The Beta's Missing Mate (Book 16 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 10

Aidan opened his eyes the next morning and reached for Ana. He sat up when he realized she wasn't there and looked around the room. "Shit."

'Mate is gone,' his wolf, Ghost, whined, confirming his worst fears.

'Did you know she left?' Aidan asked him. 'Before I woke up?'

'No. Been asleep,' Ghost admitted sadly.

Aidan sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. As much as he wanted to go off on his wolf for not saying anything, he couldn't. They were both to blame. But then, he hadn't expected her to sneak out on him. Maybe he should have spoken to her last night and given her a reason to stay.

Why hadn't he talked to her more last night? Or at least found out her last name. He got out of bed and wandered around the room, hoping she'd left him a note, but there was nothing from her. All of her clothes were gone. The only sign that she'd even been there was her sweet scent still permeating the air. Aidan breathed in deeply, committing it to memory.

'Mate is long gone,' Ghost muttered sadly, disappointment clear in his voice.

Aidan sighed, annoyed, and quickly got dressed. He grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys and left the hotel room, wandering downstairs, outside, and back over to the bar. The place wasn't open yet, and Aidan knew, realistically, his chances of finding Ana were slim to none.

He realized he didn't know anything about her. No last name, and even her first name could be short for something, for all he knew. This entire thing was turning into a disaster. Aidan ran his hand through his hair and pulled out his cell phone to call Xavier first.

"Hey Aidan. What's up?" Xavier greeted him. He sounded wide awake and almost cheerful. Had he gotten laid last night after all? Sounded like it.

"I, um... I screwed up," he muttered.

"What happened?"

"Are you alone?" Aidan asked.

"Yeah, I'm alone," Xavier said.

"I'm coming up to your room." Aidan stepped on the elevator.

"Okay."

Aidan disconnected the call and wondered where Zane was. Hopefully in his room, though whether he was alone or not was a different story. Xavier would probably know, though.

He stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall, stopping outside Xavier's room. The door opened a second later, and he stepped inside.

Xavier was already dressed, and Aidan could tell he hadn't brought a female back here. The only scent in the room was the Prince's. "Did you come back alone?"

"Yeah. Zane didn't, though he rented a different room from his own for the night. I'm not sure if he's still with her or not. Probably not," Xavier said. "And you?"

"I had an amazing night with my mate, fell asleep with her in my arms, and woke up to an empty bed," he admitted, scratching the back of his head in exasperation. "I told her I wanted to talk to her this morning, but I guess she didn't think I was serious."

Xavier frowned at that and sighed. "She just took off?"

"Yup."

Xavier let out a long breath. "How much do you know about her?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," he admitted, still annoyed with himself. "Her first name is Ana, but I don't know her last name or anything else about her." He knew certain things about her, intimate things, but at the moment, those things were not helpful. Last night, he'd been much too focused on them.