Asher
My gut tells me that this is more than just a simple kidnapping. Ally wasn’t taken at random. Someone has been waiting for this moment. Someone who has known all along who she truly is.
And if Selena has been keeping her hidden all these years, then she knows something too. Something she hasn’t told me.
I turn to face her, watching as she wipes her tear-streaked face. Her hands tremble, her breathing uneven. She’s scared.
But I don’t have time to comfort her. I need answers.
“Selena,” I say, with a firm voice. “Tell me the truth. All of it. Why would someone take Ally? And don’t tell me you don’t know-because I can see it in your eyes. You do.”
She hesitates, looking away, her fingers curling into tight fists. That’s all the confirmation I need.
I take a step closer. “You’ve been hiding her for a reason. That means you knew this day would come. What are they after? What does Ally have that they need?”
Selena exhales shakily as if trying to steady herself, but her eyes tell me she already knows the answer.
When she finally speaks, her voice is barely above a whisper.
“They need her blood.”
I freeze.
Her blood?
A growl rumbles in my chest as my fists clench at my sides. My wolf stirs restlessly inside me, pacing, snarling, demanding to be let out. What the fuck does her blood have to do with this?
“Why?” I snap, my patience unraveling.
“What is so special about her blood?”
Selena exhales sharply, running a shaky hand through her hair. She hesitates for a moment before finally meeting my gaze.
“Our lineage isn’t ordinary, Alpha. She comes from an ancient bloodline. Her blood carries power, and those who know the truth have been waiting for the right time to use it.”
I narrow my eyes. “Use it? For what?”
“For a ritual,” she says quietly. “A ritual powerful enough to either awaken a hidden werewolf ability… or to control all packs.”
My chest tightens, and a deep growl escapes me. Control all packs?
That would mean absolute power. A power unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
And Ally-my mate-is the key to making it happen.
I step closer to Selena, my patience wearing thin by the second.
“And you knew this?” My voice is dangerously low. “You knew she was in danger all along, and you didn’t tell me?”
She flinches but nods. “I had no choice.”
She clenches her fists, her nails digging into her palms. “I thought if I kept her hidden, she’d be safe. The moment she was revealed as your mate, I knew it was only a matter of time before they came for her.”
My breathing is heavy with rage. This didn’t just happen. This was planned.
I grab Selena’s shoulders, forcing her to meet my gaze.
“Who are ‘they’?” My voice is deadly calm. “Who took Ally?”
Selena trembles, her entire body shaking as she struggles to hold back her sobs. I don’t have time for hesitation.
“Alpha,” she whispers, with emotion. I know no mother will be happy with the fact that their child has been taken but I don’t need to take things with her.
“I’m not sure who took my baby girl… but my heart keeps going back to one person-the only one who has ever threatened to take her away from me.”
I watch her closely, waiting for her to continue.
But she falls silent.
My patience snaps. “Selena, tell me everything. Now. We need to find her before it’s too late.”
She swallows hard, then nods. Her voice is barely above a whisper as she finally speaks.
“My uncle.”
I stiffen. “Your uncle?”
She nods slowly. “He arranged for me to marry an Alpha from the north. But I refused.”
I furrow my brows. “Why?”
She exhales sharply, her hands tightening at her sides. “Because that same Alpha killed my father.”
My jaw clenches. “Are you sure?”
Selena nods. “I saw it happen. Not with my own eyes, but through a vision. But no one believed me because I had no proof.”
I watch her closely, urging her to continue.
“I fought against the marriage with everything I had,” she says. “I refused to be forced into something that would tie me to my father’s murderer. So, I ran. I left my pack and started over in Northville. But my uncle was furious-agitated beyond reason. He wanted to secure our bloodline, to keep power within our lineage. And when I disappeared, he swore he would find me one day… and take my child in my place.”
Her voice cracks, and her body shakes as her words settle.
“That has been his threat all these years,” she continues, barely able to get the words out. “Every single day, I lived in fear that he would come for her. And now… now he might have my baby.”
Her sobs break free, and she buries her face in her hands.
A dark growl rumbles from deep within my chest, so powerful that it makes the very walls tremble. Now it all makes sense.
Her uncle doesn’t just want to take Ally-he wants to use her.
He intends to force her into the marriage Selena refused, ensuring their bloodline remains powerful. And worse… Ally’s blood, tied to an ancient lineage, would make the Alpha who claims her unstoppable.
A bond like that wouldn’t just make him stronger-it would give him absolute control over all werewolves.
Over me. Over my pack. Over every pack.
I can feel my wolf clawing beneath the surface, enraged. My breath comes in slow, deep pulls, but it does nothing to calm the storm inside me.
No. I won’t let this happen.
I take a step closer to Selena, my eyes burning with determination.
“Tell me everything you know about your uncle. Where he could have taken her. Who he might be working with? We don’t have a second to waste.”
Because if we don’t stop him now…
Ally will be lost forever.