Chapter 10
677words
I was on my knees, the pain in my chest making it almost impossible to breathe.
But I forced myself to stand.
Those papers... they weren't just papers.
What the hell had Sandra done to me?
It didn't matter. Even with the bond broken, I still had leverage.
I still had Liam.
My hands trembling, I opened a mind-link to the dungeon guards.
"Marcus!" My voice was a raw, ragged sound. "Report on Liam's condition. Now!"
A few seconds of silence.
"Marcus? Answer me!"
"Alpha..." Marcus's voice was shaking badly. "I... I..."
"Speak!" I roared. "What happened?"
"Liam... Liam's gone!"
What?
"What do you mean, gone?" My voice dropped to a low growl. "He was chained in silver in the deepest cell! How the hell could he be gone?"
"The Silver Moon pack," Marcus choked out. "Their warriors stormed the dungeons. They broke him out!"
My blood ran cold.
"When?"
"Twenty minutes ago! Alpha, we didn't have time to react! They were too fast!"
"And the other guards?" I snarled. "And what were you worthless dogs doing while they walked right through you?"
"We tried to stop them, but the one leading them... it was Alpha Caden of the Silver Moon! And Elias from the Ridge Pack! We were no match for them!"
I cut the link and immediately contacted the wolf watching Sandra's mother.
"Derek! Derek!"
"Alpha?" Derek's voice was just as panicked.
"What's the situation at the care facility? Is Sandra's mother still there?"
"Alpha… we have a situation..."
"What situation?" My heart was pounding like a war drum.
"Ten minutes ago, a group of armed men raided the facility! They were highly trained, well-equipped! They took down all my men!"
"And then?"
"By the time we woke up... the Luna's mother was gone!"
"Gone where?"
"We don't know! They left no trace! Alpha, it was a total setup!"
I ended the link, my hands gripping my head.
All my leverage.
In a single moment, all my leverage had vanished.
"No..." I muttered. "How could she..."
Liam was free.
Sandra's mother was safe.
What did this mean?
It meant Sandra had planned everything!
She wasn't just throwing a tantrum.
She was escaping.
For good.
"Damn it!" I slammed my fist into the wall, cracking the stone.
What did I have left?
What did I have to control her?
Nothing.
Liam was gone.
Her mother was gone.
Even the mate bond was gone.
I've lost her. Completely.
Just then, the door was thrown open.
My Beta burst in, his face pale and slick with sweat.
"Alpha!" he gasped for air. "Alpha!"
"What is it?" I forced myself to stand straight, trying to look like I was still in control.
"The Blood Moon ceremony!" He pointed outside, his voice trembling. "It's about to start!"
"What?"
"All the pack delegates are here!" His voice grew more urgent. "The Northern delegation, the Eastern elders, the Southern Alliance envoys… they're all in the Great Hall, waiting!"
I glanced at the clock on the wall.
7:58.
The ceremony started in two minutes.
"They're... they're waiting for you and the Luna." My Beta looked around at the wreckage, his face turning pale. "Alpha... where is the Luna?"
I didn't know how to answer.
I couldn't tell him my Luna had run away.
I couldn't tell him our mate bond was broken.
I couldn't tell all the packs that I had lost control.
"Alpha?" my Beta asked cautiously. "What happened? Why isn't the Luna here?"
I looked at his terrified eyes and suddenly realized how bad this was.
If I couldn't give a good explanation at the Blood Moon ceremony, every pack would start to question me.
Question my power. Question my authority. Question my right to be an Alpha.
"Alpha!" my Beta's voice was desperate. "They're waiting! We have to go now!"
I took a deep breath, trying to appear calm.
But my hands were still shaking.
My chest was still aching.
And worst of all—
I had no idea how I was going to explain Sandra's absence to everyone.
