Kano's War

Chapter 35

KANO

I paced the length of the room, every step echoing off the stone walls like a scream I couldn't release. My hands wouldn't stop trembling. My wolf was restless—panicked, howling inside of me in sharp bursts that left my head spinning.

I couldn't feel her.
Not through the bond.
Not through the link.

She was just... gone.

"She's not dead," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. "She can't be. I would know."

"You would," Galen said quietly from his seat, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together in front of his mouth. "But that doesn't mean she's safe. We have to think this through."

"I don't have time to think—" I snapped, turning sharply to face him. "He took her. In front of me. I watched him drag her away and I couldn't stop it."

Galen's brother, Elias, leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. "And rushing in will get you killed. And her too." It was obvious Galen was the stronger of the two. He was just waiting for his mate.

I clenched my jaw so hard I heard my teeth grind. "You think I give a shit about dying?"

"You think she would forgive you for that?" Galen shot back. "If you go in there alone, half-mad and broken, you're not helping her. You're delivering her to him permanently."

That shut me up. My chest heaved as I dropped into the nearest chair, my head in my hands. I hated them for being right. I hated this entire godsdamned situation.

"She was sick before this," I said hoarsely. "Weak. Tired. I was taking her to the damn doctor when it happened. And now I can't feel her. I can't reach her. It's like she's been... cut off."

There was silence for a moment. Elias straightened, the firelight catching in his sharp eyes. "Then we hit him harder. We hit him with everything we have."

Galen nodded. "Which means we need numbers. Now."

I sat up. "We'll send a message to her father. Tell him she's been taken. Tell him we need his warriors. His support. Everything."

"He's still Alpha of the Northern territory," Elias added. "If he sends reinforcements, it'll give us the edge we need."

I didn't waste time. I grabbed parchment and started writing, my hand shaking as I scrawled every detail I could in the fewest words. I sealed it, pressed our crest into the wax, and handed it to one of my fastest runners.

"Fly," I ordered. "Don't stop until it's in his hands."

The runner nodded and vanished.

Galen approached me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "We'll get her back."

I swallowed hard, my gaze burning into the door like I could see through it. "She told me she loved me. Right before she was taken."

The room fell still again.

"Then we make sure she gets the chance to say it again."

***
AMORY

"Why are you trying to protect her?" I opened my eyes again as I felt pressure on my head.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..." whoever was above me kept mumbling to themselves. When I turned my head slightly to see who it was I was surprised to see August. She was trembling. "You experienced a miscarriage." She admitted while keeping whatever it was she was keeping to the back of my head.