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The office was a chaotic mess, papers scattered across every surface, representing the neglected responsibilities piling up. I hadn’t touched any of them. Eli had assumed the role of acting alpha and king while I obsessed over maps, combing through lists of packs and their inhabitants. Every marked route, every possible path, all in search of the one she had taken to disappear. The kingdom had few roads connecting packs, only so many ways she could have traveled. My father had intended to build more before his time ran out, a project I had always meant to continue, but it had kept getting pushed aside. Now, I was almost grateful I never followed through. More roads would have meant more places to search, more trails she could have taken. Finding Kylie was already impossible enough.

Even with the few roads we had, they were already more trouble than they were worth.

I stared down at the maps scattered across the floor, each marked with routes she might have taken. The first places to search had been the allies of her pack—those who should have welcomed her, who might have harbored her. But Kylie had been smarter than that. She hadn’t trusted them, hadn’t risked theirloyalty to her mate overriding their discretion. She had stayed far away from them, determined to keep her secret safe.

We aren’t her bonded anymore.

I snarled at my lycan.No shit.

Why would she go to such lengths to hide the truth? To bury the fact that she was running from us? What was she so afraid of? What did she think we would do if we found her?

Why else is she avoiding the packs? She would know that everyone couldn’t resist our command.

She doesn’t want to be found. How do we search for someone who doesn’t want to be found?

A stack of papers sat untouched on my desk—some meant for overseeing the kingdom, others detailing the needs of various packs. They were the only things still in order amid the chaos, though the thick layer of dust covering them told another story. Logic told me I should pass them to Eli, let him handle what I had long neglected. But my heart refused to care. My mind was consumed by only one thing—my mate.

If you hadn’t rejected her, there would be no need to find her.

You need to stop rubbing that in my face.

No. It is your fault she is gone.

The beast never let up, a constant presence in my mind, prodding, snarling, demanding action. Every hour, every time he sensed I had slowed in my search, he was there—relentless. Andat night? He was worse. He didn’t allow me a single moment of rest and continued to deny me the luxury of sleep.

I understood his hatred. I listened to Nova and let her poison my heart. If it hadn’t been for my listening to her words, I never would have rejected my mate. Now, the pack mourned the luna they had lost, their grief seeping through the bonds and blending with my own. Kylie had left a lasting impression on them that I couldn’t ignore. Amara was holding things together; with her mate beside her, she was able to seamlessly step into her new role as beta. The omegas followed their routines without question, trusting her guidance. She was the stand-in luna, keeping order while I wasted away in this office, chasing the shadow of the woman she had once been.

The rich scent of chocolate reached me first, wrapping around my senses before the crisp tang of citrus followed. The smell of her mate’s scent mingled with hers. My lycan stirred, a low growl rumbling in my chest until the citrus deepened, grounding me. Their footsteps echoed behind me, halting just inside the doorway. I detected another scent—one that sent hunger clawing at my gut. Rare steak: the unmistakable aroma of meat and blood. My lycan and I salivated wildly.

“Hey, boss, you need to eat something,” Eli called out to me.

They lingered by the door, hesitant to approach. The weight of my silence and my refusal to acknowledge their presence terrified them. My focus remained fixed on the map, absorbing every detail and committing each path and landmark to memory. The map was the only thing tethering me to sanity. If I knew it well enough, I could memorize every possible route and every hidden passage. Only after I absorbed its knowledge could I allow myself to leave. I could search for her myself. Whyshouldn’t I? The ones I hired for the search had failed me. It had been too long, too many dead ends, and we still didn’t have any idea where she could be.

“Alpha… she may be gone, but—”

A raw, guttural roar ripped from my throat, shaking the air with its intensity. When I turned, Eli was already shielding his mate, his stance firm, his eyes burning with the unmistakable glow of his lycan. My instincts screamed at me to advance, to release the fury clawing at my chest—but neither I nor my lycan wished to bring harm. We weren’t their enemy. Not yet.

Hearing her name twisted the knife deeper into my heart. My chest had ached since the moment she left, the pain growing heavier with each passing day. If I could tear my broken heart from my chest and rid myself of the torment, I would. She haunted all my thoughts, and the agony refused to fade. When anyone dared to speak of her, it became unbearable. Worse than anything.

“Don’t mention her,” I snarled.

Amara replied with a growl. It wasn’t particularly fierce, but this small act of defiance was enough to catch my attention. Few ever dared to challenge me like that; fear had always kept my would-be opponents silent. Yet here she was, standing her ground, unshaken.

“Quit acting like a pathetic fool and eat. You’re the damn king, Maximus, and your people need you. Eli and I can only do so much on our own.”

I heard her footsteps fade into the distance. I glanced over my shoulder but only saw Eli standing there with a tray balanced in his hands. He gave a small shrug before setting it down on the floor, the gesture quiet but unmistakable. He straightened and shook his head. He wasn’t frustrated, but he agreed with Amara. He saw what she saw. I wasn’t leading; I was falling short of my duties. I was consumed by the single thought of bringing Kylie home.

I sighed, grabbed the tray, and carried it to the chaos that was my desk. The utensils were there, untouched. I tore into the steak with my bare hands because it was prepared exactly how I liked it: rare and lightly seared. It quieted the beast for now, though he hungered for more than food. He wanted the thrill of the chase, but I wasn’t ready to start the search yet. My grip on him was unraveling a little more each day. I had to stay here until I mapped the best route to ensure success. Only after I was one hundred percent sure I had plotted the best course would I leave.

They said Talon found solace in his mate’s scent as madness consumed him. I tried the same, but clinging to remnants of her only riled my beast further. This agitated the beast instead of easing the torment. The only thing keeping him from spiraling deeper into madness was the plan to hunt for her and the relentless drive to bring her back. So, I planned and plotted. I could not stop.

Even when the beast let me rest, I had to do it trapped within these walls. A small cot had been dragged in, barely offering relief as sleep was never easy. Every time I tried, he would howl, each echo a brutal reminder that her absence was my fault. Most nights, I was lucky to scrape together four hours. If I ate enough—especially food prepared like this—he fought me less, allowing me to drift longer. But there was no real pattern, only the chaos of his moods.

Which were sour.

My defenses were weakened, and my lycan seized the opportunity. He surged forward with a fierce desire to shift. Containing him was a battle in itself, taking every ounce of my willpower locked in a struggle to force him back down. The fight was brutal, and for a moment, I was certain that I would lose this time.

What are you doing? We need to get out of here and look for our mate!My lycan snarled.