It had been fivedays since she left, and I still had no clue where she was.
If there was anything new, Benedict Solange seemed to have nothing to do with her disappearance. He just went about his daily business and was never seen doing anything suspicious. But I wondered if he was the one who sent me the envelope or if it was Nadia’s uncle.
Darvin told me that he was released from prison and was banished from the pack. He had no idea where he was. I had also sent trackers for him, but there had been no news. Like Nadia, he had just disappeared into thin air.
I was trying to get by and hold on to the only thing that was keeping me sane—Nadia’s scent.
I tried to lock her scent in our bedroom and had not let anyone in, even to clean up. But it was still meticulously tidy. I didn’t want to trample the last place she was in and kept everything in place except for her clothes, which were my steady companion wherever I would lie down in our bed. But no matter how I tried to seal in her scent, it was slowly fading. I was slowly losing the only thing that had been keeping me calm all these days.
Days were spent looking for her, but the nights were harder without her. Sleep hardly came. I would lie awake and think of all the wrong things I’d done.
I wish I had slept on it before I confronted her. I wish I hadn’t let it get to me. I wish I could have just laughed it off with her.
If I did, maybe we were already planning her Luna ceremony.
Maybe I would still wake up with her sprawled out on top of me.
Maybe she would still pepper me with kisses and attack me with hugs.
Maybe I wouldn’t be wallowing in pain and guilt.
Maybe then, the only time Iwould miss her would be for just a few hours.
The packhouse seemed hollow and dull. It had been empty without her.
Dominic was right. Nadia was by far the best thing that happened to me. She was the only pop of color in my fucked-up life, and I pushed her away. But no matter how much I was struggling, I refused to succumb this time. I woke up each morning with a new hope that I would find her while making sure I never abandoned my pack.
As much as I tried to suppress the news that Nadia wasn’t around, I couldn’t stop it. My people were already noticing her absence. I knew that soon they would find out that she had left and that they didn’t have a Luna anymore, and that it was all my fault.
I was in my office making a few calls. I finally decided to swallow my pride and ask for help from nearby packs. I had sent them pictures of Nadia, hoping to get some news soon.
I closed my eyes and leaned my back against my chair. I should get going. I had a meeting to attend within the territory, but I just wanted to rest for a few seconds. I haven’t had a decent sleep in the last five days. And although my body could take it, my mind was already tired.
“Alpha,” My Beta’s voice snapped me from my own thoughts and made me open my eyes. I didn’t even hear him knock or open the office door. “Lady Katarina is on her way here from the border. She wishes to speak with you, and I allowed her entrance.”
I nodded my head. I should have expected this. Darvin might have already told her, or she might have heard somewhere that Nadia had left.
I wondered if she would tell me where I could find her, or if she would be as clueless as I was.
A knock came, and I immediately let them in. Lady Katarina came in first, followed by Lady Sofia.
The rage in Katarina’s eyes wasn’t easy to miss. I had never seen that look on her face. If anything, this female avoided looking me in the eyes.
But not this time.
“Alpha, should I leave you alone with the females, or do you want me to stay?” Beta Dominic asked once they were all inside.
I was about to tell him he could stay, but Katarina beat me to it.
“Please stay, Beta Dominic. I want you to hear whatever I say to your Alpha.”
I couldn’t help my brow from arching. I didn’t miss the hostility in her voice.
My Beta looked at me, waiting for my instruction, and I just nodded my head. He acknowledged and then proceeded to close the door before moving towards the other side of the office, guiding Lady Sofia to a seat by the couch, as Katarina refused to move from her spot.
“Why are you here?” I would have asked her in a different, more courteous manner, but I cut the bullshit. She was angry with me, and I wanted her to get straight to the point.
She swallowed before she tilted her head higher. She was standing three meters away from my desk, in the middle of my office. “Why did Nadia leave? What did you tell her?”
