Ch. 17 - Fate or Destiny

Gabe POV

I woke feeling uneasy, cold, and restless. My body ached for Ruby, craving her presence beside me in a way I'd never known before. Something was wrong. The fear hit me like a punch to the gut, something had happened to her. I could feel her sadness, sharper and more intense than before, and it gnawed at me.

As I stumbled into the bathroom to wash my face, my eye caught an envelope shoved under the door. My heart pounded as I tore it open, dread tightening around my chest. Did someone take her? Was she being held ransom? Did they discover why I was truly here?

I read her short message, and rage surged through me like wildfire. How dare she abandon me? It shouldn't even be possible. She was an omega, marked by me, her Alpha, her mate. My entire life, I had been taught that our status held power, that those of higher ranks dominated those beneath them. This fate bond was supposed to be unbreakable, a force binding our souls together. But now, as her defiance burned in my hands,