The warehouse settled around me, waiting. Somewhere in the shadows, rogues likely watched. Somewhere in the city, buyers prepared for their newest acquisition. And somewhere in the compound, Damon slept on, unaware his entire world had already been stolen.
“The buyers will be here within the hour.”
39
— • —
Damon
I woke to find Rhea’s side of the bed cold, her scent fading. Initially, I assumed she was in the bathroom. The twins made her restless at night, sending her padding to the bathroom multiple times. But something felt wrong. The air carried a sweet undertone that didn’t belong, chemical and cloying.
I sat up fully, wolf senses screaming danger. Her clothes from yesterday still lay folded on the chair. Her shoes by the door. No signs of dressing, no note, nothing. Just absence where she should be. I checked the bathroom, empty. The sitting area, abandoned. My heartbeat accelerated as I scented the air more carefully. Beneath her fading presence and that strange sweetness, there was something else. Fear pheromones. Hers. She was afraid before she disappeared. The realization hit like ice water. She didn’t leave. She was taken.
“Carlton! CARLTON!” The shout tore from my throat as I burst into the hallway.
“Sir? What’s wrong?” A guard appeared, alarmed by my half-dressed state and wild expression.
“Rhea is missing. Lock down everything. NOW.”
“But sir, we didn’t see...” He stammered, confusion evident.
“I don’t care what you didn’t see. Find her!”
The command sent him running, and within minutes alarms echoed through the compound. But even as security mobilized, a cold certainty settled in my gut. This wasn’t a simple abduction. The sweet scent, the undisturbed room, the perfectly timed disappearance. Someone had planned this meticulously.
I pulled on clothes with shaking hands, my wolf clawing at the surface. Every instinct screamed to hunt, to track, to find my mate before something irreversible happened. The twins. God, she was carrying our twins. Twenty-four weeks along and vulnerable, taken from our bed while I slept beside her like a useless guardian.
Carlton appeared as I stormed back into the bedroom, his expression grim. He took in the scene with professional assessment, noting the same details I had. No struggle, no defensive wounds on the furniture, nothing broken. Just that sweet chemical scent that made my nose burn.
“Sedative,” he confirmed what I already suspected. “Medical grade. Strong enough to ensure compliance.”
“From our own supplies?” The question tasted bitter.
“Most likely, sir. This was planned by someone with inside knowledge.”
Inside knowledge. Inside access. The implications made my blood run cold. Someone in my own pack, someone trusted enough to know our routines, our security, our vulnerabilities. They’d waited until I was exhausted from council meetings, until the chaos of my confession provided perfect cover.
“I want every guard questioned. Every servant, every person who had access to this wing.” The orders came fast, automatic. “Check the gates, the borders, every possible exit.”
“Already in motion, sir.” Carlton’s efficiency remained the one stable point in this nightmare. “But there’s something else you should know. The night guards, several were reassigned at the last minute. Orders came from high up.”
“How high?”
But I already knew. The pattern was too perfect, the timing too precise. Only someone with administrative access could have orchestrated this level of betrayal.
The compound exploded into controlled chaos. Guards searched every room, every closet, every possible hiding place. Teams swept the grounds with military precision while others reviewed security footage from the past twenty-four hours. Carlton coordinated with terrifying efficiency, but I could see the concern in his eyes. Each passing minute meant Rhea could be farther away, meant our twins were in greater danger.
The evidence mounted quickly, each piece adding to a picture I didn’t want to see. The chemical scent in our room matched a specific sedative from our own medical supplies. Inventory showed it had been requisitioned yesterday under special authority. The guard rotations hadn’t just been changed, they’d been specifically altered to create blind spots around our private wing. Cameras showed nothing because they’d been disabled with administrative codes. Only someone with the highest clearance could have orchestrated this.
I was tearing apart my office, looking for any clue, when Carlton brought the evidence that changed everything. He entered without knocking, face grave, carrying documents that made my hands shake.
“Sir, these authorizations... they’re from your mother.” His voice held the same disbelief I felt.
“That’s impossible. Check again.” The words came out strained, desperate.
“I’ve checked three times. She used her codes.” He spread the papers across my desk. Financial records showing large withdrawals from discretionary funds. Guard assignments bearing her elegant signature. A rental agreement for a warehouse at the territory’s edge, signed yesterday with her personal seal.
“Where is she? Where is my mother?” But even as I asked, the pieces clicked into place. The hatred in her eyes since my confession. The way she’d called Rhea a whore, blamed her for Laziel’s death. The systematic changes Rhea had noticed while I was too distracted to investigate.
