Falling For Storm
Chapter 22

Storm

It had been two weeks, and I was wracking my brains out wondering when we’d be able to get a lead. We’ve had two more attacks since the last, and it seemed that the locations were near the packhouse or the university. This was making my suspicions stronger that they were really after Amara, but until now, the reason behind or who was behind this was still unknown. So far, we’ve tripled our efforts in all aspects of keeping everyone safe, but I have to admit that these rogues were getting stronger and smarter by the day as they were able to get past where other intruders had never gone before.

To make the situation worse, Amara had set her foot down and didn’t want to stop going to school, even if it was just temporary. We had been discussing and arguing a bit for days, which meant I had been in a foul mood since. To top it all off, she needed to study with her project partner at the university library. I suggested that they study either in my office at the bar or here at home, but she said it would only make that Eric guy uncomfortable, and they wouldn’t be able to study with all the noise and people around. So, now, Dakota, whom I had to bribe, was keeping an eye on them while I tried my best to sort things out with my beta and gamma.

“There’s something I’m not seeing. It’s a missing piece to a certain puzzle,” I expressed, and both Hunter and Wyatt nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

“If only there was a way for us to replace out who is behind all this, then we’d surely be able to stop the attacks and keep everyone safe,” I continued.

“This doesn’t seem like a pack-on-pack war, unless...” Wyatt added.

“Unless what?” Hunter cajoled.

“Unless there’s a certain pack that’s training rogues and promising them a spot if they succeed in whatever their mission is.”

As absurd as that sounded, Wyatt had a point. We needed to think outside of the box, so it wasn’t impossible for any pack to do such things for power and dominance.

“The question is, which pack?” I asked, and we all went quiet, thinking about which packs have made us their enemies over the years.

There had been only three since the time of my great-grandfather, but none of those packs, to this day, on sheer numbers alone, were powerful enough to orchestrate this. We had been planning and devising strategies for the entire day just like the ones before, and we always ended up running in circles or at a dead end, and it was getting really frustrating. After a while, I sighed heavily before pushing off the table to stand. If interrogation didn’t work, then maybe we could try to bait them. The problem was that it was still unclear what the real agenda was. I only had hunches and I’d have to die first before I or anyone else used my mate as bait to confirm and lure them in.

By eight in the evening, I was gathering my stuff so that I could head home when the door to my office burst open to reveal a panicked-looking Dakota, which was strange because she was never the type who was easily alarmed by stuff.

“Is she here?” she asked, and I knew instantly that she was referring to my mate.

”Did you check if she was home?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

“She’s not home; that’s where I checked first.”

I raked my hands through my hair and over my face, trying to keep myself in check.

“So, you lost her? What happened?!” I growled, making my sister flinch.

I didn’t usually go off on her like that, but this was my mate we were talking about. It wasn’t entirely her fault, but the wolf inside me kept telling me that Dakota had one job, and yet she failed at it.

“I don’t know what happened; someone accidentally bumped into me. I looked away for a few seconds, and when I looked back, they were gone. I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t catch her scent. I tried to mind-link her, but she wasn’t responding. I’m sorry, Storm,” she explained, feeling guilty and worried.

“I know it wasn’t your fault, but fuck!” I shouted before running out the backdoor and shifting to my wolf form.

I called out to every tracker and warrior in the pack to start sniffing and looking for clues as I pushed myself to run faster with every step. I unleashed my senses, listening, searching, and smelling every corner there was, but came up with zero results. Bile rose within me as worry and fear started to sink in. It was unlike Amara to disappear or not respond, no matter what the situation or circumstance was. She knew that Dakota was close by, and if they needed to go somewhere, she would definitely let my sister know. I started scouting the grounds near the university stealthily. This was the last place she had been before she disappeared, so obviously, this was where her scent would be the strongest. I closed my eyes and raised my head in the air, hoping that I would catch a clue. My eyes immediately snapped open as soon as I caught a very faint scent of her and ran towards that direction.

“Amara? Can you hear me?,” I asked through mind link and there was radio silence.

“Baby, if you can and you’re in trouble, please hang on. I’m coming.”

She was either unconscious, had blocked everyone else, or was too far from where I was. Either way, I had to keep trying to get through to her. I gave my coordinates to Hunter and Wyatt, and a few minutes later I sensed they were running close behind me along with a few of our warriors and trackers.

“She’s not responsive, and her scent is very faint; we have to replace her. I’ll replace her even if it means I have to stay up all night and cross every border,” I informed everyone.

I had never been so scared in my entire life, and right now I was shit scared of losing her. I don’t think I would be able to survive if I didn’t get to see her again. No mate, regardless of their position in the pack, would ever be the same if and when they lost their mate.

I shook my head a few times, trying to regain control of my emotions. I knew well that panicking was not going to help, so I needed to concentrate on my senses to help replace her faster. I kept calling out to her and praying that she was alright and alive while thinking that when I found out who was behind this and if she was in fact in danger right now, I was going to make sure that they’d die a very very slow and painful death. They were going to pay for this with their limbs and bones. I swear it!