Page 87 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

Frantically, I look around, shouting for my mate. “Alex!”

But there’s no sign of him. Instead, there’s a large pool of blood on the ground.

It’s Alex’s blood, there’s no doubt about it. I would recognize it anywhere. I put my hands on the ground, sending out feelers for magic. They will pick up on Alex’s presence if he’s in the area. But nothing comes back.

As I cradle Logan’s head in my lap, dismay and horror pierce me. What happened during the time I was gone? I wasn’t even gone that long!

Logan is conscious, but whatever was done to him has him unable to move.

“Relax,” I tell him, struggling to stay in control of the situation. “I’ll fix you. I’ll fix this.”

My head moves around anxiously as I wait for any response from the magic feelers I sent out. However, minutes tick by and there’s nothing. I practiced this magic back at the village. It tookjust under two minutes for me to figure out where Alex was each time. The only reason the feelers will not react is if he’s not in the area.

My heart sinks.

I can’t wrap my head around this situation.

He was fine.

Just a while ago, he was fine.

What happened?

Did somebody follow us?

Was it someone from the Central Alliance? Is it Noah?

Why attack Alex, though? Why not attack me?

Unless Alex has other enemies I didn’t know about.

Looking down at Logan, I turn my attention to him. The paralysis in his body is because of a strange darkness that is moving through his blood. One hand on his forehead, and the other on his chest, I begin drawing out the darkness.

After a couple of minutes, I release him and turn to the side to throw up. Dark blood spills out of my mouth. Breathing harshly, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and begin again.

Hours pass by and I’m exhausted. The magic in his blood is not all dark. It’s mixed. It’s almost as if dark witches and normal witches were working together. It’s just an assumption, but that is what it feels like. I sense two completely different kinds of magic within Logan. The only person who can tell me what really happened here is in front of me, unable to speak.

My hands are shaking.

Every time I begin to falter or panic, I have to remind myself of who I am. Not the Silver Wolf, but Sophia, my mother’s daughter. I have overcome so much in life. I will get through this moment as well. I’m the leader of the South alliance. There are so many identities attached to me now. So many people depend on me. I cannot let anybody down, most of all myself.

I will find Alex.

Whoever took him is going to pay dearly.

My wolf is furious and raging, but I force it to calm down.

Logan has passed out by now. I throw up the last bit of the dark blood in the bushes before wiping my mouth and restarting the fire. If my magic could not find Alex, that means he’s already too far away. They must have used a portal to transport him. That must be why I can’t sense him. How two very capable shifters were taken out like this is beyond me, but I guess once Logan wakes up, he’ll tell me what took place here.

I stretch out the barrier to cover the stream, and once the fire is burning steadily, I go to fetch some water. The flask is still there, right where I left it, and I check the water in the spring to make sure it is not tainted in any way before I fill up the flask.

It feels strange to behave this calmly when Alex has been kidnapped. I should be giving chase or something, but my actions are calm, controlled.

I know that if I try to go after Alex right now, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I have to wait for Logan to wake up. He’s going to need something to eat if I want him to recover quicklyand so will I. I begin skinning the remaining deer, my body cold inside. Tearing the flesh, I stick it on pieces of wood and start cooking it over the fire, watching my unconscious companion all the while.

Every time I feel the hopelessness rise, I squash it down. This is no time to be panicking. I have to be in control of myself. I have to think like a leader. This is what Alex would be telling me. This is how I should be behaving.

With Logan still sleeping, I pick up a stick to toss it into the fire, only to see something sparkle in my peripheral vision. It’s near the trees. Heading over, I push away the leaves covering it and realize that it is a red brooch. The jewels on it are distinctive, and I realize that I’ve seen it before.

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