Chapter 108
~ ROWAN
The sun was already beginning to set and there was still no fucking sign of Nyssa.
After the first hour of her missing, a wave of helplessness washed over me. I was the fucking King, I controlled territories and kept the entire werewolf race in perfect symphony. How the fuck could I have lost my own mate?
The palace was in an uproar. Whispers filled the halls and rumors flew through every corner. Soldiers searched the woods within and outside the border for any sign of her.
There were no cars missing and she left her phone. The only way she could have left without any help would have been to walk and she couldn’t have walked without someone seeing her.
The door to my office opened and my heart raced as Aria walked in. “Any sign of her p>
My sister shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together. “I’m sorry, Rowan, I think she truly just wanted to leave on her own p>
“It doesn’t make any sense,” I hissed out. “She would not have done that. There is no sign that she left. If she did, she would have said something p>
“What if she did?” she asked quietly and I frowned.
“What the fuck do you mean p>
She sighed, reaching into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper. “I hid this before. I didn’t want to show you but, I figured it’s best if you see it p>
I snatched the paper out of her hands and read the words scribbled over them. I had to go over it three times before the words made any sense to me.
“No,” I mumbled, crumpling the paper in my hands. “She did not leave p>
I tossed it to the floor, earning a sigh from Aria. “You have to consider p>
“I do not have to do a fucking thing!” I snapped. “She did not just walk out of here. She did not run. I know that she wouldn’t. I know her p>
“No, Rowan, you do not. I understand that you are worried because she is your mate but you killed her parents. It is normal for her to run after that. She was not taken, she is not missing, she was scared and she left. She probably asked someone for help, maybe a stranger and that is why we have not found anything but we will, I am sure of it p>
She took a step closer to me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“I am sorry that this played out like this, but you need to calm down. She does not want to be found. She will show up when she is ready p>
I stared at her, at her soft and gentle eyes and the pitying smile she sent my way.
My sister was smart, it was my favorite thing about her. She was able to see things where others did not and I valued her opinion more than I valued a lot… but not this time.
I shrugged off her touch. “Tell me when the guards are back p>
She sighed. “Rowan p>
She did not get to finish what she wanted to say because there was a knock on the door.
A guard walked into the room, bowing low. He held a few stacks of paper in his hands and placed them on the table.
“The documents you asked for, Your Majesty,” he said softly. “It took a lot of time to compile the information from all the borders p>
“Thank you p>
He bowed once again before disappearing through the doors.
I reached for the documents, flipping through the pages.
“What is that?” Aria asked, leaning over my shoulder.
“It is every person who left the pack in the last twenty-four hours p>
“What do you hope to find p>
I shrugged. “Anything. She could have left in the back of a truck, or as a helper to someone else. Everything is logged p>
A sigh of exasperation left her lips as she lowered herself into the chair next to me. “Give it here p>
I turned to her, brows knitted in confusion. “Excuse me p>
“There have to be over a thousand names in those documents. Give me half. I’ll look through some and point out anything that stands out p>
My first thought was to refuse.
After all, she did not even believe that Nyssa had been taken, but I could not do it on my own, and my need to find my mate greatly outweighed my pride.
I handed half of it to her. “It will take a while p>
“All night I assume,” she murmured, leaning back into her chair. “I think we ought to get started p>
We sat in silence, flipping through pages and names.
Thousands of people went in and out of the pack on a daily basis and trying to figure out which names were important was a fucking chore.
Exhaustion nipped at me but I forced my eyes to remain open, digging my nails into the inside of my palm. The steady pain reminded me that there was something important worth fighting for.
My lycan was quiet the whole time, pacing restlessly in my mind as we flipped through so many names that they all began to blur together in my head.
Overall, I picked out any person who left in a car that had a big enough trunk for Nyssa to fit in and anyone who left in a rush. There were more names that fit that criteria than I thought possible and I was beginning to lose hope when Aria suddenly sat up straight.
“What?” I asked, eyes narrowing on her. “Did you find something p>
“I think so.” She slid a piece of paper over to me. “This person left shortly after midnight. He drove a large SUV through the eastern border and there were a bunch of clothes in the trunk p>
“How is that suspicious p>
“Because he returned to the pack an hour later using the western border.” She slipped another piece of paper over to me. “This time, there were no clothes in his trunk. It was empty p>