Chapter 71: Missing

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Missing Lily’s fingers moved carefully, following Shirley’s demonstration of the complex sign. “Excellent,” Shirley praised with a nod. “Your progress is remarkable, Lily. Soon you’ll be able to express yourself without that notebook.” Lily smiled, pride warming her chest. Her hands had grown more confident in the past few days, though she still kept her notebook close. A security blanket she wasn’t ready to abandon. Shirley adjusted her glasses. “Now, let’s try something more challenging. How would you sign—” A sharp knock interrupted her. The door swung open before either could respond, revealing Ezra’s tense face. His usual stoic appearance was nowhere to be found. He looked disheveled—shirt wrinkled, hair uncombed. “Excuse the interruption,” he said, not sounding apologetic at all. His eyes locked on Lily. “I need to speak with you. Privately.” Lily exchanged a glance with Shirley, who seemed to sense the urgency. “We can continue tomorrow,” Shirley said, gathering her materials. “Practice those new signs, Lily.” Once Shirley left, Ezra closed the door and leaned against it, running a hand through his messy hair. The bags under his eyes told Lily he hadn’t slept. “Zayn is missing,” he said without preamble. Lily’s heart dropped. It had been more than three days since any of them had seen Zayn. Ezra had instructed the pack warriors and Lily to keep things under wraps while they waited. But one day turned into three. She reached for her notebook, scribbling quickly. ‘Have you checked the cave? The forest? Across the border?’ “I’ve had search parties combing the territory since last night. Nothing,” Ezra said as he paced the room, “He wouldn’t go beyond the border. Not without informing one of us.” Lily’s hands shook as she wrote again. ‘Have you tried the mind-link?’ “That’s the first thing I tried. Nothing—complete silence.” Ezra stopped to look at her. “Can you sense him? Through your mate bond?” Lily closed her eyes, focusing on the mark on her neck. Usually, she could feel Zayn’s presence like a warm current flowing between them. Now, there was only emptiness. A cold void where his energy should be. She opened her eyes and shook her head. “Damn it,” Ezra muttered. “People are starting to ask questions. They know something’s wrong when their Alpha doesn’t show up for morning patrol or council meetings.” Lily bit her lip, writing frantically. She’d been waiting anxiously for long enough, trying to use the classes with Shirley as a distraction. It was time for her to do what she could. ‘I’ll go search for him in the forest. He might be hurt.’ “No,” Ezra replied firmly. “We need to keep this quiet until we figure out what’s happened. You should continue your normal routine—attending your classes, meals in the hall. Acting like everything is fine.” A floorboard creaked outside the door. Ezra’s head snapped toward the sound, nostrils flaring as he scented the air. He moved to the door in three swift strides and yanked it open. The hallway was empty. “Someone was listening,” he growled, scanning the corridor. “I can smell their scent, but I can’t identify who.” Lily’s stomach twisted with anxiety. If word got out that Zayn was missing, panic would spread through the pack like wildfire. ‘What do we do now?’ She wrote. Ezra’s expression hardened. “I’ll double the search parties and extend the perimeter. You keep up appearances. I promise I’ll tell you the moment we find him.” Lily nodded reluctantly, though every fiber of her being screamed to run into the forest herself. What if Zayn was hurt? What if he needed her? “Trust me, Lily,” Ezra said, reading her expression. “The best thing you can do right now is stay calm and keep this quiet.” After Ezra left, Lily pressed her hand against her mate mark, silently reaching out to Zayn. The silence was deafening. Outside the room, just down the hallway, Victoria heaved a sigh of relief, heart racing. Ezra almost caught her eavesdropping. Her mind buzzed with the information she’d just overheard. Zayn was missing. Missing! A wicked smile formed on her face as she straightened her dress and walked casually down the hallway. Her mind raced with endless possibilities. Zayn’s disappearance gave her the perfect opportunity to turn everyone against Lily. She entered the dining hall, quickly noticing a group of she-wolves gossiping anxiously. “Has anyone seen Alpha Zayn today?” one asked. “I heard he wasn’t at training this morning.” “Maybe he’s busy with his Alpha duties,” another suggested. Victoria walked up to their table and asked if she could have a seat. The others recognized her immediately. “Miss Victoria, have you seen Alpha Zayn today? Or yesterday?” One of them asked. The rest eagerly looked at her, anticipating her response. Victoria let her expression fall. She displayed hesitance to say anything. “It’s alright if you can’t tell us anything, Miss Victoria. We’re just worried about the Alpha.” The others nodded along. Victoria let out a sigh. “I’m worried about him, too, especially since no one has seen him in a while.” The women leaned in, eyes wide. “No one has seen him?” “So the rumors are true!” Gasps erupted from the table. “How do you know this?” demanded another. “I saw Zayn enter the forest a few days ago with our mute Luna. When they returned, Zayn was nowhere to be found,” Victoria said, voice growingly softer, more concerned. She grabbed the hands of one of the she-wolves, eyes welling up with crocodile tears. “What if something bad happened to Zayn? Lily must have done something to him, I’m sure of it!” The women exchanged worried glances. “Should we alert the elders?” one asked. Victoria put on her most dramatic worried expression, shaking her head. “No. Ezra wants to keep it quiet, to avoid hysteria. But I must do something. I’m going to search for Zayn myself.” She got up to leave at once, leaving the she-wolves to their gossip. By nightfall, the entire pack would know. Perfect, all according to plan. Victoria moved through the forest, following a faint trail that the search parties might have missed. The afternoon sun filtered through the canopy, creating dappled patterns on the forest floor. She’d changed into practical clothes, ideal for tracking. A twig snapped behind her. Victoria froze, scenting the air. Unfamiliar wolf scents—not from their pack. Rogues. She turned slowly, finding herself surrounded by three males with dirty clothes and hungry eyes. “Well, well,” the largest one drawled. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here alone?” Victoria shifted her stance, preparing to fight. “I’m from the Obsidian Moon pack. You’re trespassing on our territory.” The rogues laughed. “Your territory?” A skinny wolf with a scar across his face stepped forward. “We’ve been watching. Your Alpha’s gone missing, hasn’t he? No Alpha means no protection.” Victoria backed away, cursing herself for venturing so far alone. “Our pack is strong even without our Alpha.” “We’ll see about that,” the large one growled, lunging at her. Victoria dodged, shifting immediately into her wolf form—a sleek red creature with sharp teeth. She snarled, claws digging into the earth as she faced her attackers. All three shifted, circling her. She was outnumbered. Victoria backed away, looking for an escape route. She darted between two of the rogues, sprinting deeper into the forest. They followed, gaining on her. Pain shot through her hind leg as teeth sank into her flesh. She yelped, stumbling but managing to break free. Blood matted her fur as she limped forward, spotting a cave entrance ahead. Victoria dove into the darkness, the metallic scent of blood growing stronger as she moved deeper into the cave. She hesitated, uncertain if the enemy ahead of her would be worse than those pursuing her. The rogues were closing in. She was trapped; she had no choice but to hide in the cave. “You have nowhere to hide, bitch! Surrender now. If you get on your knees and beg, my men and I might go easy on you,” The largest wolf growled. Victoria gritted her teeth, “Never!” The largest wolf lunged for her throat. Suddenly, a thunderous howl shook the cave. The rogues immediately retreated, tails between their legs as they backed out of the cave. Victoria’s heart pounded in her chest. The howl sounded suspiciously familiar. She turned to look further into the cave, watching as a massive black wolf emerged from the shadows of the cave. Blood matted its fur, its eyes glowed with rage. “Zayn?” The rogues froze, terror evident. When Zayn took another step forward, they bolted. Victoria shifted back to human form, relief flooding through her. “Zayn! Thank the Moon Goddess I found you!” Zayn shifted back to his human form as his legs gave way. Victoria rushed forward to catch him, cradling his wounded body in her arms. Deep gashes covered his torso and legs, and a particularly nasty wound spread across his chest. “What happened to you?” she whispered, brushing matted hair from his face. Zayn’s eyes fluttered open briefly, pain clouding his gaze. His lips moved, forming a single word before consciousness left him. “Lily...”