensure I didn’t push her. I closed my eyes, my breath coming in rapid, shallow hitches. I’d been wrong. The world went still while my heart splintered. With her gone, the darkness rushed back in.
Kade’s eyes narrowed, his gaze darting behind me. “Where’s Vera?” But his tone told me he already knew.
“She’s gone.” I cracked my neck, clenching my fists. We stared at each other, and I watched the pain etch itself into my brother’s expression. His eyes fluttered shut, and when they opened, the psycho I’d grown up with was staring back.
“If we’d marked her last night, she wouldn’t have been able to leave,” Kade growled.
“She needed… time,” I seethed.
“She needsus.”
“Fuck!” My hands balled into fists.
“You’re right.” His eyes widened at words we both never thought I’d say. “Our mate left while we slept.”
The rejection stung. It replayed the memory of Ava stealing my daughter in the night. Darkness had stolen Dahlia, and now, it had taken my mate. No goodbye. No note.
I strode over to my bedside table and checked my phone. The last strand of hope vanished as the screen lit up. I had notifications, but none from her. I opened SnarlChat and called her, but she didn’t pick up. I dialed my head of security.
“Sir?”
“Where is she?” I growled.
“She… left this morning.”
“You let my mate walk out of here?” I ran my hand through my hair, pacing the length of the window.
“I didn’t know. It’s my fault.”
“How did she leave?”
“A man picked her up.”
Those five words stopped me in my tracks and shredded through the last of my self-control. She ran from me and called someone else.
He was a dead man.
I tapped SnarlChat and sent her a single message.
Me: Run, little Omega.
“Let her run,” Kade said, standing to his feet. “We’ll catch up.”
“When do we leave?”
