The Wolf King's Luna

CHAPTER 20

DAMON.

"No Catherine?" Ryder asks as I stalk into the pack.

"No," I growl. "No clue."

"Oh Damon," my mother calls as she rushes to me, her hands stretched out to take me into a hug.

"Mother," I sigh into her shoulders. "Why… why would she leave?*

"I don't know Damon. But you have to understand, Catherine has scars, she has been hurt before and would probably do anything to not get hurt again."

"But I thought… I thought she was happy here," I say as I lift my head to look at her.

"I thought so too. Maybe something spooked her or someone. Think, was there anything that she saw or heard that would have set her on edge?"

"I don't know, * I say as we walk into the mansion. "She seemed happy and everyone was careful with her… except…"

"Except what?"

"Mel. When she returned she barged into my room, cursing the Skylight pack and Vance."

"And got Catherine worried, of course. She still doesn't know we are aware she is from the Skylight pack, does she?"

"No. She didn't mention it. I believe she wanted to hide it and move on from it. Oh, my goddess, she must have been so frightened. And I didn't know."

"Damon…"

"What kind of mate am I? That I wouldn't know when something was wrong?"

"You can't blame yourself. You two just met, how could you know her well enough to tell?"

"Still I should have."

"How about your wolf? Can he sense her? What does he say?"

"I can't find her," he whimpers. "I can't sense her anywhere."

"but you sensed her once before, didn't you?"

"I could. But something is blocking her wolf, suppressing her."

Silver.

"Damn it," I snarl.

"What? What is it? What did he say?" Mother frets.

"He can't sense her. Something is suppressing her wolf," I answer as I begin to pace around the living room.

"Oh, no."

"DAMN IT."

I throw a punch out in front of me and it connects with the wall and goes straight through."

"Damon!"

"She is being kept prisoner! Some bastard somewhere is keeping my mate prisoner! With silver! I will kill them. I will rip their limbs one by one and feed it to them!"

"Damon! You need to calm down. Please!"

I can't.

The rage at the audacity that anyone would dare to cross my lands, take my mate… have I been too calm?

Just as I am still raging across the room, both Melissa and Faye rush in.

"What's wrong?" Melissa demands. "We can hear the racket from outside."

"Damon's wolf can't sense Catherine's," Mother tells them. "We believe that whoever took her used silver to keep her wolf suppressed."

"Did you two find anything?" I growl.

"Not me. But Faye has something."

I turn to Faye expectantly.

"I found that scent-, the one that was mixed in with Catherine's… It was on the edge of their pack."

"The edge? Not inside?"

"No. At the edge. I don't think they are a member of the pack, it didn't mix with the earth," she answers.

"Did you track it?"

"Yes. First to the city, specifically the mall Melissa and Catherine went shopping, and then here, the edge of the pack."

"Wait-, are you… are you saying that, that they were watching us? Yesterday?" Melissa exclaims, guilt coming over her face.

"It looks so."

"Oh. Oh no. I am… I am so sorry. I didn't notice. I am sorry," she says almost close to tears.

"So? Where did the scent end? You must have tracked that too,' I tell her.

"I did. But it just… faded a few miles past the Skylight pack.

"Faded? What do you mean?"

"I mean just that. It just… faded."

"What was there? Any landmarks?"

"No, nothing. It was just one large, open, empty…field."

"How can someone just vanish like that,?" I demand.

"I don't understand it either, * she says. " I am sorry."

"Don't be. You did your best. Come on, let's go," I order her as I walk out of the mansion.

"Go where?" she asks as she hurries after me.

I hear Ryder and Melisaa tag along as well.

"To the clearing you talked about."

SKYLIGHT PACK.

TAMMY.

I have your package.

I grin at the screen of my phone.

That was fast.

Hah. Good riddance.

Send proof. I type.

She is not dead yet.

What?!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Payment.

That little fucker.

I told you, you will get it once it's done.

Things changed.

Like what?

Not your concern. You have till the end of the week before I return her to where I found her.

"Aaaaaah. Bastard," I rage as I throw the phone away.

Shit.

"No. No. No," I pray as I reach for the phone. "Please be okay."

It is my only access to the outside world.

I am still trying to turn the phone on when I hear footsteps heading this way.

"Move," I hear from the door.

"The Alpha says no one goes in," another voice responds.

"You can either move willingly or I move you."

Silence.

"How about this? If he asks, just say I buried you into moving. I can punch to make it believable."

A few seconds later, I hear a hiss, a grunt, and a series of thuds.

The door opens and reveals Cody, my brother.

"Well, you took your sweet time," I snarl.

"I can't stay here long. Our family is on thin ice thanks to your crap."

"I-"

"Save it. I don't want to hear it. I have always warned Dad that he was spoiling you too much and that you would get in trouble sooner or later. And I was right."

"Did you come here to gloat?"

"Dad wants to know who else you might have made contact with. To cover your tracks."

"No one," I lie.

"Are you sure?"

"I said no one."

"Very well."

He turns to leave.

"Wait. Co-"

The door slams shut.

Asshole.

Just then my phone vibrates.

I look down to see the message. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Change of plans. You have till tomorrow sundown."

Damn it.