Understood, Alpha.
Fourteen hours hadpassed, but there was still no answer or clue.
I was not going to fucking let them get away with it. The fear that so many fucking hours had passed and what may have happened to her consumed me like fucking poison. I didn’t feel the link break, so she was still alive… that was all I had to fucking hold on to.
The exhaustion was catching up to me, but there was still no sign of her, so I couldn’t stop. I had alerted the alphas of the packs that I truly trusted to send their men out, but at the same time, I also didn’t want to put Kataleya in more harm than she already was by telling everyone that my daughter was taken.
Alpha… there’s nothing. They are gone without a trace,Darien, my Beta’s, voice came through the link.
I can’t stop looking,I whispered back, trying to control the agony in my voice.
Alejandro… look, let’s let everyone know – put a prize out there for her. Let the word out that you’re willing to give anything to the kidnappers. Surely there must be a reason for this, and they must want something. We can contact our business partners in the human world, too, and make it clear that your daughter was taken. Someone may have seen her. We will find her.The voice of reason that stuck by me even on my darkest days long ago… he was a friend that had been by my side from the fucking start.
But I can’t stop searching when she’s out there.
Not yet.
Al… please. Kiara needs you; Dante and Luna Delsanra are still unconscious.
I froze in my tracks, my heart thundering. What?
What the fuck do you mean?Kiara wasn’t able to heal Dante?
The Hybrid Luna tried to cast a spell to fix whatever was ailing Dante, but whatever it was has spread to her. We told Alpha Rayhan, and he did return to check on her before continuing to look for Kataleya. We need to regroup; I’ll have new men out here scouring the woods. Alpha Liam also wishes to speak to you. He is currently with his sister at the villa.
Turn my back on her again… fuck.I tried not to imagine the worst as I closed my eyes. Darien was right. I needed to reach out and have another plan in place rather than just searching blindly.
I’m coming back.
I reached thevilla, my heart sinking with every step. I was returning to my queen without our pup. How was I going to face her? Darien gave me a bottle of water and some pants, but I refused the water, simply taking the pants. I didn’t think I fucking deserved water… I should have fucking listened. I should never have gone so fucking far out. I should have paid attention to what Kia was saying, but it was a tad too fucking late right then.
Her scent enveloped me. I closed my eyes, grasping onto it. I would never fucking let on, but I was doing my best not to unravel completely. I needed her; her comfort, her embrace, her fucking presence. Rayhan’s and Liam’s scents came from the room upstairs, along with Scarlett’s. I adjusted my pants that I had just pulled on before I pushed open the door to the room, seeing Kiara sitting on the bed whilst Delsanra and Dante lay upon it.
Both looked as grey as death, red veins creeping along their entire bodies. Rayhan sat on the opposite side, holding Delsanra’s hand, his hair shielding his face, and I felt another storm of guilt. Because of my fucking mistake, there was another casualty.
Scarlett was rocking a sleeping Skyla in her arms gently whilst Liam stood behind Kiara, arms crossed and a deep frown on his face. They all turned to me when I stepped inside, but my eyes were on Kiara’s red puffy ones. She had cried a lot…
I’m fucking sorry, Amore…
“Alejandro,” Liam said, frowning as he gave me a small nod. Kiara stood up, her eyes filled with fresh tears as she looked at me before closing them.
I had failed her.
“Nothing?” She whispered, her voice trembling. I shook my head as Darien stepped into the room.
She came towards me, her hand pressed to her chest. I pulled her against my chest, wrapping my arms around her tightly as she broke into stifled sobs. I rested my head on top of hers, closing my eyes as I inhaled her hazelnut chocolate scent that calmed me. Scarlett sighed, frowning as she looked at me.
“We will find her. Elijah is out there, and we will continue to search, but we need to let every pack know. If this is the doing of another pack or some sort of uprising, then we will surely find an answer.”
“I’m going to do that. I’ll be putting the word out to the humans, too. Even if they just see her, I’ll put out a reward,” I said, my voice hoarse due to the lack of fucking water.
“Offer them a reward they can’t refuse. The Rossi Empire has funds that you are welcome to take,” Rayhan replied quietly as he looked up at me. Being the son of the eldest Rossi, he held the majority of the empire, not to mention he was the main heir to his mother’s entire side of wealth as well. I refused to take more than needed. Our eyes met, and I saw the pain in his stormy grey ones.
“I’m sorry that Del got caught up in this shit,” I murmured quietly. He gave a small shake of his head, kissing his mate’s hand.
“We are family, and I don’t think she’d have been able to sit back and do nothing,” he replied, trying to hide the emotions in his voice. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
But it was my fucking fault.
