CHAPTER NINETY SIX
+25 Bonus
CHAPTER NINETY SIX
Rudolf’s POV
The forest was silent except for the crack of branches as my guards spread out in a wide formation. Their eyes scanned the shadows and their nostrils flared for even the faintest scent. Solon moved beside me.
Still, there was no sign of Talia.
How could my daughter vanish from our own pack? I had layered protection around her since the day she was born. Yet despite every precaution, she was gone. Each moment without her only intensified the fear I felt. And because her wolf was dormant, I couldn’t even feel her.
“Why did you allow her to go on her own?” I growled at Solon.
“She said she needed some air and I sent a guard,” Solon responded, “I had no reason to believe she was in danger.”
Solon was right. The danger had been in the room with us. With Nolan right in front of me, who would have a grudge against me?
We pushed deeper into the woods. Solon dropped to a crouch. He ran his hand through the dirt, sniffed it before he shook his head in defeat.
“There is no scent. No tracks. How is that possible?” he muttered as he stood up.
I ground my teeth. “Keep searching. There has to be a trace of her. People don’t just disappear. We do not stop until she is found.”
Then, movement caught my eye. Someone broke through the tree line from the direction of the restricted area and was sprinting towards us. My body became rigid as recognition struck.
Nolan.
And in his arms was Talia.
Her dress was ripped open, and she was covered in her own blood. Her body was limp like a broken doll in his arms. Was she dead? But I noticed the rise and fall of her chest and relief washed over me. Talia was alive, but barely.
“What did you do to her?!” Solon rushed forward, but I grabbed his wrist to stop him.
I stepped forward myself, my voice sharp and commanding. “Nolan, hand her to me now.”
His head snapped up. His eyes were flashing as he was struggling to control his wolf. “Get out of my way! She has been poisoned with wolfsbane. I need to get her to a hospital right now,” Nolan stated in between ragged breaths.
My guards immediately drew in closer, forming a half-circle/around him. Their claws extended, their bodies poised to strike. Nolan had emerged from the restricted grounds, carrying my injured daughter. How was he able to find her when we could not?
“I said hand her to me,” I commanded again with the Alpha command.
Nolan didn’t submit and give in to the command. He shifted Talia higher in his arms as if shielding her from me. Nolan bared his fangs at me as he growled low, a clear warning for me to back off.
“I will not hand her to you,” he snarled. “You fools couldn’t even keep her safe.”
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CHAPTER NINETY SIX
+25 Bonus
His response surprised me. What did he mean by that? ‘It doesn’t matter what he means. We will not tolerate his open defiance!’ my wolf snarled. With a flick of my hand, the guards tightened the circle.
Solon drew his blade. He lunged forward before I could stop him. His sword struck Nolan’s shoulder. The blade cut deep, and blood splattered onto the ground. Nolan didn’t flinch and only held Talia tighter.
“Release her!” Solon shouted. “Tell me why we should believe you are not the one who put her in this state.”
“I don’t care what you believe,” Nolan snarled. “I don’t need to prove anything to you. She is mine!”
“She is the daughter of the Alpha King,” Solon snapped. “She belongs to her family and her people, not to you.”
Nolan’s eyes narrowed as he pulled Talia tighter against his chest. “No one will take her from my arms but a doctor.”
“Arrogant fool,” Solon spat.
He raised his blade again, but I roared, halting him. “Enough!”
My voice echoed across the woods. Solon dropped his sword.
I stepped closer, glaring at Nolan. “How dare you refuse the command of your King!”
Nolan met my gaze, his eyes unflinching. “I will defy anyone who wastes time while she dies in my arms.”
The fury in his words struck me hard, but beneath them was something else. He was not lying. I knew the look on his face. He had the same fear in his eyes that I had when I tried to get my mate to safety. For the first time, I
hesitated.
Finally, I drew in a slow breath and gave the order. “It will take too long to get her to the hospital. Take her to the infirmary.”
Nolan’s eyes widened, but he did not hesitate. He ran past me without saying another word.
“Father, what are you doing?” Solon protested. “You cannot let him go. We don’t know how he was able to find Talia. We do not know what role he played in this.”
“I will not gamble with her life,” I said firmly. “If she has been poisoned, then every second matters. Follow him. Watch his every move, but do not stop him. Do you understand?”
“But Father,” Solon attempted to argue.
“Put your pride aside and whatever grudge you have toward Nolan. This is about Talia. We will do what is best for her and figure out the rest later,” I continued.
Solon looked as if he wanted to continue arguing, but he said nothing else and bowed his head. “As you command, father.” He sheathed his sword and hurried after Nolan.
I turned to my guards, who were waiting on my command. “Search the restricted grounds, I want every passage uncovered. Do not rest until you know who harmed her,”
“Yes, my King,” the guards answered, scattering at once into the trees.
I would have answers. Whoever dared to harm her, whoever set foot in that dungeon, would pay with their life.
