Healing Hearts

Chapter 15: Taken

[Jase's Pov]

I found myself parked beside the gates of my house. I grabbed the handle pushing it out harshly but it opened easily, almost causing me to fall out of the car. I got out of the car and looked around frantically. I don't know what I was looking for, the portal was already gone and there was no sign of Dylan.

Why isn't he here? 

I searched my bag for my phone and dialled his number. After the third try, he still didn't pick up.

"The number you're calling is not available. Please try ag-" 

"Ugh." I groaned. "Why aren't you picking up?"

What do I do? It would take hours to get back there and he might have left and I don't even know where he lives. I was pacing around on the road until I heard a beep. Unlocking the screen, I saw a message.

"I'm fine."

I stared at the name of the sender, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. 

J: What happened? -Read

J: Are you hurt? -Read

After two minutes, he still didn't reply. Staring at the screen, I let Callie's warning slip in.

Please Jase if he ever goes back to being his old self or starts pushing you away, you have to stop him.

If what Callie said was true then something must have triggered it. Was it the appearance of those shadow creatures? I have noticed how his body tenses and the furrow of his brows. The creatures called him a Sire, and clearly, he didn't want anything to do with them or more accurately, he didn't want me to have anything to do with them. I've never seen him so angry before and that says a lot and it's evident that he doesn't want me to know something. 

Somehow, that just makes me want to find out what it was.

[Ashley's Pov]

-The next day-

 "This is the dining hall. Everyone assembles here for breakfast every morning." Uncle Seb explained.

"How about lunch and dinner?" I asked.

"You're allowed to have your lunch and dinner anywhere you like but for breakfast, we eat as a pack. It's just a tradition that we've been following." He continued.

"Oh, that's nice," I commented.

I've been walking around since morning, with Uncle Seb and Myra leading the way and introducing me to places in this gigantic castle. 

I realised that being an Alpha is more than just a title, it's a responsibility. Thousands of life rested on my hands, one wrong move and everything will be in jeopardy. I knew I wasn't ready to take up such a big role but it's reassuring that Uncle Seb and Myra are here to help me.

As much as I appreciated the tour, I couldn't help but feel something wasn't right. Noticing my lack of response, Uncle Seb nudged me.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No," I lied.

"Myra, could you give us a moment?" 

"Sure." She replied before leaving us in the hallway.

"I know something's up." He said with a knowing stare.

I sighed. 

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" He asked.

"I know I should be thinking about the welfare of the pack but here I am thinking about Christ," I confessed. "I know you're here to help me and I appreciate it, but I always thought Christ would be here with me, facing the problems together. It just feels wrong without him here."