Chapter 110 Thin Apologies
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"SHIFT," I instructed through the mind link.
My men had spent hours scouring the territory, still finding no trace of either Adeline or Sophia. They had managed to disappear—no scent, no tracks, no sign they had ever left the vehicle. The entire commotion nearly made me kill three of my enforcers. My heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest, panic boiling inside me at the thought that whoever had started the forest fire had captured them. I held on by a thread; the mate bond was still strong, meaning she was alive—somewhere. My wolf scolded me inside my mind, annoyed that we had left them behind in the first place.
Sophia immediately shifted back into her human form while Adeline remained in her wolf form. "I said, SHIFT," I demanded. This little mate of mine was surely testing the last inch of patience I had left. My eyes darted to the blood trail following behind, then to her red wolf. Her wolf showed no signs of injury; however, I knew better. I could smell the metallic scent of her blood sifting in the burnt air.
I crouched down in front of Adeline's wolf, my fingers grazing through her soft fur. Sparks illuminated my body as I touched her. "Where does it hurt?" I asked gently through the mind link, careful not to frighten her.
"I pricked myself on a rock when I was running through the forest—I'm okay, Jax. Just give me some time to heal. I'll heal faster in my wolf form," she muttered. "It wasn't what you think."
My hand carefully lifted her front paw, examining the wound. I let out a relieved sigh when I realized it was a small cut. It hadn't healed because she hadn't stopped running. I looked into the sea of her blue eyes, the various hues dancing within them. I could see she was conflicted over something. "What happened? You were both given direct orders," I reprimanded.
"They're okay, Jax. That's what matters," Alpha Christian said as he stalked toward Sophia, shifting into his human form at the last second as he approached her. He ran his hands over her hips, pulling her closely into his body. That's when it hit me—Sophia had already fallen in love with Alpha Christian, without even feeling the mate bond.
Sophia sobbed in his arms, "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have gone," she blurted out. He rubbed the back of her head, soothing her as tears continued to roll down her face. "Please don't be mad, Jax."
I cradled Adeline's wolf, lifting her like a baby and determined to keep her off her paw so she would heal quicker. Sophia had sold them both out. "Jax. There's a cave. The cave is like a fucking graveyard. Someone is piling bodies inside," she blurted. I heaved a sigh, exchanging glances with Alpha Christian.
"Turns out the girls have gotten more of a lead than we've been able to in hours," he said with a chuckle.
Adeline shifted into her human form, wrapping her arms around my neck in a tight embrace. She was quick in her movement but not quick enough for me to miss the dark bags under her eyes—they told me she had witnessed something darker than I could have imagined.
"How did you find yourself in a cave? More so, why would the two of you think it was a good idea to enter it?" Alpha Christian questioned.
Adeline took a deep breath, as if organizing her thoughts, and pulled herself off me. I couldn't stop the growl that escaped my chest when I realized she was naked in front of not one pack of enforcers, but two. "Not now," she said with a serious tone in her voice that sent my wolf back into hiding.
"It was my fault, Jax, and I'm sorry. I can't take it back now. I wasn't able to sit back while I watched you and Alpha Christian risk your lives. I'm a Luna. I deserve to stand by you," she retorted, authority laced in her words.
She tossed her glossy locks over her shoulder and heaved a sigh. "We thought we'd hide there long enough to lose the enforcers, but then we ended up finding them—all of them," she said in a whimper, her voice slowly breaking.
"Who did you find?" Alpha Christian shot up.
Sophia shook her head. "We don't know. There were bodies, maybe even humans. It was brutal. Adeline thinks she may have even seen something before we shifted and made a run for it."
I gripped Adeline's face in my large palms. "Adeline. What did you see?" I questioned.
She stood in front of me with wide eyes, like a child about to be punished for sticking her hand in the cookie jar. "This is important," I pleaded.
"I don't know—I don't even know if it was real. They were buried deep in the forest, these eyes. I blinked, and they vanished. It didn't make sense," she replied, choking out the words one by one in a slur.
Alpha Christian raised his hand, while still keeping the other on Sophia's bare hip. "I want every enforcer on shift to find this cave. Nothing happens near my territory that I don't know about," he called out. "When you find it, mind link me the location. I want to see this for myself."
His men all nodded, pressing forward and disappearing into the thick forest. "I'd like to see this as well," I informed Alpha Christian.
"I wouldn't expect anything else," he said with a grin. "Let's get these girls settled in the meantime," he continued.
"Not yet," Adeline interrupted. "There was a gray cloud. It smelled like ashes burning."
I picked my mate's small body up in my palms, pulling her close to me. "Such a curious little mate," I said playfully. My anger instantly dissipated, feeling her body pressed against mine.
"I'm being serious, Jax," she said as she rolled her eyes.
Alpha Christian piped up, his gaze never breaking from Sophia's. "Someone had set a fire at my pack border. My men were able to contain it quickly, but there's still some damage. We were running patrols until we found out that the two of you brats went missing," he said with a laugh.
His voice deepened, becoming huskier and even-toned. "I'm not happy with either of you. I'm sure Alpha Jaxon feels the same way. But I am glad you're both safe. Something could have happened. We might not be so lucky if there's a next time, and until we find out who set the fire, there very well could be a next time." Adeline swallowed hard, her breathing elevating against my chest.
