My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 112: The Search

Kael

The air was heavy and nearly peaceful at the same time. Moving this forward has been a solid decision. A number of the wolves who were worn down from exhaustion at the start would have been rejuvenated due to the eclipse’s occurrence.

I trailed through the edge of the clearing in my wolf form, my eyes and focus fixed on the tree line of the Red Woods. Before me, the encampment sprawled across the large field. Dozens of tents dotted the landscape, their canvas walls glowing faintly in the soft glow of eclipse’s ring light. Dignitaries, representatives, and other officers from different packs and the Capital were here to experience and witness the whole thing, all while basking in the blanketed darkness.

Under the eclipse, the red woods had taken on a sinister energy. The bark of every tree had taken on a deeper, darker shade, appearing almost black in the unnatural darkness. It made the entire forest look like it was bleeding.

I lingered in my wolf form, along with the others, trying to maintain my full focus on the hunt, but I couldn’t.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

My connection to Violet had been... fluctuating. One moment the bond would be there, solid and present. Then it would weaken, becoming so faint that I could barely sense it at all.

Then it would surge back, stronger than before, as intense as it used to be.

It had been happening for the past few hours ever since the eclipse. This strange rhythm of weakness and strength, and with each cycle, my unease grew.

My wolf stirred restlessly. "Something is wrong."

"I am aware."

I reached out through the mind link, connecting to the two wolves I had stationed to monitor her movements, and especially pay more attention during the eclipse.

"What happened to the reports I told you to provide?!" I hissed.

"Supreme Alpha, we... we’ve lost sight of her."

My entire body went rigid. "What?"

Several wolves nearby turned their heads toward me, sensing the shift in my demeanour. Their ears flattened back, bodies lowering slightly due to the anger radiating from me.

I forced myself to breathe, to think, and not immediately tear my way back to the outer district.

"Explain yourself!"

They rambled nonsense about how they hadn’t been able to sense or even see her leaving. Excuses upon excuses that only seemed to make my blood boil.

"Be quiet."

They shut up immediately.

I did not care whether she was being influenced by the eclipse or not, how could they not have known?!

My wolf snarled. "This is your fault. You left her."

"Shut it," I snapped back at him.

I returned my attention to the spineless idiots, channelling every ounce of authority and rage into my words, "Find her. Search every street, every building, every corner of that city. Use every resource available. And if you do not find her, I will make you regret your very existence."

"Yes, sir—" Their terror flooded back through the link before I severed it completely.

But that still left the other two. The backup watch I had stationed near my quarters. They were the ones meant to closely monitor her during the eclipse.

I called for them and got nothing in response.

No response. No acknowledgment. Just... silence.

My jaw clenched so hard I heard my teeth grind. I focused harder, pushing through the link, trying to force a response.

Still nothing.

They were alive. Their life force was faint but present. Likely unconscious. Which meant something had happened.

"I do not like this," I grumbled.

I threw the link wide open, connecting to dozens of wolves simultaneously across the outer district. The ones who had seen me with her. After alerting them to search for Violet, making it the highest priority, I returned my focus back to what was happening, trying to keep myself under control. My furs bristled and I stepped away from the nearby wolves, my presence clearly making them uncomfortable.

If I could I would go look for her myself, but I couldn’t do that now.

And I hated myself for that.

She was out there somewhere. Lost, and likely hurting even though I hoped not. Just from the bit I had sensed during the strong connections, her syzygy was chaotic.

And I wasn’t there for her.

I could not help but have the tormenting thought that I could have set the hunt after the eclipse and remained to monitor what happened to her during it.

’But I can’t just—’

Damn it all!

Karla slinked towards me, the blue of her fur barely visible as she moved through the dark. She stopped at a respectful distance, her stance matching the concern in her eyes. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Kael... you appear unsettled. And your anger is affecting the others. They fear something is wrong."

I silently berated myself. I was aware of that but still gave into my anger regardless.

She continued, "From what everyone can tell, the eclipse is fine. The hunt is going as... usual. Even better with this phenomenon. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," I answered tersely.

"Lord Kael," she pressed, insistent. "Pardon me. The tension you are radiating is making the other wolves nervous. And I do not like seeing you this distressed. If this is something crucial, it needs to be solved now!"

I chuckled internally, but it came out as a low guttural growl from the base of my throat.

"There is a complication," I said.

And I did not like complications, especially one of this magnitude.

’If I had just gone to see her that morning, would things have been different?’

Karla’s head tilted and her ears perked forward with precise attention. "What kind of complication? I would like to assist. Is this something that will affect the hunt? What is it?"

"I can’t sense my mate properly," I said flatly. "She is in the capital, and the eclipse is affecting her in a way I wasn’t prepared for. The blundering fools that I left behind to watch and monitor her have lost sight of her!"

"Your... mate." Karla went completely still. Even her breathing seemed to stop. "You have a mate?"