Page 21 of Nightmare Island

“What the fuck now?” I state more to myself than to him.

After helping Knut with a brawl that broke out between four Alphas, I’ve been in my study. Instead of joining the hunt, I’m here, trapped within these walls by my own racing thoughts. My fingers trace the edge of my mask, the bone-white skull smooth under my touch. It’s a reminder of who I am, what I’ve become.

Howls pierce the night as the hunt has started in the woods.

But fuck, I’m distracted. The new Omega hasn’t left my mind. I’ve kept my distance since yesterday to give her time. But hell if she doesn’t invade my thoughts every second of the damnday and night. And the constant hard-on isn’t helping matters, either.

Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I stride out of the room and head toward my room—her room now. My pulse thumps in my veins as I approach the door. The need to get her out of my thoughts wars with the memory of her impending heat. That sweet scent… it’s making me damn near obsessed.

I knock, the sound sharp and demanding in the quiet hallway. The door swings open with a slight creak at my knock. I shove it the rest of the way, only to find the room empty. The bed is untouched, the sheets still messy. Her scent lingers in the air, teasing me, mocking me.

“Hel?” I call out, my voice gruff with frustration. I cross to the bathroom, my steps quick and agitated. Empty. Fuck!

I make a beeline for the kitchen, hoping she’s there for a meal. Eve and Mara are often there together. Though Eve doesn’t get along well with the other fifteen Omegas in the pack, preferring the company of Alphas. I’ve seen her flirting with them, her hands lingering a bit too long, her laugh a bit too breathy. But with over one hundred men in my pack needing attention, I don’t give a fuck what she does.

Right now, though, I’m fuming. I march down the corridors, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The mansion is a maze of hallways and rooms, a relic of the island’s past inhabitants. Tapestries, faded and worn, line the walls, depicting hunts and battles long forgotten. The air is thick with the scent of old wood, dust, and the faint metallic tang of blood that never quite fades.

I burst into the kitchen, the heavy oak door slamming against the wall. The girls lounging around the large wooden table jump, startled by my sudden entrance. Mara stands by the old stone oven, her weathered hands kneading dough. She doesn’t even flinch at my arrival, her eyes downcast as always.

My gaze locks on Eve, who scrambles to her feet. Her eyes are wide with worry or maybe fear. Good.

“Ghost?” she mumbles, her voice small.

I stride up to her, barely containing my anger. The other two Omegas in the kitchen shrink back, their gazes are darting between us.

“Where did you last see Hel?” I demand with a growl. “She’s not in her room or here with you.”

Eve blinks rapidly, looking like a lost puppy. It’s an act she’s perfected over the years, one that usually works on the other Alphas. Not on me. Not today.

“Last I saw her, she was headed back to your room, but she was acting weird.”

“How so?” I press, looming over her. I can smell the fear rolling off her in waves.

“Like… glancing at every staircase, door. Like she was searching for a way out or something.” Eve’s words tremble slightly. “She seemed… I don’t know, nervous? Distracted?”

One of the other Omegas, a petite redhead whose name I can never remember, pipes up, “I haven’t seen her at all today.” She shrinks back when I turn my gaze to her, nearly knocking over her chair in her haste to put distance between us.

Frustration gnaws at me, hot and insistent.

I stare at Eve. “Did she say anything to you? Mention any plans?”

“No, nothing.” She shakes her head, her brown curls bouncing with the movement. “She just seemed… off. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I mean, she’s new here, right? I figured she was just adjusting.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this earlier?” My patience wears thin.

“I… I didn’t think it was important,” Eve stammers, taking a step back. Her hip bumps against the table, rattling the plates and cups.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It doesn’t work.

“The moment you see her, take her to her room and stay with her until I return. Understood?”

“Of course.” Eve nods, a hand to her chest in a show of sincerity that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

I march out, my mind racing. Where could she have gone? The mansion is huge, but it’s not infinite. There are only so many places she could hide. Her scent had been strong in the bedroom, but I can’t pick it up here at all. I check all the stairways leading from my room, questioning the guards posted at each entry point. They all give the same answer—no one has passed through or seen her.

She’s bound to have used one if she tried to escape. All entries are guarded, and the underground way out is locked from the inside. She has to be in the mansion. She has to be.

I search frantically, moving from room to room. The Omega quarters are on the second floor, a series of rooms with shared common areas. I throw open doors, ignoring the startled cries of the Omegas inside. Some are alone, some in pairs or small groups. None of them are Hel.

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