chapter 12

The moment Silas got back to the estate from the hospital, he went straight to the bedroom. All he wanted was to see Daisy right away.

But he searched the entire estate with a grim expression on his face, and his human mate was nowhere to be found.

The intense panic made his chest heave violently, and Owen let out agitated, frustrated growls, like he was urging Silas to find their mate. The feeling was exactly like what he'd gone through before, when Daisy had snuck away and run.

Silas took a deep breath and checked to see if Daisy's belongings were still there. Once he confirmed they were, he made a phone call.

"Find out where Daisy is and bring her back as soon as possible."

After he hung up, he tried calling Daisy's number several times. But she never picked up.

Silas pushed down the emotions churning inside him and called for the omega housekeeper who managed the estate.

"Has Daisy done anything unusual these past few days?"

The housekeeper thought carefully and shook her head. "No."

Daisy had seemed completely normal, except for one thing...

The housekeeper's heart jumped as she suddenly remembered how Daisy kept dry heaving. She looked at the man's dark expression and said cautiously, "Alpha, Ms. Rivers has been throwing up a lot after meals lately. But she said it was just an upset stomach, so I didn't think much of it. Could it be..."

She didn't dare say the word "pregnant" out loud, especially as the atmosphere in the study grew heavier and heavier. Just then, the phone rang, and the housekeeper quickly excused herself.

"Alpha, the hospital security footage shows that Ms. Rivers left the patient room and avoided everyone's line of sight to slip into the emergency stairwell. After that, she snuck onto one of the pack's cargo trucks. The thing is, our beta guards have sharp senses. There's no way they wouldn't pick up on a human's scent. So we're guessing Ms. Rivers must have some kind of magical item on her that masks her presence and scent..."

Silas's expression grew darker and darker, and his grip on the phone tightened. Obviously, he'd just realized she was using the Moonshade Necklace he'd given her. His anger flared. "Find out where she went right now. I want her brought back within the hour!"

Just as he was about to hang up, the housekeeper's words flashed through his mind. He took a sharp breath and added, "Send someone to the pack hospital and pull all of Daisy's recent test results. Send them to me."

After Silas hung up, his head felt heavy. He rubbed his temples, but the irritation inside him only grew worse instead of better.

Half an hour later, the phone rang again.

"Alpha, we found her... Ms. Rivers went to the airport."

Silas's face turned completely cold. His tone was ice. "Keep going."

"Also, the medical center sent over her test results." David's voice trembled. "Ms. Rivers is one month pregnant."

That single sentence made Silas's mind go blank for a moment.

Sensing the oppressive silence on the other end of the line, Beta David barely dared to continue.

"Tell me everything!" Silas practically growled through clenched teeth.

David stammered for a long moment before finally saying, "Alpha, Ms. Rivers's parents left human territory a few days ago.

"And... the airport surveillance shows that Ms. Rivers boarded a flight with her ex-boyfriend."

Silas felt like someone had punched him in the chest. This powerful man, the undisputed alpha of Bloodmoon Pack, suddenly felt dizzy and weak.

His voice came out rough, like gravel scraping his throat, but he forced himself to stay in control. "I don't care what you have to do. Stop that plane right now!"

Once the study went quiet again, Silas could hear his own heart pounding violently in his chest.

Thinking back on all of Daisy's small, strange behaviors over the past few days, rage consumed him. He swept everything off his desk in one violent motion, then pressed his hands against his throbbing temples. His voice came out hoarse and pained. "Daisy! Why did you lie to me again?"

Silas's eyes turned red, and his voice took on a vicious edge. "You really think there's anywhere you can run?"

Bloodmoon Pack—hell, the entire Werewolf Empire—wouldn't let her go. And the mate bond between fated mates, along with the mark he'd left on her body, would tie them together forever.

His poor little human mate had nowhere to run.

The thought made Silas feel half-crazed, and he immediately tried to use their mental link to track down Daisy's location.

Once he caught her, he'd lock her to his bed forever. He'd strip away every last bit of her pride until she belonged to him completely...

But in that instant, a devastating pain tore through Silas's entire body.

The gland at the back of his neck burned like it was on fire, and his wolf Owen let out an agonized howl. The pain of his mate's betrayal sent him spiraling into a destructive, frenzied state.

Silas's eyes turned blood-red, and his voice came out hoarse and raw. His handsome features twisted into something terrifying. "That's impossible. It can't be—"

Their mate bond had broken.