[ We move ahead in time - One week later at the Blackmoon pack. ]
The door clicked shut behind Mango with a soft thud.
Mango leaned against it for a moment, as if her spine could no longer hold her upright. Her legs trembled with exhaustion and her shoulders sagged under the weight she had been carrying for what seemed like endless days.
Slowly, she crossed the quiet room and then she slumped into the nearest chair beside the hearth, her fingers trembling slightly as she dragged them through her tangled hair
The silence was deafening.
Lifting her trembling hand, she traced a circle in the air. The magic sparked faintly, unstable from her fatigue, but held long enough for a portal the size of her palm to swirl into existence.
The edges shimmered faintly in the dim light, and within moments, a hooded face emerged from the other side.
His voice was calm, but tense. "Any sign of her?"
Mango’s throat tightened. She shook her head slowly, eyes glassy with despair. "Nothing."
The man on the other side didn’t speak immediately. His silence was heavier than words.
Mango swallowed the lump in her throat and continued. "It’s already been a week. A whole fucking week. And Kieran... he hasn’t slept. He barely eats. He is going mad."
She ran a hand over her face, scrubbing at the dried sweat and grit. "He has torn apart the Eastern woods twice. Sent scouts into forbidden territories. Crossed rogue borders without permission. Every day, he comes back bloodied...sometimes from a fight, sometimes from punishing himself."
She looked away, her voice thickening. "I caught him screaming her name into the canyon wind last night, like it might carry to wherever she is. He still talks to her like she can hear him. Keeps her scarf tied around his wrist. Smells it like it will lead him to her.Not being able to feel their bond must be terrible...especially in circumstances . I heard he had gone hunting for Selene. But that bitch had long left her lair. It’s getting hopeless by the minutes..."
Mango’s voice cracked as she let out a heavy sigh! "He found a wolf yesterday...a female rogue...dead by the river. Wrong color, but same size as Autumn! He dropped to his knees and sobbed like it was her. He shook for hours."
The portal flickered.
The hooded man leaned slightly closer. "Any trace of her magic? Her scent? Anything?"
"No.I told you! He sealed it off because the Demons were after it...we weren’t the only ones waiting for Isolde’s bloodline to resurface...it seems! "
Mango exhaled sharply, tears pricking her eyes. "I think Kieran never fathomed she could go missing......like she vanished. No trails. Nothing. Not even a whisper in the wind. And that’s what’s killing him."
The hooded figure leaned even closer. "Tell me about that necromancer! How did he deal with him?"
Mango let out another sharp breath. "Roanoke? Where do I even start?" Her voice was hoarse ! "Kieran stormed into Roanoke’s quarters and nearly ripped his throat out before the others pulled him off. And when that led nowhere, he just...snapped.I am yet to find out what that necromancer is holding against Kieran. The Council took out the entire Curzon pack because of his illegal practices. Yet Kieran agreed to back him. I would have digged more into that matter...I will...I was just too caught up trying to find Autumn...these past few days have been harrowing..." She looked up at the flickering portal. "He blames himself.And it kills me when I watch Kieran like that..."
Her voice lowered to a whisper. "He talks to the fragments from the moonstone, you know. He kept them safe after it broke that day. Like maybe if he says the right thing, they will glow again. Like he can reach her through them."
The hooded figure nodded grimly. "If she’s hiding, it will be tough. And if someone took her..."
Mango’s eyes flared. "Then god help us."
For a long moment, neither of them said anything. The portal dimmed slightly.
Outside, a wolf howled...a lonely, desperate sound that split the night in two.
Mango’s stomach twisted as she whispered like confessing a sin. "If she is still carrying the pups, she is in danger.It was my fault for not expecting something ... my fault for undermining her self respect. I should have been extra careful around her after that facade of Kieran’s flash marriage! Damn! It’s all my fault! "
The portal flared back to life after dimming a little more, brighter than before, its edges sparking like a storm barely held back.
The voice on the other side was sharper now.It belonged to a female, edged with fury.
The woman’s voice lashed through the portal. "We had finally found one with the bloodline. After decades of watching, waiting, sifting through plans and strategies... and now she is gone...All because you were busy playing Mother to that grown ass dumb Alpha...you think of him as a son, don’t you? "
Mango lowered her gaze. "I know..."
"No, you don’t," the voice hissed. "Because if you did, the girl would still be here. She would be protected and brought to our sanctuary!"
Mango swallowed hard, her lips trembling. "I...I didn’t think she would leave like that.Not without telling anyone."
"She didn’t leave," the voice snapped. "She was taken, or she ran, and either way...you should have seen it coming. You of all people should have felt the level of her pain given how that asshole son of yours had been treating her...no matter the reason...this girl was never a scum bag ,yet she took it all in good faith...Stupid Mate bond fucked her thoughts...but you should have known it wasn’t going to hold long given how Kieran was going about with his affairs...."
Mango couldn’t lift her head.
"We warned you, didn’t we?You were our eyes. You let yourself go soft. You forgot what was at stake."
Mango wiped her face with the heel of her hand, but the shame remained etched deep. "I know..." Mango choked back a sob. "Don’t remind me..."
"You must be reminded! Because you have one last chance to make it right."
The portal flared, filling the room with violet light. The woman’s voice was pure steel now.
" We are giving you one week. If by the next full moon she is not back...or at least her whereabouts are found...then we will intervene. And if we do... Kieran will not be spared. Nor will you."