Page 72 of Alpha Fate
“It’s Savannah,” I start, and that’s all it takes for understanding to dawn on him.
“She’s gone, Jagger!” Sierra adds tearfully. “Her closet is empty. I’ve looked around the neighborhood and couldn’t find her. She left.”
“When?” he asks.
“I’d say about two hours ago?” She pinches her lips together, raising her eyes in thought.
What the fuck?
That’s almost directly after she left me.
“Shit,” Jagger curses under his breath. He strides past us and out into the hallway, where he barks orders at Casey, who appears seemingly out of nowhere.
“We need a search party. Now! Lock down the perimeter and check all surveillance footage from the last couple of hours!” Jagger commands with authority that leaves no room for questions.
Casey nods and disappears down the hall as quickly as she arrived, rallying other pack members as she goes.
Sierra clings to Jagger’s arm now, searching his face for any sliver of hope he can offer her. “You’ll find her, right? You have to.”
The desperation in her voice is something primal, something that speaks directly to my wolf – the need to protect our own. I step closer to them, answering before Jagger can.
“We will find her,” I assure her firmly. I won’t just do it for her; it’s about proving that our bond means something – that she means everything to me. I don’t know what made her run off, but I need her to know that I’ll face it with her.
Jagger’s eyes darken with concern and resolve. “We need every detail about today – anything could be vital.”
When Sierra stays silent, my anxiety ramps up several notches.
“What happened?” I face her. She knows something. I can feel it.
“She…she found out something today. Something big.”
“What could be so big that she had to leave, for fuck’s sake?” I can’t keep the frustration out of my tone. But I dial it back a bit when I hear Jagger’s low growl beside me. “I’m sorry. What did she learn?”
“Sierra had a mate back in Wildview. Or, at least, they were going to be mates.” Sierra chews her lip as if she feels like she’s said too much.
“So? Why would that make her leave now?”
“You knew?” Sierra’s features morph into an expression of surprise.
“Yes. I discussed it with Savannah earlier.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it did. But we dealt with it. I don’t see why she’d leave because of that now.”
“She didn’t leave because of that. But I have a pretty good idea of why she did.” Sierra looks from me to Jagger and back again. “Savannah is pregnant.”
It hits me like a blow to the chest, and I literally take a step back. “What?” Horror grips my chest. “Rack?”
God, please don’t let it be…
“No. Dr. Bea said it was before that. It was Cole – her mate.”
“Not her mate,” I correct her. But considering this new information, he may as well have been. “She said they didn’t seal the bond.”
“We don’t need to. Not our line. I’m sure I’ve told you that.”
I nod because I think Savannah told me, too. It just seems like such a strange concept to grasp. But not impossible.