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    bChapter /bb200 /b

    Thorne’s POV

    The clock’s ticking echoed in the silence of the packhouse as I stepped inside. It was almost midnight. The moment my boots hit the cool tile floor, the chaos hit me like a freight train.

    The lobby was a storm of frantic faces. Maids and servants bustled around in a panic, their worry written all over them. But there was one face that stood out in the midst of it all.

    Cael.

    He was in the center of the crowd, his voice booming like thunder as he yelled at the soldiers, his words sharp with rage. “I don’t care how you find her! Search the damn mountain, turn this ce upside down, just find her! Now!”

    The air around me tensed.

    I frowned, scanning the room for any sign of what was happening. Kimberly’s voice cut through the noise behind me. “What’s going

    on?”

    Cael’s jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might snap. “ra’s missing,” he muttered.

    Kimberly’s eyes widened. “What do you mean missing? She was with me at the vineyard earlier today. Thorne said she drove back alone. Where the hell has she been since?”

    Vessa, standing by Cael, shook her head in frustration. “We don’t know. The surveinced cameras caught her heading into the back mountain a few hours ago, but she’s vanished since.”

    I reached for my phone, my fingers already dialing ra’s number, but I froze when Cael’s voice stopped me.

    “Don’t bother,” he said, his voice tight with irritation. “We’ve tried. Her phone kept ringing, and then… it went dead.”

    My heart clenched. Something didn’t feel right. ra wouldn’t just disappear without a word. She had to have a reason.

    Kimberly, trying to ease the building panic, spoke up. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. She went into the mountain, right? Maybe she’s just out hiking, maybe it’s nothing. Let’s wait till morning and see if shees back,”

    I wanted to believe that. I wanted to think she was just out there somewhere, getting some air. But Cael didn’t look convinced, and neither did I.

    “Hiking in the middle of the night? Without telling anyone? Doesn’t sound like her,” Cael growled.

    Anxiety gnawed at me. This wasn’t adding up.

    Then it hit re–the note she left me that morning. I pulled it from my pocket and read the words again, Don’t want to wake you up. I’m heading back to the packhouse. Something I need to deal with. Come find me when you’re back. Love, ra.

    Something I need to deal with.

    “Where the hell is Dorian?” I barked, my voice suddenly low and urgent,

    The room went still, every face frozen in shock.

    “Where is he?” I repeated, my voice cold.

    “We… We didn’t see him,” Vessa stammered, her face pale.

    A soldier stepped forward, voice shaky. “We searched the Lycan’s room. He’s not there.”

    “And his men?” I pressed.

    The soldier shook his head. “No sign of them either.”

    My mind was racing, adrenaline flooding my veins. “What the hell happened here?”

    “ra came back to talk to Dorian,” I muttered under my breath, my thoughts racing. “She’s ending things with him. If their conversation didn’t go well-”

    Vessa gasped, covering her mouth. “You think he–he could hurt her?”

    Cael’s fury erupted like a volcano. “How dare he!” His voice cracked with rage. “This is the Blood Moon Pack! I don’t care if he’s a Lycan. I will skin him alive if he touches my sister!”

    Before I could respond, Jory strode in, nked by soldiers. His face was tight with concern.

    “I searched the mountain. No sign of ra,” he said quickly. “But this guy knows something.”

    He nodded to a soldier, who dragged a trembling steward forward.

    The steward fell to his knees, shaking. “I spoke to Princess ra around dusk… she asked where King Dorian was. I told her he went into the back mountain. She said she was going to find him.”

    The confirmation hit me like a p. ra had been with Dorian before she disappeared.

    “Find Dorian!” Cael yelled, his voice raw with urgency. “Search for the Lycans NOW!”

    Jory, his phone already in hand, looked up. “I’ve got updates. The surveinced footage shows a car leaving the packhouse two hours ago, heading south.”

    “They took her,” Vessa hissed, her voice venomous with rage.

    I turned on my heel, my body moving before my mind could catch up.

    Dorian.

    The name burned in my mind.

    I would tear him apart if he hurt her.

    ra’s POV

    My head throbbed, and my vision swam as regained consciousness. A sharp pain shot through me when I tried to sit up, and I realized, with a sickening jolt, that my wrists and ankles were tied.

    My mouth was gagged with duct tape, and the bitter taste of wolfsbane lingered on my tongue.

    Dorian, I thought bitterly.

    The memory came back in fragmented pieces–his hands on me, his smirk, and then everything going dark. He’d knocked me out.

    213

    40b% /b

    Fury coursed through my veins, every muscle screaming for movement.

    Where the hell was he taking me?

    I wiggled my hands and feet, trying to find some way to free myself, but the ropes were tight. I crawled toward the back of the truck, the rattling door providing a narrow crack between the panels.

    Through the gap, I peered out.

    We were on some empty stretch of road, the terrain bleak and barren. The moon hung high in the sky, casting everything in a cold, ghostly light.

    It didn’t look familiar.

    Were we still in the Blood Moon Pack?

    I had to try something–anything–to escape.

    Summoning every ounce of strength, I kicked the door with both legs.

    BANG!

    The truck lurched to a halt, the sudden stop throwing me forward. I barely caught myself, but I heard footsteps approaching, heavy

    and deliberate.

    The truck door creaked open. My heart pounded in my chest.

    Dórian.

    There he stood, framed by the moonlight. His grin was barely visible, but the smugness was clear.

    “Are you hungry? Or do you need to pee?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

    I wanted to scream, but the tape silenced me.

    The game was far from over.

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