Page 48 of The Raven's Alpha
The sun's glare seems to sear my eyes, and I feel my anger boiling over, threatening to consume me whole. I'm a powder keg of rage, primed and ready to explode at any moment. The world may be moving on, but I'm stuck in this perpetual state of torment, unable to escape the crushing weight of my mate's absence.
My mother bursts from the cabin, her eyes fixed on me with a desperate urgency. But my father's warning is like a cold blast of air, freezing her in her tracks. I can sense the fury building inside me, threatening to consume me whole. I don't know if I can stomach her touch right now, but it's too late. She's already reaching out, her hands closing around me like a vice.
She ignores my father’s protests and as soon as I’m in my mother’s arms, some of the anger seems to fade away. Her sweet omega scent and her motherly touch forces the anger into sorrow.
Sorrow and pain for my missing mate.
After a second, my arms wrap around her back and I sob into her chest. Even though it’s been hours since we left the cabin, I can almost smell my mate’s scent on her clothes.
That’s the special thing about my mate, his scent is so sweet and familiar to me, his presence is strong enough that nobody will be able to forget him.
When my mother pulls away from the embrace, she drags me towards the cabin, her grip on my arm like a lifeline. I’m greeted by the sight of my siblings and my sister’s mate gathered around the kitchen table, their faces etched with concern. I don’t have the mental strength to greet them, too consumed by my own grief and desperation to care.
My brother is the one to offer me some clothes, his voice a gentle reminder that I’m still nude from the shift change earlier. I nod gratefully, pulling on the worn jeans and t-shirt.
When I sit down at the table, I’m met with a sea of worried faces, all of them waiting for me to explain what happened, but I can’t explain, I can barely think. All I can do is stare blankly at the table, my mind racing with the ways to find my mate. When my father takes over the storytelling, I let him speak for me, only adding the information he’s forgotten.
“So, you’ve got his phone?” my sister says. “It would be easier if he had it with him, at least you could track him through that.”
My brother scoffs and says something about that not being helpful right now, but I interrupt, “No, Millie’s right. I have his phone, so I can’t track him with that, but I do have something else.”
Grabbing my phone, I realise the battery is dead. I rush to find a charger, leaving my family confused as I drum my fingers against the countertop as I wait for the battery to fill up enough so I canmake a phone call.
Finally, the battery is charged enough for me to make a call. I pull up Ezra’s number, my hand shaking as I wait for the connection to be made. It’s still early, but the little shifter mouse should be working at the bookstore already.
The phone rings and rings, each unanswered call adding to the knot of fear tightening in my chest. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Ezra picks up, his voice laced with confusion and concern. "Eddy, what's going on?"
My words spill out in a rush, desperation clawing at my throat, “The necklace. The necklace I bought for Darcy, you can track it, right?"
Ezra's response is casual, oblivious to the urgency of my plea, "I think so? What's going on? If Darcy lost the necklace, it’ll just be easier to make another one for him."
My blood heats at his misunderstanding. "It's not the necklace that's lost! It’s my mate. He's been taken, and I need to find him," my voice rises to a shout, the weight of the situation crushing down on me.
Ezra squeaks in surprise at my harsh tone.
"I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you. I just need to find my mate."
As Ezra offers to travel here to help, I shake my head. "No, it's not safe for you to come here alone. Just find a location for me, and find it quickly."
"Give me an hour, and I'll be in touch," Ezra promises before we hang up the phone. My family's eyes are on me, a mix of pity and pride in their gazes.
"Who knew you had it in you, Brother," Henry remarks, a hint of admiration in his voice.
Millie adds, "I've never seen you so worked up before."
My father cuts in, his tone urgent, "We need a plan. Edgar, what's the next step?"
Taking a deep breath, I explain about the magical necklace, the only tether I have to my missing mate. "Ezra made it, and I'm counting on him to help us. All we can do now is wait," my words hang heavy in the air, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on all of us.
We all sit in silence, waiting for Ezra to get back in touch and when there’s a knock at the door, we all jump from the loud banging.
My father is the one to greet the guests and a couple of minutes later, a group of imposing figures I’ve never seen before join us in the kitchen, their presence seeming to fill the space with an air of authority.
The largest of them, a behemoth of a man with piercing blue eyes, introduces himself as Derrick – a strong alpha of a neighbouring pack. His companion, a towering figure with a dark shaggy beard and a menacing gaze, is introduced as his second-in-command, Jake. As they take their places around the table, I'm struck by the sheer strength of the men assembled here: six in total, each one tougher than the last.
I raise an eyebrow, trying to sound nonchalant despite my growing unease. “What are you all doing here?” I ask, my voice neutral but my eyes darting around the circle of faces, searching for any hint of what's going on.
My father's grip on my shoulder is like a vice, his eyes boring into mine as he says, “I rang these guys and explained your problems, and they've agreed to help me track down Darcy's last known whereabouts.”