The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter Chapter 208: I Wasn’t There

Jacob~

The air still shimred with the residue of Natalie’s magic, warm and tingling, like the estate was exhaling after holding its breath too long. I stood between my siblings—Fox on my left, Eagle on my right, Bubble bouncing on the balls of his feet just behind—and Natalie in front of , her face pale but triumphant. She’d just brought thirty-four n back from the dead. I should have been thinking about how extraordinary that was, how far she’d co, how strong she now was.

But instead... sothing scratched at the edges of my mind. Sothing wasn’t right.

I could feel it in my gut—the way the hairs on my neck rose, how my instincts stirred inside , low and uneasy. My senses were too quiet. There was a silence in my soul where there should’ve been warmth.

And then, like a thunderclap cracking across my mind—

Easter! I gasped out loud.

My chest seized. My breath vanished. My knees nearly buckled.

"No," I whispered, staring toward the massive house. The rooms I’d walked through so many tis. The rooms she’d been in.

"No, no, no, no—"

"Jacob?" Natalie’s voice cut through, uncertain. "What’s wrong?"

"I—" My voice cracked. "I forgot."

Fox frowned. "Forgot what? You just gasped like soone stabbed you in the heart, bro."

"I forgot her!" I shouted. "Easter. And Rose. They were in the house—I left them—I left them!"

Everyone went still—like the world had hit pause.

Natalie, still humming with power and wrapped in a soft glow, looked as if soone had yanked the ground out from under her. The confidence in her eyes vanished, replaced with guilt and panic.

Eagle’s voice cracked as she gasped. "Wait... you an Easter? That sweet, jumpy little thing with the curls and freckles? The one who always looked like she might bolt at any loud noise? Are you telling no one thought to get her out of here?"

"Yes!" I snapped, my voice sharp and trembling, as my hands lit up with spirit energy. "She was here. Inside the house. I forgot her."

Bubble stepped in, concern tightening his face. "Oh no. You left a barrier around the estate... She couldn’t have gotten out on her own. Right?"

I shut my eyes and pushed my power out—let it pour through the walls, the floorboards, across the entire estate like a wave crashing outward. Every corner. Every room. Every blade of grass.

Nothing.

No Easter. No Rose.

Just silence.

A gaping void.

They were gone.

"I can’t feel her." My voice was hollow. "She’s not here. She’s not anywhere."

Natalie looked terrified. "Jacob—"

"I can’t feel her!" I roared. "How could I forget her?!"

The idea of soone taking Easter—sweet, gentle Easter—and her tiny daughter while I had been distracted with death and war and resurrection... it shattered .

My mind went to the worst places.

What if she’d been taken by Shadow? What if he used the chaos to hurt her? What if she was—

"Jacob!" Eagle’s voice snapped like a whip, firm and commanding. "Get yourself together."

"I—"

Fox stepped in, gripping my shoulders. "You’re Mist, rember? You never lose your mind like this. Snap out of it."

"But she’s gone," I whispered.

"And you’re going to get her back," Bubble said firmly, eyes intense for once. "Use the tracing thod. You’re the only one who can do it."

I sucked in a breath, forcing myself to focus. They were right. The panic wasn’t helping anyone. I needed clarity. I needed control.

I dropped to one knee, placing my palm flat against the grass. The earth buzzed beneath . My eyes glowed bright white as I summoned the power of the trace. My spirit uncoiled like a ribbon, sweeping backward through ti, scanning for every energy signature in the house, every footprint of mory.

The world blurred around —and then ca into sharp focus.

I saw Easter.

Standing in the hallway with Rose in her arms. Her eyes were wide, frantic, darting from blood to broken bodies.

"No," she whispered, stepping back from the carnage. "No, no, no."

She pressed Rose’s face into her chest so the child wouldn’t see, shielding her baby with her small, trembling fra. Her breath ca in gasps. She shook as she moved, her wild curls matted with sweat.

"Where is everyone?" she whispered, panic thick in her voice. "Jacob? Natalie? Anyone?!"

She turned a corner and ca face-to-face with a corpse. She scread, spinning and running down the hall with Rose. She locked Rose in a room—one of the guest rooms—and sat on the floor in front of the door, sobbing silently, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Please co back," she whispered. "Jacob, where are you? Please don’t leave ..."

My heart cracked.

The vision shifted.

Hours seed to pass. She was outside now, frantically looking for a way out of the estate but my barrier wouldn’t let her leave. She searched for a way out for hours and found none. She kept whispering calming words to Rose, rocking her to sleep, singing lullabies with a trembling voice. She never let herself cry loud. She didn’t want to scare her daughter. But when Rose slept, she wept.

"Why did you leave ?" she whispered into the darkness. "I thought I was safe. I thought..."

And then—

Tiger.

He appeared in front of her, at her lowest point, through a shimr of golden light, eyes wide.

"Easter?" he asked gently.

She looked up at him, startled.

"Tiger?" Her voice cracked. "Where’s Jacob? Why did—?"

Tiger didn’t speak. He just saw her tears. His eyes flickered to the sleeping baby.

"I’ve got you," he said gently. "You’re safe now."

And with that, they vanished.

The vision ended.

I collapsed to the ground.

Natalie knelt beside instantly, touching my shoulder. "What did you see?"

I couldn’t speak. My throat was tight. My chest hurt.

"I left her here," I whispered. "I left her alone... in a house full of death. With her child. And she called for ."

Fox’s voice was quiet. "She’s with Tiger now, right? I picked up his scent. He got her out right?"

I nodded. "He did. But only because he ca back. I didn’t even rember..."

I clenched my fists in the dirt.

"I swore I’d protect her. That I’d never let anyone hurt her again. And I forgot her."

Bubble sat cross-legged next to , frowning. "You’re allowed to ss up once in a millennium, big bro. You literally helped resurrect an army today. I think your brain was a little busy."

"It’s not just that," I said hoarsely. "Easter... she doesn’t think she’s worth protecting. You saw her. She hides her feelings. She doesn’t believe anyone could love her. She’s been through hell and still tries to smile. And now..."

I swallowed hard.

"She was scared. She cried for . And I wasn’t there."