Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 51: Missing

ZAIN

The sun had barely begun to dip beneath the horizon when we returned. The rogue trail had gone cold hours ago, leaving only scorched earth and discarded bones in its wake. Useless. A deliberate diversion. And the fact that I hadn’t seen it coming had my blood boiling.

I dismounted as we passed the gates of the pack house, my jaw clenched tight, my knuckles aching from how hard I gripped the reins.

"Rhys, you’re with me," I growled. "Cian—debrief the border patrol. Tell them the rogues wanted us out of the territory."

Cian’s brows pinched. "A trap?"

"No doubt," I muttered.

I stalked toward the house, ignoring the greetings from the few warriors lingering by the training grounds. Something twisted in my gut the moment I stepped inside. The silence was off. Thick. And not the good kind.

Where was she?

"Groff!" I barked toward the guard at the inner hallway. "Where is Violet?"

He straightened at once, eyes flickering with uncertainty. "She—uh—she was in the kitchen this morning. With Inara. Then she... we thought she was with you."

I froze mid-step.

"What do you mean ’you thought’?" My voice was sharp enough to draw every nearby head.

The guard swallowed hard. "Wolf—her dog—came back injured. We assumed she was behind him. But she never showed."

Ice spread through my chest, slow and suffocating. "You assumed?"

"She said she was going for a walk. We didn’t realize she was gone until—"

I didn’t wait for him to finish. My body moved before my mind could catch up. I burst through the nearest doors, storming into her chamber.

Empty.

The scent of her still lingered—warmth and pine and something sweet beneath it all—but it was faint. Hours old.

I turned on my heel, heart thundering now. Not fear. Not yet. Just fire. Rage. That she’d left. That I hadn’t told her I was leaving. That she’d dared to chase after me when she should’ve stayed where it was safe.

Where I could protect her.

Cian appeared behind me a few seconds later. "Zain?"

"She’s gone."

His expression darkened. "You sure?"

"Her scent fades past the woods. Someone covered her tracks." My hands curled into fists. "She followed us."

"And then?"

"She didn’t come back."

A beat of silence fell between us.

Then I said what we both knew.

"She’s been taken."

Cian swore under his breath. "Do you think the rogues knew she’d follow?"

I looked at him slowly. "They didn’t care if she would. They were counting on it."

This wasn’t random. It was too clean. Too perfect.

They knew she’d be reckless. That she’d disobey.

They’d used her heart against her—and I’d given them the opening.

I stormed back toward the entrance of the pack house, barking orders as I moved. "Get every tracker, every scout. I want the borders swept again, and I want scent hounds out past the river. Now."

Inara met me halfway, panic in her eyes. "Alpha Zain" she called, lowering her eyes to the floor in fear "I’m sorry I let her out of my eyes for a minute, I thought she was safe in her room. What happened?"

"She’s gone," I said, voice cold. "Taken by rogues."

She covered her mouth, horror sinking into her face.

I didn’t have time for emotion.

Only fury.

Only the need to bring her back.

"She’s not dead," I said tightly, more to myself than to her. "I’d feel it."

I would. Deep in my bones. I’d know.

"She’s alive. And when I find the bastards who touched her..."

My wolf surged beneath the surface, claws scraping against skin.

We kill them all.

I didn’t bother going back inside.

There would be no sleep. No peace.

Not until she was home.

Not until she was safe.

Not until I could hold her again—and tell her just how stupid she was for risking everything.

And how I never wanted her to do it again

Selene met me at the foot of the stairs, her face tight with concern. "You know bring a grumpy ass isn’t gonna make her just turn up. She’s not here. No one’s seen her since breakfast."

"I fucking know it" I growled, storming toward the lower cells. "Where exactly is her sister?"

"Still locked up," she said, following closely. "You sure about—"

"Open the damn door."

The guard fumbled with the keys, stepping back as the metal creaked open.

Jade stumbled out, looking ragged but still defiant. The moment the door opened fully, a low, guttural growl echoed down the hallway.

Rhys.

He stepped around the corner, his nostrils flaring, eyes pitch-black. His hands clenched at his sides as he stared at her like she was the only thing that existed.

"Mate," he growled, voice rough with disbelief and hunger.

Jade froze, blinking like she’d been struck.

"What the hell—" she breathed, backing up a step before Rhys was in front of her, eyes locked to hers, lips parted as if tasting the word again.

I didn’t have time to deal with another bond snapping into place, not now—but fuck, of course it would happen now.

"We’ll deal with that later," I snapped. "Violet is missing. She snuck past the patrols."

Selene’s breath caught. "Shit."

"She followed my trail," I said, fury curling tight in my chest. "Probably tried to track me like the stubborn little idiot she is."

"She’s not an idiot." I heard the sister murmur, but I completely ignore her.

Rhys croaked his eyebrow at me like I was running mad, "you know she’s just a stupid human." He said, tearing his eyes reluctantly Away from Jade.

I growled, dark primal animal like. "What the fuck did you just say?" I slimmed my head to him, ready to tear his head off his shoulders.

"Woh,woh! Hey let’s all calm down now." Cian called, jumping in between us. "Zain, hey buddy. He doesn’t know about her yet."

I could feel my blood boil. Indulging Violet was as good as insulting me.

"The stupid human is my mate." I barked at him.

"What?!" He gasped, genuinely surprised.

"Just maybe if you stopped being a stuck up prick for one minute you’ll notice what had been going on around you." Selena sneered at him.

"My job is to be at his side when he need me not to baby sit." He mumbled under his breath.

If he wasn’t one of my best warriors, by the gods his head would have been rolling on the floor.

"Enough!" I barked "she is my mate and you’ll treat her and speak of her with the same amount of respect you have for me. Or else She’s going back into the dungeons and will remain unfed until the gods claim her." I said, nodding towards Jade, wgoes eyes widened like she just heard her execution.

Smart of her to to speak in the moment.

The threats got Rhys to calm down, bowing his head to the floor and exposing his neck to me in sign of an apology.

"Now we’ve gotten that information out of the way, We move now. No delays. I want her scent tracked from the woods by the north ridge—she wouldn’t have gone through the front," I ordered, already moving.

And in my gut, that same burn was there again.

She was in danger.

And this time, I might’ve been too far away to stop

We didn’t waste time.

The moment I gave the order, the pack snapped into motion like a well-trained machine. Warriors gathered near the edge of the forest, slipping on their gear, loading weapons, sharpening blades. There was no room for hesitation—not when she was out there. Not when my wolf was pacing inside me, maddened by her absence.

"Pack extra supplies," I told Cian as I threw a heavy rucksack over my shoulder. "Clothes, water, medical kits. And food—enough for two days."

"For her?" he asked.

"And for Jade," I said, glancing over my shoulder as she stood close to Rhys. She hadn’t said a word since the bond snapped into place, but her eyes hadn’t left him once. "Neither of them’s eaten properly. Violet’s stubborn enough to starve if it proves a point, and Jade... well, she’s been in a damn cell." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Rhys handed Jade a flask of water and a rolled blanket. She looked at it like she didn’t want to take anything from him, but her fingers curled around it anyway. The bond would start taking its toll soon, gnawing at both of them with each hour they spent unclaimed. Not that I gave a damn about timing. Violet came first.

Selene stood at the side, watching the preparations with a set jaw. "You sure she’s still alive?"

I shot her a look that could’ve peeled skin. "Don’t say that."

"I’m just saying," she muttered. "If they took her... they might not keep her long."

"They’ll keep her," I said coldly. "She’s valuable. They’ll want leverage. And if they’re smart, they’ll keep her breathing."

Cian returned with a satchel slung across his chest. "We’ve got enough dried meat, water, bandages, and clean clothes for three people. And I sent runners to widen the search grid from the north ridge."

"Good."

I turned toward the forest, jaw locked as the wind shifted again. I caught the faintest trace of her scent—barely lingering, as if she’d passed through a day ago. Fading.

Too far.

My chest tightened. The need to shift and run after her nearly swallowed me whole.

"I want everyone ready in ten," I snapped. "We’re moving fast, no breaks until we find her. And when we do—" I looked out into the forest, my voice dropping low, deadly— "any rogue with a hand in this dies screaming."

Jade stepped up beside me. "If you find her... and she’s hurt—"

"She won’t be," I said.

Because if she was—

Gods help whoever touched her.

Because I wouldn’t