The Enchanted Five

Book 1 Chapter 20

Bram sat alone in his study, elbows on the desk, staring at the half‑written notes in front of him. He’d been trying for hours. Trying to find the right words. Trying to figure out how to explain everything without scaring her. Trying to imagine a version of the conversation where Ari didn’t look at him like he’d broken something fragile. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Just tell her the truth,” he muttered. “Start with Eilidh. Then the prophecy. Then...”

He stopped. Even in his own head, it sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. He pushed back from the desk, pacing the length of the room. “She deserves honesty. She deserves...” A frantic knock shattered the quiet. Before he could answer, the door flew open, and Torin rushed in, breathless. “Bram...”

Moira barreled in behind him, apron still on, face pale and eyes wide with fear. “Laird,” she gasped, “I can’t find Ari.”

Bram’s heart stopped. “What?” His voice came out rough.

Moira wrung her hands. “She missed dinner, so I went to check on her. Thought maybe she’d fallen asleep in the library again, but she wasn’t there.”

Bram’s pulse spiked. “Her room?”

“Empty,” Moira said, voice trembling. “Bed untouched. No coat. No bag.”

Torin stepped forward. “We checked the castle top to bottom. The barn, too. No sign of her.”

Bram felt the floor tilt beneath him. Three days of giving her space. Three days of letting her cool down. Three days of staying away, as Torin told him to. And now she was gone. Moira’s voice cracked. “She wouldn’t just leave without telling someone. Not after what happened last time.”

Bram’s chest tightened painfully. “When did anyone last see her?”

Moira shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know. I thought she was in the library all afternoon.”

Torin looked grim. “She wasn’t.”

Bram’s mind raced. Ari. Alone. Somewhere on the grounds. At night, Kellan was still out there. A cold, primal fear surged through him. “We search,” Bram said, already moving toward the door. “Now.”

Torin nodded sharply. “I’ll alert the others.”

Moira grabbed Bram’s arm, her voice barely a whisper. “Find her, lad.”

Bram didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Because the only thought in his head was a single, desperate truth: He should never have left her alone.

The courtyard filled quickly. Clan members gathered in clusters, some shifting anxiously from foot to foot, others already preparing lanterns and gear. The winter air was sharp, the sky darkening fast, and the urgency unmistakable. Bram strode out with Torin at his side, Moira close behind them, wringing her hands.

“Listen up,” Torin called, voice carrying across the courtyard. “Ari Thorne is missing. Last seen this afternoon. We’re splitting into teams...”

“Why?” Liora’s voice cut through the crowd like a sour note. She stepped forward, arms crossed, chin lifted in that superior way she had when she thought she was being clever. “Why should we go looking for her?” she asked loudly. “She’s a little city girl who never should’ve been here in the first place. If she wandered off, that’s on her.”

A ripple of discomfort moved through the clan. Moira gasped. “Liora!”

Torin muttered, “Oh, you absolute idiot.”

Bram turned slowly. The courtyard went silent. He walked toward Liora with the kind of controlled fury that made even seasoned warriors step back. Liora’s smirk faltered. “Say that again,” Bram said quietly.

Liora swallowed. “I...I just meant...she’s not one of us. Why risk...”

“You will not speak about her that way,” Bram said, voice low and dangerous. “Not ever.”

Liora’s eyes widened. “I didn’t...”

“You did,” Bram snapped. “And you did it in front of my clan.” He stepped closer, towering over her. “Ari is under my protection. She is a guest in this castle. She is important to this family. And she is missing.”

Liora’s face flushed. “I didn’t know...”

“You didn’t care,” Bram corrected. “And that is worse.” The clan murmured in agreement. Bram’s voice dropped even lower. “If you cannot show respect to those who live under this roof, you will not remain under it.”

Liora’s mouth fell open. “You’re threatening to exile me over her?”

“I’m promising,” Bram said. “Now get out of my sight.”

Liora backed away, pale and shaking, disappearing into the crowd. Bram didn’t watch her go. He turned back to the clan. “Teams of two,” he ordered. “Search the woods, the loch path, the village road, and the barn perimeter. She’s been missing for hours; we don’t have time to waste.”

Torin nodded. “I’ll coordinate from here. Moira stays with me.”

Moira clutched her apron. “Bring her home, lad.”

Bram squeezed her shoulder once. “I will.” Then he shifted, not fully, but enough that his senses sharpened, his instincts rising to the surface. His eyes darkened, his posture changed, and the air around him crackled with the presence of the bear just beneath his skin.

He didn’t wait for anyone else. He headed straight for the woods. Alone. Because if Ari was out there, cold, scared, hurt, he would find her. He had to. Bram moved deeper into the woods, senses sharpened, breath fogging in the cold air. The moment he crossed the tree line, something in him shifted, a pull low in his chest, instinct clawing to the surface. He found the clearing minutes later. The ground was torn up. Footprints. Drag marks. A broken branch slick with fresh sap. And there, a faint trace of Ari’s scent tangled with something darker.

Kellan. Bram’s vision went red around the edges. He crouched, fingers brushing the disturbed earth. Ari had fought. Hard. Pride and terror twisted in his gut. His bear surged, slamming against his ribs, demanding to be let out. Bram gritted his teeth. “Not fully,” he growled. “Not here.” But he needed the strength. The senses. The speed. He let the shift come halfway, bones grinding, muscles tightening, claws threatening to break through his skin. Pain ripped through him, white‑hot and blinding, but he forced himself to hold the line. Not man. Not bear. Something in between. He lifted his head, inhaled deeply. Ari’s trail was faint… but there. And he followed it into the dark.