Three days earlier...
Kael Blackwood stood on the steps of Stonehaven mansion, adjusting his black tie. Wedding guests filled the grand hall behind him, their laughter echoing off marble walls. The ceremony had been perfect. Political. Necessary.
But his wolf paced restlessly inside his chest.
"Smile, husband," Isolde whispered, slipping her arm through his. Her wedding dress sparkled like ice in the moonlight. "We're supposed to look happy."
"I am happy," he lied smoothly.
"Then why do you keep looking toward the forest?"
Kael's jaw tightened. Because somewhere out there, his omega was hiding. Carrying his child. Thinking she could run from him forever.
After the reception, he'd find her. Bring her back. Make her understand that she belonged to him, marriage or not.
But first, he had to play the dutiful husband.
"Alpha Kael!" A young beta rushed up the steps, his face flushed with panic. "Sir, we have a problem."
"Not now, Marcus. Can't you see I'm—"
"It's about the omega, sir. Elara Moss."
Kael's blood turned to ice. "What about her?"
"She's gone, sir. Vanished from the coastal refuge. No one knows where."
The world tilted sideways. Kael's hands clenched into fists.
"Gone?" His voice came out deadly quiet. "Define gone."
"She left in the night. Took nothing but a small bag. The refuge leader, Mara, says she received news about your wedding and—"
"My wedding?" Kael's eyes blazed red. "Who told her about my wedding?"
"A messenger, sir. From the neutral territories. He brought official announcements."
Rage exploded through Kael's chest. His wolf roared for blood.
"Find that messenger," he snarled. "Bring him to me. Alive."
"Yes, sir. But sir, there's more."
"More?"
"She was pregnant, sir. With your child."
The words hit like lightning. Kael's knees almost buckled.
His child. His heir. Gone.
"How long?" he whispered.
"Three months, sir. Maybe four."
Kael's mind raced. The timing was right. Those nights in his bedroom, when he'd claimed her over and over. When she'd whispered his name like a prayer.
His child was out there. Unprotected. Vulnerable.
"Sir?" Marcus stepped back nervously. "Your orders?"
Kael's Alpha power burst outward like a shockwave. Windows cracked. Guests screamed inside the mansion. Even Isolde stumbled backward.
"FIND HER!" he roared. "Find her now!"
His voice carried across the entire territory. Birds exploded from trees. Smaller animals fled in terror.
"Kael!" Isolde grabbed his arm. "Control yourself! People are watching!"
He shook her off like she was nothing. "I don't care about people. I care about my omega. My child."
"Your omega?" Isolde's voice turned shrill. "You just married me! In front of everyone!"
"A business arrangement," he said coldly. "Nothing more."
"A business—" Isolde's face went white. "You bastard. You married me for politics while your heart belongs to some nobody omega?"
"She's not nobody. She's mine."
"She ran away! She obviously doesn't want you!"
Kael's eyes flashed with dangerous fury. "She's confused. Hurt. When I find her, I'll make her understand."
"And if she refuses?"
"She won't have a choice."
Isolde stared at him like she was seeing a monster. "You're insane."
"I'm in love."
"That's not love! That's obsession!"
"Call it whatever you want." He turned back to Marcus. "Gather the best trackers. Offer rewards. Use every resource we have."
"Sir, the pack funds—"
"I don't care about money! Find my omega!"
Within hours, Stonehaven transformed into a war room. Maps covered every surface. Phones rang constantly. Trackers reported in from across the country.
Kael stood in the center of it all, his wedding suit torn and bloodstained from shifting. His hair hung wild around his shoulders. His eyes burned with manic intensity.
"Anything?" he snapped at Ryker, his Beta.
"The trail goes cold at the river," Ryker reported. "She covered her tracks well."
"She's an omega, not a spy. How hard can it be?"
"Harder than you think. Someone's helping her."
Kael's head snapped up. "Who?"
"We don't know. But the refuge has connections. Underground networks. They move omegas around like chess pieces."
"Then we tear apart every safe house. Question every contact."
"Sir, with respect, that will take months. Maybe years."
"Then we hire professionals."
"Professionals?"
"Rogues. Mercenaries. People who don't ask questions."
Ryker's face went pale. "Sir, that's dangerous. Rogues are unpredictable."
"I don't care if they burn down half the country. I want her found."
"And if she's... if she's moved on? Found someone else?"
Kael's power exploded again. Furniture flew across the room. Ryker was thrown against the wall.
"No one else touches what's mine," Kael snarled. "Ever."
He stalked to the window, staring out at the endless forest. Somewhere out there, Elara was hiding. Probably scared. Probably crying.
His heart clenched. He'd never meant to hurt her. The wedding was just business. She should have understood that.
But she was young. Naive. She needed him to protect her from the harsh world.
"Sir?" A tracker approached carefully. "We found something."
Kael spun around. "What?"
"The messenger who brought the wedding announcement. We caught him in the neutral territories."
"Bring him here. Now."
Thirty minutes later, they dragged a beaten young man into the room. His face was bloody, his clothes torn.
"Please," he gasped. "I was just doing my job."
"Who paid you?" Kael demanded.
"I don't know! Someone left money and instructions. I never saw their face."
"You're lying."
"I swear! They wanted the omega to know about the wedding. Said it was urgent."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What exactly did you tell her?"
"Just... just that you were married. And that you seemed happy."
"Seemed happy?"
"There was a letter. Anonymous. Said you called her a broken toy."
Rage consumed Kael's vision. "I never said that."
"I know! But the letter seemed real. Official. She believed it."
"Who wrote the letter?"
"I don't know! Someone who wanted her to run!"
Kael grabbed the messenger by the throat. "Think harder."
"The handwriting... it was feminine. Delicate. Like a woman's."
Understanding hit Kael like a punch to the gut. He released the messenger, who collapsed gasping.
"Isolde," he whispered.
His new wife had orchestrated this. Sent the news. Forged the letter. Driven away his omega out of jealousy.
"Where is she?" he asked Ryker.
"Who? The omega?"
"My wife."
"In her chambers, sir. Packing."
"Packing?"
"She's returning to her father's pack. Says the marriage was a mistake."
Kael's smile was cold and predatory. "Oh, she's right about that."
He found Isolde in her room, stuffing clothes into suitcases. Her wedding dress lay crumpled on the floor.
"Leaving so soon?" he asked softly.
She spun around, her face defiant. "I won't be married to a man who loves someone else."
"You sent that letter."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The letter calling Elara a broken toy. You wrote it."
Isolde's chin lifted. "Prove it."
"I don't need to." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I can smell your guilt."
"She needed to know the truth. You used her and threw her away."
"I never threw her away. I was protecting her from wolves like you."
"Protecting her? You abandoned her!"
"I married you to keep the peace. To prevent a war that would have destroyed everything. But she didn't understand."
"Because you never told her!"
"I was going to. After the wedding. After things settled down."
"You're a coward."
Kael's power slammed into her. Isolde flew backward, hitting the wall hard.
"I am many things," he said, advancing on her. "But I am not a coward. And I am not forgiving."
"What are you going to do? Kill me?"
"No. That would be too easy." His smile was terrifying. "I'm going to make you help me find her."
"Never."
"Oh, you will. Because if you don't, I'll tell your father exactly why our marriage failed. How his precious daughter drove away the Alpha's heir out of petty jealousy."
Isolde's face went white. "He'll disown me."
"Probably. Unless you fix this."
"I can't! She's gone!"
"Then we'll find her. Together."
"She won't come back. Not after what she believes."
"She will. When she sees how much I need her. How much I love her."
"That's not love! That's madness!"
"Perhaps. But it's my madness. And she's part of it now."
Kael turned to leave, then paused. "Pack light. We leave in an hour."
"Where are we going?"
"Hunting."
As he walked away, Isolde called after him. "What if she's happy where she is? What if she's found someone else?"
Kael's eyes glowed red in the darkness.
"Then I'll kill him."
The hunt had begun.
In the forest, three days later, Kael stood beside his SUV, megaphone in hand. His convoy surrounded the woods like a noose.
"Elara!" he called. "I know you can hear me. Come out. We need to talk."
No response. But he could smell her fear on the wind.
"I know about the baby," he continued. "My child. Our child. Don't you think I deserve to know my own son or daughter?"
Still nothing.
"I'll give you ten seconds," he said, his voice turning cold. "If you don't come out, I'll burn this forest down tree by tree until I find you."
"Ten..."
"Nine..."
"Eight..."
A figure stepped from the trees. Not Elara. Someone else.
Lysander.
"Hello, cousin," Kael said softly. "Where is she?"
"Safe. Far from you."
"She's carrying my child. She belongs with me."
"She belongs with someone who loves her. Not someone who treats her like property."
"I do love her."
"You have a strange way of showing it."
Kael's smile was sharp as a blade. "Step aside, Lysander. This doesn't concern you."
"Actually, it does." Lysander's eyes flashed silver. "Because she's my mate now."
The words hit Kael like a physical blow. His world tilted sideways.
"That's impossible."
"The bond doesn't lie. It never has."
"She's mine!"
"She was never yours. You just took what you wanted."
Rage exploded through Kael's chest. His wolf howled for blood.
"Where is she?" he snarled.
"Gone. And you'll never find her."
"We'll see about that."
Kael raised his hand. His men stepped forward, weapons ready.
But Lysander just smiled.
"Actually, cousin, I think you'll find that we're not as defenseless as you think."
Red eyes appeared in the trees. Dozens of them. Hundreds.
An army of wolves surrounded Kael's convoy.
"Impossible," he whispered. "You're just one man."
"One man with very good friends." Lysander's smile turned predatory. "Did you really think you could hunt an omega without consequences?"
"This is war."
"No. This is justice."
The wolves began to close in.