Chapter 112: Chapter 112

~ ROWAN

The guards took the man back into the car and as he was led away, legs shaking with each step, I felt a pang of guilt, not a lot, but just enough to remind me that I still had a human side to me.

I did not regret my actions, and if I were to do it again, I would not hesitate. He was collateral damage and while that was unfortunate, the most important thing to me was finding Nyssa. The webs were slowly beginning to untangle. It was only a matter of time.

I turned back to the car and frowned when I saw Aria in the driver’s seat.

“Move,” I told her but she would not budge. “I’m not playing games with you, Aria.”

“Good, because neither am I. We are going home.”

“Did you not hear what he said? The inn—”

“Rowan, it has barely been a day. You have not slept and you look like death warmed over. It is two in the morning. You are not going to wake up an innocent inn keeper and terrify them further.”

“I am if it means finding Nyssa—”

“I want to find her as much as you do!” she snapped. “But you are going about it the wrong way. You are hurting innocent people, Rowan. If you find her at the risk of hurting your entire pack would it be worth it?”

“Yes.”

The words left my mouth before I could think, but even as I mulled over it, I knew it to be true. I would rather incur the wrath of everyone alive if it meant that she was here.

I was not sure when or even how, but something had shifted in how I viewed Nyssa. I had only given her an inch into my mind but she had taken up residence there and while the mating bond was partly to blame, a lot of it was just me.

Aria stared at me like I’d grown a second head and then slowly, the corner of her lips tugged into a small smile. “I never thought I’d see the day. That was beautiful.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Move, Aria.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that. My point still stands. You’re willing to burn all the bridges and it is my job to make sure you don’t do that. Go home, take a shower and rest. We will go first thing tomorrow morning.”

I could have turned around and left on my own and she seemed to realize that as well because she spoke again, her voice softer.

“Please, Rowan. She wouldn’t want you to do it like this and you know it.”

Unfortunately, that was what did me in and with a sigh, I begrudgingly made my way into the passenger seat.

The drive back to the palace was terse and quiet. Aria glanced at me out of the corner of her eye every few minutes, her stare wary and concerned. I stared out the window, fists clenched tightly as I tried not to think about where Nyssa might be or what she might be up to.

“What about Henry?” Aria asked suddenly. “Have you looked into him?”

“Of course I have.”

The first person I suspected once Nyssa went missing was him but according to my pack sources, Henry crossed the border within an hour of the explosive interaction at the palace. It was expected after everything that happened. He was a damn coward.

“This doesn’t make any sense though,” she mumbled. “What would anyone gain from taking her?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe it’s someone who has something against me. My past seems to be popping up all of a sudden.”

She sighed. “The timing is a bit too convenient.”

That, I agreed with.

She pulled up into the courtyard and turned to me. “Are you coming?”

I shook my head. “Not right now.”

I could not walk through those doors just yet. Nyssa’s presence was everywhere in that building and being there without her present would only do me in further. There was no chance for me to get any sleep tonight, not with how tightly wound up I am.

Aria gave me a small smile. “Don’t stress too much, Rowan. We will find her.”

I wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince me or herself, but I appreciated the effort.

With one last glance at her, I hopped out of the car and headed straight for the woods to the west of the palace. I shifted instantly, running through trees as the cold wind bit into my fur and my lungs.

I pumped my legs to go as fast as they could, getting lost in the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. Tension bled out of me, slowly; all the pain, the helplessness, the anger, it spurred me to go even faster.

I could not help but rethink my last conversation with Nyssa. If I had only begged more, or stayed longer, if I had merely waited for her to go into her room, she would be here. My desire to give her space had caused problems far greater than I could imagine.

I ran faster, not caring the path I took, only that it felt like I was flying, and that proved to be my mistake because I suddenly tripped, my leg catching on something.

I growled low, turning to see what had caused my fall but confusion hit me as I saw what looked to be thick rope.

There was no reason for a rope of that size to be in the forest. There was no hunting in this part of the pack.

I walked over to it, nudging it slowly. The edges were frayed and there was a weird smell that clung to it. It was metallic and harsh, like someone had dumped it into bleach.

I lifted it to my nose and sniffed and my world fucking stopped.

I sniffed it again, wanting to be sure I smelled it right and a howl left my lips, echoing through the sky.

Underneath that chemical smell was something softer, fresher… it was her… Nyssa.

She was taken.

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