Page 18 of Alien Charming (Alien Wolf Tales #3)

CHAPTER 18

S eren ignored the silent crowd as his anguished howl died away, still looking desperately for Elli.

“What’s wrong?” Nyra asked quietly, ignoring his warning growl as she joined him.

He barely registered the question. “Did you see where the woman in the veil went?”

“The human? No, but…” Nyra’s voice trailed off as he moved past her.

He circled the perimeter of the gathering, heart pounding harder with each passing moment. Had he frightened her? The memory of his barely contained beast during their encounter haunted him. Perhaps she’d felt his claws lengthen against her back, and noticed the glow in his eyes intensifying. Perhaps she’d finally seen the monster that lurked beneath his carefully maintained control.

A short way down one of the paths leading out of the clearing, something sparkled in the moonlight. He knelt and picked up a delicate slipper—her slipper. He held it carefully between his hands, the fragile thing looking absurdly small in comparison. His nostrils flared, trying to catch any trace of her scent even though he knew the potion would prevent it.

“Fuck,” he growled, his chest aching. He’d allowed himself to hope, to imagine possibilities that had no business existing. She was young, innocent, human. And he was… not.

The night air felt suddenly cold against his skin. The celebration had resumed behind him, the sounds of laughter and music a mockery to the hollow feeling spreading through his chest.

“What’s going on, Seren?” Old Lena materialized at his side.

“She’s gone.”

The words came out rougher than intended, and Lena’s eyes dropped to the slipper in his hands. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.”

He snorted, his beast prowling restlessly beneath his skin. “I’m not good enough for her. A monster, not a mate.”

“Seren.” Lena’s voice was stern as she grabbed his arm, her grip strong despite her advanced age. “You will stop this nonsense at once. Go find your female.”

She was right. No matter what had changed between them, he needed to hear it from her lips. She must have returned to her aunt’s house, he decided, and headed for the path leading to the village. Before he could reach it, a sharp, familiar voice cut through his concentration.

“Are you leaving us, Alpha Thalos?”

Mayor Jacobson intercepted him, her face a mask of practiced concern that didn’t reach her eyes. Something about her expression made his hackles rise.

“Mayor,” he acknowledged, stopping before her. “Have you seen your niece this evening?”

A flicker of anger passed across her features before she composed herself.

“My niece? She was supposed to be at home, completing her chores.” Her gaze dropped to the slipper in his hand, and her lips thinned. “Though I suspect you know otherwise.”

He fought to keep his expression neutral, though he felt his eyes beginning to glow with anger. “Where is she?”

The mayor drew herself up, looking around to ensure others could hear her performance. “I sent her away, of course. Her behavior tonight was absolutely disgraceful.” She lowered her voice to a scandalized whisper. “Dancing with every man present, disappearing into the woods with them… She’s as bad as her mother. I will not tolerate that type of behavior in my household.”

The lie was so blatant, so calculated, that he would have laughed if he hadn’t been so furious.

“You and I both know she danced with no one but me.”

“That’s hardly better,” she sniffed. “A girl of her… limited qualities has no business throwing herself at someone in your position.”

His control slipped, just enough for his eyes to flare bright gold. “Where did she go?”

“With girls like her, who can say? Probably off to find another man,” she said maliciously. “Best to forget her, Alpha Thalos. She’s not worth your concern.”

His vision edged with red as his beast surged forward. A growl built in his chest, rising to a snarl that exposed his lengthened canines. No longer the diplomatic leader, he loomed over the mayor, his big body casting her in shadow.

“You would cast out your own blood? Humiliate her? Lie about her?” Each question came out as a guttural growl. “For what? Your precious reputation?”

She stumbled backwards, her eyes widening as she realized her miscalculation. The carefully cultivated facade of power she wore crumbled in the face of his unleashed fury. Her back hit the refreshment table, sending glasses tinkling.

“I—I was only thinking of what’s best for?—”

“Silence.” The word cut through the air like a blade. “I’ve watched how you treat her. How you’ve poisoned this village against her.”

People were staring now, villagers and Vultor alike, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. The alliance, the politics, the careful diplomacy he’d cultivated for months—none of it mattered. Not when his Elli was out there alone, believing herself unwanted.

“Alpha—” Nyra stepped forward, concern etched on her features.

He raised a hand, stopping her. “The trade discussions are suspended.” He turned his burning gaze back to Mayor Jacobson, who had gone pale. “Until I decide whether your village deserves our consideration.”

Her mouth opened and closed, no sound emerging, and her hands trembled against the tablecloth.

“I will find her,” he growled, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper meant only for her ears. “And if any harm has come to her because of your cruelty, there will be a reckoning.”

He turned away, the slipper still clutched in his hand, and strode towards the tree line. The crowd parted before him like water. He caught fragments of whispered conversations, saw the shock on faces, but none of it registered. Only one thought consumed him.

Find Elli.

He spent the rest of the night prowling through the dark forest, straining for any sign of her. The slipper remained clutched in his hand, a fragile reminder of what he’d found and lost in a single night. Frustration built with each passing hour as the scent-masking potion continued to thwart his tracking abilities.

He paused at a fork in the path, nostrils flaring uselessly. Without her scent to guide him, he was reduced to searching like a human—with only his eyes and ears in the darkness. For a Vultor alpha, it was maddening.

“Elli!” His voice echoed through the trees, startling a cluster of night birds into flight.

Only silence answered.

He pushed deeper into the woods, checking every path that led towards the village. Had she returned home to face her aunt? The thought of her enduring more of Margaret’s cruelty made his claws extend involuntarily.

His beast paced restlessly, demanding action. It wanted to tear through the forest, to howl into the night, to find their mate and claim her. He forced it back, maintaining his control through sheer will power. Losing himself to the beast would help no one, least of all Elli.

Dawn had already broken before he decided to try the village and the villagers were already about their morning routines, setting up market stalls and carrying water. Their movements faltered as they spotted him, conversations dying mid-sentence. Eyes darted away from his gaze, bodies angled away.

“I’m looking for Elli Dawson,” he announced, his voice carrying across the square.

No one responded. A woman pulled her child closer. A man turned his back.

“Please,” he tried again, softening his tone. “I need to know she’s safe.”

“Haven’t seen her,” a shopkeeper finally muttered, not meeting his eyes.

He crossed the square, approaching a group of men unloading supplies.

“Excuse me?—”

“We don’t want your kind here,” one man interrupted, his face twisted with disgust. “Not after what you did.”

He stiffened. “What I did?”

“Everyone knows you bewitched that poor girl,” another man joined in. “Mayor Jacobson told us how you lured her into the woods to seduce her, poor simpleminded creature.”

“That’s a lie,” he growled, feeling his control slipping.

“Is it? We all saw how you looked at her. Like she was prey.” The man spat at his feet. “No better than animals, just like they say.”

His beast surged forward, and his vision turned red. The men stumbled backwards, reaching for tools that could serve as weapons.

“Where is Mayor Jacobson?” he demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble.

“Town hall,” someone whispered from the crowd that had gathered.

He stalked through the town hall, aware of the fearful glances and whispers that followed him. Margaret Jacobson had been busy, it seemed, spinning her poisonous tales. The knowledge that these people—who had known Elli her entire life—would so readily believe the worst of her made his blood boil.

He found Margaret on the steps of the town hall, surrounded by her usual sycophants. Her eyes widened when she spotted him, but she quickly composed her features into a mask of righteous indignation.

“How dare you show your face here after?—”

“Enough!” His roar silenced the entire square. “You’ve abused your niece for years. Isolated her. Lied about her. Made her believe she was worthless.”

Her face drained of color as heads turned towards her.

“And now you spread lies about her to cover your own cruelty,” he continued, advancing up the steps. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” she sputtered. “She ran off, just like her mother. Just as disgraceful, just as?—”

“She didn’t run off—you threw her out. And her only disgrace is being related to you.”

His claws extended slightly, his fangs pressing against his lower lip. He fought to maintain his normal form even as rage coursed through him.

“You’ve poisoned this entire village against her,” he growled, taking another step towards her. “Made her believe she was nothing when she is everything.”

Her eyes widened as she backed against the town hall doors. “You don’t understand. That girl is?—”

“That girl,” he interrupted, “has more kindness and strength in her little finger than you possess in your entire being.”

A small crowd had gathered, watching the confrontation with a mixture of fear and fascination. He could smell their anxiety, hear their quickened heartbeats. Part of him—the diplomatic leader—knew he should care about the impression he was making. But the male in him, the beast in him, cared only for Elli.

“Where would she go?” he demanded, looming over Margaret. “If not home, where?”

Thin lips pressed together, stubborn even in her fear. “I don’t know and I don’t care. She’s made her choice.”

“You didn’t give her a choice,” he snarled. “But I will find her. And if anyone has harmed a single hair on her head, you will pay. In blood.”