"She has blocked me from communicating with her," Lennox growled angrily as he kicked a stool.
Where I stood, I was worried, scared, and at the same time angry. I moved my gaze to Louis, who stood in a corner, his expression full of regret and worry.
"Alphas…" Maddison called as he stepped into the sitting room.
"Any news yet?" I asked.
Maddison shook his head. "No, Alpha… the border guards didn't see her leaving, so that means she might still be around the pack."
I growled and ran a hand through my hair. "Then where might she be? Where would she have gone!" I said in anger.
Lennox growled. "Go house to house and begin the search. Make sure every home in this pack is searched," he commanded.
"Roger that, Alpha," Maddison said with a bow before walking out on us.
Deep down, I knew nothing was wrong with Olivia. If anything was wrong, my wolf could have felt it. I knew Olivia was fine, but we were just worried about where she was.
"And why the fuck is she blocking us from communicating with her?" Lennox growled.
Lennox's growl echoed through the walls, shaking a picture frame slightly off balance.
I clenched my fists. "She's angry," I muttered. "That's the only reason she'd shut us out. And given what happened earlier…" I glanced over at Louis, who hadn't moved from the corner. "Can you blame her?"
Louis didn't respond. His jaw tightened, but his eyes said it all—he blamed himself more than any of us ever could. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NoveIꜰire.net
Lennox shot him a deadly glare. "Just pray we find her and in one piece."
"Enough," I snapped. The tension was suffocating. "This isn't the time to tear each other apart. Olivia's gone, and we need to focus on finding her before someone else does."
"Like who?" Louis asked, his tone sharp. "Who would even dare touch our woman?"
Lennox went quiet. His eyes flicked toward the window. "What if she has left this pack and the men at the border didn't notice?"
My stomach twisted. He was right.
I took a deep breath. "I'll try again," I said, closing my eyes and calling out to my wolf, hoping somehow she'd let him in.
Olivia. Where are you? Please, talk to me.
Lennox turned abruptly. "We need to search the woods. If she left, that's the only way she could've done it without being seen."
"The warriors should have seen her!" Louis said through gritted teeth.
"What if they didn't… what if she sneaked out on them." Lennox narrowed his eyes. "If anything happens to her, Louis—"
"It won't," I interrupted firmly. "We all want her safe. That's all that matters right now."
We stood in silence for a beat.
Then Lennox nodded. "Gear up. We move now."
Lennox led the way, his steps fast, anger radiating off him in waves. Louis was beside me, silent but visibly fuming. We all were. None of us could understand how the guards let this happen. Or how Olivia had managed to disappear…
We reached the eastern border within minutes, where three warriors stood on patrol, spears strapped to their backs, shoulders straight. They snapped to attention the moment they saw us.
"Alpha!" one called out.
Lennox didn't even stop moving. "Did you see anyone pass through here?" he barked.
The lead guard, a young warrior named Bren, frowned. "No, Alpha. Nothing unusual."
"You're sure?" I stepped forward, my eyes narrowing. "No sign of a wolf crossing? No scent? No movement in the trees?"
They exchanged confused looks, then shook their heads.
"No, Alpha Levi. We've been alert all day—"
"Then explain this!" Lennox snarled, stepping forward and grabbing Bren by the front of his shirt. "She's gone. Olivia's gone. And somehow, she slipped right under your noses!"
Louis growled low, pacing behind us. "She couldn't have flown. She's a wolf. That means she ran—and someone should've seen her."
Just as Lennox dropped the trembling guard and turned away in frustration, a sudden breeze rolled through the trees—carrying her scent.
"Wait," I whispered, eyes scanning the woods. "You smell that?"
Lennox turned his head sharply, sniffing the air. "Olivia…"
Louis was already on the move, his body tense. "She was here."
We followed the scent trail without another word, deeper into the trees. The warriors trailed behind us, confused and panicked. The further we went, the stronger her scent became—wild, crisp, familiar. Then—
"Stop," Lennox said, holding up his hand.
There, just ahead, near a patch of soft moss beneath a large oak, lay a neatly folded pile of clothes. Olivia's clothes.
My heart stopped for a second.
She had shifted here.
The air buzzed with her scent, so fresh it made my wolf restless.
"She did leave," I said, my voice tight with anger. "She walked right past your border, and none of you noticed."
Louis stormed forward, scooping up her clothes. He pressed them to his face for a moment, inhaling deeply. His shoulders shook.
"She's out there. Alone," he muttered. "And the guards—you idiots—you missed her."
The warriors stood frozen, their shame evident.
Lennox's voice dropped to a dangerously low growl. "When she returns—if she returns—you all better pray she's unharmed. Or I'll personally rip out your throats."
I looked deeper into the woods, my heart pounding.
"She raced out of our border… this is dangerous… what if she encountered one of those rogues… fuck!" I grunted, panic lacing my voice as my heart pounded faster.
"What if she's captured?" Lennox growled, his furious gaze snapping to Louis. "This is all your fault—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
With a roar, Lennox lunged at Louis, his fist connecting with Louis' jaw so hard it sent him stumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. Before Louis could recover, Lennox was on him again, hitting him.
A deep gash opened on Louis' lower lip, splitting it open brutally. Blood poured down his chin.
"Lennox, stop!" I shouted, rushing forward, but he was blinded by rage.
"You are the cause of this!" Lennox roared, slamming Louis against a tree.
Louis' growl thundered as he shoved Lennox back with all his strength, stumbling but steady, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Don't you dare act like you've been some fucking saint to her!" he spat, the words sharp despite the blood coating his lips. "You're just as bad, Lennox. If not worse."
Lennox snarled, his eyes glowing with anger.
"You hated her, pushed her aside, barked orders." Louis stepped forward, fire in his eyes. "You act like you love her, but all you've ever done is hurt her more than anyone else!"
"That's enough!" I roared, pushing between them and shoving them both back with a force that trembled the ground under us. "You two want to fight? Do it after we find her. Not now. Not while she's out there, alone!"
They stood there, panting like wild beasts, blood on their fists and anger in their eyes. But they didn't move.
I turned, my chest heaving. "She's our mate. All of ours. And right now, she needs us united—not tearing each other apart!"
Lennox wiped his mouth and finally stepped back. Louis stared at the blood staining his fingers, his jaw clenched.
I took a shaky breath. "We follow her scent. We find her. Then we deal with this shit."
They both nodded, reluctantly.