Chapter 18 #2
I sighed, brushing a hand through my hair. This road wasn’t heavily traveled. It was mainly used by pack members coming and going. There was no way I could drive on a flat tire, which meant I needed a tow.
I pulled out my phone, shooting my dad a quick message so he wouldn’t worry. Then, I scrolled through my contacts for the mechanic’s number.
That’s when I heard it.
A rustling in the woods.
A low, guttural growl.
I froze, my grip tightening around my phone.
Was someone out for a run? The woods along this road weren’t claimed by any pack, but it wasn’t unheard of for wolves to pass through.
Or…
My blood ran cold.
Or it could be rogues.
Not all rogues were dangerous, but without pack loyalty, they had no qualms about breaking laws—or hurting others if it suited them. There had been stories. Horrifying stories. Female wolves attacked, violated, stolen away.
I swallowed hard.
“Hello?” My voice wavered as I called out hesitantly. “If someone’s there—”
I didn’t get to finish.
A massive wolf lunged from the trees, bigger than anything I had ever seen.
I screamed, the sound ripping from my throat as my phone slipped from my grasp.
Its teeth sank into my leg, yanking me off my feet. Pain exploded through my body as I hit the ground, my head slamming against the dirt.
The world spun.
Darkness closed in.
The last thing I thought before everything went black was—
Aiden will know.
He’ll know something is wrong.
He’ll come for me.
The last thing I saw, as I was dragged away, was my phone vibrating in the dirt, Aiden’s name flashing repeatedly across the screen as he tried to reach me.
Aiden's POV
Ezra’s voice was filled with rage. “—entirely your fault!” He turned to glare at me, his eyes burning with accusation.
I buried my face in my hands, my jaw clenched tight. Guilt and frustration swirled inside me like a storm.
“How is this my fault?” I muttered, my voice muffled against my palms. “I didn’t kidnap her.” But deep down, I knew I’d played a part in this.
Mom’s voice was gentler but carried the weight of truth.
“You announced to an entire diner that she was your mate, Aiden. We’ve followed the trail.
She went to that party with you, her birthmark was visible in the pictures.
Someone’s been watching her. Someone who knows what that mark means.
They were waiting for the right moment. The flat tire— it was probably planned.
Everyone knows she drives home alone. It’s not like Rose goes out a lot, thanks to our rules for her.
This was their only chance to take her.”
My stomach twisted. My mistake had put her in danger. I had been careless. Stupid.
Ezra’s voice shook with barely contained fury.
“You went to the last alpha regional meeting alone. Usually, mates accompany their alphas. That means werewolves from other packs saw you without her. They knew she was unclaimed. If anyone had been tracking her, they would have realized she was vulnerable.” He gritted his teeth.
“If she’d been marked, we’d be able to find her.
Now… now…” He swallowed hard. “Goddess knows what they’ll do to my baby girl.
If… if anything happens to her…” His breath hitched before he steadied himself.
“I don’t think I can stay in the pack anymore, Aiden.
Not with the way you’ve been acting. If this is how things are going to be, then once we get her back, I’m taking her far away from here. ”
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. Rose… leaving? No. Ezra would take her away. The girlwho loved being part of it— gone.
Mom shifted uneasily. “Now, Ezra… don’t be rash.”
“I’m not being rash!” he snapped. “My daughter has been kidnapped. I don’t even know if she’s alive—”
“She’s alive,” I said, my voice grim. “I… I can feel it. She’s scared, but she’s alive. I don’t think they’ve hurt her.”
“YET!” Ezra roared. “They haven’t hurt her yet!”
He turned on his heel, storming out. “I can’t sit here and watch you wait for her to die! You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Then you’d be free of her.”
Mom gasped. I flinched at the accusation.
Ezra didn’t wait for a reply. He yanked open the door, shifted into his wolf, and took off, his furious howl echoing through the night.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I whispered, turning to my mother. “Mom, I don’t want anything to happen to Rose. You know that, right?”
Josie’s lips parted as if to speak, but a pounding at the door cut her off. She hurried over, revealing a breathless Jake.
“We have to find her!” he barked, striding into the house. His eyes met mine. “Aiden, you have to help me find her!”
I stood up on shaky legs, the weight of my failure pressing down on me.
It had been Jake who found her abandoned car, her phone lying in the dirt.
My stomach churned at the memory of the blood trail leading into the woods.
I had tried to pick up her scent, but it was gone—masked.
That’s when I’d gotten the adults. I needed help.
Tony was away on an assignment, so I called Layla to scout the woods with me.
Jake spoke quickly, his words rushed. “I searched everywhere. I can’t pick up her scent. The kidnapper is masking it.”
“You were the last to see her,” Mom said, her voice like steel.
Jake hesitated but nodded. He glanced at me warily. “We had class together, but she left early. She said she needed to get home. That her dad’s been edgy about her staying out too late.”
“Ezra suspected someone was following her,” Josie added.
My head snapped up. “What?”
Why hadn’t anyone told me?
Josie sighed. “Ever since you called her your mate in that diner… the rumors of her being the chosen luna started up again. People thought she had died. We did a good job hiding her identity until…” She shot me a pointed look, and shame curled in my gut.
I had put her at risk without even realizing it.
“After that, someone started following her. The pictures of her at the party—most were taken by the same person. They captured her walking to the party, entering, drinking, dancing. Her mark was visible. This wasn’t random. Someone was watching her.”
I clenched my fists. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Rose didn’t want you acting out of duty,” Josie said softly. “She already felt guilty about you and Lexia.”
I gritted my teeth. “Rose knew she was being stalked?”
Jake’s voice was hesitant. “That’s why she refused to go on a date with me this weekend. I asked her out, but she said she had things going on.” He hesitated before adding, “She didn’t even tell me the truth.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He was holding something back. But now wasn’t the time to press him about it.
Mom’s voice was grave. “Whoever took her knew she wasn’t marked, that she wasn’t in a relationship with you.
If they thought you had claimed her, they would have known you could track her.
They took her before she was marked, before her mate could claim her…
maybe they even knew you weren’t planning to.
” Her eyes darkened. “An alpha whose true mate is in danger is a force to be reckoned with.” She shot a piercing look at Jake before turning back to me.
I pushed myself to my feet. “I have to fix this.” I met my mother’s gaze, my voice raw. “Mom… I know I messed up. But after I find her… help me fix this.”
She gave a tight nod. I could see the faith in her eyes.
She handed me the map I’d asked her to get—of the woods where Rose’s blood trail vanished. “They couldn’t have gone far. A bleeding girl being dragged through the forest—someone would have noticed.”
Jake stepped closer, glancing at the map over my shoulder.
“I’m putting together a team—” I started, but Jake cut me off.
“No offense, Alpha,” he sneered, “but I’m not part of your pack. You find her your way, and I’ll find her mine.” His golden eyes burned. “I work better alone.”
Then he turned, storming out the door. The sound of ripping fabric filled the air as he shifted mid-stride, his clothes shredding. His wolf bounded away.
Mom exhaled sharply. “He’s hiding something.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“You don’t think he’s involved, do you?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know.”
Her expression turned grim. “His father was no friend to our pack. Alice left to live a lone wolf’s life with him, but I don’t know what he’d be capable of.
Power-hungry men will do anything for control.
” She stepped closer, pressing a hand to my cheek.
“Be careful, Aiden. I’m sorry your father isn’t here.
You’ve been given so much responsibility, so soon. ”
Hold on, Rose. I clenched my fists. We’re coming to save you.