"Sir, there's no sign of Mrs. Monroe anywhere."
I watched the guard shift uncomfortably under my gaze. His words confirmed what I'd already sensed—something was terribly wrong.
"Tell me exactly what happened," I demanded, scanning the area. The disturbed earth, broken branches, and worst of all, the unmistakable scent of Aurelia's blood painted a clear picture of violence.
"Alpha King Julian instructed me to retrieve his mate from this location after attending to an emergency with..." the guard hesitated, "...with Ms. Beaumont."
My jaw clenched. "Let me understand this. Julian abandoned his injured mate in the middle of nowhere to go running after Natalie Beaumont?"
The guard's silence was answer enough.
"And how long ago was this?"
"Nearly three hours, sir."
Rage boiled in my veins. Three hours. She'd been alone, injured, and unprotected for three hours while her so-called mate attended to another woman.
