Page 72 of Reckless Wolf

Atlas

Ithrew open the bedroom door without an ounce of finesse. Dahlia shrieked and sat up in her bed, her doe eyes huge as I loomed in the doorway.

“Where is your sister?” I demanded, my voice bouncing off the walls.

She stared at me, blinking in the moonlight streaming in from her window, the confusion on her face palpable.

“What?”

“Where is Bianca?”

Slowly, she pushed the heavy comforter aside and stood, her nightgown falling to her ankles as she rubbed her eyes.

“She’s probably in the bathroom, Atlas,” she chided me, not bothering to hide her annoyance. “Why are you acting like this?”

“She’s not in the bathroom or in the yard. She’s not anywhere in the house. Where did you last see her?”

Finally, a smidgen of alarm registered on Dahlia’s face.

“We went for a run this evening,” she said slowly. “Oh, gods… Do you think… Jesse?”

“No, of course not,” I scoffed, spinning on my heel to stomp out of her room and down the corridor. Dahlia’s room had been my last hope of finding her, but if Bianca wasn’t there…

“Atlas! Who could have taken her?” Dahlia cried, rushing after me. “If not Jesse?”

I didn’t bother to explain that no one could break into my property—if they were stupid enough to try. There were guards and silent alarms that would have been triggered even before I was aware of the breech. No. Bianca had left on her own.

I sprinted back into our shared room, flicking the overhead lighting on. The soft, romantic glow illuminated the interior as I threw open the dressing room doors. My breath caught as I immediately noted the missing travel backpack. Why hadn’t I come here first?

“What did you find?” Dahlia asked.

I whirled around, my face aflame with humiliation.

“How long was she planning on leaving? Why didn’t she take you?”

The shock on Dahlia’s face was genuine, but even so, I couldn’t calm down.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Atlas! She wouldn’t just leave! Not you. Not me!”

I wanted to believe her, but as I continued to check the closet, I saw that Bianca had packed a substantial amount. This was no day trip. She was gone for good.

Disbelief fused with grief as I confronted Dahlia, my voice quavering violently.

“What did you two discuss when you were out today?” I demanded, again in her face.

She backed down, shaking her blonde tresses wildly.

“Nothing! You! How happy we were to be away from Jesse!”

“Well, that’s likely not going to be the case for long now,” I growled, still towering over her. “What else did you talk about?”

Dahlia whimpered and stepped back until her spine was against the wall. I realized my fangs had extracted in my anger. I set them back, steeling my breaths. “Dahlia, if we don’t find your sister, Jesse will.”

“I…” She sniffled. “I told her that I overheard you and Sage talking today.”

I groaned loudly and turned away.

“Why?” I moaned. “Why would you tell her that?”

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