Elena’s POV
Weeks had passed since Briar vanished, and I found myself perched on the edge of our bed, staring blankly through the window when Damien’s footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"When did you return?" I asked without turning to face him.
"Minutes ago. I needed to see how you were holding up."
His voice carried the weight of exhaustion.
"Any progress?" The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"Nothing. Another trail that led nowhere." His admission hit like a physical blow.
My mind conjured horrifying scenarios without permission. Soone had targeted our baby girl because she was vulnerable, easier prey than Caleb. The unknown tornted more than any concrete truth could. Was she shivering sowhere? Crying from hunger? The questions clawed at my sanity.
She was out there, and I couldn’t offer her even the smallest comfort.
"Have you managed to eat anything today?" Damien’s concern broke through my spiraling thoughts.
"There’s too much work waiting. No ti for als." I rose abruptly, brushing past him toward the stairs leading to the office.
"Your body still needs nourishnt." He trailed behind , persistent.
I settled behind the office desk, surveying the mountain of docunts that had accumulated during my distraction. The paperwork seed to mock with its mundane urgency.
"All of this requires my attention. I’ll grab sothing later." My fingers shuffled through the first stack.
"Caleb cornered earlier, asking if you were okay and whether you still cared about him. I assured him you loved him deeply, that Briar’s disappearance was tearing you apart." Damien’s words made pause.
"I should speak with him soon." Guilt twisted in my chest.
"He’s suffering too. Briar ans everything to him, you know that." Damien reminded gently.
"That knowledge doesn’t bring her back. Soone violated our ho and stole her from us. For what purpose? Is she already dead? She can’t be a hostage because no one has contacted us with demands. So why would anyone take an infant?" My voice cracked with frustration.
"To break us completely. They’re succeeding magnificently so far." His brutal honesty stung.
I buried myself deeper in the paperwork, desperate for distraction. Damien approached and spun my chair around, forcing to et his gaze as he knelt before .
"Elena. We will locate her. I have searchers deployed across territories. Both packs are committed to this mission. Every available resource is being utilized to bring her ho." His intensity burned through his words.
I averted my gaze briefly, but when our eyes t again, he witnessed the tears I’d been fighting.
"Sothing feels terribly wrong, Damien." My voice barely qualified as a whisper.
"Explain what you an." His brow furrowed with concern.
"I don’t believe we’ll find her. I don’t think we’ll ever see her again." The confession tore from my throat as I brushed away the tear that escaped down my cheek.
He drew closer, enveloping in his embrace while his hand traced soothing circles on my back.
"We’re exhausting every possibility. They cannot remain hidden indefinitely. We refuse to surrender until she’s safe in our arms again." His assurance vibrated against my ear.
"Alpha Damien!" A voice shattered our mont as soone burst through the office doors.
"What gives you the right to enter without permission?" Damien’s fury erupted.
"My apologies, but we’ve discovered a fresh lead." The warrior’s excitent was palpable.
Damien’s eyes found mine, and I nodded my consent. He pressed his lips to mine before departing with the warrior to pursue this new possibility. I didn’t require details. If they had discovered sothing promising, I wanted them to pursue it relentlessly. I had instructed them to employ whatever thods necessary to retrieve my daughter.
But as more days elapsed, hope continued slipping through my fingers like sand.
I abandoned the office paperwork and ventured outside, crossing the territory until I reached the cetery gates. My feet carried past countless gravestones until I arrived at an impressive monunt toward the rear of the grounds where my mother rested. I had ensured she received a substantial headstone, believing she deserved such recognition as the mother of the current Alpha. Behind her resting place, within a separate enclosed section, Marcus’s grave commanded attention with its own impressive marker befitting his Alpha status.
The Alpha family’s eternal resting place occupied that protected area.
I positioned myself before my mother’s headstone, searching for the right words to begin.
"I’m completely lost, Mom. My thoughts refuse to organize themselves coherently. Briar is sowhere out there, and I can’t determine if she’s breathing or already gone. Actually, I’m convinced she’s alive. If death had claid her, I would sense it through our pack connection. But who holds her captive? What horrors is she enduring? I want to join the search, to stand beside Damien when he finds her, but I’m terrified of my own reactions when I confront her kidnappers. Everyone assus Damien poses the greatest threat. They have no comprehension of what I’ll beco when I face the monsters who stole her from . I will demonstrate no compassion and ensure their deaths span days, possibly longer. I will tornt them until they beg for release from their suffering. These thoughts terrify because they’re foreign to who I believed I was. Should I be searching alongside them, or should I remain here with Caleb, hoping they succeed without my involvent?"
I knelt beside the headstone, clearing accumulated debris and overgrowth when approaching footsteps interrupted my solitude. Turning, I discovered Brock standing nearby—one of my primary torntors during school years, whose cruelty had contributed to my original departure from this pack.
He represented the last person I desired to encounter, despite his mating to Skye.
"What do you want from ?" I demanded sharply.
"I wanted you to understand that we’re all committed to helping locate your daughter." His response surprised .
"Since when do my problems concern you?" Suspicion crept into my voice.
"We’re not identical to our teenage selves. Many of us have matured significantly. So remain unchanged, but most have evolved. I can’t explain why we targeted you back then. You seed vulnerable, and we were cruel. I never actually despised you."
His admission caught off guard.
"I wish I could reciprocate that sentint." I replied, my words sharp.
"I don’t expect forgiveness. But I needed you to know we’re united behind you. When Alpha Damien requires assistance, we’ll respond imdiately." His sincerity seed genuine.
"Thank you." The words felt strange leaving my lips.
He departed, leaving alone with my mother’s mory. I continued tending to her resting place until sunset painted the sky, signaling my return to the packhouse was overdue.
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