The Alpha's Forbidden Mate

CHAPTER 12

XAVIER'S POV

I walked further in, slower this time. Careful.

Listening.

Nothing.

No heartbeat.

No movement.

No presence.

She wasn’t here. My jaw clenched.

“Mia…” I called again, quieter this time. Still nothing. Something cold settled in my chest. Wrong. Everything felt wrong.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

Her scent was there. Faint. Fading.

But beneath it—something else, something unfamiliar. Not wolf or human. My eyes snapped open. Dark. Rotten. Ancient.

My hands curled into fists.

“No…” I muttered under my breath. I knew that scent. I hadn’t smelled it in years. And I had hoped never to again.

“Vampire.”

The word came out like a curse. A low growl rumbled from my chest, vibrating through the room. The air shifted. My wolf stirred violently beneath my skin. They touched her. The door burst open behind me.

“Alpha—”

I didn’t turn.

“WHO WAS ON GUARD?!” I roared.

The walls trembled.

The guard froze.

“I—I don’t know, Alpha. She was—she was in her room, I swear—”

I turned slowly. Too slowly. His breath hitched.

“Then where is she?” I asked, my voice low. Deadly.

He couldn’t answer. Of course he couldn’t.

Useless. I strode past him, my movements sharp, controlled—but barely.

“Gather everyone,” I ordered. “No one leaves the pack grounds.”

“Yes, Alpha!”

“And if I find out someone let this happen…”

I paused. My eyes flickered gold.

“They won’t live to regret it.”

I walked quickly through the halls, my senses heightened. Every sound. Every scent. Nothing. There was no trace.

They were careful. Too careful.Which meant one thing. This wasn’t random. Outside, the night air hit my face.

Cool.

But it did nothing to calm the storm inside me. I stepped onto the grass and inhaled deeply again. Searching. Tracking.

Fighting through the layers of scent.

And then—

There.

Faint.

But there.

My eyes narrowed.

“Found you.”

“Alpha!” Yuli’s voice came from behind me as he approached. “What the hell is going on?”

I didn’t look at him.

“She’s gone.”

Silence.

“What?”

“Taken,” I corrected.

Yuli’s expression darkened. “By who?”

I turned slightly.

“Vampires.”

His brows shot up. “You’re joking.”

I didn’t respond becausee I wasn’t.

“That’s not possible,” he muttered. “They don’t come this close to our territory—”

“They do now.”

My voice was calm. Too calm. And that was how Yuli knew I was serious.

A low growl escaped him. “Why her?”

That question lingered in the air.

Why her?

Why Mia?

My fists tightened.

“I don’t know.”

But I would.

I stepped forward, following the faint trail only I could pick up.

“They won’t get far,” I said.

My wolf was fully awake now. Restless. Violent. Ready.

“Xavier…” Yuli called, more serious this time. “If this is really vampires, then this isn’t just about Mia anymore.”

I stopped. Slowly turned. My gaze locked onto his.

“It was always about Mia.”

Silence.

I turned back toward the forest.

The darkness stretched ahead of me.

Waiting.

Calling.

“They made a mistake,” I said quietly.

My eyes burned gold. My aura flared.

Deadly.

“They took what belongs to me.”

My voice came out low, but steady.

Yuli let out a breath behind me. “Xavier… think about this. If you walk into their territory alone, you might not come back.”

I didn’t answer immediately. My eyes remained fixed on the dark stretch of forest ahead, my mind already running through possibilities.

This wasn’t random.

Vampires didn’t cross into our territory without a reason. And they certainly didn’t take someone without planning it first.

“They knew exactly what they were doing,” I said finally. “This wasn’t an accident.”

Yuli frowned. “Then why Mia?”

That question lingered longer than I expected.

Why her?

I thought about the way she had resisted me from the very beginning. The way she looked at me like she would rather die than submit. And yet… there was something else. Something I still couldn’t explain.

“She’s different,” I muttered, almost to myself.

Yuli studied me for a moment but didn’t push further.

A faint shift in the air pulled my attention back to the forest. I inhaled deeply, focusing on the trail again. It was weak—but still there

"I'm going after her,” I said.

Yuli stiffened. “Already? Then we need to move carefully—”

“I’m not waiting.”

He stepped forward. “At least take backup. This isn’t something you handle alone.”

I finally turned to face him.

“This isn’t about the pack.”

There was no hesitation in my voice.

“This is about Mia.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then I turned and started toward the forest.

The darkness ahead didn’t bother me. If anything, it made things clearer.

They had taken her.

And now they were going to pay for it.