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He didn't reply and I knew why. He’d done the same and already knew. Cassius moved, circling the area slowly.
“I've asked Chase to contact Shadow Creek. Raiden should be here soon." He spoke without turning to look at me. Disrespect. I deserved it.
Cas continued investigating the area, looking for anything I might have missed. Nothing. No clues, no foreign scents. Not a single indication as to where Lily might have gone. Even if she’d been taken, kidnapped or coerced into leaving, we should’ve been able to pick up a scent. But this? This was impossible.
RAIDEN
“Ninety-three! Ninety-four! Ninety-five!” My Delta’s voice boomed across the room as I curled my body into another sit-up.
A moment later, the doors to the training area flew open and Gunnar barged in. He sprinted straight towards us as he yelled, “Hollow Stone just called; Lily never made it back last night.”
Although I was on my back, it felt like I was falling. Bile shot up into my throat and I struggled to swallow around it. I arrived no more than ten minutes later at the Old Oak, as instructed by Hollow Stone. My heart beat roughly in my chest and blood roared in my ears. Every sense was on high alert, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Gunnar, along with a few other warriors, arrived shortly after me. I’d outrun them somewhere along the way.
I shifted as soon as I saw Axel. Cassius and Chase stood a few feet away, also in human form, their backs turned toward him. Although everyone’s concern sent a surge of energy through the air, it was Axel's body language that unhinged me. His shoulders sagged, his eyes clouded as though he focused on nothing. My chest ached; this was real. This was happening.
Before I could get a word out, Cassius’s hands were wrapped around my throat, squeezing. His black eyes seemed to stare into the depths of my soul, his fangs elongated while he was caught in a half state of shift - somewhere between beast and man.
“What’ve you done, you arrogant fuck?” He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice shaking.
I've never heard him curse before. Droplets of spit sprayed from his lips as he yelled, his face mere inches from mine. Gunnar and the rest of the warriors rushed forward, ripping him away from me. Cassius only staggered back for a split second before he advanced on me again.
I lifted a hand, signalling my men to stand down. Cas needed someone to blame and by the looks of things, Axel had already had his turn. I would take the blame, of course, because it was my fault. I’d been naive; stupid. I never should have left her alone. I should have stayed with her, walked her home even if it took me all night to get back. Regret flooded me from the inside.
Cassius's hands lifted to my throat again, but this time he stopped himself, his shaky hands hovering close, ready to strike and cut off my air supply. I waited for it, welcoming it. The hate he felt for me couldn’t possibly match what I felt about myself. Heat radiated from him as his ragged breath fanned my face. Wishing he’d end me didn’t help because he simply stared. Hateful eyes branded me a monster; the worst boyfriend in history.
Axel's hand landed on Cassius’s shoulder. “Brother,” he said in a low voice.
For a second, Cassius looked at his shoulder, at his brother’s hand resting there. "I hope you regret this for the rest of your life," he said, turning and vanishing into the trees. I wasn't sure if his words were meant for me or Axel, but it ran deep - the truth behind it. For the rest of my life. He didn't have any hopes for Lily ever returning.
“I've traced her scent up to here, but then it disappears,” Axel said, gesturing to where he’d been sitting.
I swallowed the pain and moved, walking closer and crouching to inspect it myself. My heart rate spiked when her scent tickled my nose. I inhaled, trying to pull as much of it - of her- into me as possible.
Closing my eyes, I focused myself on her entirely. Lily’s voice, her smile, her touch. My throat burned, but I found something and flicked my eyes open. Crawling a few feet forward and taking another deep breath, I stilled. There it was. Covered by fallen leaves and debris, Lily’s fingerprints, edged into soft soil.
I glanced behind me, at Axel peering over my shoulder. His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide. He swallowed hard, telling me he saw it too. Desperate scratching. I ran my finger over it, gently, almost as if I could scare it away. Guilt and loss and ache drowned me. We’d known about the attacks, had been warned to stay within pack borders and foolishly ignored it. Kids. Pups. All of us. Stupid and naive.
Dread washed over me in strong, violent waves, spilling out of me. A strangled sound escaped my throat; animalistic, horrific. She was gone and it was all my fault.
