Page 52 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

Only to find her bed empty.

“Cassie?” I call out, a last-ditch attempt to find her despite the smoothness of the bed covers indicating that she hasn’t slept in her bed tonight. That’s when I close my eyes and focus on the mind link to call out to her.

Maybe she hasn’t left my house. It’s a stretch, I know since it’s too late for her to wait there for me.

“Cassie? Where are you?”I sent out the mental communication, which was reserved only for Cassandra’s mind. But when it comes back to my eardrums, echoing with dreaded emptiness, my eyelids fly open, and I set off like a madman around the cottage.

“Cassie?Cassandra?”my voice calls out in short bursts of worry, my mind racing between my human voice and the one belonging to my inner wolf. But when I find myself back in her bedroom, I’ve lost all hope that she’s here.

I have to go outside and find her, but something innate, almost like my instincts, tells me that I’ll be wasting my time.

Why? What’s going on? I mentally panic until I spot a crisp piece of folded paper beside her bedside lamp.

My pounding heart obliterates my eardrums as I set forward with calculated steps, reaching for the note with trembling fingers.

I’m sorry, Dakota. I had to leave without telling you. I’ll explain everything some other time. I’m okay.

I read the neat handwriting, over and over again, as if it’ll magically change the message on the note. As the daunting truth sets in stone, I sink to the bed, my eyes remaining glued to the words.

Again, I try sending a telepathic plea for her to answer me, but it doesn’t go anywhere. Instead, my inner voice bouncesaround in my skull, only confirming what I already know to be true.

No. No. No…

She's done it again.

She's cut off her ties to the mind link that connects all the wolves of the Moon Shine Pack.

She did it before—nine years ago when she abruptly left without a word. I tried my best to call out to her the moment I heard that she left the pack just as I’m trying right now and failing dismally at it again.

This time, it was different, only that we’d shared something special. She’d gifted me her virtue and helped me with that brilliant mind of hers. Yet, the words on the note she left behind aren’t directed at me.

She didn’t leave me a note. Again, she left without saying goodbye.

I frown as the realization comes speeding toward me like a truck without brakes, knocking into my gut and knocking the wind out of me.

Was I the reason she left back then?

Was all of this some kind of revenge plot to get back at me for all the times I treated her cruelly in the past?

Did I do something this time?

I shake my head. It’s impossible to have been cruel to her when I’d finally given in to my baser desires.

What went wrong?

Hanging my head, feeling shame and hurt coil in the pit of my belly, I know what I need to do.

I have to find her.

***

Two Weeks Later

“Are we all set for tomorrow night?” Alpha Simon asks, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazes out at the training arena.

With the battalion we’d formed from handpicked werewolves of each of our packs, the Alpha Council has been preparing to go to war with the rogues. Our attack will be unsuspected, and we’ll finally be able to extract Alpha Dorian from where he’s being held captive.

Our final night of training is taking place in Moon Shine’s training arena tonight. Brushing up on the finer details of our new fighting strategy, Alpha Flynn leads training.

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