Chapter 41

Alaric

The brooch was more expensive than I had anticipated.

The bidding war had started innocently enough, some woman across the room casually tossing

her paddle up in the air after I’d already made a couple of bids, but she hadn’t backed down

since. I adjusted the cuff of my tuxedo sleeve, lifting my own paddle again as the auctioneer

called out the new number.

“Thirty thousand, going once…”

The woman shot me a look across the room, something smug and amused in her eyes, and

raised her paddle again. I fought the urge to glare at her. This wasn’t about the money—not for

me, anyway.

“Please get it for Mommy,” Ella whispered, tugging on my sleeve. “Please…”

It wasn’t as if I actually needed the damn brooch. I just needed to win. Needed to have

something to hand to Elara that would… what? Make her forget the whispers? The humiliation?

The way her face had gone pale as she held onto Zoe in that crowded room, pretending she

couldn’t hear them?

I knew it wouldn’t actually fix anything, but at least it was something. A little gift to lift her spirits,

make her realize that although many seemed to believe she was worthless simply for being an

Omega, that she wasn’t worthless to me or the girls.

And besides, after everything my mother had put her through, it was the least I could do.

“Forty thousand,” I called out as I lifted the paddle again.

“Forty thousand to Alpha Donovan,” the auctioneer called out in response. “Do I hear forty-five?”

The woman’s lips twitched. For a moment, I thought she would go for it, but she hesitated. Her

paddle stayed down, and she shot me a glare, clearly seething over the exorbitant cost. Forty

thousand dollars for a damn piece of jewelry was insane, and everyone here knew that. But I’d

made my decision, and with Ella bouncing excitedly in her seat beside me, I couldn’t take it

back.

“Going once… going twice… sold!” The auctioneer’s gavel came down with a sharp crack. “The

antique emerald brooch goes to Alpha Donovan for forty thousand dollars.”

I exhaled slowly, ignoring the murmurs that rippled through the crowd. I knew what they were

thinking. Why would I want to buy an expensive brooch for my Omega wife? This would likely

make headlines come morning.

Alpha Donovan Spends Down Payment on House on Jewelry for Omega Wife.

I could practically taste the gossip on my tongue now, but I didn’t care. For some reason, in that

moment, it just felt… right. And although I hated to admit it, I couldn’t wait to see the surprised

look on Elara’s face when she found out.

Speaking of which, she should be coming now.

“Daddy!”

Zoe’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She skipped up to me, clutching a half-eaten cookie in

her small hand, crumbs trailing along the velvet carpet behind her. I tensed slightly, glancing

around to see if anyone was watching her lack of decorum. After what had happened earlier, I

knew how quickly the others would judge her for it.

“Raised by an Omega,” the whispers had said earlier, as if my daughter’s upbringing made her

some kind of little animal.

But Zoe didn’t notice or care. Cheerful as always, she beamed up at me as she took her seat,

grabbing my hand.

“Where’s your mom?” I asked quietly.

Zoe stuffed the rest of the cookie into her mouth, chewing furiously. “She said to go ahead,” she

mumbled around the mouthful. “She said she would be here in a minute. Oh, and she said I

could have a cookie.”

Ella leaned forward, licking her lips. As if on cue, Zoe grinned—cookie crumbs stuck between

her teeth—and pulled one out of her pocket for Ella, who took it and began nibbling excitedly.

Normally, the sight of the girls getting along would have made me happy. But not now. For

some reason, Elara not being here yet made me a little nervous.

I frowned slightly, turning and scanning the room. Elara wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“Did she say where she was going?”

Zoe shook her head, wiping cookie crumbs on the front of her dress before I gently grabbed her

hand to stop her and handed her a napkin from my pocket. “No. She just said she would catch

up.”

“Alright,” I murmured, more to myself than to her.

I shouldn’t have been concerned. Elara could take care of herself, and it wasn’t as though she

was far. Maybe she needed a moment alone. After everything that had happened tonight, I

couldn’t blame her for wanting to disappear for a bit.

Still…

When the auction continued, another piece of jewelry selling for even more than I’d spent on the

brooch, and she still hadn’t returned, I began to feel uneasy. I took the girls’ hands and led them

to my Beta, James, who agreed to keep an eye on them.

“Stay with Ella,” I told Zoe. “Don’t wander off, alright?”

Zoe gave me a mock-serious salute. “Yes, sir!”

I forced a faint smile before turning on my heel and leaving the auction hall. The noise of the

room dulled as I stepped into the hallway. I made my way back toward the lounge first,

expecting to find Elara sitting there with her head in her hands.

But the lounge was empty.

I checked the bathroom next, pausing outside the door before calling softly, “Elara?”

No answer. When I dared to peek inside, I saw that the bathroom was empty, too.

A cold feeling began to settle in my chest as I retraced my steps. I knew Elara’s habits well

enough by now; she wasn’t the type to just disappear, especially without telling someone.

I stopped a passing server, a young man balancing a tray of champagne glasses on one palm.

“Excuse me. Have you seen my wife? Black dress, curly hair? An… Omega?”

The server blinked at me, shaking his head nervously. “N-No, sir. I’m sorry.”

I nodded curtly and moved on, my stride quickening. I checked the far side of the venue, then

the coatroom, even ducking into side hallways I knew Elara would never willingly explore. By the

time I’d circled back to the auction hall, my pulse had begun to race.

She wasn’t here.

I scanned the room one more time, but I didn’t see her anywhere—just Zoe and Ella sitting

where I’d left them, quietly playing make-believe with James watching over them.

Frowning, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed her number. It rang once. Twice. Three

times.

And then I heard it—the faint sound of a ringtone somewhere nearby.

I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Slowly, I followed the sound. The

ringing grew louder as I approached one of the decorative potted plants near the edge of the

corridor.

I stopped in front of it, staring down at the dark soil. The ringtone had stopped now, but I didn’t

need to hear it again to know. My chest tightened as I crouched down, pushing back the leaves

to reveal her phone—the screen was cracked, and the phone had been intentionally buried in

the dirt.

The cold feeling in my chest turned to ice.

I stood slowly, knowing immediately that something was seriously wrong.

“Elara?”

Nothing.

My pulse roared in my ears as I stalked further down the hallway, no longer caring if people

overheard me. “Elara!” I called again, louder now.

Still nothing.

Something was wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach, that instinctive dread clawing its

way up my spine. Without thinking, I picked up into a run.

“Elara!!”