Lochlan's POV
The fierce evening sun cast long shadows across my office as tension rippled through my veins. The air crackled with the weight of the news I desperately sought. Rising abruptly from my seat, adrenaline coursed through me, my inner wolf snarling and clawing for control. With a forceful push, I backed my beta against the wall, my grip around his throat tightening, depriving him of breath. His voice strained, gasping for air, as I demanded answers that burned within me. The anger simmering beneath the surface threatened to explode into a fiery frenzy.
Releasing my hold, my steps became a restless pacing as I tried to contain the overwhelming storm raging inside me. The room, with its lavish decor and opulent furnishings, seemed to close in on me, constricting my already frayed nerves. My impatience was reaching its boiling point, urging my beta to reveal the information before my untamed wrath consumed all reason.
"Have you found my mate?" I growled, my voice dripping with pent-up frustration, each word a savage demand. "My Catarina?" The name rolled off my tongue with a mix of longing and fury, my heart aching for the woman who held my soul.
My beta, his voice now composed but still strained, settled into a seat, his body a tableau of submission. Pouring himself a glass of water, he glanced up at me for a fleeting moment, a silent plea for composure, before finally speaking. "It's Cassie. She's been in contact with me, claiming to have spotted Catarina. In the human town. But there's more," he confessed, his voice barely a whisper amidst the thick tension.
Memories of Cassie, the omega girl who once shared my bed, surged within me like a storm tide. But if she dared to betray me, to breathe a word of Catarina's existence, her life would be forfeit. The thought of Cassie holding such information tightened the vice grip on my sanity. I needed the truth, and I wanted to extract it from that little omega slut myself.
"Bring her to me," I growled, my voice oozing with venomous anger. I would force the truth out of her and extinguish any doubt lingering in my mind. Her mere presence disgusted me, her existence a reminder of past indulgences. I desired nothing more than to see her crumble under the weight of my dominance.
My beta nodded obediently, his eyes reflecting a mix of fear and loyalty before swiftly departing to retrieve Cassie. Within moments, the door swung open, and Cassie, a pitiful sight, was thrown into my office. Her frail form and pitiful appearance only further fuelled my disdain. That filthy wretch, with her provocative smirk, hoping I would take her right then and there. But she had no power over me. None of them did.
Kneeling, a surge of revulsion and anger fuelled my grip on her chin, forcing her tear-filled eyes to meet mine. "So, I hear you have something to tell me?" I snarled, each word a venomous threat. Her frightened gaze widened, the weight of my presence pushing her to the edge of submission. But my wolf cared little for her fear, considering her as fragile as glass, easily disposable.
"Speak, Omega. What do you know?" I demanded, my voice a low, menacing growl that filled the room like an approaching thunderstorm. I yearned for the truth to be laid bare, my patience wearing thin as the pounding ache in my head intensified.
She nodded, her fear overshadowing any semblance of resistance, and as she began to sob, I roughly shoved her away. Weakness had no place in my world. "Tell Alpha Lochlan what you know," my beta commanded with an air of authority, hurling Cassie into a seat. I watched her tremble, her tears and sniffles further grating on my nerves.
"My cousin, Carla. She has come back to the pack to visit with Harry and their new baby. Alpha, she told me things about Luna.” Cassie managed to choke out amidst her tears, her voice barely audible over the tumultuous emotions swelling within the room. "She claimed she saw her. Catarina. In the human town. She was with a man and two young children."
I hissed in frustration, the pounding ache in my head intensifying, adding fuel to the fire of my anger. My mate, my Catarina, in the presence of another man with children no less. The mere thought ignited a deep-rooted rage within me, a primal instinct urging me to find her, to claim her, and to eliminate any obstacle in my path.
"Dare you disrespect your Luna before your Alpha?" I barked, my voice thundering through the room, my anger undulating in every word. The strength of my presence, my dominance, seeped into every crevice, leaving no doubt as to the gravity of the situation. Weakness and disobedience would not be tolerated.
"I apologize, Alpha," Cassie whimpered, falling to her knees in a desperate display of submission, her pleas for forgiveness grating on my nerves. Such displays of weakness had no place in my world. With anger surging within me, I seized her by the hair, yanking her closer, emitting a low and menacing growl. She sobbed uncontrollably, her pitiful cries only intensifying my wrath.
"What man?" I snapped, the relentless pounding in my head reaching a fever pitch. Every ounce of control I possessed was pushed to its limit, my primal instincts roaring for freedom.
"I... I don't know, Alpha Lochlan," Cassie stammered, her trembling voice tinged with desperation. "That's all Carla told me. But she warned me not to say anything. Alpha, please believe me," she pleaded, her desperation growing with each word.
The sound of her whining grated against my skull, heightening my pounding headache. I had no patience for her weakness or her wavering loyalty. Without hesitation, I commanded, "Take this wretch to the dungeon until I decide her fate and bring Carla back here. She may possess knowledge of Catarina's whereabouts."
"Yes, Alpha," my beta swiftly responded, recognizing the weight of my command and acting accordingly. He lifted the pitiful omega, who continued to scream and plead, and led her away. The echoes of her desperate cries followed him as he departed, leaving me alone in my private torment.
My first slammed onto the wooden surface of the table, the sharp sound filling the room as my vow rang through the air. "When I find my Luna, she will return and forever remain by my side," I declared with unwavering determination, my voice reverberating with a mix of longing and desperation. The absence of my mate, Catarina, had left a void in my soul that could not be filled by power.
As the echoes of my declaration faded, a surge of melancholy washed over me. The weight of my longing and the sheer desperation to reclaim what was rightfully mine hung heavily in the air. The mere thought of Catarina being in the presence of another man, with children no less, ignited a deep-rooted rage within me. My primal instincts urged me to find her, to claim her, and to eliminate any obstacle in my path.
Restlessly, I paced, my mind consumed by thoughts of Carla, the cousin who claimed to have seen Catarina. She held the key to the answers I desperately sought. My beta wasted no time in retrieving her, sensing the urgency that burned within me. Carla would reveal every ounce of information she possessed, without hesitation or resistance.
Minutes later, Carla was ushered into my presence, trembling under the weight of my dominance. Her fearful eyes met my fierce gaze, flickering with a mix of fear and confusion. She knew the power I held over her, the consequences of withholding crucial details about Catarina's whereabouts. Her trembling form was no match for my towering presence, my might ready to descend upon her if she dared to deceive me.
"Where is she?" I snarled, my voice laced with an unrelenting intensity, every word dripping with a dangerous fervour. Carla gasped for air, her trembling lips parting as she tried to summon the courage to speak. "I... I saw her, Alpha," she stammered, her voice quivering with uncertainty. "But I... I don't know where she is now. She was with a man, a stranger to me, and those two children."
My patience waned, the pounding ache in my head exacerbating the frustration that coursed through my veins like an inferno. I seized Carla by the throat, my grip tightening as a warning for her to reveal more. "Who was this man? She has children with another man?" I demanded through gritted teeth, my fierce gaze piercing deep into her soul.
Carla gasped for air, her eyes wide with terror, her body quivering under my unyielding power. "I... I swear, Alpha, I don't know his name or his background," she choked out, desperation evident in her words. "Catarina seemed... happy with him. It was as if he provided a sanctuary for her, a safe place she had longed for."
The revelation hit me like a thunderbolt, momentarily weakening the vengeful fire that burned within me. How could Catarina seek solace from another when our bond was meant to be unbreakable? Betrayal and anguish twisted my heart in a painful embrace, leaving behind a hollow ache.
"Foolish girl," I hissed, releasing my grip on Carla's trembling form. "You will stay here until further notice, confined to these walls. If you are lying to me, know that your punishment will be severe." Carla nodded, her eyes now downcast as she was promptly escorted away, leaving me alone in my torment.
The mere thought of Catarina finding comfort in the arms of another bolstered my determination to reclaim what was rightfully mine. With each passing moment, my resolve hardened, and I vowed to search every corner of our territory, leaving no stone unturned. The obstacles ahead may be great, but my love for Catarina would always triumph. Nothing would stand in the way of our love, no matter the challenges that lay ahead.
As the weight of the world threatened to crush me, I knew I had to find strength within myself. My love for Catarina was an inferno, burning brighter with every passing second. It consumed me, driving me to search relentlessly, to venture into the darkest corners of our territory, and to confront any obstacle that dared to impede my path.
Carla's words echoed in my mind, the image of Catarina with another man causing my heart to twist with a blend of betrayal and anguish. But even amidst the pain, a flicker of hope ignited within me. If Catarina had found a sanctuary, then surely, she longed for the safety and love that only I could provide. I would prove myself to be her true sanctuary, where she would find solace and joy beyond compare.
With unyielding determination, I summoned my beta once again, his loyalty palpable as he stood at attention before me. "Gather the strongest warriors in our pack," I commanded, my voice firm as steel. "Tell them we must find Catarina. Spread the news far and wide, for no one in our territory should remain unaware of our quest."
My beta nodded, swiftly departing to carry out my orders, leaving me alone with my restless thoughts. The pounding ache in my head was now a constant reminder of the urgency that gnawed at my soul. I knew time was of the essence, that every second wasted was a second that could draw her further away from me.
Summoning all my strength, I made my way to the grand map of our territory that adorned one wall of my office. The detailed lines and landmarks that represented our pack's domain seemed to blur together as my gaze fixated on the unknown, the places Catarina could be hiding. I traced my fingers along the map, my touch lingering on the human town where Cassie had claimed to spot her, as well as the surrounding areas where Carla's sighting had occurred.
Locked away from her embrace, my soul ached, yearning for the connection we once shared. The bond between alpha and omega was not only one of hierarchy but also a deep, unbreakable bond one that transcended time and distance. I closed my eyes, trying to envision her, to feel the pull of our connection, to grasp even a semblance of her presence. But all I found was an empty void, a darkness that seemed to grow with each passing moment.
But I refused to succumb to despair. Instead, I let her memory fuel my determination. Catarina's laughter, her smile, her warmth. I clung to those precious moments like a lifeline, knowing that they would guide me on this treacherous journey.