Chapter 4

Dante.

I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the pool area. All my guests and employees were already gone. Only Kayden and Kieran stood rigidly in front of me. However, Kieran’s eyes wandered past me while Kayden looked at me with a layer of guilt on his face.

“Where is she?” I asked, faking the calmness even though I only wanted to scream right now.

Kayden and Kieran exchanged glances a few times.

“I’m asking.”

“I’m still looking for her.”

“WHERE IS SHE, KAYDEN?!” Gone was the calmness I fought hard to keep.

“She escaped.”

Kayden’s words rang so loud in my head that I felt the world spinning around me. She escaped. My mate. My fucking mate was gone when I just got her. Ace snarled in anger, and I could feel him trying to control my body, which was not a good sign.

‘Calm down,’ I said to him.

‘You fucking lost her, Dante. I’m going to kill your useless Beta and Gamma.’

‘Don’t! I swear to Moon Goddess, you will never get to see her again if you do that. I promise you the moment you hurt them, I will never let you hold the rein again.’

‘Don’t talk as if you can control me. We know you can’t.’

‘Fuck you! Be patient, Ace. We will get her.’

‘You better be, or your dear friends will die. I will chew them like meat.’

“Alpha Dante!” Kieran stepped forward, hands up in the air. “Calm down, okay? We will find her.”

“Call the manager for tonight’s party,” I ordered after negotiating with Ace.

Soon after, Kieran returned with a man who looked to be in his mid-forty. He smiled, making his already wrinkled face turn so bad to see.

Looking at the name tag on his left chest, I read, “Harrison.”

“Mr. Verlice, it’s an honor to meet you.” He extended his hand, offering a handshake, which I ignored.

“Adrianne. Bring her to me this instant.”

Bewilderment flashed on Harrison’s face, and he looked for help from Kieran and Kayden.

“Mr. Verlice?” He said nervously when he didn’t get a response from my beta and gamma.

“NOW!” I barked, making Harrison run like his ass was on fire.

After that man went out, I sat on the deck chair with my legs crossed while eying Kieran and Kayden.

“How did she escape?”

“I’m still looking for it. I’ve checked all the CCTV, but she evaded most of them except in the venue. She is skilled. That time, she was busy working, and when I turned to call you, she vanished.” Kayden explained.

“She is interesting. I thought she’d be the weak type.” Kieran smirked.

She wasn’t. I never once believed she was the fragile type. The fact that she was my mate meant she was my equal, and knowing how Ace, I always thought our mate would be a fighter.

The door to the pool area cracked open, showing Harrison dragging someone, which was supposed to be Adrianne. I stood up and went straight to him.

“Mr. Verlice, this is Adrianne,” Harrison said, then shoved the lowly human to my face.

Before me was a human. A fucking human.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m Adrianne,” she replied with her head hung low.

“You are not the one I met.” The realization came too late, and I could only laugh. “She didn’t correct me when I said the wrong name. That female — she tricked me without batting an eye.”

Once again, I laughed, but it wasn’t out of amusement. I was beyond pissed knowing that I had lowered my guard so easily and let her make a fool of me. Adrianne, or whatever her name was, she just put a target on her back. I would never give up until I found her and made her submit to me.

“How long have you been working in my hotel, Adrianne?” I clenched her neck after finishing my words.

“Two—two years, Sir.”

“That should be enough for you to know the rules, correct?” Her body trembled, yet she still responded to my words by nodding lightly. “Then you know that it’s against the rules to hire someone to work under your name.”

“I’m so—“

“But you still did it, anyway. Do you know what happens to those who disobey the rule, Adrianne?” My face leaned closer to her, then whispered. “They got killed.” And I threw her harshly until her back met the wall.

In a panic, Harrison went to her and helped her to stand. Oh, little did they know they would never get the chance to leave my sight. Incompetent people like them didn’t deserve a second chance.

“Go away!” I heard Kayden instruct Harrison and Adrianne.

“What? But Mr. Verlice—“

“Get the hell out if you still want your heart to beat. Now.” Kieran yelled.

“Alpha Dante, calm down. We will find her for you. She will return to your arms soon.” Kayden took a step toward me while holding the gun in his holster.

‘Fool. Fool. To think a young female managed to trick you.’ Ace growled again. I could feel his anger pushed me to the brink of madness.

“Alpha Dante—No, Dante, we are still at the hotel. We can’t risk anyone seeing you right now. Calm down, okay? You can do whatever you want after we return to our pack.”

“Alpha Dante?!”

Kayden and Kieran’s faces paled after I let out a ferocious growl, and then the next moment, I felt my bone crack, and Ace finally showed himself to the others after a long time.

Ace lunged forward, ignoring the fact that the people he wanted to attack were his own people. There was no reasoning with Ace. If he wanted them dead because of anger, they’d die. I had never mastered to control him to the fullest. All this time, I had to negotiate with him whenever something ticks Ace’s anger. So far, it had been successful, but our mate was his last straw.

“Fuck. We don’t have a choice here. Shoot him.”

“I know, but—“

Kayden and Kieran’s voices were getting low, but I knew what they were planning to do. There was a protocol that only my Beta and Gamma knew—once I shifted in the presence of anyone else, they should shoot me with silver bullets. Unless my shifting happened under an emergency situation, they should obey that rule.

“No buts, Kieran. Prepare your gun.”

Ace didn’t give them the luxury to talk anymore. He went straight to Kieran, who was still distracted, and attacked him. Ace’s sharp claw pierced through Kieran’s flesh. Blood dripped to the ground, making Ace growl in satisfaction.

Ace was about to pounce on Kieran to end his life, but then the sound of gunfire and the pain in Ace’s leg made him lose his focus. Another bullet penetrated Ace’s legs, and we finally fell miserably.

“Shit! Ace is going to kill us the moment he gets the chance to shift.”

“I know, Kieran. You don’t have to voice it. Let’s pray hard so Dante can shield us from Ace’s anger.”

I heard them talking, but their voice sounded so far away. My vision got blurry with each passing second until darkness greeted me.

***

“Tell me something good,” I said as soon as Kieran entered my home office.

Almost a month since the incident happened, and so far, I got nothing. It was frustrating and maddening that she could hide from my people this long. I didn’t like this situation at all. Ace was getting angrier each day, and I wasn’t in a good condition to cater to his intense emotions. The only one who could end our miserable situation was our mate.

“You have an invitation from Cresent Pack. The Alpha—Richard — offers you two lands for an alliance with us.”

“I have to pass.”

“Richard also says we can ask anything from them as long as it’s plausible. They really wanted this alliance.”

That’s unusual. As far as I knew, Richard’s pack rarely sought an alliance. Now, not only was he asking for mine, but he was desperate for it, too.

“What’s their situation that made them so desperate to have us on board with them? I don’t remember Crescent Pack ever being involved in a conflict that needs our assistance.”

Kieran pulled the chair before me and sat comfortably, then explained, “For the past few months, they have been losing their members. They suspect that a bigger pack wanted to take their territory, so they started by taking the pack members.”

“Their pack members might leave voluntarily, though.”

“That’s what I told Richard, but he debunked my words by stating the ones who left are notable for their loyalty. Richard claimed their bond is strong enough that his members won’t leave the pack without notice.”

“Loyalty is quite tricky, you see. Sometimes, they claimed to be your ride or die, and other times, they’d stabbed you in the back when you least expected it.”

I knew someone who pledged to shield me, but turned his back on me without a second thought.

Before my mind went to a dangerous territory, I stopped myself.

“Besides, taking pack members is a risky move and needs a lot of resources. I don’t believe that other pack would use that tactics,” Kieran added.

“That’s true, but wolves can be a little unpredictable. Pass me his proposal.” Kayden handed me the file. “So, have you found something about Adrianne?”

“Unfortunately, no. She is good. I have to give it to her.”

“She probably did it all of her life. Running and hiding from the limelight, I mean,” I replied, as though it didn’t bother me that much.

“Do you want us to continue?”

“You think I will stop?”

“Then you better let Ayla know that you’ve met your mate. And please, free me from bodyguard duty.”

“I’ll let her know after meeting Adrianne again. As for your duty, I’ll think about it.”

“Dante!”

“Don’t use that tone with me, Kieran. I’m your Alpha.” I stood up, took the blurry picture of my mate, and put it in my pocket. “Inform Richard that I’ll meet him in two days.”

***

Crescent Pack was in Elko, and it probably took six hours to arrive by car. The surrounding area was better than the last time I visited. I expected Richard to bring me into his pack area, but he brought me to an underground fight club.

“You have a peculiar taste of place, Alpha Richard,” I muttered while looking at how messy the place looked like. The fence that circled the arena was so old that I feared it would fall during the fight.

“This is the best place in town, Alpha Dante. Talking about our deal amid humans fighting for money is the best cover for our track. So, what do you say about my proposal?”

Looking at him, I noticed he balled his fists, and his feet kept knocking on the ground. He must be scared of the possibility of getting rejected. “Interesting offer. First, I need to know, do you have an enemy? One that loathes you to the point of ruining your pack?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Fair enough. I’ll let you have four of my best enforces. They will guard your pack and look for the culprit behind the missing case. If they sense everything happened because of a mere pack fight, I’ll take them back. You can talk with my Beta about the rest of the deal.”

“Understood. Thank you, Alpha Dante.”

“We’ve come to the highlight of the night. The legend Carlo versus the three streak winner, Diana.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night, Alpha Richard. I’ll get—Adrianne?” I stopped in my tracks, eying the small female who entered the arena with her chin held high like she knew she was above everyone. “So now your name is Diana, huh?”

“You know her? She is new. She fought the best fighter for the past three days and won. That’s why she stands against Carlo now.”

“Win or not, I want her to fight with my people after this round ends.”

“It never happened before. Besides, we can’t let a human fight us.”

Human, he said. I almost laughed at him. He was so focused on the deal that he didn't realize she wasn't a human.

“I don’t care, Richard. Make it happen, or I’ll cancel the deal.”

“I’ll let them know.” Richard ran to and spoke to the organizer.

I turned to Kieran, who grinned at me as if he knew what I had in mind. “Kieran, you fight her for me. Be serious, but don’t hurt her too much.”