Too Late
Roman's pov
The silence in my office didn’t last long.
Kael stayed.
He leaned casually against the wall like I hadn’t just told him to leave. He watched me with that same knowing look that had been getting under my skin all night.
I poured another drink but I didn't
touch it this time. I just stared at it.
“I’m going back to Stoneridge,” I said finally, my voice steady again but colder now.
Kael didn’t look surprised. “Figured.”
“There’s too much going on,” I continued. “The rogues aren’t done. And now that we know who’s behind it—”
“Nicholas,” Kael finished.
My jaw tightened at the name.
“Yes.”
Silence stretched for a moment.
“I’m taking her with me.”
Kael’s brows lifted slightly. “Aurora?”
“Who else?”
He straightened a bit. “You think that’s a good idea?”
I let out a quiet breath, my grip tightened slightly around the glass.
“I thought she was safer here,” I admitted. “In the palace. Surrounded by my pack.”
My eyes darkened.
"But she wasn't."
Kael didn’t interrupt because he knew I was right.
“What happened tonight—” I continued, my tone sharpening, “proves that.”
“She went out,” Kael said carefully. “That’s not exactly—”
“With Kiera,” I cut in.
That was enough explanation on its own.
Kael huffed a quiet breath. “You really don’t like her, do you?”
“She’s reckless,” I said flatly. “And now Aurora’s starting to act the same way.”
“She’s not reckless,” Kael said. “She just doesn’t want to feel trapped.”
I ignored that.
Because it wasn’t the point.
“She’s coming with me,” I repeated. “Whether she likes it or not.”
Kael studied me for a moment longer, like he wanted to argue but chose not to.
“Fine,” he said. “When do you—”
The bond tugged violently and my
entire body went rigid.
The glass in my hand cracked under the pressure of my grip.
Pain and fear that wasn't mine but hers.
It slammed into me like a wave, sharp and overwhelming, stealing the air from my lungs.
My heart pounded.
“Aurora—”
Her name left my lips in a breath.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“What is it?” Kael asked immediately, pushing off the wall.
I didn’t answer. I couldn't because
I could feel it, her panic and fear.
It burned through the bond, raw and desperate.
My beast surged violently to the surface, roaring to life with a single, undeniable instinct:
Find her.
I moved, fast.
The office door slammed open as I stormed out, barely aware of Kael following close behind.
“Roman!” he called. “What’s happening?”
“She’s in danger.”
The words came out like a growl.
We moved quickly through the halls, my senses already reaching, searching, trying to lock onto her exact location but the bond was chaotic, unstable.
“She’s not in the palace,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Kael’s expression darkened. “What?”
I pushed through the front doors, the night air hit me like a shock but it did nothing to clear the storm inside me.
“Search the palace,” I ordered sharply. “Every room. Every corridor.”
Kael frowned. “And you?”
“The forest.”
Because that’s where she was. I could feel it now.
Kael nodded once, already turning back. “I’ll find out how she got out.”
“Just move.”
He didn’t hesitate and neither did I.
I stepped forward and then I ran.
The world blurred around me as I moved at full speed, my beast pushing harder, faster, driven by one thing and one thing only.
Her.
The bond pulsed wildly now, erratic and strained, each flicker of her fear slicing deeper into me.
Hold on.
The thought echoed through my mind.
Just hold on.
My breathing grew heavier as the forest came into view, dark and endless beneath the night sky.
I didn’t slow because every second mattered and if I was too late—
My jaw clenched violently.
No.
I wouldn’t be.
I couldn’t be.
Because she was mine.
And nothing—
Nothing—
Was going to take her from me.
__________________________________________________
The forest went silent the moment I stepped into it.
My pace didn’t slow, but my senses sharpened, every instinct on high alert as I pushed deeper into the darkness. The bond was faint now too faint and that alone sent something cold curling in my chest.
Blood.
I stopped abruptly, my gaze snapping toward a clearing just ahead. I saw two bodies that were vampires.
Their lifeless forms lay sprawled across the forest floor, unmoving, their scent unmistakable even in death. My jaw tightened as I approached slowly, my eyes scanned every detail.
One had fallen on his back, his chest pierced clean through.
A weapon still embedded in him.
I crouched beside the corpse, my gaze locking onto it.
A wooden stake. There was no mistake it belonged to a hunter.
I reached out, gripping it before yanking it free in one swift motion. Her scent hit me immediately.
My jaw clenched as I turned slowly, picking up the trail without hesitation.
They took her, the hunters took her.
I moved again, faster now, following the scent as it cut through the forest like a blade. Every step felt heavier, every breath tighter as the truth settled in.
She had returned back to Eldermist and I needed to get her back.