Page 8 of Abandoned By My Alpha Husband

I tried to turn and chase after him. But postpartum weakness made me nearly collapse after one step. I could only watch helplessly as the car grew more distant.

A violent dizziness hit. My steps stumbled. I had to grab a nearby lamppost. This feeling... strange. Not ordinary dizziness. Something deeper, pulling from inside. Like an invisible thread tugging at my soul.

The voice in my head suddenly shrieked. That resonance, like finding home. I gripped the railing. The shriek gradually faded, replaced by a woman's murmur.

"Come back."

"Child of Gray. Daughter of wolves. Your mother needs you."

My legs gave out. I collapsed to the ground.

"Come back."

The voice grew stronger, commanding, undeniable. I felt some power flowing through my blood, calling me, pulling me.

My vision started blurring.

Daughter of wolves.

I was... also a hybrid.

Chapter Two

Lucifer

I opened my eyes as the car turned the third corner.

The street scenery slid past at a steady pace. We'd left the human district far behind. Gray daylight filtered through the branches of the roadside trees, breaking into fragments that slipped across the window. My glands still throbbed at the nape of my neck. That night's drug-induced vertigo seemed to keep tightening my temples, but I knew—that wasn't what kept cycling through my mind.

It was that scent. Lily and bay leaf.

Five months.

Five months since that night. The more I closed my eyes, the clearer the details became—the moment she entered, the lily and bay leaf pheromones flooded my nostrils. My wolf howled. She's ours.

She was still asleep when I took the call. Curled on the sofa, hair scattered across my pillow, breathing steady. Elder Asia's voice came through the receiver, speaking way too fast. "Your Majesty, East City—there's been another incident. The Butcher Squad struck last night. Four pure bloods dead, including an earl."

My grip on the phone froze.

"The Elder Council needs to convene immediately," Ria said. "Where are you? You have to be there. The earl's family is already making a scene. The guard commander can't handle it. If you don't show up, every noble in Silver pine will lose it."

"Understood." I hung up and looked down at her.

I wanted to stay. I wanted to wait for her to wake, tell her who she was, tell her I'd come back for her. But the Butcher Squad couldn't wait. Four pure bloods. An earl. If the panic from East City spread across Silver pine, everyone would be watching me—the king—to see if I could actually control the situation. I stood, pulled the blanket over her, and adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature. First time taking care of someone. That was all I could think to do. I kissed her forehead. When my lips touched her skin, she nuzzled unconsciously into my palm.

3 AM. If I moved fast, I'd be back before she woke.

"Wait for me," I whispered.

Then I left.

The meeting ran for four hours. The Elder Council descended into chaos. Three widows sobbed outside the door. The guard commander got reamed out, head bowed. Some demanded we lock down East City. Others feared a lockdown would trigger mass panic. I sat at the head of the table, heard everyone out, and made the call. Deployed the guard teams, doubled patrols. Then rushed back to that suite.

She was gone.

I'd been searching for her for five months.

I went through every employee file from that bar. The floor manager said someone had called in sick that night—a temp student worker filled in. Didn't even have a formal personnel record. I remembered her crying that she needed to go to school, and I couldn't help pinching the bridge of my nose. I was such an asshole.