Alexander’s POV
"Where is Samantha?! The mating ceremony is about to start! Where is she?!"
I couldn't stop myself from shouting. My voice thundered through the entire hall, shaking the very walls around us. Fear gripped everyone in the room, their eyes widened, their bodies stiffened, and their breaths hitched. They were terrified of me.
"W-We’re looking for her, Alpha. We’re doing everything we can, but we can't find her. We don't even know where she is."
Damn it!
I cursed loudly and threw a punch at the wall beside me, the sharp sting spreading through my knuckles. But the pain was nothing compared to the frustration boiling inside me. My mind was spinning, struggling to make sense of the chaos.
Tonight was supposed to be the night, our official union.
The moment I would finally claim Samantha as mine. It should have happened before, but the ceremony had been interrupted when Cassandra collapsed.
The instant she hit the ground, I rushed her to the healer, who tended to her wounds. She had fallen hard, her body scraping against the rough ground, leaving cuts and bruises across her pale skin. Thankfully, nothing seemed too severe—at least, that’s what I had thought. But then the truth surfaced.
She was pregnant.
And the child she was carrying was mine.
My entire world tilted in that moment. The weight of responsibility crashed over me, suffocating and relentless. As much as I knew this would stir problems within the pack, I had no choice but to keep it a secret. No one could know. No one should ever find out! Because if they do… the alliance will break.
Cassandra and I… we had something, a bond deeper than mere desire. She was the one I truly loved. She was the one I wanted to be with. But duty dictated otherwise.
My union to Samantha wasn’t about love. It was about power, about securing an alliance that would strengthen my hold, my legacy in the pack.
And now, she was missing!
Just when I needed her to be here the most, she had vanished without a trace!
"Alpha, we checked the house. We searched every room. Princess Samantha is gone. And… her belongings are missing too."
“What?!”
Without another thought, I bolted out of the hall, my heart pounding with each step as I rushed toward our home. The air around me was thick with tension, my lungs burning as I pushed forward.
The moment I reached our bedroom, my worst fears solidified into reality. The room was stripped of her presence. Her clothes, her personal belongings—everything was gone.
I stood there, frozen, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. My breathing was heavy, ragged.
No. This couldn't be happening!
She couldn’t be gone. She had to be here! Without her, the alliance wouldn't happen. Without her, this entire arrangement would fall apart!
The other pack might take this as an insult. And worse… her father might find out.
My thoughts were spinning so fast that I barely registered the presence of someone approaching. It wasn’t until I heard the voice of Samantha’s mother that I snapped back to reality.
"Alexander, is it true? Did you… were you seeing Cassandra?!" Her voice was sharp, demanding. "Do you have any idea what a disgrace this is?! What a shame this brings to our pack?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. My jaw tightened, and I avoided her piercing gaze.
Samantha must have told her everything.
So, that’s why she left…
I felt my stomach drop. No. I couldn’t let this end like this. I had to find her!
"Search for her!" I roared, my voice echoing through the room. "We need to bring her back!"
Before I could storm out, Dante, my beta, suddenly appeared before me, his expression grim and his body tense.
"Alpha…" He hesitated, and that hesitation made my blood run cold. "I have terrible news."
I turned to him sharply. "What is it? Did you find Samantha?!"
He swallowed hard, his gaze flickering with uncertainty. "Someone saw her. She was ambushed… by a rogue wolf."
My entire body went still. "W-What?"
"She… she disappeared. And some say… she might be dead. No one knows where her body is."
The moment those words reached my ears, my entire world stopped spinning.
No…
