Luna Aria's Awakening

Chapter 12

_Kael's POV_

It had been three days since I rejected Aria, three days since the mate bond shattered and I watched tears fill her eyes in front of the entire pack. I should have moved on by now. The decision had been made. There was nothing left to think about. Yet somehow, I found myself staring at the same report for nearly ten minutes without reading a single word.

With a frustrated sigh, I tossed the papers onto my desk and rubbed my forehead. The office was silent except for the crackling fire burning in the corner. Normally, I appreciated the quiet because it helped me focus on my work. Today, however, the silence only seemed to make my thoughts louder.

"You are thinking about her again."

I clenched my jaw as Varek's voice echoed through my head.

"I am working."

"No," he replied immediately. "You are thinking about our mate."

I pushed away from my desk and walked toward the window. Outside, warriors were training in the courtyard. Their movements were sharp as they trained beneath the afternoon sun. Usually, watching them helped clear my mind. Today, it did nothing.

"I made the right choice."

Varek growled. "You keep repeating that."

"Because it's true. A future Luna cannot be wolfless."

The growl deepened. "You sound like your father."

I frowned at the accusation. "What does that mean?"

"It means you stopped thinking like a wolf and started thinking like a politician."

I folded my arms across my chest and stared out the window. "The pack comes first."

"Our mate should have come first."

My chest tightened. I hated this conversation. More importantly, I hated how often Varek brought it up.

"I did what was necessary."

"No," he said coldly. "You did what was easy."

Before I could respond, a sharp knock sounded at the door. I felt immediately relieved. Anything was better than arguing with my wolf.

"Enter."

A warrior stepped inside and bowed respectfully. "Alpha Victor requests your presence in the conference room."

I frowned. "Now?"

"Immediately."

Something about his expression made me pause.

"What has happened?"

The warrior hesitated briefly before answering. "It concerns the Silver Moon Pack."

My stomach tightened unexpectedly. I immediately hated that reaction. Without another word, I headed for the conference room.

Several minutes later, I pushed open the large wooden doors and stepped inside. Father was already there. Mother sat beside him and both looked unusually serious. The moment I entered, Father gestured toward an empty chair.

"Sit."

I obeyed. The atmosphere in the room felt tense and for several moments, nobody spoke. Finally, Father slid a letter across the table.

"We received news this morning."

I glanced at the seal and immediately recognized it. It was that of the Silver Moon Pack. The same uncomfortable feeling returned.

Father folded his hands together. "Aria Vale is missing."

The words caught me off guard. "What?"

His expression remained calm. "She disappeared three nights ago."

The same night as the rejection. The realization hit me immediately. I frowned. "Missing how?"

"According to the report, she left the pack shortly after the ceremony and never returned."

Silence settled over the room as I stared at the letter lying on the table. Three days. Aria had been missing for three days. No one had found her. No one knew where she was.

Mother sighed softly. "The Silver Moon Pack has requested assistance from neighboring packs."

I looked up. "They lost track of one girl and they are causing so much drama."

Mother's eyes narrowed. "Kael."

I ignored the warning in her voice. "There are hundreds of wolves in these territories."

Father remained calm. "This is a diplomatic matter."

I leaned back in my chair. "And?"

"And we will help."

I rubbed my forehead. "Send a few warriors."

Father's gaze locked onto mine. "You will participate."

I stared at him for a moment. "I will what?"

"You will join the search party."

A laugh escaped me. "You're serious."

"I am."

I shook my head. "This is unnecessary."

Mother finally spoke. "If she is alone in the forest, every hour matters."

The image appeared before I could stop it. Aria walking alone through the forest. She had no wolf and was completely defenseless. I immediately pushed the thought away. This was not my problem. At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

Varek wasn't convinced. "You are worried."

I ignored him. Father stood up. "We leave in thirty minutes."

_______

The forest was quiet by the time the search began. Sunlight filtered through the trees as warriors spread throughout the territory in small groups. Hours passed with little progress and my frustration grew with every step. We hadn't found anything. There was no trail...no scent....no evidence.....nothing.

A warrior approached me during the afternoon. "There is still no sign of her, Kael."

I nodded grimly. Part of me wasn't surprised. Three days was a long time. Rain had fallen the previous night and most scents would have disappeared by now. Still, an uncomfortable feeling continued growing inside me.

Varek hadn't stopped talking all day. "We should find her."

"Why?"

"Because she is our mate."

"Former mate."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

Varek fell silent briefly. Then he asked a question I didn't want to answer. "If you don't care, why are you still looking?"

I said nothing.

The search continued. The deeper we moved into the forest, the worse my mood became. Every empty trail felt like a failure. Every dead end felt like wasted time. Despite myself, my thoughts kept drifting toward Aria.

I remembered the way she looked during the ceremony. I remembered the tears in her eyes and the pain on her face when I spoke the rejection words.

The memories irritated me. The rejection was over. The bond was gone. Everything should have been finished. Yet somehow it wasn't.

"Kael." A warrior's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I immediately turned. The warrior was crouched near a patch of disturbed earth.

"What is it?"

"There are tracks."

My pulse quickened slightly. I crouched beside him and examined the ground. Several footprints crossed the area. They were old and faint but still visible.

The warrior pointed deeper into the forest. "They continue that way."

Finally, we had found something.

The search party immediately followed the trail. For the first time all day, I found myself paying attention. The tracks continued for several hundred meters before becoming difficult to follow. Broken branches appeared along the path. Scattered footprints marked the ground. It looked as though someone had moved through the forest in a hurry.

Varek stirred. "She came this way."

I didn't respond. My focus remained on the trail.

Then another warrior suddenly shouted. "Over here!"

Every head turned. The warrior stood beside a thick bush. He was pointing toward something caught between the branches.

My stomach tightened. I crossed the distance quickly. The moment I saw it, my pulse accelerated. There was fabric....torn fabric.

Carefully, I reached forward and pulled it free. The material was dirty and ripped but I recognized it immediately. Then the scent reached me. My breath caught.

It was Aria.

There was no mistake.

Even after three days, her scent still lingered faintly on the cloth. My grip tightened. She had been here.

The warrior beside me glanced down at the fabric. "Is it hers?"

I swallowed. "Yes."

Silence settled over the group. Aria had been here....not long after leaving her pack.

Varek's voice softened. "Our mate."

For once, I didn't argue. My gaze remained fixed on the torn fabric. The rip looked jagged and uneven, as though it had been torn during a struggle. An uncomfortable feeling settled heavily in my stomach.

Something wasn't right.

Before I could think further, another shout echoed through the trees. This one sounded urgent. Every warrior immediately moved.

The moment I entered the clearing, I froze. Several bodies lay scattered across the forest floor. They were dead rogues. The entire area looked destroyed. Broken branches covered the ground while deep claw marks scarred the trunks of nearby trees. The earth itself had been torn apart by a violent fight.

One warrior cursed softly. Another approached the nearest body. "They've been dead for days."

My stomach dropped. Days. The same amount of time Aria had been missing.

I looked down at the torn fabric still clutched in my hand before lifting my gaze back to the bodies. Aria's scent lingered throughout the clearing. It wasn't strong but it was enough. Enough to tell me that she had been here and she had been close to these rogues.

A cold feeling spread through my chest. For the first time all day, Varek was completely silent. That frightened me more than his constant talking.

Slowly, I walked through the clearing. My eyes searched desperately for another clue. A body. Blood. Another scent. Anything.

But there was nothing. There were only questions but no answers. Aria had been here. The torn fabric and her scent proved it. Yet she was gone.

A warrior approached cautiously.

"Kael?"

I barely heard him. My gaze remained fixed on the ruined clearing. Something terrible had happened here. I could feel it. Every instinct inside me screamed it.

For days, I had convinced myself that Aria no longer mattered. I had told myself she was no longer my concern. I had told myself I made the right decision.

Standing in that clearing, those lies suddenly felt hollow. Because all I could think about was the frightened look in her eyes the night I rejected her. All I could think about was the fact that she had entered this forest alone and now, she had vanished.

My fingers tightened around the torn piece of fabric. Fear settled heavily inside my chest.

Where was she?

What had happened here?

Was she hurt?

Was she alive?

The questions echoed endlessly through my mind as I stared at the dead rogues surrounding me. The forest suddenly felt colder, darker and far more dangerous than before.

For the first time since the rejection, I realized something that should have been impossible. I didn't want Aria to be gone. I wanted her to be safe....no matter what had happened between us.

But I was not even sure if she was still alive or the worst had already happened. That thought made my chest hurt.