Chapter Six

Maddox's POV

My head sank into the pillow. A cinder block probably weighed less than my sleep-deprived brain. I reluctantly inched an eye open. A burnt orange glow seeped through the crisp white blinds.

I bolted upright, my eyes darting around the room and my heart pounding hard.

"We're at Cedar Wood," Shadow snapped. "And our mate is missing."

I pressed my hand over my eyes blocking out the bright spring sunrise and yawned. Shadow kept me up most of the night, demanding something terrible had happened to his mate, pleading with me to find her. I relented at 3 am, delirious with exhaustion and scoured the packhouse. Her scent lingered in the kitchen and dining room and along an ominous narrow hallway but there wasn't a single trace of her in the sleeping quarters.

"You don't find that strange." Shadow snapped in my sleep-addled head as I went over my foggy memories from the night before.

"Maybe she has her own place," I shrugged rubbing my temples. My stomach knotted. Wolves live in packs.

"Bull," Shadow barked. "You're as worried as me. Drag your sorry ass out of bed and let's go find her."

I eased out of the bed, the bare cedar wood floor was cold underfoot. Once more we scoured the packhouse and once more we found nothing. Not a single trace.

"Alright," I conceded. "We will go to Alpha Patrick."

"And rip his throat out."

"No!" Shadow shrivelled at my roar. My brain vibrated. "No violence," I said softly. "Not yet. We need evidence, Shadow. We have to lead. As much as would love to tear the entire wacky pack to bits we can't. We can bring them to justice if we have proof they've hurt her and believe me, we will but we cannot go around slaying Alpha's without proof of wrongdoing."

"Fine," he skulked around, pacing back and forth but he accepted my leadership. Much as I wished for the opposite on a daily basis Shadow wasn't in charge, I was and what he wanted would rip what little peace my people had to shreds. 

But if they've hurt her... My fists clenched so tight my knuckles whitened. 

Blake and Lena agreed to come with us to question Alpha Patrick. as Gamma male and female of my pack they didn't exactly outrank Alpha Patrick but he should show them the same respect he would show me. We strutted through Cedar with our shoulders back, me in front, Blake and Lena behind me.

I reached Alpha's Patrick's door.

"This house is bigger than the packhouse?" I said to Lena and Blake.

"This house used to be the packhouse before Alpha Patrick took over," Blake said.

As a soldier, I never attended multipack meetings and parties like Blake did. Not until I was Alpha. I was always fighting, running peacekeeping missions or training. Since the White Wolf pack were slaughtered my people had been at war. It was the murder of my Alpha, my father, which put an end to my career. A rogue Alpha prowled my territory, killing off the most powerful Alpha's one by one, bringing chaos and war to our world. 

My mate's scent permeated the air. It didn't bring me comfort. She shouldn't have been secreted away in the Alpha's house. She should have been where she belonged with her pack.

My fist slammed hard into the door. It shook in its frame. The thunderous hammering of my fist off the heavy cedarwood door echoed through the forest. Birds took flight, screeching in panic. the woodland was silent but for my fist against the door.

The gamma male opened the door. He stunk of blood and of my mate. Shadow bared his fangs. It took every ounce of strength I had to keep him under control.

"I'm here for Alpha Patrick," I snapped. "And bring me the serving girl from last night. She's mine." I barged into the hallway, knocking the gamma aside. Blake and Lena followed me.

"Th-th-the serving girl?" The colour drained from his face, "I-I-I think she's busy."

"I don't give a fuck if she's busy. Bring her."

"Yes, Sir," he turned, head down and scuttled into the belly of the house. I found Alpha Patrick's office and made myself comfortable in his seat, resting my boots on his pristine desk. Not a thing was out of place. The windows and surfaces shone under the morning sun. Fresh flowers filled strategically placed vases. His Luna cared deeply about her house, she must spend every waking minute cleaning. That or they pay a team of cleaners a fortune while their pack can't afford decent clothes. Their priorities were screwed.

Lena tapped her manicured nails off the desk. Blake paced the room sighing. Another minute passed. And another. Tick tock, tick tock, the grandfather clock in the corner teased. 

"Should I go and find someone?" Blake asked, eyeing the unmoving door.

"Give them two more minutes and we all will," I said. "Hopefully they're finding my mate."

"So you agree with Shadow?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "There's something about her scent. It fills this place. It's warm, calming, addictive."

"I think she's sweet," Lena offered.

My last girlfriend was tall, curvy and outspoken. The entire pack wanted her as their mate. She left me when she was mated to a Mountain Creek Omega. He actually asked my permission, like I was powerful enough to disobey the Moon Goddess' wishes. She chose our mates and our nature ensured we found them irresistible. A mate bond was like nothing else in the world. A wolf could literally die of heartache if their mate rejected them.

The door swung open. Patrick stumbled in, his face red and clammy. 

"Alpha Maddox," he offered me his sweat-soaked hand. 

"The serving girl, my mate, where is she?" I snapped ignoring his hand. His shoulders slumped. He kicked his foot against the floor. 

"Gone, Sir. We found her room empty this morning, all her belongings gone. My Gamma and Beta are scouring the forest for her as we speak."

I rose to my feet, fists clenched, jaw tight. 

"Sir, if I may," he said refusing to meet my eye, "with all due respect to yourself and the Moon Goddess, she's not mate material. There's been a misunderstanding. The girl, she doesn't even have a wolf and the pack is afraid of her. She visits the rouge's territory whenever we take our eyes off her. Sir, she's a traitor. The Moon Goddess wouldn't mate someone as powerful as yourself with a traitor."

"So, you've got a traitor in your midst and you failed to report it to me?" I walked around the desk. Blake and Lena closed in on him. He hugged his chubby arms around his bulging stomach. 

"I, We-we, there was never any proof, Sir," his face turned from red to lily-white, his eyes remained on the floor and his shoulders hunched. "And truth be told, I didn't want to believe it. Sir, I raised the wee girl myself, took her into my family as my own, loved her like a daughter. When the pack came to me with their concerns I refused to believe but the signs were all there."

"Why aren't you using her name? She must have a name," I tilted my head, studying his reaction. 

"I-I, we call her Lucille, Sir, after my wife."

"Take me to your packhouse. I will question your pack."

"Yes, Sir. I'll make the arrangements."

"NOW!"

Blake and Lena followed me to the door. I wasn't giving him time to get his story straight with the rest of the pack. My mate was no traitor. And I would find her if I had to search every state, every country in the world I would find her and I would bring those who wronged her to justice.