Alpha Wilson’s POV
I couldn’t shake the unease that had settled deep in my gut since morning. Kiara had told me she was just going to the mall, a quick trip to pick up a few things.
As the hours ticked by with no word from her, that uneasy feeling grew into a full-blown storm of worry. She wasn’t answering her phone, and every time I dialed, it went straight to voicemail.
I tossed my phone onto the bed in frustration after trying her number for the hundredth time. What the hell could be taking her so long? Kiara was always good about letting me know if something came up, so the radio silence felt off.
The worst scenarios began to play out in my mind. What if something had happened to her? What if she’d been in an accident, or worse?
I was about to pick up my phone again and call the mall to ask if anyone had seen her when it suddenly rang. I snatched it up, my heart pounding, hoping to see her name flash across the screen. But it wasn’t Kiara.
It was Caleb. My sister’s mate.
I answered it quickly, a new wave of anxiety crashing over me. “Caleb? What’s going on?”
“Wilson, it’s Ashley,” he answered, his voice tense but calmer than I expected. “She passed out at the mall. We rushed her to the hospital, but she was okay. I’m with her now.”
The world stopped spinning for a second. Ashley, my sister, passed out? “What happened? Is she okay?” My words rushed out in a panic, as though speaking them faster would give me answers quicker.
“She’s fine,” Caleb reassured me, though there was an edge of emotion in his voice. “She passed out from fatigue, but the doctors say it’s nothing too serious. She’s just… pregnant.”
Pregnant. That one word hit me like a truck. My little sister was pregnant? A wave of relief washed over me that she was okay, but it was quickly followed by shock. “Pregnant?” I repeated, still processing the news.
“Yeah,” Caleb said softly, and I could hear the joy in his voice now. “She’s pregnant. I didn’t even know, but… it makes sense now, I guess. She’s been more tired than usual.”
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. My little sister, the one I’d always looked out for, was going to be a mom. The thought filled me with a strange mixture of pride and protectiveness. More than anything, I was just glad she was okay.
“That’s… that’s great news, Caleb,” I said finally, forcing a smile that I hoped he could hear through the phone. “Congrats, man. Really.”
“Thanks, Wilson,” Caleb beamed, sounding relieved. “I’m still kind of in shock, but I’m excited. She’s resting now, so you don’t need to worry.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll be there soon. I want to see her.”
Caleb’s tone shifted, a little more serious now. “Yeah, come by. But hey… have you seen Kiara?”
His question caught me off guard. “No. Why? She told me earlier she was going to the mall, but I haven’t heard from her since.”
“That’s the thing,” Caleb hummed, his voice growing concerned. “She was at the mall. We ran into her there, actually. She even came with us to the hospital when Ashley passed out. But after that… I haven’t seen her. She was just here, and then she was gone.”
My worry for Kiara, which had been gnawing at me all day, surged to the forefront again. “Wait, she was with you at the hospital?”
“Yeah, she followed us here,” Caleb explained. “But I haven’t seen her since. I thought maybe she went to see you or that you’d know where she went.”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep calm. “No, I haven’t seen her. She hasn’t called or texted, either.”
A pause lingered between us as we both tried to figure out where she could have gone. I knew Kiara wasn’t the type to just disappear without saying anything.
“I’ll look for her when I get there,” I said, trying to push down the growing sense of dread that something was wrong. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
“Okay,” Caleb agreed, though I could hear the worry in his voice too. “Just… let me know if you find her, alright? I’m going to check around the hospital, and see if anyone saw her.”
“I will,” I promised before ending the call.
I threw on a jacket and grabbed my keys, my mind racing. Kiara was tough and independent. The fact that she had just disappeared without a word after being at the hospital with Caleb set off alarm bells in my head. Something wasn’t right.
As I drove to the hospital, my grip on the steering wheel tightened. I couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that something had happened to her.
I replayed the conversation with Caleb in my head, trying to make sense of it. She had gone to the mall, met Caleb and Ashley, followed them to the hospital… and then vanished.
The drive felt longer than usual, my heart thudding in my chest with every passing minute. When I finally arrived at the hospital, I parked quickly and rushed inside.
Caleb was waiting for me in the reception area, looking a little more at ease now that Ashley was out of immediate danger.
“Wilson,” he greeted me with a tired smile, though the concern for Kiara still lingered in his eyes.
“Where was the last place you saw her?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.
He pointed down the hallway. “She was right there, just outside Ashley’s room. I went inside for a minute, and when I came back out, she was gone. I thought maybe she’d stepped outside for some air or something.”
I followed his gaze down the hall, trying to picture it. “Did anyone else see her leave?”
Caleb shook his head. “Not that I know of. I asked one of the nurses, but they didn’t see her.”
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Alright, I’ll look around. Maybe she just needed a break or something.”
Although even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. Something didn’t sit right with me, and the longer she stayed out of sight, the more that uneasy feeling in my gut twisted tighter.
I just hoped I could find her before that feeling turned into something worse.