Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 53: The Search

Faded from the forest floor like smoke after a fire—still present in memory, but useless to track.

I stood at the edge of the woods, my wolf thrashing beneath my skin like a storm held barely in check. The earth beneath my boots was torn where she’d run—dragged, maybe. There had been a struggle. Wolf’s paw prints circled the area, and blood—hers, faint but there—painted a trail that vanished into nothing.

I swore beneath my breath, eyes scanning the silent trees. Where the hell are you, Violet?

Selene was behind me, checking broken branches, nose tilted to the wind. Jade, finally free, had taken clothes and food from the supply pack and was strapping on boots with trembling fingers. Her bond to Rhys had snapped into place so violently I’d felt it in my chest—his growl of Mate still rang in my ears.

We didn’t have time for mates right now. Not when mine had vanished.

"I should’ve told her," I muttered, my voice low.

Rhys looked over sharply. "What?"

"Nothing," I snapped, biting the inside of my cheek. "Get the map. I want routes in all directions. North first—towards the cliffs. If they took her that way, it’s easier to vanish."

Selene approached, her tone cold. "You left without a word. She followed because you gave her no choice."

I glared at her, but the shame was already burning. "She disrespected me in front of the pack."

"She challenged you," Selene said. "You call that disrespect? She’s not afraid of you, Zain. That’s rare. And you pushed her away."

I didn’t answer.

What could I say? That I’d left out of pride? That her soft defiance in the kitchen had ignited something wild in me, something I didn’t know how to control?

That I had half-wanted her to chase me—and hated myself now that she had?

Jade straightened beside Rhys, her face pale but set. "I want to help."

"You’re not going anywhere near this," I growled.

"She’s my sister."

"She’s my mate," I snapped before I could stop myself.

The words echoed like a slap.

Rhys blinked. Selene’s eyes widened.

But Jade only nodded slowly. "Then let’s find her."

Damn it.

I turned away before they could see how much it cost me to stay still. My wolf wanted to rip through the trees, to hunt and tear and kill. But recklessness wouldn’t help her now.

"We leave in ten," I barked. "Selene, with me. Rhys—keep Jade close. Don’t let her out of your sight."

He nodded once. "Understood."

We loaded what we could—clothes, rations, water. The warriors already stationed near the edge of the territory were regrouping, scenting the area. I kept my senses wide open, praying for even the smallest trace.

But she was gone.

And with every second, my control slipped further.

If they hurt her...

If they laid a finger on her...

A growl ripped from my throat, sharp and savage. Selene stepped closer, her voice a steady whisper. "We’ll find her, Zain. But you need to think. Be smart. Use your head—not your anger."

I forced myself to nod.

My mate was out there. Alone. Surrounded.

And I’d die before I let them keep her

The forest was colder than it should’ve been.

Maybe it was the blood boiling under my skin. Maybe it was the hollow ache that had settled in my chest the moment I realized she was gone. Either way, the world felt wrong without her in it—without her scent filling the air like a promise.

We moved fast. Through the trees. Over ravines. Across frozen streams and jagged terrain. Selene led half the scouts north. I took Rhys and Jade west.

I didn’t trust her sister out here—she was strong, sure, but reckless. Wild. But the moment I tried to tell her to stay behind, she looked at me with eyes so full of raw fury that even my wolf recoiled.

"You let her go alone," she spat. "Don’t you dare try to bench me now."

So she came.

She didn’t complain when her legs gave out on the third ridge. She didn’t cry when her boots filled with mud. She didn’t stop moving.

And that damn bond between her and Rhys had him acting all twitchy, like he couldn’t decide whether to protect her or punch a tree for letting her get this far without knowing.

But I couldn’t focus on them.

Every step forward was for her.

Violet.

My mate.

The one I’d pushed away because my pride was louder than my heart.

The memory of her standing in that kitchen, facing me down like I wasn’t the most feared Alpha in the region, replayed again and again. That fire in her voice. The steel in her spine. The way she’d looked at me like I didn’t scare her—like I infuriated her.

And I’d walked away.

I’d gone to hunt rogues and left her behind.

Now she was gone.

"What’s that?" Rhys called out, snapping me back to the present. He dropped to one knee near a broken tree, nose close to the bark.

I moved fast, crouching beside him. My fingers brushed something slick.

Blood.

Not much. A few drops. Barely there.

But the scent was hers.

My heart slammed into my ribs. My breath caught like a noose tightening.

"She came this way," I said, already scanning the trees. "She was bleeding."

Rhys sniffed again. "Not much. She was still walking, maybe staggering."

"She wasn’t alone." Jade’s voice was quiet. She held up a strip of torn fabric caught on a thorn. Pale, soft cotton. The hem of a sleeve.

Her eyes glistened, but she didn’t let the tears fall.

"She didn’t just get lost," she whispered. "They took her."

What have I been saying all this while. Dumb human.

I rolled my eyes at her new "observation."

The forest held its breath around us.

And then I shifted.

Bones cracked. Skin tore. My wolf exploded free, dark as the night, snarling and massive, claws digging into the dirt as I raised my head and howled.

The sound echoed through the woods—long, sharp, and furious.

A call to every wolf in the territory.

War was coming.

Rhys shifted beside me. Jade mounted his back, clinging tight as we tore through the trees, following the faintest trail of her scent.

We ran.

Faster than the wind. Desperate. Determined.

Every part of me burned with the need to find her. To rip apart anyone who dared lay a hand on what was mine.

And beneath it all, one thought throbbed through my skull like a drumbeat—

Hold on, Violet. Hold on just s little longer,

I’m coming.

We reached the rogue camp just before dawn, hidden in a ravine dense with mist and shadows. Their scent was thick—sweat, blood, filth, and the sharp edge of fear. They knew we were coming. Good. Let them be afraid.

My warriors flanked me, fur bristling, eyes glowing like fire. Jade stayed behind with a scout, shaking with rage but wise enough not to charge in blind. I had one thing on my mind.

Violet.

I tore through the first two rogues like paper, their bones crunching beneath my claws, screams cut short by my snarl. Rhys was a storm beside me, moving like a blade through chaos. Bodies dropped around us. The night lit up with fury and vengeance.

I didn’t stop to count.

I didn’t stop to breathe.

I followed her scent like a thread pulling me through the madness.

And then I saw her.

Lying in the mud, limp and bloodied.

Her hair was tangled with dirt. Blood painted her face and arms. Her dress was ripped. One arm bent the wrong way. Bruises covered her ribs, deep and ugly. My knees buckled at the sight.

"Violet..." Her name left my mouth as a whisper, but the sound shook the earth.

I dropped to the ground and pulled her into my arms. Her body was cold. Too cold. Her pulse barely there.

She didn’t move.

Didn’t stir.

Didn’t even flinch.

My hands trembled as I cradled her. My heart shattered and twisted and screamed. And then my wolf broke through, howling in agony, rage, and helpless fury all at once.

The roar that tore from my throat was not human.

It was wild.

Savage.

Unforgiving.

The battle around me froze for a split second. Every rogue, every wolf, every creature in earshot felt the force of it. Trees shook. Birds scattered. The earth seemed to pause.

Because they knew.

The Alpha had found his mate.

And they had hurt her.

They would pay.

I looked up, my eyes burning gold, teeth bared. Bloodlust hummed through my veins. But just before I could unleash hell, I felt movement.

A figure stepped from the shadows beyond the tree line, calm, deliberate. Tall, with dark eyes like obsidian and the scent of rot clinging to his skin. He didn’t fight. Didn’t flinch.

He was watching me.

The rogue master.

"I told them not to harm her," he said coldly, arms folded. "But she was stubborn. Reckless. You know how she is."

I growled low, ready to charge, but he raised a hand—not in fear, but as if sharing a final truth.

"Her wolf is awake," he said.

Those four words landed like a thunderclap.

"She’ll come back," he added, voice low, eyes piercing mine. "Looking for answers. And when she does, try not to stop her."

He turned away, disappearing into the woods, but his last words haunted the air like a curse.

"Because this... is where she belongs. Maybe then she’ll forgive you for lying to her."