Derek's POV
Standing by the street, I was gearing up to hit the mall myself to look for Tabitha.
Just then, Alvin mind-linked me, all urgent-like. "Alpha Derek, we have a lead on Tabitha."
His voice rang in my mind, sounding rushed.
"Spill it! What is it?" I asked promptly.
"One of our guys tailing Tabitha snapped her heading into a shopping mall. And a strange guy was with her," Alvin answered.
"Lock down all the mall exits," I ordered immediately.
"We've already combed the whole mall, but there's no sign of her. She should've left," Alvin cautiously replied.
Angry, I cut the mind-link without answering him.
It took me a while to calm myself down. Then, I mind-linked Alvin again. "Send me all the footage."
I checked every video, trying to keep my cool, and finally, in one of the videos, I spotted her silhouette at an intersection.
Even though her face wasn't captured, I knew it was her, along with a man walking closely beside her.
Piecing together the clues, I guessed they might've been hiding out on some island these past days.
Perhaps she'd struck some deal with that guy, so he hadn't hurt her or Kyrian.
With resources scarce on islands, that hundred grand in cash was probably for supplies.
So, her getaway wasn't by plane or train, but by sea, sneaky enough to avoid detection.
"Alvin, get your car over here. We're heading to the harbor," I urged.
I was pretty sure she'd try to escape by maritime transportation.
Not long after, Alvin's car pulled up in front of me.
I told him directly, "Get out of the car. I'll drive."
Alvin quickly followed suit, and I sat in the driver's seat.
Before firing up the engine, I closed my eyes to communicate with my wolf. "Leo, we need to focus and find out the exact location of Tabitha."
But Leo's response seemed a bit confused, and I could sense his discomfort.
"What's wrong, Leo?" I asked, forcing myself to calm down.
He roared in a low voice in my mind, "I felt something off, Derek. There's... a vague feeling, but I couldn't figure out what it was."
I took a deep breath. There was no time to hesitate.
Then I opened my eyes and checked the surveillance footage again.
Seeing that man next to Tabitha made my possessiveness flare, and I couldn't help but punch the steering wheel.
Feeling my anger, Alvin quickly said, "Alpha Derek, Ms. Hartley did rescue Kyrian. Perhaps she's got her reasons?"
"If she was under any threat, she would have left me some kind of signal," I snapped.
I'd considered that, but she was moving freely the whole time, it would have been easy for her to ask for help, but she didn't.
Clearly, she was doing this willingly!
She'd been wanting to leave me, and now she even got herself a lover to help her!
I was already not at my best, and this rage had me burning up.
"Alpha Derek, maybe you should seek treatment instead of going after Tabitha," Alvin suggested cautiously.
"I'm fine," I said as I started the car, trying to focus on driving.
Alvin's cautious voice came again. "Your hand is bleeding, Alpha Derek."
Alvin's voice brought me back to my senses, and only then did I notice that the back of my hand was cut from the punch earlier, with blood dripping along my fingers.
I didn't have time to deal with it, still focusing on driving.
Tires screeched on the slick road as I sped towards the harbor. There was only one thought in my mind—to stop Tabitha.
The lights of the harbor were flickering, like a beacon guiding me forward.
I slowed down the car and finally spotted Tabitha in a corner of the harbor.
She was with that man, loading some goods onto a speedboat.
My heart clenched at the sight, anger and betrayal swirling inside.
Angry, I jumped out of the car and ran towards her.
Noticing me, Tabitha paled with fear.
She quickly turned around and anxiously urged the man, "Go, hurry, he's here!"
Panic laced her voice.
My heart sank further because of her words, anger and pain mixing.
I picked up the pace, yelling, "Tabitha, stop!"
But my shout didn't slow her down. Instead, they sped up.
Tabitha jumped onto the speedboat, and the man quickly started the engine.
With a roar, the speedboat cut through the water, drifting away from the shore.
I ran to the shore, my heart pounding, with anger and despair intertwining in my chest. "Tabitha!"
I called out again, this time I was almost roaring, "Come back here!"
Across the sea between us, our gaze met. "Derek, please let me go. I've sent Kyrian back, and you're about to get engaged. Just stop pestering me," she said.
Bracing against the biting wind, I shouted, "This is your last chance. Come back, now!"
The boat sped up, and she said no more. I locked eyes with her, hissing, "Tabitha, you really think you can run from me?"