Chapter 17
Seventeen
Silas
"It's no wonder we forgot it. Who the hell puts it there?" Kade grumbles, tossing the packet of seasoning into the cart. I don't blame him. It took us a bit to find it, only serving to agitate him the longer we're away from Vivie.
I don't love the feeling of her being far, but she's been calm the past five minutes we've been hunting. My princess knows to sound the alarm if something is wrong, so I'm not too worried.
Though leaving her alone in public makes me a little itchy.
Mostly because I know she struggles, and a lot of people don't know how to interact with someone different from them.
I've witnessed the issues Vivie's had with strangers once they realize she won't respond.
The moment they register that she can't respond, things get even weirder.
We've talked about it many times. Each time I agree with her, it's annoying and frustrating. I don't ever want to speak for my girl. She's a person and will communicate with gestures if she wants to. If not, just say have a good day and move on if you can't handle the silence.
When she urged us away from the young group of skittish omegas, I felt so damn proud of her. I knew Vivie would prefer we stick with her, but she showed empathy and concern for others.
Oftentimes people think she's cold and detached—that's not the case. She simply gives her energy to those she cares about. Nobody else is even on her radar. Young and scared people? They're an exception. She understands them.
"Silas," Kade breathes, stopping dead in his tracks. "Does she feel—"
Before he can finish his statement, the slight note of alarm we notice at the same time blares loud and terrified. "VIVIAN!" I scream, already running only to find her gone from the aisle we left her in.
A sharp prick of pain in my temple makes me stumble. My hands claw at my chest at the following sensation. As if someone flipped the switch on our mate, she disappears.
Nothing after the terror and pain. Complete and utter silence in our bond. The only place she's never quiet. My eyes burn with increasing dryness from having them wide and unblinking. Where did she go?!
"Vivie," I wheeze, tugging at my shirt.
I'm quickly snapped out of it when Kade barrels past me. His all-consuming rage in the bond makes it hard for me to stand and follow. He pummels me down over and over again, each wave of feral fury urging me to submit and hide.
I can't hide. My mate is gone from my soul as if she was stripped from the very marrow of my bones.
I have no clue how I manage it, but I force my legs to follow Kade out the front of the grocery store and down the street. The wide berth we're given barely registers, but I'm thankful for it all the same. Kade doesn't need the guilt of accidentally shoving someone into oncoming traffic.
Is this my job now? Keeping him from murder?
Something happened to our omega and my alpha is definitely going to burn the fucking city down trying to find her.
I might tear my chest wide open and dig through my bleeding heart to find even a scrap of her presence.