I followed a thread of her down a crowded corridor. I pushed myself harder, running like a man on drugs through the street, shoving people away and pushing carts or anything that stood in my way, following that thread I got so desperately. And then the scent went cold again, mixing with the overwhelming scent of the bustling species.
Khragnir was a large kingdom filled with lots of different species and it was impossible to find her through the throng of people but I found myself running again, not following her scent this time around, no that had become untraceable, I ran blindly barging into stores, running through them while scanning hoping to find her or pick up a trail again but nothing happened. Store after store, houses after houses, I couldn’t find her.
It felt like she was… gone.
God, Narine… what the hell are you doing?
My lungs burned from all the running. There was a pressure in my chest like the earth itself had turned inside out.
Was she bleeding somewhere? Crying? Was she safe?
I found myself back where we started, the hour was long gone, but it had felt like seconds. Time didn’t move right when your world was missing.
Lupercus and Hasmik were already there.
And the moment I saw her empty-handed, my fury snapped loose like a frayed wire.
“How the fuck did you let her out of your sight, Hasmik?” I roared. My vision blurred red. “You were right there! You were supposed to protect her! I trusted you to do that!”
She flinched, but didn’t back down. Her silence said it all, guilt already bloomed in her eyes.
Lupercus stepped between us like a wall. “Sargis. Calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down!” I snarled. “You’re not the one who just lost your mate! She’s out there alone! Being reckless, running straight into god knows what and you..!” My hand trembled, caught halfway between clenching and pointing. “You were meant to protect her!”
“She’s not a child,” Lupercus cut in sharply. ” She made a choice to run. And whether you like it or not, it was hers to make. It’s unfair to pin it all on Mikkie.”
“She’s fragile!” I yelled.
“No,” Hasmik said quietly, but firmly. ” She’s stronger than you think. So wherever she is I’m sure she is safe.”
I turned my glare on her.
“She’s mine,” I whispered. “And she’s not just some woman out there, she’s my mate. If anything happens to her…”
“I’m sure she’s safe,” Lupercus reassured, but it didn’t register.
I know Hasmik wasn’t to be fully to blame for her disappearance. None of us expected that she would choose to disappear, she had never given me the impression that she wanted to leave the palace. Or maybe I was too blind to notice it.
“While we were waiting for you, I asked around for her in the mall she was last seen, and each echoed the same story, Narine had walked out on her own. So it’s crystal clear that she wasn’t forced out against her will. Lupercus added.
I turned away from all of them, squeezing my jaw so tightly. My claws threatened to punch through my skin, and my beast howled beneath the surface, maddened by her absence.
I had to pull myself back from the edge of the abyss, or I’d leap into it.
“I want every guard in the capital, every scout, every hawk-eyed bastard on patrol. Search every gate, tunnel, street, and sky. I don’t care if she’s wearing a cloak or crawling through shadows, I want her found.” I met their eyes. “Within twenty-four hours.”
Narine’s POV
I ran.
I didn’t look back. Not once. Not even when guilt clawed its way up my throat.
The streets of the city felt like a different world. People walked in clusters, couples arm in arm, merchants yelling from digital carts, and neon signs blinking. I felt like I’d stepped into a dream where everything moved too fast and I was too slow to catch up.
I asked for directions in between dodging stares and catching my breath. “The Snowwolf Pack,” I said to a woman who barely looked up from her phone.
She blinked, then pointed south. “That’s hours away on foot, girl. You’ll need transport.”
I gave her a tight nod and kept walking, even though the realization hit me like a slap.
I had no money, phone, or plan.
I ducked into alleyways when I needed to breathe. Pushed deeper into the city when I needed to run. And finally, when the ache in my legs turned numb and the buzz of adrenaline gave way to a dull emptiness, I found a fountain at the edge of a plaza and collapsed beside it.
The water shimmered like crystal under the city lights, and I dipped my hands in to drink, my reflection stared back wild-eyed.
What the hell was I doing?
I hadn’t thought this through. I’d romanticized the idea of vengeance, of finding the people who’d hurt me and exacting some kind of justice, but I hadn’t once considered the logistics. I looked around. The crowds had started thinning. Daylight had bled out of the sky, and a chill had crept in with the dusk. Most people had places to go. Homes, Packs, and Families.
I had… nothing.
The city, for all its energy and light, suddenly felt like a mouth about to swallow me whole.
I shivered, rubbing my arms in an up and down motion to keep the chill at bay.
I closed my eyes for a moment, hugging my knees to my chest, trying to make myself smaller. But the cold still crept in. Loneliness whispered in my ear. And my heart throbbed with regret.
Maybe I’d made a mistake. I picked myself up with all my strength and gulped down huge gulps of air to calm my thudding heart. I resumed wandering down the streets, aimlessly.
I eventually stumbled onto a bench by a bus stop, half-limping and half-dragging my body across the concrete. My knees buckled the moment I sat, and my legs trembled from hours of walking with no direction. My lungs ached with every breath. My head throbbed and pounded against my skull. I was utterly spent.
What have I done?
The lights around me flickered. Cars zoomed past, people bustled in and out of shops, chattered on phones, and laughed like the world wasn’t crumbling under my feet. Panic gripped me like a vice, wrapping its claws around my chest. My vision started to blur, swimming in and out of focus. Everything spun. My hands were trembling, and no matter how tightly I gripped my knees, I couldn’t still them.
The noise, people, perfume, smoke, and exhaust fumes. The hum of electricity and magic in the air. A screaming child. Laughter. Music. Footsteps.
It was too much.
Tears began to stream from my eyes without warning. I didn’t even try to stop them. What was the point? I didn’t even know where they were coming from, grief, exhaustion, or fear, all of it tangled up in a knotted mess I couldn’t sort through. I wiped them away angrily, only for more to fall.
“Goddess,” I whispered brokenly to myself, curling inward. “What was I thinking?”
I was so stupid.
I had made a split minute decision based on this burning need to be free, to take control of something in my life, only to realize that it wasn’t as easy as I had made it look and sound like in my head.
Now I was stuck, exhausted, cold, and lost in a city I barely knew.
And I missed him.
I hated how fast that thought came. How much it hurt. But I missed him. The weight of his gaze. His quiet presence. The way he made me feel seen and safe, even when I was at my worst.
I wanted to go back.
To the steady hum of the corridors. To the scent of lavender that clung to my pillows. To the quiet safety of knowing Hasmik would always be two steps behind me, and Sargis… Sargis would always be watching. Close, even when he kept his distance.
But I didn’t know how.
No. I wanted revenge.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply