Elena’s POV
Soone was going to pay for what happened to those innocent vampires. I didn’t care how many stones I had to overturn or how far I had to dig to find the bastards responsible. They crossed a line when they attacked beings who never hard anyone in their lives.
The problem with most people is they hear the word vampire and imdiately assu evil. Those narrow-minded fools could kiss my ass for all I cared.
Chloe and I were deep in conversation at the dining room table when the sound of frantic footsteps thundered down the staircase. The panic in the voice that followed made my blood run cold.
"You did put Briar down for her nap, right?" Skye’s voice cracked as she burst into the dining room.
"Of course I did. She was sleeping peacefully when I left her room. What’s wrong?" My heart started hamring against my ribs.
"She’s not in her crib." The words hit like a physical blow.
I shot up from my chair so fast it nearly toppled over. My legs carried to the living room where Damien sat on the floor with Caleb, building blocks scattered around them.
"Did you get Briar from her room?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
"No. Why would I?" Damien looked up, confusion creasing his features.
"She’s missing from her crib. I put her down myself. She can’t climb out of that thing on her own. She’s not even walking yet." My voice rose with each word, hysteria creeping in around the edges.
I took the stairs three at a ti, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. Our bedroom beca my starting point as I tore through every corner, every shadow, every possible hiding spot. My voice carried through the packhouse as I commanded the warriors to seal the borders imdiately. Nobody enters, nobody leaves until we locate my daughter.
The search consud us. Every room, every closet, every space large enough to hide a child got turned inside out. We crawled under furniture, checked behind curtains, opened every door and cabinet.
Sothing foreign lingered in our bedroom air. A scent that didn’t belong to anyone in our pack. Damien moved through the space like a predator, his nostrils flaring as he analyzed every molecule.
"Human." His voice carried a deadly edge when he erged. "The scent is definitely human."
"How in hell does a human make it to our bedroom on the fourth floor?" The question ca out as a growl.
"I don’t know. But they were here. And they have her." His jaw clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grinding.
"No." The word ripped from my throat. "They don’t get to take my baby. Nobody gets to take my fucking baby."
I bolted from the room, my feet barely touching the stairs as I flew down them. The front door slamd against the wall as I burst through it, my body already shifting into supernatural speed before I reached the tree line.
The forest blurred past as I raced toward the border patrol points. Each warrior I reached gave the sa report. Nothing unusual. No unauthorized crossings. No disturbances.
My legs burned as I ran the entire periter myself, checking every inch until I found it. A section of border with no guards in sight. The head warrior appeared within minutes of my howl summoning him.
"Who’s supposed to be stationed here?" My voice could have cut glass.
"Two guards are assigned to this post. I don’t understand why they’re not here." His face went pale as the implications sank in.
"Find them. Now."
The human scent trail was faint but detectable. I followed it deeper into the woods, my nose pressed almost to the ground as I tracked the foreign sll beyond our territory line. Damien’s footsteps pounded behind as he matched my pace through the dense forest.
The trail led us in a winding path through unfamiliar territory until we reached a paved road. There, the scent vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
"Vehicle." Damien’s single word confird my worst fears. "They had transportation waiting."
"Briar." Her na fell from my lips like a prayer.
My knees buckled. Damien’s strong arms caught before I crumpled to the asphalt, and the sobs that had been building in my chest finally broke free. My daughter was gone. Vanished without a trace or a clue about who had taken her or why.
Damien held tight against his chest, his own pain radiating through the mate bond even as he tried to project strength for my benefit. I could feel his heart breaking alongside mine, but he refused to let it show. Soone had to remain functional, and he was taking that burden on himself.
My baby girl was really gone.
The walk back to pack territory felt like a death march. The head warrior waited for us with the two missing guards flanked by several other warriors. Both n hung their heads in sha, unable to et our eyes.
"Where were you?" Damien’s voice could have frozen fire.
"We spotted sothing suspicious further down the border line. We went to investigate." One of them stamred out the excuse.
"Lock them up." The command left my mouth before I could think about it.
Both guards stared at with wide, terrified eyes, but I felt nothing for their fear. Their negligence had cost everything. Because they abandoned their post, my daughter had been stolen from her own bed.
Damien wrapped his arms around again, whispering plans and promises about finding Briar. He outlined search strategies and tracking thods, but the words felt distant and muffled. Shock had settled over like a heavy blanket, numbing everything except the gaping hole where my heart used to be. I managed to nod at appropriate intervals, but inside I was already drowning.
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