Vincent.
The moment I confirmed everything was secure, my thoughts immediately shifted back to Maria. I needed to go see her right away—I had to apologize for causing such an awful delay to our special day.
I had been so desperately eager for this wedding, counting down the hours to finally make her mine, yet here I was, unable to even complete the ceremony today.
I shook my head in pure disbelief at how sideways everything had turned. Pushing the frustrating thoughts aside, I made a swift attempt to leave the room and head straight to her chambers.
But the very second I reached the door, the guard I had sent earlier to protect her came running toward me, panting heavily as if he had run for his life.
An instant surge of panic seized my chest. My heart hammered against my ribs as a terrible thought took root—had something dreadful happened to Maria during the fire?
Guilt slashed through me. I never should have left her standing alone on that altar amidst all that sudden chaos; she must have been absolutely terrified.
"Alpha..." the guard rasped out, his heaving chest rising and falling as he gasped desperately for air.
"Speak!" I barked impatiently, my tone sharp enough to draw blood.
I tried to force myself to calm down, reasoning that I was probably overreacting. Maria was smart, capable, and resilient; she would never allow anything bad to happen to her.
As I stood there waiting, another sudden thought crossed my mind—Noah was still sitting bound in one of those public compartments.
In all the madness of the blaze, I had completely forgotten about him. He should have been dragged straight back to his cell and locked securely in his room the moment the hall was cleared.
The guard still hadn’t managed to speak a single coherent word, continuing to pant and wheeze as though he were on the absolute verge of collapsing right onto the cold stone floor.
"Answer me!" I growled, the heavy sound vibrating from deep within my throat as I glared down at him with dark, lethal intent.
The poor guard shivered violently under the weight of my aura. His shoulders trembled with sheer terror, but he somehow forced himself to look up at me, his eyes wide and wild with panic.
"Luna... Luna Maria has left the pack, Alpha!" he stammered, his voice shaking so uncontrollably that the words barely left his mouth in one complete sentence.
His breathing was uneven, and every syllable carried the unmistakable weight of panic.
The moment the words reached my ears, I froze dead in my tracks.
Everything around me seemed to grind to a sudden, sickening halt.
For one long moment, I simply stood there, staring at him in complete disbelief, the shocking report echoing relentlessly through my mind.
How was that even possible?
The question struck me with overwhelming force, refusing to make sense no matter how many times I turned it over in my head.
The security across the entire territory was airtight.
I had personally overseen every single detail, leaving absolutely nothing to chance. Every precaution had been carefully arranged, every measure deliberately put in place to ensure there wasn’t the slightest conceivable opportunity for anyone to escape.
Let alone commit an act of defiance as grave as high treason.
It simply wasn’t possible.
There was no way she could have escaped.
The very idea sounded ridiculous.
Far more likely, she had hidden herself away in one of the guest rooms, refusing to face anyone. She was probably sitting alone somewhere, consumed by anger, pouring out every ounce of her frustration because she believed I had deliberately humiliated her during our own wedding.
That explanation made far more sense.
It had to be the truth.
"No," I said firmly, my voice cutting through the silence with unwavering certainty. "There is no way she can leave the pack!"
Every word rang out with absolute confidence and unshakable conviction.
"Search the entire house!" I ordered, sweeping a hard glare across the gathered men before me, and my expression left no room for hesitation or excuses. "Give me a feedback within five minutes!"
The command echoed sharply through the air, leaving behind nothing but the unmistakable expectation of immediate obedience.
"Yes, Alpha!" every guard present answered in perfect unison, their voices ringing out with unwavering discipline and absolute obedience.
The powerful response boomed off the corridor walls, echoing through the surrounding space before gradually fading into the tense silence that followed.
Not a single one of them hesitated.
Without wasting another second, they immediately turned on their heels and surged into motion. Their coordinated footsteps thundered across the floor as they marched forward with purpose before quickly scattering in every direction.
Each man moved with unmistakable urgency, fanning out across the estate to comb through every accessible area in search of my bride. Their pace never faltered, driven by the weight of my command and the knowledge that every passing second mattered.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t bring myself to stand there waiting for a report.
The thought alone was unbearable.
Before anyone could say another word, I sprang into action myself. Every instinct urged me forward, refusing to allow me to remain idle while others searched in my place.
My long strides carried me swiftly down the corridor, each step quick and purposeful as I headed directly toward her quarters. My focus never wavered for even a moment, my mind fixed entirely on reaching her room as quickly as possible.
When I reached her door, I didn’t even bother to knock. I threw the heavy wooden doors wide open and barged inside, my eyes frantically scanning the space as I began searching every single corner, behind every curtain, and inside every adjoining room.
"Maria!" I called out, letting her name echo into the empty space.
Silence met my voice. There wasn’t a single response, nor a trace of her presence.
A cold prickle of unease began to creep down my spine, but I forcefully pushed it aside.
Refusing to entertain the worst, I turned on my heel and rushed straight down the hall toward the quadruplets’ room. I threw their door open just as forcefully, stepping inside to demand answers, but as I swept my gaze across the room, my stomach dropped.
They weren’t there either. The space was completely deserted.
My heart skipped a violent, terrifying beat against my ribs.
Could they have...?
’Oh no!’
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