Jake's POV
Rain slicked streets flashed beneath my boots, every puddle reflecting the neon chaos of Los Angeles, but I barely noticed. My mind was consumed by a single thought: Aurora. My Aurora. My mate, my wife, the woman I had failed to protect once already. And now, worse than any fear I’d ever faced, worse than betrayal, worse than any shame, she had been taken. kidn*pped. Vanished from the world I thought I controlled.
The first thing that hit me was panic. My chest tightened, my heart hammered against my ribs, and I struggled to breathe as if the city itself were squeezing me. I skidded to a stop beneath a flickering streetlight, the rain plastering my hair to my face, water running down my cheeks like tears I didn’t allow myself to shed.
“Aurora…” I whispered, my voice cracking.
