POV: Asher Thorne
The pack house was in chaos.
What had started as a glorious night—the eve of his Alpha Naming Ceremony—had ended in blood, smoke, and silence.
But it wasn't the battle that haunted Asher now.
It was the fact that Aira Moonstone was gone.
Missing.
Taken.
He stood in the Alpha's office, his fists clenched, his heart thundering. The moonlight filtering through the large windows did little to calm his nerves.
Across the room, Kael Moonstone, Beta of Silverstone and the man who had barely acknowledged his daughter for years, sat rigid in a chair. His jaw was clenched, his eyes dark with an emotion Asher couldn't quite name.
Jack was pacing the floor, rage boiling in his every movement. His eyes were red, his wolf barely restrained.
"How did they get through the border?" Jack barked. "How the hell did they know where to strike?"
"They didn't want war," the former Gamma muttered from the corner. "They came for the girls. Young. Around eighteen. It was calculated. This wasn't a random rogue frenzy."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Delta Myron cleared his throat. "We've confirmed twenty-three girls are missing. All in that age bracket."
Asher felt his breath leave him. Aira.
His mate.
His chest ached at the memory of her voice, calm and broken all at once:"I, Aira Moonstone, accept your rejection."
He hadn't stopped hearing it. Seeing the look in her eyes. The moment she turned away.
And now she was gone.
He swallowed, hard.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to run after her. To tear through the forest and bring her back.
But would she even want him to?
"She's your sister," Asher finally said, glancing at Jack. "Why… why didn't you ever say anything?"
Jack turned sharply, eyes burning. "Because I was ashamed. Not of her—of me. I let them treat her like a ghost. My own damn family. I was too much of a coward to stop it."
Asher's gut twisted.
You didn't just stand by. You rejected her. You humiliated her.You threw away your mate like she meant nothing.
And now… she was gone.
A knock came at the door.
A warrior stepped in, breathing hard.
"We followed the scent trail. It ends near the eastern ridges. Close to the Silver Fang Pack's borders."
All eyes turned toward Alpha Elijha, who stood slowly, his expression shifting from worry to thought.
"Lucien Blackveil," he said softly.
Jack frowned. "The ruthless Alpha?"
Elijha nodded. "Alpha of Silver Fang. Their territory lies just beyond the ridge. He rules with power and precision. They're not enemies—but they don't involve themselves in others' problems."
"They say he's cold," murmured Gamma Ashwood.
"They say he's calculating," added Delta Myron.
Elijha's gaze hardened. "But they also say he honors power, and never lets harm fall to innocents in his territory. If these rogues are crossing into his lands—he'll know."
Asher straightened, his Alpha instincts kicking in.
"We have to speak to him."
"I'll go," Jack said immediately.
"No," Elijha said. "This needs diplomacy, strategy—and… something more. Asher, you'll go. You are the Alpha now."
Asher hesitated.
Not just because of the danger—but because this mission would bring him closer to her.
To Aira.
To the girl who had vanished without a sound, after he shattered her soul.
He took a breath.
"I'll find her," he whispered. "I don't care what it takes. I'll bring her back."
Elijha looked at him and, for the first time in years, saw not just a son—but an Alpha.