Lost

PATRICK

I never thought I’d be the guy leaning on a cane to walk, but here I was. The cane was right there, next to my chair in my office, ready to help me out whenever I needed it.

Talk about irony!

But I shouldn’t complain. I’m alive, and so are Eva and the kids. Being weak for a few days isn’t the end of the world.

The poison did a number on me, but thanks to Max’s quick thinking and skills, the damage won’t last forever.

Soon, I’ll be able to toss the cane aside and be as strong as I once was.

Maybe I should keep it though, as a reminder that even my kind can be as vulnerable as humans.

Not weak. Vulnerable. That sounds better.

Maybe getting hurt was a small price to pay. After all, we’ve had the leader of the rogues in our custody for days, and we’re close to catching the real mastermind behind all this chaos.

Everything should be resolved. But it’s not. The first day I got out of the hospital and saw the state of my pack, I wanted to cry. But tears wouldn’t fix anything.

Despite our best efforts, we lost many warriors. And knowing we captured the culprit doesn’t make it any easier.

Because none of us believe that the rogue was the one pulling the strings behind these attacks.

“Alpha Erol wants to be there when you interrogate the rogue,” my beta, Warren, told me.

I smirked.

“Then he’ll be there.” I nodded. “Get Rohan, Cal and Sarah, and Mark and Peter. Tell them to bring their best warriors, but keep it low-key.

“Also, arrange for their stay here, and send some of our men to each pack for security.”

“Understood, Alpha. What about your sons?”

“I’ll handle that. We were lucky that Max turned his basement into a safe place. They couldn’t get to my kids.”

“They nearly tore down the pack house trying to find them,” my beta scoffed.

“Too bad for them.”

“Anything else, Alpha?”

“Yes. Tell Alpha Erol he’s welcome to stay in my pack during his visit. Make the usual arrangements as if we were hosting a real guest.

“And if he asks, all the alphas will be staying here. Make sure he doesn’t suspect anything.”

He nodded and left.

Erol was in for a surprise. He wasn’t supposed to know we caught the leader of the rogues.

The rogues who survived the battle were captured. All but one.

One of my warriors was smart enough to follow him and came back days later, reporting that the rogue had entered Erol’s pack, badly injured.

I was still in the hospital then, but getting better. My beta came to tell me about it.

Our warrior wanted to keep spying on Erol’s pack, but I called him back. His help was invaluable; I wouldn’t risk him getting killed. I’d lost enough men already.

I walked into the hospital, leaning on my cane. My Eva was still there, steadily improving.

She didn’t need oxygen anymore, and Uncle Howie said she’d be out in a few days. I still can’t believe she came out to save me—or more likely, to die with me.

She’s always been the rational one, but this time she must have sensed I was close to death.

She came, and she took the hit for me. That was enough to fuel my anger against those who put us in this situation.

My uncle was with her when I entered her room.

“Any news from Max?” I asked after kissing my mate.

“Not much.” He sighed. “He hasn’t found her yet.”

“When is he coming back from Greece?”

“I don’t know. He said he won’t come home without her.”

I nodded.

I was barely conscious when he left to find Estella. Eva explained, and Uncle Howie explained, but I still couldn’t understand why she left him.

With just an email.

She seemed so happy with him. Her leaving Max didn’t make sense, and I couldn’t blame my cousin for chasing after her.

First, he went to Paris.

He tried her apartment, but she wasn’t there.

Then he found her friend Gabrielle, but apart from getting scolded for knowing she was his mate and not telling her, he didn’t learn much.

Gabrielle told him she couldn’t be in Paris because she had driven her to the airport herself.

But that didn’t prove she’d actually gone home. So, Max decided to try Greece, to talk to Stelios and Elli, and see if she had been in touch with them.

The old couple said the last time they talked to Estella, she told them she was happy. But that was before her trip to Paris.

I don’t know where else he could go, but he’s running out of options. I really hope this is some kind of bad joke on Estella’s part and she’ll come back.

But Eva’s serious expression and my daughter’s reaction to her visions tell me my hopes might be in vain.

ESTELLA

I didn’t know where to go.

And I didn’t care. Not anymore.

All I knew was that I needed to be somewhere Max couldn’t find me, just in case he decided to come after me.

That was probably presumptuous of me. He had his mate now, and I’d soon be a distant memory. But I wanted to be careful.

That’s why I didn’t go to any of the people I loved, the ones who could support me now that I was hurting so much.

I didn’t contact anyone except my aunt and uncle. I texted them to say I’d be off the grid for a while and not to worry, although I knew my uncle would worry anyway.

I also told them I’d broken up with Max.

Then I turned off my phone and threw it away, just to be safe.

I was fighting the urge to call him, to tell him I knew he’d found his mate, and in doing so, break my promise to Delta.

A part of me argued that I didn’t owe anything to a woman I’d only met yesterday, but the hurt in her eyes had shaken me to my core.

Damn my heart! I couldn’t stand it any more than I could stand the pain of leaving him.

But it was done. She was right. Nothing good would come from me going to him. I’d only end up hurting myself more.

Especially if I saw her mark on his neck—the undeniable proof of his betrayal.

But could I really call it betrayal when I knew this day was inevitable?

Sure, he’d told me countless times that I was the only one for him, and I knew he meant it. But he’d underestimated the power of a mate bond.

So here I was.

Lost.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find myself again. I was afraid that something in me had shattered beyond repair because I’d always known that Max was my only love.

Despite everything, that hadn’t changed. But maybe it was too soon. Maybe, with time, it would pass.

In the first hour after I left our—no, his—house, I just walked aimlessly.

Leaving the pack was easy.

Everything was quiet, and no one was around. It was strange, considering the place was usually buzzing with life, with patrols at the borders and the main entrance.

For a moment, I wondered if the attack Delta had mentioned was the one Max and Patrick had been fearing and preparing for.

But if that were the case, she wouldn’t have talked about it so casually, like it was no big deal.

I felt a twinge of worry for my friends, but I was too numb to process anything. I was so numb that I didn’t even think to check on them to make sure they were safe.

I was on auto-pilot. I found myself in town and bought a train ticket. Luckily, I had cash on me.

If I’d used my card, my uncle would have been able to track me down quickly.

I’d need to withdraw more money, but hopefully, by then, I’d be far enough away. And when I was, I’d reach out to everyone. I’d explain myself.

I got on the train without a second thought about where it was headed. I stared out the window, but everything outside was a blur. Nothing made sense.

I closed my eyes and everything started to sink in. Slowly but surely. Like the pain of a wound after the initial shock.

The pain was finally starting to bloom, consuming me, and the howling in my head made everything feel so much more intense.

“Are you all right, miss?” a woman asked.

I didn’t realize she was talking to me until I felt her hand on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes, but all I could see was her silhouette. I realized then that I was shaking.

“Poor thing,” she sighed, and her hug hurt more than her pity.

I didn’t need a stranger’s comfort. I needed my friends, the people I loved. This woman’s sympathy was too much. I couldn’t handle it.

So, I pushed her away and got off the train without even bothering to apologize.

I didn’t notice the name of the station, only that it was near a forest.

If I’d been thinking clearly, I would have asked for directions to the nearest hotel, but I wasn’t. The thought of being enclosed by walls was suffocating.

I wanted to be outside, and as soon as I was out of sight, I started running into the forest. But my suitcase was slowing me down and I stopped sooner than I wanted to.

I collapsed against the trunk of a tree, pulling my suitcase close. I was tempted to throw it away like I had my phone. That way, I could run farther.

But I knew I’d need clothes eventually, so I held onto it.

Exhausted, I laid it on the ground and used it as a pillow.

I don’t know how long I slept, but it was restless. All I could dream about was Max with Delta, kissing her the way he used to kiss me.

Touching her the way he used to touch me. If I could have willed myself to die, I would have. Anything was better than this agony.

I was jolted awake by a rough nudge on my shoulder.

A man was standing over me. His skin was a rich chocolate color, his eyes hazel, his dark-brown hair cut short in a military style.

“What are you doing here, human?” he growled.

Another werewolf. Just what I needed.

I tried to stand, but my limbs felt heavy, and I fell back down.

“Is this your territory?” I asked weakly.

“It’s my alpha’s territory, and you’re trespassing.”

“I’m sorry. Give me a minute, and I’ll be gone.”

But I didn’t leave.

I fainted.