Nathan’s POV

The sky answered me. Thunder cracked violently overhead.

I looked up just in time to see lightning tear across the clouds. The sky that had been merely overcast moments ago darkened completely, thick clouds swallowing what little light remained.

Rain was coming.

My wolf growled within me, uneasy.

I turned abruptly and headed back to the car.

I got in, slamming the door and pressing the accelerator harder than necessary.

By the time I reached the hotel, I spotted them...Aria, Amelia, and Logan, already heading upstairs.

Relief loosened the tight coil in my chest. She was safe. But the moment I stepped out of the car, the rain came down in sheets.

It was heavy and violent. The drops struck the ground like nails, relentless and loud.

I barely made it inside before the storm became even worse. I reached my floor and suddenly, Aria was there. She was supposed to already be inside her room.

She looked panicked, her breath uneven, her eyes wide as she rushed around the corner and collided straight into me.

She stumbled and I caught her without thinking.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs, my wolf surging forward with a snarl of instinctive protectiveness. I pulled her close, my arms tightening around her.

Aria’s POV

"What’s wrong?" A low, familiar voice asked.

For a heartbeat, I forgot about the sting in my nose from the collision. I forgot the rush, the panic, everything.

I looked up.

Nathan was far too close, barely half a step away. Close enough that my wolf stiffened, ears flattening in warning and recognition all at once. His scent was absent. He must have used a scent blocker to avoid detection.

I startled and stepped back quickly.

Only then did my mind catch up.

The hallway lights reflected off his damp coat. His hair was darkened with moisture. Rain clung to him.

I tore my gaze away from him, my thoughts overwhelmed with my current predicament.

"It’s pouring outside," I said, my voice low and tight. "Where could he have gone?"

Nathan met my stare, his eyes darkening as he asked, "Who are you referring to? What happened?"

Before I could tell him Jackson was missing, Amelia rushed up behind me. The moment she saw Nathan standing there, her brows snapped together. She stepped forward decisively and pulled me behind her, her wolf flaring in open protectiveness.

"Alpha Nathan, did you just get back?" she asked coolly. Her eyes were filled with suspicion, sharp and guarded.

Nathan noticed it immediately. His posture shifted subtly, his own wolf stirring beneath his calm exterior.

"You knew I was staying here?" he asked.

"Of course, Logan told us you were staying next door, he told us this morning about his little encounter with you last night" Amelia explained.

Logan arrived just then from searching the corridors, breathing hard. "When we left, weren’t you still at the hotel?" he asked Nathan.

"I was about to go out," Nathan replied, his tone cold and controlled, "but it started raining, so I came back."

He was explaining, but his eyes never left me.

Not once.

"So you’re saying you were at the hotel the whole time?" I pressed. "Did you hear anything unusual outside during that period? The kid we found yesterday is missing."

The word tasted bitter on my tongue.

"Missing?" His expression tightened instantly.

This time, there was no hesitation.

"Wait here," he said firmly. "I’ll go check the hotel’s surveillance footage."

I watched him turn, decisive and commanding, and something inside me twisted.

I hesitated for only a second.

"I’m coming with you."

He paused. Before he could respond...

"Me too!"

"And me!"

Amelia and Logan both spoke at once, clearly unwilling to let either of us out of their sight.

I glanced at Nathan.

His jaw tightened. He was clearly displeased but after a brief pause, he gave a silent nod.

Permission granted.

We moved quickly, the tension between us thick enough that even my wolf felt restless. The surveillance room appeared sooner than I expected.

I didn’t know how he’d gained access to such a restricted area so effortlessly. Then again... he was a very wealthy alpha, feared and respected by all who knew him. Power had its own kind of authority.

"Pull up the footage starting from ten o’clock," Nathan ordered.

Ten o’clock. That must have been when he left the hotel. The surveillance operator nodded respectfully and worked the mouse.

The footage appeared.

At first, the hallway was quiet.

The floor we stayed in housed only luxury and executive suites, it was expensive enough that it was rarely full. These past few days, the only occupants had been us.

The footage was fast-forwarded. Nothing moved. There were no staff or guests. Time crawled.

Then, nearly an hour later, a figure dressed entirely in black appeared in front of my door.

My wolf growled softly in my chest.

The man wore a hat and mask, his movements cautious. He glanced around before knocking gently.

"Hello," he said in an altered voice. "The hotel has complimentary lunch. Would you like some?"

"Sure." Jackson opened the door. "Thank you—mmph—mmph!"

The moment the door opened, a black cloth was pressed over Jackson’s face.

Everything happened too fast.

Jackson struggled instinctively, but within seconds his body slackened, strength draining away. He collapsed to the floor.

It happened in less than thirty seconds. My fingers curled into fists.

The operator shuddered, an inexplicable chill crawling up his spine. He stole a glance at us.

None of us spoke.

Amelia’s lips pressed into a thin line. Logan’s shoulders were rigid.

As for me, my brows were drawn tight, my vision icy and sharp, my wolf snarled low and furious beneath my ribs.

"Pull up the hotel lobby footage from that time," I said quietly.