Arabella’s POV
“Emery!”
She shouldn’t have been here. She should have been far far away. I shook her awake but she remained passed out on the ground. I needed to take her in and call Luciano. Then– I smelt wolves approaching. I could smell three of them.
They could have been the perimeter guards that Luciano had told me about. But looking at Emery’s prone body in front of me, I had my doubts.
I pulled Emery into the house and locked the door. I backed away and picked up my phone.
I had to inform Luciano. I called him. It rang but he didn’t pick up the call. I tried it again with the same result. Someone pounded on the door and I jumped.
The door would hold. It would– I saw an indent of a fist in the iron. I took my phone and ran for the side exit in the kitchen. There were only three. I could leave out back before they rounded up to the sides.
It was possible they didn’t know about that exit. I needed to leave now.
I ran to the dining area and the kitchen. I pushed open the door. I was outside for the first time in days, barefoot and my eyes were sensitive to the bright sunlight.
I looked around and began to run. I wanted to shift to my wolf form but if I did, I would be unable to grip the phone. Was it worth it? Did I even have a choice? I kept running. It was the better option. I would be able to reach Luciano in time this way.
He would call me any moment now. For all I knew, it would take a miracle to escape my attackers, I needed Luciano to be able to reach me and vice versa. I suddenly wished that I had tried to actively learn how to manipulate the mate bond.
That way, I would have contacted Luciano through it even if all I could send his way over this long distance would be emotions.
As I neared the treeline, a man blocked my path. I froze with indecision. He wasn’t part of the three men that I had scented but he swung at me just the same. So there were more of them.
I went low evading his blow and I kicked his feet out from under him. It was a move that I had seen people execute but had never tried out myself. Surprisingly, it worked and I turned to run only to see another of my attackers behind me.
I was cornered. The one behind me that I’d tripped was already getting his feet under him. I stood firmly. I refused to give up without a fight. A full shift was impossible without leaving myself unprotected in the interim. So I settled for a partial shift. My nails lengthened into claws and my vision cleared. I screamed and I charged.
*********
Alpha Luciano’s POV
Luciano. I need you to know something. Regardless of whatever happens. Regardless of whatever is going on between us, I want you to know that I consider you my blood, my son. Everything I do is for you.
To say that I was confused by Uncle Tommaso’s words would be a gross understatement. After making that cryptic statement, he’d gotten a call that had kept him engaged for so long that he had bid me goodbye while still on the phone.
My day cleared, I should have returned to the office to deal with the backlog but for some reason, my mind kept returning to Arabella.
I knew she was fine because no one knew that she had regained consciousness, Emery was gone, the knowledge with her so I had nothing to worry about.
I checked my phone to see some missed calls from Arabella. I called her back but she didn’t respond. It wasn’t too weird. She had obviously called to check up on Uncle Tommaso who was now doing well. She was probably asleep or like me, the phone was on silent. Or both.
I would try her line again later. I steeled my mind. Arabella was my mate and the woman I loved but I had a duty to my pack. I couldn’t just abandon the work I had to do just to go after her. I had to learn to be apart from her for an extended period of time.
I went back to work. The reports felt dreary to read especially when I knew what I could have been doing instead but I persevered through them. Close to two hours later, I felt accomplished after finishing my work. I left the office early.
As I returned home, I got flowers for Arabella feeling weird. Would she like them? What was I when thinking? Since when have I cared about gestures like this? I tried not to think too much about it. Then I reconsidered and got her steak. No female wolf would say no to steak.
Then, I doubled back and picked up the flowers. It was silly. I was being silly but I fought back a smile as I approached the former pack house.
It was the scent in the air that made me pause. The trees were quiet as though something had chased away the birds. The air smelt like blood and violence.
I realised that I hadn’t seen the team on duty. I reached out with the pack bond but they were unreachable. Taking my steps two at a time, I hurried towards our home.
The iron door was broken in and I found Emery of all people bleeding out from multiple bullet wounds in our foyer. I screamed Arabella’s name as I dropped the flowers and steak to the ground. I ran upstairs. Arabella wasn’t there. I followed her fast-fading scent outside. At first glance, I noticed nothing, then I perceived her scent and I saw a blood-stained patch of grass. I knelt and smelt it. It wasn’t hers. I released a mixed sigh of relief. She was alive, she was gone. They’d taken her.
I entered the house again heading straight to Emery. She was the only one who could tell me where Arabella was.
I initially thought Emery was dead because of the amount of blood around her then I checked her pulse.
It was faint but still there. I shook her. She had to wake up. She had to tell me exactly what she was doing here and where Arabella had gone.
I heard the shuffling of feet and looked up to see Cecile holding a first-aid kit in her strong grip. Her eyes were wide and afraid.
“Cecile. Where is Arabella?”
I tried not to sound guttural but it was a close thing.
“I don’t know Alpha. I stepped out for some products. It took longer than usual and when I came back, everything was like this. I’ve looked everywhere for the Luna but I can’t find her.”
I stood up, my face a mask of anger and she fell back looking frightened by whatever she saw there. “And who did you tell about that?”
“You, Alpha. I called you numerous times but you didn’t pick up the call.”
I grabbed my phone, a sick feeling of dread washing over me. It was on silent. I vaguely remembered putting it on silent before my talk with Uncle Tommaso and deciding to keep it that way until I finished with the work.
Fuck. It was my fault. I’d lost her again.
Like the last time when Emery had abducted her to give her to Anastasia. I didn’t deserve Arabella. I couldn’t keep her safe. I promised her that this house was safe and now she had been…
I shook Emery harder. “Emery.” It was a command.
Her eyes fluttered open and settled on me briefly.
“Emery, tell me where Arabella is.”
Her mouth moved. “The… he took her.”
“Who took her?”
“El….. Elder Tommaso.”