LUCIAN’S P.O.V.
It had been nearly five months since Teresa disappeared, and any semblance of patience I once had had disappeared long ago, replaced by a raw, consuming need to find her. Her absence was a wound that refused to heal, an ache I couldn’t ignore. Every trace of her scent, every whisper of our mate bond, was slipping away like sand through my fingers, taunting with its elusiveness. I’d made plans—several, in fact—and I swore I’d search every inch of this world, tear apart every corner of every territory, to bring her back. Failure wasn’t an option. I needed her like I needed my next breath.
My first plan had been simple, or so I thought: follow our bond. I clung to the remnants of it, drawing it out like a thread of hope, letting Ares, guide across towns, through territories, even into dangerous areas where I had no allies. But no matter how close we ca, the trail would inevitably fade, vanishing like mist under the morning sun. Each ti we lost it, the frustration burned hotter in my chest.
"It’s like she’s playing hide and seek, and we’re the idiots still counting to ten," Ares scoffed in my head, his voice dripping with exasperation. His anger matched my own, and I could feel his simring impatience pressing against my mind.
"Can you be quiet, just this once?" I muttered aloud, though in truth, I didn’t want him to leave in silence. The last ti he’d gone quiet, I’d felt more alone than ever. I just needed a mont’s peace to think. We stood on a hillside overlooking a small, sleepy town, the moon casting an eerie, silvery glow on the landscape. The beauty of the night, with its quiet serenity, should have soothed . But every nerve in my body was coiled, my senses stretched to their limits, straining for any hint of her presence.
"I’ll be quiet when we find her," Ares huffed, his irritation prickling in the back of my mind. I sighed, unwilling to argue with him, knowing that his frustration was a mirror of my own.
The search had taken us far—farther than I’d imagined. We’d crossed borders, pushed past the limits of my territory, and I was starting to wonder if she was in another realm altogether. How else could her trail keep vanishing? But giving up wasn’t an option. I’d chase her to the ends of the earth, to every corner of every world, if that’s what it took.
When our bond failed us, I turned to Plan B: pulling every string I could. I’d leveraged every connection, called in every favor, and put every resource at my disposal to work. I even reached out to private investigators in the human world, taking care to be discreet. It was humiliating, sitting through patronizing calls with humans who didn’t understand. One detective had the audacity to tell , "Sir, people move on; you should too."
That comnt nearly drove Ares into a frenzy. He growled for a solid five minutes, seething with anger that mirrored my own. To "move on" was unthinkable, as foreign an idea as abandoning my own heartbeat. Teresa was out there sowhere, and every fiber of my being scread at to keep looking.
When the human world failed , and the last shred of my pride as an Alpha wore thin, I knew it was ti to turn to my pack. With a heavy heart, I reached out through the mind link, summoning everyone to an ergency gathering. The pack, sensing the urgency in my call, assembled quickly. They watched , curiosity and a hint of caution in their eyes. Rylan stood near the front, raising an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of intrigue and concern. Juliette, standing beside him, looked utterly bewildered.
Taking a steadying breath, I faced them all, gathering the courage to speak. "I need your help finding soone," I began, my voice rougher than I intended. "Teresa."
The na hung in the air, heavy and loaded with aning.
The hall fell into a sudden, deafening silence, as though every breath had been collectively stilled. Just the ntion of her na was enough to stir sothing electric in the air, a ripple of whispers cutting through the quiet like the hum of tension before a storm. I could hear fragnts of conversation, soft murmurs and startled gasps, as my pack struggled to process what I’d just asked of them.
I forced myself to press on, ignoring the scrutiny of their gazes. "She’s my true mate," I said, my voice unyielding. "And she’s out there... sowhere." The words felt heavier than I expected, each syllable carrying the weight of my desperation, my unwavering conviction.
A few pack mbers inhaled sharply, their disbelief clear. To them, the idea that I, the notoriously private and brooding Alpha, had a mate — and one who had sohow slipped through my fingers — was nothing short of shocking. I could feel their disbelief, their confusion, and beneath it all, an undercurrent of curiosity and sympathy.
"She left because of . I made a terrible mistake," I admitted, my voice rougher, tinged with regret. Saying it aloud felt like ripping open a wound that hadn’t even begun to heal. "That’s on . But I need to bring her back. She’s our Luna." The last word rang out, solid and undeniable, a declaration as much as a plea.
Ares, my ever-opinionated wolf, couldn’t resist the opportunity to chi in. "Mistake indeed," he muttered dryly in the back of my mind. His words stung, a reminder of the consequences of my actions, but I pushed his voice aside, unwilling to let my focus waver.
Around , the crowd shifted, their expressions transforming from shock to determination. I saw nods of agreent, heard murmurs of support building gradually, until the whole room seed united by a shared purpose. My pack wanted to help.
Rylan, the smirking provocateur, t my gaze with a grin. "So, the lone wolf finally admits he’s not so lone."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t stop a faint smile from breaking through. "Oh, shut up," I retorted, the tension lifting for a brief mont. In that fleeting smile, I felt the solidarity of my pack behind , their commitnt as strong as my own.
Plan C led us to the pack’s tech-savvy mbers, a group of young wolves who practically lived and breathed human technology. I’d never been so thankful for the relentless curiosity of Gen Z, their fingers flying over keyboards as they tapped into every possible avenue to trace Teresa’s digital trail. Credit card transactions, social dia posts, phone records—they tracked everything with unwavering focus. But every ti they found a lead, it dissolved, slipping away like mist.
"This is almost impressive," I muttered one night, watching them work, a hint of reluctant admiration slipping into my voice.
One of the young techs shrugged, glancing up briefly. "She’s like a ghost, Alpha. No traces."
I exhaled, frustration clawing at . "Then I’m hiring ghost hunters next," I snapped, though it was more to cover up the helplessness I was starting to feel.
Days turned into weeks, each one bleeding into the next, a relentless blur of dead-end leads and cold trails. Refusing to let hope slip away, I stationed pack mbers in neighboring towns, embedding them as locals, their eyes and ears ever watchful. If Teresa was out there, moving through these towns, soone would eventually spot her. I had to believe that.
As my patience thinned, I turned to a last resort: Adam, he was the best tracker of the Moon peak pack. My pack’s pride and joy. I handed him Teresa’s hairband that I had been clinging onto for months now and I watched him inhale the faint scent that clung to it with a practiced intensity. He looked up at , a confident grin breaking across his face, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"With this?" he said, a fierce glint in his gaze. "She won’t be hidden anymore."
Hearing the certainty in his voice rekindled sothing in , a spark of hope that hadn’t completely died. If anyone could find her, it was Adam.
*******
Then ca the dream.
After weeks of relentless searching, last night, I finally fell into a restless, uneasy sleep — and Teresa ca to . Her image filled my mind, vivid and surreal, as though she were right there beside . She was sowhere unfamiliar, a place that felt distant yet achingly clear, and she was smiling, her face glowing with a radiance I hadn’t seen in so long. The warmth of her smile reached deep into my chest, a spark of hope mingling with a strange pang of hurt. But she wasn’t alone.
Beside her stood a man, unfamiliar yet irritatingly at ease by her side, his presence exuding an aura that seed to captivate her. He was the source of her smile, the reason for the light in her eyes, and that realization hit like a punch to the gut. My emotions warred within — jealousy burned hot and bitter, twisting into anger, yet beneath it was a raw, undeniable yearning for her. My fists clenched as I reached out, desperate to pull her away, to bring her back to .
But then, like a shattered mirror, the image changed.
In an instant, the warmth and brightness vanished, replaced by a scene of terror. Teresa was screaming, her face contorted with fear, her voice piercing as flas leapt around her, consuming everything in sight. She was trapped in a burning house, the fire raging like a beast, its flickering tendrils licking the walls, devouring them. I tried to move, to run to her, but I was frozen, paralyzed by so unseen force, helpless as I watched her reach out, calling a single na that sliced through the chaos — Adrian.
I jolted awake, my heart pounding furiously, drenched in a cold sweat. Ares, was already alert, a fierce energy pulsing through him as he paced within my mind, every bit as shaken and enraged as I was.
"She’s in trouble. We need to find her now!" he growled, his voice laced with a raw urgency that matched my own. The desperation was palpable, the ferocity in his tone like a rallying cry.
Without wasting a second, I sent a mind-link to the entire pack, my words reverberating with command and urgency.
"Everyone, listen up. Teresa is in danger. We need to double down on the search. I want every lead, every clue followed up on. Do not rest until we find her."
The night around was silent, but in my mind, I could sense the pack snapping to attention, their loyalty and determination coursing back through the link. The quiet of the night was filled with a sense of urgency that rippled through each of them, fueling their resolve as they mobilized. anwhile, Ares prowled restlessly within , an unyielding force that refused to settle.
I took a deep breath, challenging him in the silence of my thoughts, my own doubts slipping through. "You think this is all for nothing, don’t you?"
For a mont, Ares paused, his fierce deanor softening, revealing a rare hint of vulnerability. "I’m just hoping it’s not too late."
His words hit hard, like a knife to the gut. It was a fear I shared but hadn’t dared to voice. Ti felt like an enemy, slipping away as fast as she had, and neither of us knew if we’d make it in ti. But one thing was certain: I would stop at nothing to bring her back. Teresa was more than just my mate; she was a part of , a piece of my soul that had left hollow and aching in her absence. I had tried to deny it, to convince myself I could endure without her, but that was a lie I couldn’t live with anymore.
As the first light of dawn peeked over the hills, casting a faint glow across the land, I stood alone, my resolve hardening like forged steel, unbreakable and fierce.
"Hold on, Teresa," I whispered, my voice barely audible but filled with an iron-clad promise. "I’m coming."
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