The forest was still dark when the hunt began.
A thin mist hung between the trees, drifting slowly over the ground like silent ghosts. The air smelled of damp earth, pine… and something faint.
Fairy magic.
Kael stood at the edge of the pack territory, his tall frame motionless beneath the fading moonlight. His golden eyes were focused somewhere far beyond the trees, his senses stretched to their limit.
Somewhere out there…
His mate was running.
And every instinct inside him screamed to find her.
Now.
Behind him, the pack gathered quietly.
Soren adjusted the strap of the blade on his back, watching his Alpha carefully.
Rowan leaned against a tree, arms crossed, though the tension in his posture was obvious.
Even the younger wolves stayed silent.
Everyone could feel it.
Kael wasn't just angry.
He was dangerous.
Ayara stepped forward slowly, her long silver hair catching faint moonlight as she studied the forest.
"The bond is still active," she said calmly.
Kael didn't turn around.
"I know."
His voice was low.
Controlled.
But barely.
Soren frowned slightly.
"You can feel her?"
Kael inhaled slowly.
Then nodded once.
"Barely."
The connection between mates was never supposed to feel like this.
Distant.
Fading.
Like someone had deliberately tried to hide it.
His jaw tightened.
"She masked her scent," he muttered.
Rowan whistled quietly.
"That takes serious magic."
Ayara's eyes darkened slightly.
"She's a fairy of the Court."
"Masking magic is one of their oldest tricks."
Kael finally turned around.
His gaze swept across the pack.
"We're splitting into three patrol groups."
Soren straightened immediately.
"North forest."
Rowan nodded.
"I'll take the west ridge."
Kael's eyes moved to Ayara last.
"You're with me."
Ayara tilted her head slightly.
"Of course."
Her golden wolf stirred beneath the surface of her calm expression.
Because she could feel something else in the wind.
Something wrong.
Something dangerous.
Kael stepped into the forest first.
The pack followed.
Branches cracked softly beneath their boots as they moved deeper between the tall trees.
The mate bond tugged faintly in Kael's chest.
Not strong.
But enough.
Enough to guide him.
His wolf growled quietly inside his mind.
Find her.
Kael's fingers flexed slowly.
He remembered the way she looked last night.
The softness in her eyes.
The sadness hidden beneath it.
Something twisted painfully in his chest.
You planned this.
The realization was becoming impossible to ignore.
She hadn't run in panic.
She had chosen to leave.
After becoming his mate.
After letting him mark her.
Kael's expression darkened.
"Lia…"
His voice came out like a warning carried by the wind.
They walked for almost an hour before Ayara suddenly stopped.
Kael noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Ayara's eyes had gone distant.
Not seeing the forest anymore.
Seeing something else.
Something far away.
"Vision," she whispered.
Kael's body tensed instantly.
"What did you see?"
Ayara closed her eyes briefly.
When she opened them again, her voice was quieter.
"Fire."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"Explain."
Ayara inhaled slowly.
"I saw Lia."
Kael took a step forward immediately.
"Where?"
Ayara shook her head.
"I couldn't see the location."
Her expression grew darker.
"But she wasn't alone."
A cold silence fell between them.
Kael's voice dropped.
"Fairy Court?"
Ayara nodded once.
"Yes."
But there was something else in her eyes.
Something she wasn't saying.
Kael noticed.
"What else?"
Ayara hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then she spoke.
"There was blood."
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Kael's wolf exploded with rage.
A deep growl vibrated in his chest as his claws extended.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly under the pressure of his Alpha aura.
"They found her."
Soren's voice came through the communication link from the north patrol.
"Alpha?"
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Everyone regroup."
His golden eyes burned with deadly focus.
"We're accelerating the hunt."
Rowan's voice came next.
"Did you find something?"
Kael's voice turned cold.
"Yes."
Ayara watched him quietly.
"Are you sure you're thinking clearly?"
Kael looked at her.
For a moment, something dark flickered in his expression.
"No."
His voice was honest.
Completely honest.
"I'm not."
His claws dug into the bark of the nearest tree.
"But that doesn't change anything."
Ayara raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Kael's eyes lifted slowly toward the horizon.
Toward wherever the mate bond was pulling him.
And his voice dropped into something far more dangerous than anger.
"If the Fairy Court touched my Luna…"
The tree trunk cracked loudly under his grip.
"…they just started a war."
Far away…
Golden fairy magic flickered weakly in the distance.
And Lia kept running.
Unaware that the Alpha who had claimed her was now tearing through the forest to find her.