Twenty six

**SANDRINO’S POV**

I dropped the last paper from the stack onto my desk, the clutter mirroring the chaos in my mind. Standing, I crossed the room to the window and stared out, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. My wolf clawed at the mental barrier I had set up, his growls reverberating through my thoughts, demanding freedom. But I wouldn't relent. I couldn’t. 

He wanted me to go after her. The human. The one who—despite her frailty—had managed to carve her mark into us. He wanted to protect her, to keep her close. Her stupid disadvantage of the mark.

It was as if my wolf had forgotten.

Forgotten that she was the reason our sister was gone.

The reminder sliced through me like a blade. My wolf’s instincts were betraying us both, shackled by the bond she’d forced upon us. I slammed my palms against the cold steel bars of the window, my frustration simmering. We should have left her to rot in the dungeon, extracting every ounce of truth until she confessed to her crimes and revealed where they had hidden my sister’s body. But no. My wolf—fool that he was—didn’t want that.

To placate him, I had taken a different route: mental torture. The maids had been eager to “welcome” the human into their midst. I gave them permission to break her, in every way that didn’t leave a physical mark. Yet, despite their relentless torment, she hadn’t cracked. She was tougher than I’d anticipated. Was her fragility a facade? A cunning act designed to disarm us?

 I also did my best not to see her. It would be harder to retain my wolf. But I ensured that Kingsley kept a close eye on her and report back to me. 

 Alex believed her innocence, but I wasn’t so naïve. I wouldn’t let a mere human outwit me.

The door swung open without warning, and I turned, my irritation flaring. 

"What is it now?" I snapped, turning around, only to find Alex standing there, his calm demeanor aggravating me further. 

He closed the door behind him and dropped into the chair across from me, studying me with an exasperating mix of patience and pity.

"How long do you plan to keep this up?" he asked, his voice low but firm.

"Keep what up?" I replied, feigning ignorance, though I knew exactly what he meant. He was going to talk about the human.

Alex leaned forward, his piercing gaze unwavering. “You know what I’m talking about. The girl. How long will you continue this… this torment? Can’t you see what you’re doing to her? You’re breaking her."

I scoffed, the sound bitter in the air. 

“She’s far from broken. The maids are just playing games with her. She deserves worse.”

“And what does that accomplish? What’s the point?” he countered, his tone sharper now. “Is this about your sister or your pride?”

“What do you want from me, Alex? To trust her? To believe her lies?” My voice rose, fueled by anger. “You’re letting her fool you. She’s nothing.”

"Besides, what is it to you, Alex? You have so much interest in the girl and you care for her safety? Is she something to you?",

Alex’s expression hardened. “She’s your mate.”

The words were like a slap, cutting through my anger and leaving behind a raw ache I didn’t want to acknowledge.

 “She is nothing to me,” I said, my voice trembling with barely restrained fury. 

“Then why didn’t you stop her? When she marked you, why didn’t you push her away?”

“It wasn’t my choice,” I ground out, slamming my fist onto the desk. “That mark means nothing.”

“You’re lying to yourself,” Alex said quietly. 

“You’re letting your anger blind you, Sandrino. And it’s going to cost you. The maids will take things far, Sandrino. You gave them someone weaker than them. They see her as a toy. They won't have boundaries",

"They have instructions not to inflict bodily harm", 

I already told them. Nobody would go against me.

What was your exact instruction to them? To not physically hurt her?",

"To only torture her," I said simply but then I realized I never stated that they shouldn't hurt her physically. 

My heart twisted in fear for a second but, I quickly dismissed the thought. I didn't care what they did. As long as she wasn't killed, they could do whatever they wanted to her.

My mark burned at that thought and I scratched at it with annoyance. I wish there was a way to get it off my skin permanently.

"No" my wolf growled and I shut him out.

Nathan was right. I should have pushed her off and not let her mark me. Perhaps then, I wouldn't be dealing with these conflicting thoughts. But I'll not admit that I let her mark me because I was scared she was going to mark someone else with all the biting she was doing. 

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. I had made a foolish decision and now I was dealing with the consequences.

"The way you are going about this....I don't want you to regret anything",

"I will have no regret Nathan. She won't even be here for long. When I find my sister...I" 

Before I could complete my sentence, the door burst open again, and Kingsley stumbled in, his face pale. 

“What now?” I growled, the intrusion amplifying my irritation.

"Sorry for barging in alpha... Nathan”, he began, his voice shaky

 “I had stepped out for a few minutes, so ..so…”, he stuttered.

“Speak, Kingsley. I don't have much time to spare!!”, I yelled in frustration.

“I took my eyes off the human girl",

In a swift movement, I jotted up from my chair, feeling Nathan's gaze on me as he gave me a questioning look. So I quickly composed myself.

"I gave you a specific instruction to keep an eye on her," I tried to sound calm although I was itching to screanm at him.

"It was really important and it was only for a few minutes. But when I returned, she was gone”, 

The world tilted.

 “What did you just say?” I demanded, my voice a dangerous whisper. 

“I’ve searched everywhere,” Kingsley stammered. 

“The maids haven’t seen her either. I'm afraid she..she must have ran away.”

Rage surged through me, hot and unrelenting. I slammed my fists onto the desk, the wood splintering under the force. 

“Never!!!. Send the guards. Search the grounds. Search the forest. She could not have gone too far. Bring her back to me. Now.”

Kingsley bowed and fled, leaving me trembling with fury. How dare she think she could escape me? She belonged to me, whether I wanted her or not. 

“You know how to find her,” Alex said, his voice cutting through the storm in my mind.

I glared at him. "I don't have time for this" I tried to push past him but he stopped me.

“Stay out of this, Nathan”

Really, if he wasn't my uncle. I would have killed him a long time ago.

“Use the bond,” he pressed. 

“No!!…Never!!.”

“It’s the only way, Sandrino.”

“I said no!” I roared, pushing past him and heading for the forest. But hours of searching yielded nothing. Her scent was faint, dissipating like smoke in the wind. My wolf clawed at me, desperate and restless. 

“The bond,” he growled. 

I never wanted to do this, but I guess it was the only choice left. Reluctantly, I gave in, reaching for the connection I had tried so hard to ignore. At first, It was weak, but it was there, pulling me back toward the pack house. The trail led me to an abandoned well on the outskirts of the grounds. 

A cold dread settled over me as I approached, the bond’s pull stronger now. Leaning over the edge, I peered into the darkness. My wolf’s vision sharpened, cutting through the shadows.

There, at the bottom of the well, was water. Red, swirling water. And beneath the surface… a body.

“She’s down there,” my wolf whispered, his voice a low growl of despair.

My heart twisted. For the first time, doubt crept in, threatening to unravel everything I thought I knew.