Chapter 13 #2
The car cut through Baltimore's night. Neon light and shadow flowed across the windows, colors melting together, blurring into nothing.
Completely. Forever. Disappear.
Her voice still echoed in my ears. My wolf howled and clawed deep in my soul, realizing this was no ordinary parting—maybe a permanent one. It still wanted to return to our mate's side.
But I couldn't selfishly trap her anymore.
My phone buzzed. I controlled the steering wheel one-handed, seeing Marcus flash on screen. Pack field commander. I answered immediately.
"Alpha!" Marcus's voice came through tense and urgent. "Border under attack!"
My body went rigid instantly.
Professional instinct switched my mind to tactical mode, but something resisted—Layla's exhausted eyes still imprinted in my mind, her resolute "disappear" still crushing my chest.
"Report." I forced down that suffocating feeling.
"They're attacking between Outposts Nine and Eleven, just like you predicted," Marcus said. "We set the ambush in advance, things went smoothly at first, but..."
He paused.
"But reinforcements suddenly appeared. A lot of them. And their strength... Alpha, nothing like those previous rogue wolves."
My brow furrowed. "Be specific."
"Their tactical coordination is extremely precise, like they've had military training," disbelief colored Marcus's voice. "And individual combat ability... it takes three of our fighters to barely hold off one enemy."
"Plus their speed, Alpha—that speed isn't normal. Faster than our fastest scouts."
Not normal.
That word focused my thoughts somewhat.
"Casualties."
Marcus fell silent for two seconds.
"Five critically wounded. Two... dead."
My fingers slowly tightened, the phone case creaking under pressure.
Two killed in action.
Two living souls. Two families.
"Secure the bodies," my voice was quiet. "Death benefits at maximum rate."
"Yes."
"And the enemy?"
"Three killed, three critically wounded," Marcus said. "But those three wounded... they all committed suicide."
Suicide again. Just like every time before.
"Alpha, one more thing." Marcus's voice dropped lower, carrying uncertainty. "When I checked the bodies, I caught a very strange scent."
My heart skipped a beat.
"What scent?"
"Like... vampire."
Vampire.
Werewolves and vampires hadn't had direct conflict in nearly a century. Each occupied separate territories, maintaining a fragile peace.
Why...
"You're sure?"
"Not entirely," Marcus hesitated. "But the scent really resembled it. And those enemies' physical capabilities... speed, strength, wound healing rate... didn't seem like pure werewolves."
I closed my eyes, forcing my brain to function.
Analyze. Deduce. Find clues.
This was what I should do as Alpha. This was my duty.
Fourteen attacks.
From small-scale probing to this major assault, from ordinary rogue wolves to suspected vampire hybrids...
They were escalating step by step.
Waiting for something? Or rather... preparing for something?
"Preserve the bodies," I ordered. "I want the most detailed autopsy reports—blood, DNA... everything. Verify if they carry vampire genes."
If vampires were truly involved, this wasn't a simple border conflict.
This was war.
"Understood."
"Reinforce defenses at Outposts Nine and Eleven," I continued. "But don't pull troops from other positions. This could be a diversion."
"Yes."
"The wounded?"
"Sent to the medical center, pack physicians are doing everything they can."
"Good." I took a deep breath. "I'll get back as soon as possible."
I hung up, fingers gripping the steering wheel tight, restraining the emotions rampaging inside.
I should go back immediately. My duty was there, my warriors, the pack members I needed to protect. Two people dead. Five critically wounded. Mysterious forces suddenly strengthened, and vampire traces appearing.
This was a major breakthrough, a crisis.
I should rush back to Silver Moon Pack right now, deploy defenses, investigate the truth...
But I couldn't. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about her. Continuous sorrow wrapped around me like endless rain, relentless, cold moisture seeping into my bones. My brain couldn't process any thoughts, only—
Why, why didn't she love me anymore?
Before, no matter what happened, I could suppress personal emotions.
Pack first, duty first, the Alpha's mission above all else.
Like seven years ago, I chose to reject Layla because Father said it was responsible to the pack.
Like these seven years, countless times I stood at the cliff wanting to find her, but ultimately turned back to the pack because they "needed" me.
But this time... this time even with the pack suffering such a severe attack, even with the shocking vampire lead appearing, even knowing I must fulfill my responsibility right now.
Layla's face kept surfacing in my mind.
"I'm done."
"I don't know what I'm supposed to expect anymore."
"Please disappear from my world."
Why did these words circle my mind like a curse? Why could I no longer suppress the inner pain? Why did I want to vent but felt utterly exhausted?
I floored the accelerator, using the adrenaline rush to force my brain empty, but the answer suddenly became painfully clear.
Because you love her.
True, soul-deep love.
Not the bond. Not instinct.
Love.
So what is love? At breakneck speed, my heart raced, like simulating the impulse of love at first sight. I thought I understood.
Love is pain.
Seeing her hurt makes your heart clench.
Hearing her say "disappear" tears your soul apart.
Knowing I should return to the pack, but my emotions are beyond control.
Despair wraps around me layer by layer. I'm like a fish stranded on sand—breathing failing, burning under the scorching sun.
.. yet still wanting to see her one more time.
This isn't the bond, or instinct, or anything I can suppress with reason or weigh rationally.
This is love. I love her.
It transcends everything. It makes me question whether Alpha duty truly should come before all else. It terrifies me. My soul trembles deep inside.
From now on, my reason and emotions can't be separated.
My phone rang again. An unknown number this time. I stared at the screen for several seconds, then answered.
"Hello?" My voice sounded terribly exhausted.
"Hello... is this Mr. Kayden Blackwood?"
A female voice, young, anxious, trembling.
"Speaking."
"I... I'm Anna, Anna Green." She spoke through tears. "Ella Ross's assistant. I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but I... I don't know who else to call..."
My heart seized violently.
All thoughts of the pack, the battle report, the vampires—everything vanished in that instant.
"What happened?"
I heard my own voice, taut as a string about to snap.
"Ella's missing."