“You’re right,” he said. “If someone took Elm, an artist who has nothing to do with the mafia and no fighting skills whatsoever, he’s in serious danger. We need to find him before something terrible happens.”
“He’s a beta,” now she was the one reminding him. “No one would force him into a den like they did you. Calm down, before you do something—”
Shiloh yanked the door open, but only managed a single step before he came up against a solid wall. With a low growl, he lifted his head, intent on telling whoever was blocking his path to get the fuck out of his way, but faltered the second his eyes met golden-green ones. “Rang.”
“Where are you going?” The underboss placed a hand on either side of Shiloh and backed him into the room, effectively settling in the doorway.
“Has Elm been found?” Sloane came to his aid and asked.
Sarang’s expression was grim. “The people who took him are unknown to us. We’re trying to track them down now, but it’s proving difficult. No one saw it happen, which makes it harder. But we were able to deduce he was taken off planet.”
“What?!” Sloane’s eyes widened.
If his kidnappers got Elm on a spaceship, he could literally be anywhere by now.
“Where’s Kian?” Shiloh knew his brother. He wouldn’t stand for this.
“On his way to Synastry,” Sarang replied. “There hasn’t been word yet, but it’s likely that’s where Elm was taken.”
If they operated under the assumption he was taken because of the Eumia, sure. But what if he wasn’t? There was no shortage of awful people in this universe.
“And Sky?”
“He refused to stay behind. The Dominus took his Possessio with him.”
That was surprising, but then, Sky wasn’t a weak omega, and he’d been training in combat since getting with Kian. He could hold his own in a fight, at least long enough for a member of the Eumia to get to him, and Shiloh doubted he’d be left on his own ever. They’d be staying at the compound, the Eumia homebase, which was heavily guarded at all times.
Sky would be safe there. Maybe even safer than he’d be here, considering Elm was stolen off these very streets.
“I’ve been left in charge in his stead,” Sarang told them. As the underboss, that was to be expected.
But as the prince, Shiloh wasn’t too keen on taking orders from anyone, not even his alpha. Usually, he’d at least pretend, but he was too riled, either because of Elm or because he felt things between him and Sarang slipping out of control. Didn’t really matter. He was feeling some type of way, and whenever that happened, he needed to lash out before emotion got the better of him and turned him into the embodiment of a living nightmare.
“Until we know more about the circumstances, the two of you—”
“No,” Shiloh interrupted before he could finish. Over his shoulder, Sloane snorted.
“This isn’t up for debate,” Sarang said stiffly.
“I’m not skipping school. It’s only been two months since we started.” He wasn’t particularly fond of Firethorn University, but he refused to be a prisoner in his own home, and it was obvious that’s where the alpha had been going with things.
“You’re staying here, where it’s safe.”
“School is safe.”
“Prince.”
“Let it go, brother.” Sloane stepped up to his side. “I’m sure it’ll only be a couple of days before Kian has answers and we can go back to our lives. It’ll give you time to study for that exam anyway.”
“We didn’t agree to put Kian on the throne just so he could turn around and treat us exactly like she did,” he reminded sharply. “Our mother trapped us in the name of keeping us safe. Look how we turned out. I won’t go back to that.”
“Kian isn’t the one making this call,” Sarang said before Sloane could respond. “I am.”
“No.”
“Loh. I need you somewhere safe. Somewhere I can always find you. I’ll be worried otherwise.”
“Ah, so this is a selfish decision.” Shiloh still didn’t like it, but at least he could understand where Sarang was coming from then. If their rolls were reversed, and he was worried something might happen to make him lose the alpha, Shiloh would want to lock him up too.
