The Alpha's Secret Legacy

Chapter 31

Niall's Pov

The zoo trip was supposed to be normal.

That's what I kept telling myself anyway.

A rare peaceful day. No chaos. No threats. No missing people. Just us trying to breathe for once.

But in our lives... "normal" never really lasts.

We were all scattered around the zoo, laughing, walking, taking in the animals like everything was finally settling down.

Dani and Liam were ahead of us, hand in hand, smiling like they didn't have a care in the world.

Harry and Louis were teasing each other again, laughing so loudly it was impossible not to hear them.

Gemma was busy taking pictures of literally everything she saw, acting like she was documenting a full documentary instead of a zoo trip.

Zayn was beside me, casually annoying me as usual, while still somehow standing too close like he always did.

Chrissy, though...

She wasn't where I last saw her.

At first, I didn't think anything of it. She probably wandered off. She always did that when she got lost in thought.

But then I noticed something else.

Tim wasn't here either.

Neither was Basty.

Neither was Liam.

My steps slowed.

"Zayn," I muttered, looking around.

He turned instantly. "Yeah?"

"You seen Chrissy?"

He frowned. "No... I thought she was with you."

That was all it took.

Something in my chest dropped immediately.

Louis noticed our faces change. "What?"

Harry looked around too. "Wait... where is everyone?"

Dani stopped walking. "Liam was just here a second ago..."

Gemma lowered her camera. "This isn't funny."

And then it hit all of us at once.

They were gone.

All of them.

Chrissy. Liam. Tim. Basty.

Vanished.

Silence spread through us like ice.

Even the zoo around us felt quieter somehow.

"That's not possible," Louis said slowly. "We're literally in public."

Zayn shook his head. "Unless they were taken."

Dani's hand flew to her mouth. "Taken by who?"

No one answered.

Because none of us knew.

Then—

A sound.

Soft music playing through the speakers around the zoo.

At first, it was faint. Almost easy to ignore.

But then it grew clearer.

A song.

Familiar.

Zayn froze first.

"No..." he whispered.

Louis frowned. "What is that?"