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Suddenly, three brutish henchmen approached from the hallway, one of them taking her arms. She recoiled, but they held her fast, sneering. "Take her," he commanded. The pair roughly obliged, eliciting a sharp cry as he pulled her along by the twisted arm.
One thug produced a small device, spraying a cloying mist that enveloped Fiona completely. "Scent blocker," he grunted in explanation. "Can't have that mate bond giving away our location …"
Fiona thrashed against unrelenting grips, heedless of her opulent gown ripping. "Callum will still find me," she insisted vehemently.
But Rocco only barked a cruel laugh. "Better hope he thought to mark you then."
Dread plummeted Fiona's heart at the truth. Without a permanent mating mark, Callum's shifter senses would be limited in their ability to track her. Had she allowed him to mark her, they would have a telepathic link that allowed her to warn him she was in danger.
"Enough games. Let’s move, little princess. You belong to us now." Rocco's mocking sneer faded to muffled silence as one thug roughly forced a foul-tasting gag between Fiona's lips while the other pulled a dark sack over her head and then pushed her forward.
The pulsing beat of music faded behind them, meaning they must have exited out a back way. She prayed that someone, anyone, might notice her absence and raise the alarm.
Doors slammed, and the air turned crisp and earthy. They were outside, heading directly into the woods if the scents of nature were any indication. Instantly, hurt evaporated into hot, panicked breathing echoing inside tattered burlap fibers.
Through the hood, Fiona heard the party's throbbing melodic strains give way abruptly to nocturnal wilderness resonance. Each heavy footfall sent a spike of fear through Fiona’s heart as she thought of her unborn child.
Please let the baby be all right,she prayed desperately.
"You think anyone saw us take her?" one of the men asked, a note of tension in his voice.
"Of course not," came the arrogant, clipped reply of the other. "Bunch of lazy hedonists in there, too drunk and distracted to notice their own Alpha's Mate get snatched away."
“Pathetic,” the first mumbled. “We should just off her here and now and end this fucking farce. Our ancestors would be …”
“Shut the fuck up!” Rocco growled under his breath.
Bile burned the back of Fiona's throat at the cruelty in his tone. Silent tears slipped free as she was blindly guided into the unknown, the fate of both herself and her unborn child uncertain.Callum, please …
Her muffled pleas emerged as desperate whines, ignored by all except the precious passenger now relying solely on its mother for protection from those who cruelly plotted its vulnerable fate.
The further they dragged her stumbling through the underbrush, the softer the music of the party grew until only harsh breaths filled her ears. Fiona recoiled as hot dampness soaked through the burlap clinging to her face. Whimpers tore involuntarily from her throat despite the fabric gag. Somewhere beneath primordial dread beat the feral heart of an omega, crying piteously for her absent Alpha mate …
Without warning, Fiona was wrenched to a violent halt. Panting filled the tense air until another sound broke through … an enraged roar reverberating the trees around them. Every hair raised on Fiona’s neck.
Her captors hissed oaths. But Fiona rejoiced through her lightheaded haze.
Callum is near … Somehow, he’s come!
Surely, her furious champion would kill the threats to his family.
TWENTY-TWO
CALLUM
The rippling laughter from another bawdy toast raised Callum’s own spirits as he chatted with an elder. How perfectly the long-overdue public debut alongside his beloved mate set all futures roaring with potential prosperity …
Finally, an heir worthy of the family name!
Abruptly, an unpleasant prickle tensed the alpha's shoulders. Brow furrowing, he scanned the glittering crowd, seeking the cause.
Excusing himself politely, he traced his steps back up to his bedroom and found the door ajar and the room filled with unfamiliar scents. “Fiona?”
With quiet concern, he called, rounding the corner into the bathroom. Before him sat the bathroom and walk-in closet stripped of her sweet scent. There were signs of a violent struggle.
A wounded howl tore from Callum’s chest. “Lock this place down!” Alpha fury exploded outward as the hunt for his lost, vulnerable mate began.
Within moments, security was with him. The radios confirmed no vehicles had passed checkpoints since sunset, sending Callum’s thoughts racing. Jaws clenched, he spat outorders, placing the estate on high alert before ripping away his formal wear and dropping to a knee on the marble floor.
