Chapter 127

Dominic

I waited until after midnight, but she didn’t come home.

She had mentioned how busy she would be that day, maybe she was more stressed than she let on. We hadn’t been open with each other lately, so it might have made sense that she didn’t give me the full details of whatever was weighing on her mind.

But the way she looked at me this morning, so peaceful so affectionate that it was hard not to stay home and kiss her all day. That Mira would not have forgotten to call or text to say she was late, or not coming home at all.

I fell asleep with an ache in my chest and woke up feeling stiff in my joints. The science in the apartment made it clear that Mira had not been home all night. She had not tried to call me or send any word about where she was or what she was doing.

She was simply gone.

I drank the full contents of a tincture bottle in the bathroom, grateful that Mira had restocked since the previous incident. She also made test strips that would indicate if something was mixed in. Mira never ceased to impress me, to make me fall in love with her a little bit more everyday.

“No, sir, I haven’t heard from her,” Wyatt said in my office that morning, “not since we returned from visiting the medical team. Are you concerned?”

“Not yet, just…”

I was truly at a loss for words. I wasn’t sure how to explain to my Beta that Mira might just be avoiding me and not in any danger.

“I must’ve just misunderstood her schedule,” I said. “She can be a hard woman to pin down, as you know.”

Wyatt smiled to appease me, but his eyes were probing. He and Mira were close, and he knew when she would listen to him over me.

“Should I go to the hospital to see if she’s there?”

“No,” I told him, after a moment. “I should go by myself.”

They were surprised to see me at the hospital, which was only a little bruising to my ego. I made a mental note to be more visible in the community, something Mira was so good at.

“Am I really such a recluse?”

“No, no,” Cinda said with a warm smile, “we just have Luna Mira to handle most of the needs of the staff, so we’re not used to the Alpha paying house calls.”

“My wife is much better suited to these things, yes,” I said, meeting her smile. I wondered how much Cinda knew about my marriage. She and Mira were close, I knew, and something in the head nurse’s eyes said she knew more about me than I could guess. “This time I have actually come to see my wife, if she isn’t in dire straits with a patient.”

Cinda’s mouth remained in a smile, but her eyes squinted in confusion.

“Oh,” she said, keeping her voice light. Her eyes darted side to side briefly, then she leaned ever so slightly forward. “I’m sorry, Alpha, but she isn’t here.”

All the blood in my body pooled at my feet, then rushed back into my skull.

“She’s not,” I choked out. I couldn’t seem to get air into my lungs. “Not anywhere in the building? Sorry, I just thought she was here.”

“I saw her two days ago,” Cinda told me, “but I was off yesterday so I’m not sure if she was here. I can check in with the other nurses if you’d like.”

“No, that’s fine, thank you,” I said quickly. I did not want to bring more people into this. “I was just stopping in to say hello, surprise her, I guess.”

Cinda didn’t buy my excuse.

“That’s sweet,” she said, placing a hand on my arm. “She knows how much you care for her, we all do.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said, tensing my jaw to keep my face steady.

I walked home, meandering through the neighborhood and past areas I thought Mira might end up on any given day. A cafe, a sandwich shop, the library. It was nice to see the faces of my Pack members, but everywhere I was looking for Mira.

And she was nowhere to be found.

I was almost late to the committee meeting for the upcoming banquet, and just managed to remember the folder that Mira had mentioned with her notes.

Had she planned to leave it behind for me?

I ran into Celeste in the hallway outside the meeting hall in the Alpha mansion.

“Dominic, hi!”

“Celeste,” I said, taking in a breath, “how are you?”

“Okay, fine,” she said, looking flustered. “I was hoping to volunteer for the banquet, but I thought I would sit in today. If that’s alright.”

“Of course, the more help the better,” I held up the folder in my hand. “Mira can’t make it, so I’m tasked with going through her notes and plans. Luckily she is incredibly thorough, though it’s not my expertise.”

“Oh, well,” Celeste said, looking intently at the folder, “I’m happy to look through it, pull out the important bits to present today, if it would help you.”

My shoulders relaxed a bit.

“That, actually, would be a huge help.”

She smiled as we walked into the meeting side-by-side.

I had my Betas meet me in my office that evening after the meeting, with any reports from Mira.

“Unfortunately there’s not a lot, Sir,” Lucas said stiffly. Though never one to show much emotion, the set of his brow told me he was unhappy with his results. “No one remembers seeing her yesterday, and the hospital logs show no sign of her.”

“Any cars missing?”

“None,” Wyatt said. “And anyone driving in or out would’ve been seen on surveillance.”

“Are we sure she even left the compound?”

Lucas and Wyatt looked to one another then back to me.

“We’ve had to keep our investigation discreet,” Lucas said, “but we strongly believe she is no longer on Pack grounds.”

My heart missed a beat then tried to find rhythm again over the next several seconds. I closed my eyes to listen to the irregularity, to take control of it. I opened my eyes.

“Is there anything else?”

I could hear the desperation in my voice. Wyatt was looking down, and I guessed that Lucas had been the one tasked with conveying something difficult.

“There is a chance she is not alone,” the stoic Beta said, eyes focused and forward. “We believe another member of the household has also been missing during this time.”

My hackles raised and my nostrils flared, and my wolf’s instincts knew the person he was talking about.

“Say it,” I snarled.

“We think she is with Lucian.”