Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Nolan POV
The reporters were practically living on the front lawn of the pack house, but I couldn’t care less. As long as they didn’t slow me down, they were irrelevant.
In fact, I was almost grateful for the coverage of Ellie’s disappearance. The more people who heard about it, the more likely we’d get a tip that could lead me to her.
It shouldn’t have been possible for her to vanish from the hospital like she did. I had ordered the best security available, and still, she slipped away without a trace. One minute she was there, then she was just gone, right out of her room.
The cameras caught nothing. The staff saw nothing. And the timing was too perfect. She disappeared during the short window when Lance and Cassian had stepped away to get food.
It was the only time she had been left alone since waking up. Someone had been waiting for that moment.
She must have been kidnapped. There was no other explanation. Someone had taken her-either to finish what they started, or to use her against me. But if it was ransom they wanted, why hadn’t they contacted me by now? The silence was worse than a demand.
The thought made me sick. I ordered the full force of the pack into the search. Every stone in Silver Fang territory was to be overturned, every path, every den scoured. Yet, even after days, we had nothing. If she were still within my lands, I would have found her by now. I was sure of it.
Which meant whoever took her had likely dragged her into the Roguelands. And if that was the case… it would be nearly impossible to track her.
I knew firsthand how dangerous that place was, how merciless. The thought of Ellie- injured, vulnerable— somewhere out there… I didn’t have words for the rage it ignited in me.
I had always prided myself on control, on keeping my wolf restrained. But now… now it felt like something monstrous paced behind my ribs, clawing for release, desperate to tear apart whoever had dared take her.
If I didn’t find her soon-if I didn’t find her safe-I had no idea what I was going to do.
Ellie POV
I hadn’t left Claire’s apartment since arriving in Moonstone. I hadn’t expected there to be quite so much publicity about my disappearance-which, in hindsight, was probably foolish. I was married to the Alpha of a powerful pack; the fact that I vanished in the middle of the night was bound to draw attention.
Especially in light of the very public attack that I was just a victim of. If it had been possible to wait, I would have. But it was clear that I wasn’t safe there. Whoever was behind that attack, I sure they wouldn’t rest until they got rid of me completely.
For now, laying low was the best option. I’d taken some small steps to change my appearance-cut my hair short, kept sunglasses on whenever I stepped out onto the balcony for air.
I’d also asked Claire to call me by a different name. Going by “Elaine” wouldn’t help much, since that was the name plastered all over the news. Everyone knew me as Ellie too, so I’d decided on “Laney p>
Still close enough to Elaine to feel natural, but not immediately recognizable to anyone following the reports. It would take time to get used to, but starting with asking Claire to use it felt right.
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Cassian had mentioned that an apartment in the same building might open up soon. If he could rent it for me, I’d have my own place before the babies arrived. That thought was comforting.
Not that I didn’t enjoy staying with Claire-she was funny, sweet, and incredibly caring-but if I was going to be in Moonstone for any significant length of time, I wanted space that was mine.
The thought of moving into my own apartment made everything feel real. I was on my own now-or at least, mostly on my own. I was lucky to have friends looking out for me.
“Nolan was on the news this morning,” Claire said as she walked into the room.
“I saw.
The memory of his face lingered with me all day. He looked miserable, more than I’d ever seen him. There was something wild in his eyes, something I could sense even through a television screen.
I shouldn’t feel bad for him-not after everything he’d put me through-but I couldn’t stop the flicker of guilt that came with seeing how frantic he seemed while searching for me.
The reports had been clear: the entire pack was on high alert. Every soldier and officer at his command was looking. Neighboring packs were assisting too.
If Cassian didn’t know exactly where I was, I’d have been terrified of being found here. But I trusted him to keep me safe and keep my location hidden. He was the only one who knew exactly where I was.
“It’s weird seeing people you know on TV, isn’t it?” Claire asked, sitting beside me.
“I guess,” I admitted. “Honestly, I’m kind of used to it. The media back in Silver Fang could be… pushy p>
“Cassian mentioned that. He said the paparazzi there were worse than anything he’d seen-really got in his face sometimes p>
“Did they really? That’s so annoying p>
“In a way, it’s a good sign,” she said thoughtfully. “It means there’s nothing serious happening in Silver Fang- no attacks, no scandals. So they focus on human interest stories. Of course, now that you’re missing, this is going to dominate for a while. Especially since you haven’t turned up p>
“They’ve really run wild with conspiracy theories, haven’t they?” I said with a huff.
“Let’s just hope Nolan doesn’t fall for any of them. Chasing false leads could drive him crazy p>
“He’s stubborn, but he won’t search forever,” I replied. “He has to keep up appearances with a big search, but once the public attention dies down, I’m sure he’ll forget about me p>
“I don’t know… he doesn’t seem like someone who’s going to give up easily,” Claire said.
“He’s just feeling guilty because of the attack. That’ll fade. Trust me, he doesn’t have any real affection for me. That’s not what’s driving him,” I explained.
Even as I said the words, I wasn’t sure I believed them. Things between Nolan and me had been different ever since Felicity left on her trip. With her gone, he was easier to talk to. More reasonable. When we actually tried, we could almost get along.
And there was nothing fake about his fear after the attack. No one could manufacture grief like that.
But still Nolan and I didn’t mean anything to each other. The mate bond between
us was a fluke. We weren’t compatible, and he had Felicity-she was the one he truly wanted.
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With me out of the way, he could have everything he wanted. Why would he throw that away to chase me?
No… once the public outcry over my disappearance faded, so would Nolan’s interest. I was sure of it.
Eventually, I wouldn’t have to hide so carefully. I’d be able to settle here in Moonstone and build a quiet, normal life with my children.
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Chapter 84
Third person POV
Felicity slammed the door as hard as she could, the impact rattling the walls. Her eyes burned with tears, the words from her argument with Nolan still echoing in her head.
“I’m not announcing a damn engagement when my wife is missing p>
The phrase cut like a dagger. My wife. That was how he referred to Ellie. Not “that
woman,” not “the mistake”- my wife. The word made Felicity tremble with jealous rage.
She should have made the drugs stronger. She should have made sure Ellie died along with her little bastards.
It had been months now, and no one had seen her. She had to be dead. And if she wasn’t? Well, Ellie had enemies beyond Felicity. Someone else would have taken care of it.
Good, Felicity thought bitterly. But even with Ellie gone, her ghost lingered in the pack house, haunting Nolan at every turn.
He refused to stop searching. The neighboring packs had given up. The media circus had died down. Yet Nolan still ordered daily patrols, still lingered on edge of the territory, waiting for a whisper of a sign that pointed him toward her.
No matter how many times Felicity told him Ellie must be dead, he wouldn’t quit.
It was maddening-watching him like that, seeing the desperation in his eyes for a woman he had never even wanted in the first place.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Felicity’s plan had been meant to secure her place by Nolan’s side, to free him from his unwanted bond so they could finally be together without obstacles.
But instead, the space between them only seemed to widen. Nolan clung to Ellie’s absence like an open wound he refused to let heal. And the more Felicity tried to push him forward, the more he pulled away from her.
With a snarl, she slammed her fist into the door again and again, an angry growl stuck in her throat.
Felicity didn’t like many people, but she didn’t truly hate many either. Yet there was no one alive-or dead-she hated more than Ellie.
Even if Ellie was gone, even if she was finally rotting somewhere in a forgotten
grave, she was still ruining Felicity’s life.
Felicity hated her more than anything in the world.
“Damn her, damn her,” she yelled, her voice hoarse from crying. “Damn Ellie to hell p>
Nolan POV
The sound of Felicity slamming things around in our bedroom and yelling only served to anger me further. I paced around my office, my fists clenched at my sides and a low growl bubbling in my chest, barely restrained.
She was so cold-hearted about this entire situation. I knew she was glad to be rid of
Ellie-I should have guessed she’d feel that way, considering she always saw Ellie as the obstacle keeping us apart. But to act like this was some kind of blessing in disguise was too much.
Ellie was missing-probably kidnapped-in the immediate aftermath of losing the babies. And if she really was dead, the way Felicity kept insisting… then I needed to find who had done this to her and make them pay.