Page 45 of Alpha Wolf's Rejected Bride

The nagging feeling that I’ve completely forgotten about something nibbles at my thoughts, leaving an edge of jitters against the soft exhaustion of my mind. I close my eyes and blink hard, adjusting the sun visor again as I try to keep the bright light out of my face.

I’ll be home soon, and that’s all that matters.

The thought of Alisha rushes over me like a cool, refreshing cloud. Instantly, my body feels rejuvenated, and my mind clears. I can’t wait to get home to her, just to hold her in my arms and feel her close to me.

When I had to leave her, I became such a fucking jerk. I snapped at everyone, all the time, especially my buddies. I felt like there was no joy left in the world. Now I know, so long as she’s in my life, everything will be okay.

The town limits come into view, and my heart soars. I truly can’t remember a time in my life when I was this happy.

There is still so much to tell her. I haven’t been honest, and I feel like absolute shit for it, but I’ll make it up to her, and she’ll understand why I had to do things this way.

It doesn’t take long to drive through Eccles out to the cottage, and by the time I reach the house, my exhaustion has almost vanished. I can’t wait to see her bright, violet eyes and the way she smiles when she says my name.

“Alisha!” I call, opening the door. My heart beats harder in my chest as excitement rises in me, making me feel like I’m perched right on the edge of a massive cliff.

I wait to hear her footsteps, but I hear nothing, not even the faint sounds of someone moving around elsewhere in the house. Tilting my nose up, I search for her scent, but the sweet-edged aroma is hanging in the air everywhere I go—it’s impossible to tell if she’s actually here or not.

But where would she go?

The idea fills me with panic. First, I run to the kitchen, spinning around to check every corner and not believing my own eyes when I don’t see her. I take off down the opposite hall and head for the stairs, charging towards the bathroom.

She’s here. She’s just soaking in the bath or something, and didn’t hear me call.

I knock softly on the bathroom door, opening it just a crack. I’m so sure that she’s in there that for a moment, I don’t realize the tub is actually empty.

I blink at the deserted bathroom for a few seconds before I run back down the hall to check the bedroom. When I see that it’s empty, too, I return to the living room where her scent is the strongest.

Alisha and Scarlett. And they were both here not long ago.

I tilt my nose up and take very slow breaths, examining the air. There isn’t the slightest trace of blood or any sign of violence in the house. It’s exactly as I left it this morning.

There are two bags of clothes on the floor with Scarlett’s scent on them. I rummage through the bags, but I don’t find any clue about where they might have gone. Relieved to have even this one clue, I pull out my phone and call Scarlett.

“Hey, Brad,” she answers. “What’s up?”

“Is Alisha with you?”

“No, sorry. She’s not at home?”

“No. I found the clothes, and I thought maybe you two went somewhere.”

“She wasn’t really feeling well. I don’t think she would have gone out anywhere.”

“What do you mean? Was she sick?”

“I don’t know, Brad. She says she was just run down. I don’t know what to tell you, but I left her on the couch with a blanket and a plate of cookies.”

“How long since you were here?”

“I don’t know…a few hours, maybe. I drove home and went straight to get Jarrod from school.”

Fuck!

“So, you have absolutely no idea where she’s gone?”

“No, none,” Scarlett answers. “Although…”

“What?” I snap. “Tell me!”