Page 76 of The Enforcer’s Rejected Mate (Red River Rejected Mates #1)

Ronan’s face goes sad. “That was Cordelia. She saved you. I was the one that found you after they took her.”

I shake my head. “No, it can’t be. I would have known it was her.”

“Can you see her face in your memory?” he asks.

“No…no, I can’t. I never can, it’s a blur. I thought…I thought it was because I was too scared to remember her.”

“It was the spell. Enough of the memory made it through, most likely because of your Soul Tie to her. I’d wager it’s why Cordelia didn’t understand that it was you she was looking for.

You have to understand, we did this to protect you all.

The pain of losing someone, someone you loved is enough to kill a survivor. I never wanted that for any of you.”

I know Ronan believes what he’s saying. He understands it. He did lose the love of his life to that night.

“Why would that affect her?”

“Because Maud didn’t just cast her spell on the survivors, she also cast it on the ones we lost. She volunteered to go to Frostclaw, to live there and spell them all so they had a fair chance at life too.

We never imagined it would slow or halt a bond.

But the moon goddess’s will always prevails and your Soul Tie overpowered the spell. ”

I stagger a few steps. For a second, my knees almost give out but I catch myself. “Holy hells.”

Ronan sighs. “Holy hells,” he agrees. “It didn’t feel right not telling you the truth of it all.”

“I have to find her. I have to, I don’t know what. I have to find her. Now. ”

Cordelia was the reason for everything. My life. The reason why I grew up in Red River and she was stolen to Frostclaw. I pushed myself to become strong enough to protect the pack, my family, but she’d always been that strong.

If she hadn’t saved me, sacrificed herself for me, it would be me that grew up among the enemy. Who would I be then? Would I be cruel? Would I have turned into my captors? Or would I have been as strong as Cordelia and stayed true to who I was meant to be?

“Of course. We’ll get every Defender out there to bring her home. I’ll send the order immediately.” We both start for the doors when he asks, “Can you use the Soul Tie to find her?”

“She’s close by. I just felt her.” I reach for the bond, pull on it and…there’s nothing on the other end of it. It’s like yanking on an untethered rope. The bond comes back to me, the end of it frayed and cut.

“I-she’s gone.” I can’t breathe. Ronan grabs my arm and holds me up. “I can’t fucking feel her.”

“Alpha!” The doors to Ronan’s quarter’s fly open and Clyde strides in. “There’s been an attack by Frostclaw.”

Ronan swears. “Where?”

“In the Meadows. They attacked Lucian. Piper and Clover found him. He’s in the Healing Rooms now.”

“Let’s move,” Ronan orders. The three of us head for the Healing Rooms. The entire way I search my bond for Cordelia but it’s useless.

There’s nothing there. Not a ghost. Not a whisper of her.

By the time we reach the Healing Rooms, I’m a wreck.

It’s even worse when I see the space that’s hers.

The evidence that she was here all around me.

I see a dog-eared paperback facedown on the counter next to a stack of towels she must have been folding.

There’s a tray holding morels she was cleaning.

My heart feels like a stone looking at those small signs Cordelia was here just hours ago.

My beautiful mate.

“I’m sorry. I tried to keep her safe.” Lucian sits up on the bed he’s laying on and gives me a sorrowful look. “I tried. I’m so fucking sorry.” Clover sits beside him. She looks like she’s in shock. She keeps twisting a washcloth in her hands while Piper paces behind her.

“Where was she?” I ask.

“I found her in the courtyard but we ran for a while. We were in the Meadows when I got taken out.” He puts a hand on his stomach. “A fucking tranq.” Lucian shakes his head. “It was mixed with wolfsbane. I can’t shift, can’t feel my wolf. She was okay when I went down.”

“Wolfsbane?” That would explain why I can’t feel her. “They drugged her too. Wherever she is, we're going to have to find her by tracking them. I can’t sense her,” I tell Ronan.

He nods. “Okay. Let’s think. If they were in the Meadows then we can fan out, start for the nearest towns.”

“What if they took her to Moonshadow Territory?” Clover asks tearfully. “What if they-she could be anywhere and she thinks I don’t care. That I didn’t believe her. That’s why she ran from us.” She buries her face in her hands. “Everything is such a mess.”

Piper puts a hand on her arm. “We’ll find her. We’ll make it right.”

“Except that we have miles and miles of territory to search for her and we have no idea where she is. If this is anyone’s fault it’s mine.

I shouldn’t have-” I swallow hard, “I hesitated in there. I should have shut this all down the second I saw how Cassidy was treating Cordelia. I thought it wasn’t serious and it cost me my mate. ”

“You know, for the stoic Enforcer who always puts their pack ahead of everything else, it’s nice to see you worried about your mate over the war Frostclaw is dead set on bringing to your door.”

We all look towards the door to see a woman standing in the doorway. She has silvery hair pulled back in a bun and wears work overalls. Behind her stands Jazzy.

Ronan breathes out a sigh of relief. “Maud. Thank the gods. You’ve returned.”

She winks at him. “It’s nice to see you too, Alpha.”

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

She saunters into the room and looks around the Healing Rooms like she has all the time in the world.

I’m about to lose the last shred of my patience when she turns towards us with a smile.

“These are wonderful quarters for Cordelia. I just know she’s having the time of her life working in them, so why don’t we get her home?

I think we’ll all feel better when our girl is safe and sound.

Cordelia’s ex-mate isn’t very smart, wanting her back after he gave her away. He’s the one that took her.”

“Do you know where she is?” I ask her.

She inclines her head. “I do. Started a location spell the second Jazzy told me Frostclaw was on the move in these parts. I’ve been tracking her steadily this past week, so imagine my surprise when I saw her in Oak Fast.”

“Oak Fast? Why would they take her there?” I ask them but I’m already moving for the door with Ronan. “I need everyone,” I tell him. “Every last pack member that’s able and ready. We-I have to get her back and to put down whatever it is they’re trying to start.”

“I’ll send the order now.” He looks back at Maud and Jazzy, the pair of witches have followed us out of the Healing Rooms. “Can you tell us where in Oak Fast she is?”

Maud sucks on her bottom teeth. “Sadly, no. I know she’s in Oak Fast but I can’t get any more precise than that.

I was hoping the Soul Tie with tall dark and deadly would lead us there but if they pumped her full of wolfsbane like they did the injured one back there then it’ll block his connection to her. We’ll have to get creative.”

“You said Keiran took her?”

“He did.”

“Then I can track her fine. Let’s go now. I can follow the scent of the fucker that has her. Whoever is ready can come with me, the rest can follow.”

Ronan lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank the gods. Let’s move. I’ll be right behind you once I gather the ones willing to come.” We’re at the bottom of the stairs now, a group of Defenders meet us with Morgana at the front.

“You’re to follow Thorne. He’s leading an attack on the Moonshadow forces that have Cordelia. Be warned, Frostclaw will be with them. We believe it’s a joint effort to attack us.”

Morgana goes pale but she nods. “As you order. We’re ready.”

“Bring her home, Enforcer,” Ronan tells me.

“I will, or I’ll die trying,” I swear.

I pull on the Soul Tie and again, there’s nothing there. I wonder if I’m too late but that doesn’t stop me, it pushes me forward. I’ll make them pay for everything they’ve done to Cordelia, to me, to all of us.