The Search Begins
1786 Words
Chapter 7:
Three weeks.
Three entire weeks.
Damon Blackwood stared at his Beta in disbelief.
"We can't find her?"
Ethan shifted uncomfortably.
"No, Alpha."
A dangerous silence settled inside the office.
Damon slowly lowered himself back into his chair.
His wolf growled furiously beneath his skin.
Aria was gone.
Not hiding inside the territory.
Not staying with relatives.
Gone.
Completely gone.
"How did this happen?" Damon asked quietly.
Ethan sighed.
"Most people assumed she was staying with her grandmother after the ceremony."
"And no one thought to tell me she left?"
The Beta grimaced.
"Everyone believed you already knew."
Damon laughed bitterly.
The sound held no humor.
Why would anyone think that?
He hadn't spoken to Aria since their conversation outside Elara's cottage.
The memory returned immediately.
The pain in her eyes.
The disappointment.
The cold way she had looked at him.
For the first time in years, Damon felt something dangerously close to regret.
Not regret over choosing Selene.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Regret over how he handled everything.
Regret over humiliating Aria before the entire pack.
Regret over losing someone who had always been part of his life.
"When exactly did she leave?"
"Three days after the ceremony."
Damon clenched his fists.
Three days.
She had stayed only three days before abandoning everything she knew.
The realization hit harder than expected.
Moonfang had been her home.
Every childhood memory she possessed existed within those borders.
If she left willingly, she must have been hurting far more than he imagined.
Ethan carefully observed him.
"Should we continue searching?"
Damon immediately answered.
"Yes."
The word came out sharper than intended.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Damon sighed.
"I mean..."
He paused.
What exactly did he mean?
Why did he care so much?
He had made his choice.
Selene was his future Luna.
The alliance strengthened the pack.
Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
Then why did the thought of Aria disappearing leave an ache in his chest?
"Find her."
His voice softened.
"I just need to know she's safe."
Ethan nodded.
"As you wish."
The Beta turned to leave.
Then stopped.
"Alpha?"
"What?"
"I think you're lying to yourself."
Before Damon could respond, Ethan exited the office.
The door clicked shut.
Silence followed.
Damon stared at it for several seconds.
Then he cursed.
Because Ethan was right.
The truth was becoming impossible to ignore.
He missed her.
Not occasionally.
Not sometimes.
Every single day.
He missed her laugh.
He missed her stubbornness.
He missed the way she challenged him when everyone else simply obeyed.
Most of all, he missed knowing she was there.
The realization unsettled him deeply.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
Without waiting for permission, Selene entered.
The Alpha Princess looked flawless as always.
Golden hair.
Elegant dress.
Perfect smile.
Yet Damon immediately felt tired.
A reaction that surprised him.
"You seem distracted."
Selene approached his desk.
"It's nothing."
She laughed softly.
"That's a terrible lie."
Damon looked away.
Lately, every conversation with Selene felt exhausting.
The excitement he once associated with their alliance had faded.
In its place remained only responsibility.
Duty.
Politics.
Nothing more.
Selene sat on the edge of his desk.
"Preparations for our mating ceremony are progressing well."
Damon nodded absentmindedly.
Her smile faded slightly.
"You didn't hear a word I said."
The accusation was true.
And both of them knew it.
"Damon."
Her voice sharpened.
His eyes finally met hers.
"What?"
Selene studied him carefully.
Then she asked the question she had been avoiding for weeks.
"Are you thinking about Aria?"
The room instantly became cold.
Damon's jaw tightened.
"No."
Another lie.
A very obvious one.
Selene's eyes narrowed.
She had spent years learning how to read people.
Especially powerful men.
And right now, she didn't like what she saw.
Because every time Aria's name appeared, Damon's entire demeanor changed.
His expression softened.
His attention sharpened.
His emotions surfaced.
It was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
For the first time, genuine concern crept into Selene's heart.
Not because she loved Damon.
But because she needed him.
Needed the alliance.
Needed the power.
And Aria remained the one person capable of threatening everything.
Far away in Silverhaven, Aria finished her hospital shift and stepped outside.
The evening air felt cool against her skin.
A smile touched her lips.
Today had been another good day.
Another successful surgery.
Another patient saved.
Slowly, her reputation inside the hospital was growing.
For the first time in months, life felt stable.
Peaceful.
Hopeful.
She had no idea that hundreds of miles away, Damon had just begun searching for her.
And she certainly didn't know that fate was preparing to bring their worlds together once more.
The following morning, Aria woke before sunrise.
For a few moments, she simply lay in bed, listening to the peaceful silence surrounding her small apartment.
Then a familiar sound reached her ears.
Tiny footsteps.
A smile immediately appeared on her face.
The bedroom door slowly creaked open.
A small head peeked inside.
"Mama?"
Aria laughed softly.
"Good morning, Leo."
The little boy rushed across the room and jumped onto the bed.
At four years old, Leo had become the center of her entire world.
Every sacrifice.
Every difficult decision.
Every sleepless night.
It had all been worth it.
He wrapped his tiny arms around her neck.
"I dreamed about wolves again."
Aria's smile faltered.
Recently, Leo had been mentioning wolves more frequently.
It worried her.
Not because she feared him learning about their world.
But because some of his dreams seemed far too realistic.
"What happened in the dream?"
Leo thought for a moment.
"A big black wolf was looking for us."
Aria froze.
The words sent a strange chill down her spine.
"A black wolf?"
Leo nodded.
"He wasn't scary."
His small face became thoughtful.
"He looked sad."
Aria forced herself to relax.
Children had vivid imaginations.
That was all.
Still, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling growing inside her chest.
"Come on."
She climbed out of bed.
"We'll be late for breakfast."
Within an hour, they were walking through the busy streets of Silverhaven.
Leo happily held her hand while pointing at everything that caught his attention.
A bakery.
A flower shop.
A street musician.
Aria watched him with affection.
No matter how difficult life became, Leo always managed to make her smile.
They eventually reached his preschool.
The little boy hugged her tightly before running toward his friends.
Aria remained standing outside for several seconds.
Her heart swelled with pride.
She had built this life from nothing.
No pack.
No Alpha.
No mate.
Just herself and her son.
And somehow, they were thriving.
She turned and headed toward the hospital.
What she didn't notice was the unfamiliar man watching from across the street.
The stranger's eyes followed her every movement.
After several moments, he pulled out his phone.
"The target has been confirmed."
A deep voice answered from the other side.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
The man glanced toward the preschool.
"The woman and the child."
Silence followed.
Then—
"Continue observing."
The call ended.
The stranger slipped back into the crowd.
Unaware that danger had just taken interest in her life.
---
Hours later, Aria finished another successful surgery.
The patient was stable.
The procedure had gone perfectly.
Several nurses congratulated her as she exited the operating room.
Doctor Hayes approached with a proud smile.
"Excellent work."
"Thank you."
"I'm beginning to think Silverhaven got very lucky when you moved here."
Aria laughed.
"You say that every week."
"Because it's true."
The older doctor became serious.
"You've accomplished more in four years than some surgeons achieve in twenty."
His words embarrassed her.
She never chased recognition.
Helping people had always been enough.
Yet hearing such praise still felt rewarding.
As they continued talking, neither noticed the pair of golden eyes observing from a nearby hallway.
The mysterious visitor stood completely still.
Watching.
Studying.
Waiting.
Then he quietly turned away.
A dangerous smile touched his lips.
"So this is where you've been hiding."
---
That evening, Damon stood on a balcony overlooking Moonfang territory.
The sun was setting.
The sky glowed orange and gold.
Normally, he found moments like this peaceful.
Today, however, his thoughts remained restless.
A familiar scent reached him.
Selene.
She stepped onto the balcony moments later.
"You've been avoiding me."
Damon didn't deny it.
The princess folded her arms.
"Our mating ceremony is only a few months away."
"I know."
"Then start acting like it matters."
Her frustration finally surfaced.
Damon looked at her.
For the first time, he noticed something uncomfortable.
There was no warmth between them.
No excitement.
No bond.
Nothing.
Only obligation.
The realization struck harder than expected.
Selene noticed the change in his expression.
And she immediately hated it.
Because she knew exactly what had caused it.
Aria.
Even after disappearing, Aria continued standing between them.
"You're making a mistake," Selene said quietly.
Damon frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You keep thinking about someone who left."
The words carried a hidden edge.
Damon's eyes darkened.
"Enough."
Selene held his gaze.
"No."
For the first time, she refused to back down.
"If Aria mattered so much, perhaps you should have chosen her."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Because neither of them expected what happened next.
Damon didn't answer.
And that silence told Selene everything.
Her stomach twisted.
For the first time, genuine fear entered her heart.
Because she suddenly realized something terrifying.
The Alpha who had rejected Aria years ago was no longer certain he had made the right choice.
---
Late that night, Aria sat beside Leo's bed.
The little boy was already asleep.
She gently brushed his hair back from his forehead.
A mother's smile touched her lips.
"You'll always be my greatest blessing."
She quietly stood and moved toward the window.
Outside, the city lights sparkled beautifully.
Life wasn't perfect.
There were still difficult days.
Still painful memories.
Still moments when she wondered what might have been.
But she no longer regretted leaving Moonfang.
Because leaving had saved her.
It had given Leo a future.
And it had given her a chance to discover her own worth.
She was no longer the rejected girl who lived for someone else's approval.
She had become stronger.
Independent.
Respected.
Happy.
Yet somewhere deep inside her heart, one wound remained unhealed.
A wound carrying the name Damon Blackwood.
Unaware of her thoughts, hundreds of miles away, Damon stood beneath the moon.
Looking at the same sky.
Thinking about the same woman.
And for the first time in years, fate had begun moving them toward each other once again.
Neither of them knew it.
But their reunion was closer than ever.
And when it finally happened, it would change everything.
- Writer
