For hours, Fenris's hope has begun to slowly, agonizingly crumble.
The longer the minutes drag on, the clearer it becomes that he is chasing shadows.
They had managed to trace the trophy, only to discover it had been sold just an hour earlier.
Sold and gone. They had missed him again, and the only detail they could scrape from the shopkeeper was that the seller had been a striking young man with pinkish strands of hair.
That same man had told the shopkeeper the trophy was the only thing he had inherited from his late father, and that he couldn't bear to keep it because it reminded him too much of the sorrow he carried.
That it haunted him. That it pulled at memories he was desperate to escape.
He hadn't used a phone. No digital transaction, no traceable payment method. He knew better, likely aware that any slip would make him easy to find. And clearly, Fenris had underestimated him, and now it stung. He thought...
Fenris's hand clenched around the gear shift. His fingers tightened so hard the knuckles whitened, then released, then tightened again, but nothing helped.
The sharp bite of his nails into his palm didn't dull the frustration coursing through him.
So the brat is a liar on top of everything else--he can craft a sob story and wear it like a second skin, make strangers believe it is real.
And yet, despite the sharp edge of Fenris's anger, the moment the shopkeeper started describing the seller's features, Fenris's wolf stirred.
The wolf, which had dulled and withdrawn for some hours since the encounter with the dancer, had snapped to attention, the moment it heard that description.
That single image, half-formed and blurry, had clawed in Fenris's mind. His wolf had surged, pacing inside him, pressing against the walls of his ribs like it wanted out. Wanted to chase.
And Fenris hadn't been able to stop imagining that one image... pinkish strands, fair skin, lips that might've been red or pink or something between... had burned itself into his thoughts.
His mind kept circling back to it, kept building it out even when he didn't want to. Even when he had slammed the door shut on the thought again and again.
But now, even sitting in his parked car beside a dim, empty road, those thoughts haven't left him alone.
If only I had my strength... my instincts... my speed...
His nails dig again into the heel of his palm.
If I had everything that once made me Alpha, I would've found that brat in seconds.
He thinks bitterly.
He hates this, hates being trapped in a car, forced to depend on the car, the slow human movement and dulled senses to hunt someone this slippery, this cautious, this infuriatingly hard to pin down. He grits his teeth.
But what choice does he have?! No wolf speed, no strength, no instincts.
Even after hours of combing the streets, circling the same routes, chasing every faint thread of scent like it might lead somewhere, there's still nothing. Not a single trace.
"It's almost seven o'clock," Jeremy finally mutters from the passenger seat, his voice low and cautious like he is treading on cracked glass.
He clearly feels the tension radiating from Fenris like heat, and he doesn't want to risk setting it off.
"You can go back," Fenris says flatly, eyes still fixed forward.
Jeremy doesn't move right away. He sits still, his hands resting tensely on his knees, like he wants to say something but doesn't know how to begin.
He clearly wants to ask what comes next. What if ten o'clock arrives and Fenris isn't back?
What if the people have already gathered at the pack house, and Callum has taken his place?
But in the end, Jeremy doesn't say a word. He simply nods once, quietly, and gets out of the car. He hesitates for a moment before walking away, like he doesn't want to leave, but he still goes.
The moment Jeremy puts distance behind him, he shifts into his wolf form, pushing his speed to the limit.
He has to get back to the pack house early, hoping to get things under control, maybe even find an excuse to cover for Fenris.
But he only makes it back a little after seven. Even though the announcement clearly stated the event would begin at ten, the pack house is already bursting with activity.
The building itself glows with light and movement, while the grounds outside are packed shoulder to shoulder. From a distance, Jeremy can smell anticipation- thick in the air.
Of course they'd all be here. The great Alpha Fenris hasn't found his mate in twenty-six years, and now suddenly.. he has. Everyone's dying to see who it is. How perfect they must be. Or maybe... to finally understand why the bond never happened until now.
Surely, there must be a huge reason. Even wolves from other packs have arrived to witness it.
Jeremy's heart sinks. There's no way he can defend Fenris against this kind of crowd
, this swarm of wolves. He hadn't expected it to be this massive.
He skirts the edge of the crowd and slips around the side of the pack house, trying to avoid attention.
Inside, through open windows and thin walls, he hears the sharp clink of glasses, the hum of voices, bursts of laughter.. Alphas gathered and talking freely.
"I wonder why Alpha Fenris has to keep us waiting like this," one voice scoffs. "Why disappear for hours when all we want is to see his mate?"
Another voice follows, amused. "Give the man a little grace. He said ten o'clock, didn't he? And anyway... twenty-six years of suppressing heat? That's no joke. He must be needing a little more time with her."
Laughter explodes from the council room, rough and echoing.
Jeremy keeps moving, trying to find another way in.. only to freeze when he catches Callum's voice.
"I told you, Mother! I told you a long time ago that if we were going to do this, we should've stopped him from ever meeting his mate. There's no way the Moon Goddess didn't give him one! But what did you do? You ignored me. Said he didn't have one. And now it's too late. He already found her. Now that Fenris has his wolf and strength back, he's going to be unstoppable!"
"Relax, no matter what... you are going to be the Alpha of this pack." his mother answers coolly. "We have more support than he does. We'll find a way to bring him down. One way or another, we even get rid of that mate of his." Her voice drops into a purr. "Come on. Let's join the other Alphas."
Footsteps echo away from the hallway, fading into the clamor of the house.
Only then does Jeremy remember that he had his phone. He could've recorded that entire conversation.
He slaps a palm to his forehead, cursing under his breath, furious at himself for getting so lost in the shock.