“A bit.” Theo shrugged. “But any rebellion was quenched quickly. From what we could tell, the people opened the gates and let them in.”
I felt betrayed in the worst way. Mere days ago, the country had cheered for us and celebrated our wedding. It had only taken them moments to switch sides.
But I could not blame them. How could I ask them to resist, when met with such a terrifying force?
“And where’s Gabby?” I demanded. “Is she there?”
“I do not know.” Alexei shook his head. “We flew over the palace, but didn’t see her or any of her personal staff.”
“She’s not around,” Theo said. “Gabby would enter the city with a variety of fan fare, to make sure everyone knew she’d won, and there was no such noise to be had.”
Why wouldn’t she be in the palace by now? This didn’t make any sense.
A ragged cry echoed across the battlefield— that of a woman. My heart plummeted as I saw Kiara and Odette rushing our way, doing their best to help a very-pregnant Delmare navigate the bodies.
My veins became ice as I realized my mate was not with them.
The shifters rushed forward to greet their mates. Odette threw herself upon Theo, while Kiara stumbled into Alexei.
Delmare appeared on the verge of fainting, clutching her stomach with a wince. Stefan hoisted her into his arms, appearing gravely worried.
“Why didn’t you do as I asked?” Alexei grabbed Kiara’s arms and shook her. “Why are you here?”
“We’ve been looking for you all day, but couldn’t find you,” Kiara all but sobbed. “Emma’s gone!”
My life came crashing down around me. I thought the world had ended seconds ago, but it was nothing compared to the possibility ofthis.
“She’s been missing all day. We’re certain she took a portal here to find Ethan,” Odette wept. “We came to the battlefield to look, but everything was so chaotic, we just hid in the woods until it…”
Odette put her face in her hands. Theo rubbed her back, while I struggled to remain on my feet.
This had been another part of Gabby’s plan. Destroying Emma’s hearthfire had been no random attack.
“We must find Emma,” I said with a start. “She must be out here. She…”
I became petrified at the thought of her being one of these lifeless forms, lying cold underneath the snow. I began turning over bodies in a panic, hands shaking as I feared each face I next observed would be the one of my wife.
“Find her!” I growled. “Someone help me!”
“Ethan, they wouldn’t have killed her,” Stefan said in a strained voice. “They would’ve—”
His voice cut off, and I remembered.
The eclipse. It was tonight.
I was senseless. I was her mate— I would know if she was dead, and our bond still pulsed with life.
But would it for long? What if the cultists had found her, and brought her to Gabby? What if they used her blood for their dark purpose, and made things worse in the world than it already was?
What if they alreadyhad?
“I bet Emma made that hole in the fortress wall,” Delmare said weakly. “Who else could?”
She had to be right. I changed into a wolven and ran toward the fortress, putting my nose to the ground.
Near the toppled wall, there was a whiff of something familiar underneath all this rubble. Emma had been here. I tried to catch the trail of my mate’s scent, but it was muddled with all the different smells of blood and gore. There was no possible way to follow it.
“Emma!” I called out, both with my voice and through our bond. “Onawilke,where are you?”
