Chapter 38

DANTE

The shrill, piercing sound of the attack alarm cut through the air like a blade, a shockwave of cold that slammed into my chest. The world seemed to freeze for a moment, and then everything erupted.

A maid walked in without a knock and the look on her face says it all, something was going on

I barely had time to register the noise before my body was already in motion, driven by a primal urgency I couldn’t control my body was at the door before I even knew it was. My heart hammered in my chest as I shot to my feet, adrenaline pumping through me, every muscle in my body screaming to move faster.

The Luna’s meeting had been so close, just a few moments ago but why in the world didn’t we hear anything before, how could we possibly not hear anything when we were just minutes away, I had been hunched over reports, the quiet ticking off the clock in the background. Now, chaos had descended on us. I could feel the weight of something dreadful settling over me, like a storm cloud ready to burst. My mind was struggling to catch up, but my instincts were already in overdrive.

"Leah," I whispered under my breath, the word feeling like a prayer. A shudder passed through me. My gut twisted with a fear I couldn’t shake. Was she safe? Was she in danger? I had to get to her, no matter what.

Though everything in me was screaming for me to believe this woman was safe and that she could fight her way though this and though I do know she could but I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right and I hated that feeling

The doors to the hallway flew open with a crash, and I surged into the chaos, my boots thundering against the stone floors as I moved. My breath was sharp and erratic, my thoughts a blur. The air felt thick, charged with tension and fear, and I couldn’t shake the nagging thought that something was terribly wrong.

As I rounded the corner, the sounds hit me, clashing swords, and desperate shouts, wolves growling and barking. My stomach sank. This wasn’t just a skirmish; it was an attack, a full-scale assault. My instincts told me that. But what shook me to my core was the realization that I wasn’t seeing the one person I needed to see.

I pushed forward, my eyes frantically scanning the battlefield. My heart skipped a beat when I didn’t see her. Leah should have been here, right in the middle of it, fighting beside the others. She was fierce, fiercer than anyone I knew, and she wouldn’t run. So why wasn’t she here?

My blood ran cold as panic gripped me. "Where is she?" My voice came out low, a growl, as I grabbed the first person I could find, a guard who was barely standing.

The guard recoiled, his face pale, sweat beading on his forehead. "Your majesty... I don’t know. We were overwhelmed. The attack came too fast. We didn’t expect it.”

Frustration boiled in my veins, my fists clenching at my sides. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t lose her. Not like this.

I barely registered what the guard said as I turned away, my eyes now zeroing in on the Sun City Luna, standing off to the side, barking orders to his pack. His posture was stiff, but there was a hesitation in his eyes. My hands itched to grab him, to demand answers, to find Leah.

I stormed toward him, my steps quick and deliberate. “Did you see her?” I demanded my voice low and menacing.

Luna Hannah looked up at me, confusion clouding her gaze. “I... I didn’t see her. The attack, everything happened too quickly.”

I wasn’t listening to her excuses. Rage exploded in me like wildfire without think I pushed her against the wall not caring about the entire commotion happening and how bodies were laying around

“find my wife or I will skin you live” I growled in her face and fear took the best of her expression but I honestly didn’t care, I have never manhandled woman on purpose but this was my wife we were talk about, any other person could really go to hell for all I care

I turned away after letting go of her, eyes scanning the battlefield once more. My breath came in ragged bursts, my heart pounding with the desperation I couldn’t seem to control. I needed to find her. I had to. Nothing else mattered.

A flash of movement caught my eye. Hans. He was pushing through the crowd, his face pale, his expression strained. My heart gave a sickening jolt. He was searching for something, or someone. My pulse quickened.

I moved toward him without thinking, my feet pounding the stone floors as I made my way through the chaos. A rogue swung a blade at me, but I sidestepped it effortlessly, eyes locked on Hans. I had to know if he’d seen Leah.

“Did you find her?” My voice was low, urgent, as I reached him.

Hans wiped the blood from his forehead, his expression grim. But there was something in his eyes, something off. I could see it, and it twisted something deep inside me.

“No,” he said, his voice tight, betraying an emotion I couldn’t place. “I’ve searched everywhere, your majesty, there’s no sign of her.”

My heart sank, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. No sign of her. My hands balled into fists, rage building up so intensely that I could barely breathe. Where the hell was she? What had happened?

“She was taken,” I whispered, the words slipping from my mouth before I could stop them.

Hans’s face tightened, but he nodded, a grave look crossing his face. “We’ll find her. We have to.”

But I wasn’t listening anymore. I was already moving, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and rage. I had no time for anything but Leah.

“Where is the Owen?” I snapped, cutting Hans off mid-sentence. I couldn’t waste another second and that idiot knew every corner of thus pack because it was his after all

Hans didn’t argue. “He’s... over there. Still giving orders...”

I barely heard him. My body was already in motion, fury propelling me forward. Owen hadn’t seen Leah, hadn’t secured the area. His failure had led to this moment, and now I would make him pay.

I found him standing at the edge of the chaos, still barking orders like nothing was wrong. His back was to me, but he didn’t stay that way for long. The second I reached him, I shoved my dagger against his throat, pressing it in with enough force to make him gasp.

“You failed,” I growled, my voice deadly quiet. “You failed me. You failed Leah.”

The Alpha’s face drained of color as he stammered. “I...I didn’t...”

“You will tell me where she is,” I hissed, my voice like ice as I pressed the blade harder into his skin. “We all had trusted you will be a perfect host but you left your borders loosen knowing we were all here, when this is over and I do not find my wife consider your title gone, search every corner of the place”

Before he could say another word, a distant cry broke through the noise, a rogue dying, and his breath shallow and rattling. My eyes flicked toward the sound, my senses heightened. I rushed toward it, with Owen long forgotten, the rogue lay on the ground, blood pooling around him. His eyes were glazed, but he managed to speak, his words barely a rasp as life slipped away from him.

“Her majesty…” he whispered, his voice ragged but I could see the smile that flatters upon his face “She… she was… delivered to Victor.”

My heart stilled as I

looked at the rogue on the floor, it couldn’t be possible, that bastard couldn’t be here and I wouldn’t know but then again when this whole thing started we didn’t know because we were locked up inside the room

“Where is she?” I growled my voice hoarse, desperate. I couldn’t possible believe this bastard so easily

The rogue’s eyes flickered once more, and with his final breath, he managed to croak out one last word.

“Victor…”

The body went limp, and the world around me seemed to blur. The battlefield fell silent. And in that silence, I knew what I had to do, I didn’t. All I could really see was blood and nothing else, I couldn’t kill him I knew I couldn’t but what if they don’t reach Victor first, they must be close

Without thinking I jumped into the car with speed and drove out so fast and I caught a glimpse of Hans looking at him but I didn’t even spare him a glance because that bastard had Leah

Leah was with Victor. And I would tear the world apart to get her back no matter the cost