Chapter 93: We will find them

The hunting ritual for the Moon Ceremony drew to a close just as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, staining the sky in deep hues of violet and blue.

Dorian stood before a massive pile of slain deer in his human form, shirtless and dripping with sweat, his chest heaving as he stared up at the glowing disk of the full moon.

The ritual had been accepted; the Moon Goddess had blessed the North once more.

Wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth, he shook out his damp hair and turned to Jake.

"Organize the warriors into squads," he commanded, his deep voice carrying over the clearing. "Divide the bounty and haul it back to the estate before the feast begins."

Jake nodded firmly. "Right away, Alpha."

"You don’t need to stay for the haul," Dorian added, a brief smile softening his cold expression. "Put Alec in charge. You have a mate now, and I know you’re eager to get back to her."

Jake let out a soft laugh. "I certainly am."

Dorian chuckled, clapping a hand onto Jake’s shoulder before turning toward his car. He couldn’t wait to return home.

He missed Alyssa with an ache that clawed at his chest. He had never been away from her for a full day; except for their wedding day when he had barely survived the accident with Pilate.

The warmth suddenly vanished from his eyes, replaced by a cold, predatory focus. The shapeshifter was still out there, lurking in the shadows. He needed to track him down and end him before he could strike.

Reaching his car, Dorian opened the driver’s side door and immediately grabbed his phone, checking for any missed calls or texts from his Queen.

Nothing.

He frowned, his thumb hovering over the screen. Her silence should have meant peace, proof that the mansion was safe. Yet a cold knot of dread suddenly twisted in his gut.

Back in the clearing, Jake hurried to his gear pack to retrieve his phone. He had been anxious to check it all afternoon, badly wanting to know how Henna was doing.

He tapped the screen, and his heart instantly leaped into his throat. Twelve missed calls.

His brow furrowed in confusion as he opened his messages. The moment his eyes scanned the desperate text Henna had sent hours ago, the breath was ripped from his lungs.

He turned and broke into a run, heading toward Dorian’s car.

Dorian was just about to drive away when he caught sight of Jake in his rearview mirror, bolting through the tree line and frantically waving his phone in the air.

He slammed on the brakes, threw his door open, and stepped out.

"What happened?"

"We have to get back to the mansion. NOW!" Jake shouted, shoving the phone directly into Dorian’s hands.

The second Dorian read Henna’s panicked message, his calm demeanor exploded into rage.

...

Henna paced frantically around the living room, her fingers locked together tightly. Hours had passed since she sent her initial message to Jake, yet every subsequent text had gone completely unanswered.

She was entirely alone in the enormous mansion, and the silence was driving her insane. The maids and servants had all gone to the venue of the Moon Ceremony. Alyssa and Pandora were still not back.

Suddenly, bright headlights flashed through the tall windows as a vehicle tore into the driveway.

Henna bolted through the front door, her knees nearly buckling with relief as she saw Dorian and Jake leap out of the idling car.

"Jake!" she cried out, her voice breaking as she stumbled toward him.

Jake closed the distance instantly, pulling her tightly into his arms and wrapping his massive hands around her waist. "Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?"

Dorian had already swept past them, bursting through the door into the living room. He inhaled deeply, his heart skipping a beat when he didn’t catch Alyssa’s scent.

It was gone. Not faint; completely gone. She hadn’t been in this house for hours.

He whirled around, stepping back out onto the porch where Henna was leaning into Jake’s embrace.

"Where is Alyssa?" he demanded, his voice low and laced with barely contained anger.

Henna shrank back, terrified by the choking aura radiating off him. "Alpha... I..."

​"WHERE IS SHE?!" Dorian roared, the shockwave of his command vibrating through the stone walls.

Jake instantly stepped in front of his mate, shielding her with his body, his gaze pleading. "You’re scaring her, Alpha. Please. Give her a chance to speak."

Dorian reined in his rage with strained effort, his eyes flashing between deep gold and blood-red as Shadow and Soren clawed to get out. He glared down at Henna, waiting.

"She... she left with Pandora just minutes after you led the hunt into the valley," Henna squeaked out, her voice shaking. "Pandora said there was a Luna ritual that had to be done before dusk..."

"Luna ritual?" Dorian and Jake repeated in unison.

"There’s no such thing as a Luna ritual," Jake said, his brow furrowing. "Why would Pandora make that up?"

"I don’t know!" Henna cried. "But after they left, an older man with a cane and his son showed up looking for you. I told them the same thing, and they left looking like they knew something terrible was happening."

Jake and Dorian exchanged a sharp, murderous look.

"Conri and Joffrey," Jake hissed.

Dorian let out a curse and spun around, driving his bare fist straight into the stone pillar beside the door. The granite shattered under the force, cracks spider-webbing up to the roof.

"I will tear Conri’s heart out with my bare hands!" Dorian snarled, blood dripping from his knuckles.

​"It wasn’t them, Alpha!" Henna blurted out quickly. "Alyssa and Pandora left long before the older man arrived. But... there was something wrong with Pandora. She didn’t look right. She didn’t feel right."

Dorian snapped his head toward her, his dark eyes narrowing into slits. "What do you mean, ’wrong’?"

​"I can’t explain it! She felt cold, and empty. And when I went out to find the guards, I found them lying unconscious in the training ground, foaming at the mouth!"

Dorian bristled, his physical form swelling as his beast form tore at his sanity from the inside out. His skin darkened, shadow-veins rising along his neck.

"Alpha," Jake warned softly, stepping closer. "You need to calm yourself..."

"Don’t you dare tell me to calm myself!" Dorian spat, turning on his beta with terrifying speed. "My Luna is gone! My sister is missing! The entire North is currently gathering for the ceremony, yet I don’t have a single scent to follow!"

"Losing control won’t bring them back!" Jake argued firmly. "We need logic, Dorian! Think. Why would Pandora take Alyssa away?"

Ignoring him, Dorian whipped out his phone and dialed Alyssa’s number. It didn’t connect.

He tried twice more before trying Pandora’s cell. It rang continuously until it hit voicemail. Pure panic, hot and blinding, began to drown out his reason.

Engines roared in the driveway as another car screeched to a halt. Alec and Anthony leaped out, rushing up the stone steps.

"Dorian! What the hell is going on?" Anthony demanded, grabbing Dorian’s arm. "I’ve been trying to reach Pandora for an hour!"

"I can’t reach her either!" Dorian growled. "She took Alyssa and disappeared!"

"The entire estate guards were poisoned in the training ground," Jake added quickly, laying out everything Henna had witnessed.

Anthony’s eyes widened, but he immediately snapped into action.

"Okay. Listen to me. Alec, Jake, get to the training grounds now. If it’s wolfsbane, get the antitoxin into those guards before their hearts fully stop. Dorian, you and I will take the SUV and trail the main road toward the borders."

He clamped a hand on Dorian’s shoulder, forcing the Alpha King to meet his eyes. "We will find them. I swear on my life."

Dorian swallowed the terror rising in his throat, forcing his beast into submission, and gave a sharp, grim nod.

"Let’s move," he growled.

But just as they were about to leave, Pandora’s voice came from the hallway leading to the basement.