Chapter 170
“Ms. Winters. I believe you have something that belongs to me.”
I froze mid–motion, breath catching. Even through the phone, the sheer power behind that voice was
unmistakable.
This was an Alpha.
And not just any Alpha–someone at the apex of the hierarchy. Dangerous. Calculating. Lethally calm.
“…I’m sorry?” I managed, forcing my voice to stay level. “Who is this?”
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Alexander’s POV
The evening sky darkened as my black Bentley crossed the bridge leading to pack house.
As the car came to a stop on the manicured lawn, I stepped out, immediately sensing something amiss in the
air.
My wolf was alert, though not alarmed–whatever was wrong wasn’t dangerous, but it was… unexpected.
Mason, my head of household staff, approached with a warm towel on a silver tray. He bowed his head
respectfully as I approached.
“Welcome home, Alpha.”
I took the towel, wiping my hands methodically as I scanned the grounds. Nothing seemed out of place, yet my
instincts told me otherwise.
“Where’s Thea?” I asked, referring to my niece, Lyra’s daughter.
Since my sister had been going through a difficult time following her unexpected pregnancy and complicated
relationship with Thea’s father, I’d taken on much of the responsibility for the five–year–old.
Over time, the little girl with her mother’s auburn hair and infectious laugh had become the center of my world.
She followed me everywhere when I was home, insisted on sitting in my lap during pack meetings, and had her own special chair in my office where she would “work” beside me–scribbling in her coloring books while I handled pack affairs.
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I even gave her a nickname: Pudding.
It suited her sweet, soft, and impossible not to love.
“The
young miss retired early this evening, Alpha. She was quite tired after her day’s activities.‘
I glanced at my watch–barely 7 PM.
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Thea had never willingly gone to bed this early in her life. The girl was a bundle of energy who typically had to
be coaxed into sleep well past nine.
My wolf growled softly within me. Something wasn’t right.
I dropped the towel back onto Mason’s tray and strode toward the pack house, my pace quickening with each
step.
The scent trails around the entrance were normal–pack members, staff, guards–but there was something
else, something faint that I couldn’t quite place.
When I reached Thea’s bedroom, the door was slightly ajar. The room was decorated in soft blues–Thea’s favorite color–with glow–in–the–dark stars on the ceiling that we had placed together one rainy afternoon.
I stepped inside, my gaze falling on the small figure under the covers. Something felt… off.
I reached for the blanket and slowly pulled it back.
The bed was empty.
Only the large wolf plush toy I’d given her on her last birthday lay nestled against the pillow. The covers had been carefully arranged, as if to make it look like she was still sleeping.
A chill ran through me.
Three of Thea’s caretakers immediately fell to their knees on the plush carpet, heads bowed in submission as
they recognized my presence.
“Alpha, please forgive us,” the head nanny said, her voice shaking with fear. “We failed to properly watch over the young miss. We accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate.”
I barely registered their words. My attention was fixed on two objects on the nightstand: Thea’s tracking watch
-deliberately left behind–and beside it, a business card I didn’t recognize.
I picked up the card, running my thumb over the embossed iris flower in the corner. The card read “Sarah
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Winters, Chief Therapist” followed by an address and phone number.
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“Sarah Winters,” I said the name aloud, testing it on my tongue. Something about it felt familiar, though I
couldn’t place why.
I rose from the edge of the bed, my decision made. “Report to the disciplinary chamber,” I told the staff without looking at them.
Their punishment would be severe–allowing an Alpha’s charge to disappear was inexcusable–but that was
secondary right now.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the number from the card, committing it to memory with a single glance.
Thea was more than just my niece–she was family in every sense that mattered.
And now she was gone.
Not taken by force, but lured away–enticed by someone who had the audacity to leave their contact
information behind.
As the phone began to ring, I felt my wolf stir, rising just beneath the surface–restless, enraged, ready to hunt.
Whoever this Sarah Winters was, she had just made the gravest mistake of her life.
No one touched what belonged to an Alpha.
Especially not his family.
