I get back to the castle in record time, pulling on my sweatpants and heading straight to the security department. I don’t feel great.
I am near enough to the castle when I suddenly feel as if I can’t breathe properly. There’s a discomfort in my chest, and I feel ill.
“Any news?” I growl, pushing open the door. The room falls silent, and I notice Dad, Alpha Aeron, and a few of the council members are here.
“Son, calm down-”
My eyes blaze, and I’m in front of Dad, “Do not tell me to calm down when my woman is missing!” I hiss venomously, grabbing him by the collar. Everyone tenses, and a few of the guards get up, but Dad motions for them to stand down, like they could take me anyway.
“There is something that came to our attention,” Aeron says, looking concerned. He can stop fucking pretending. He didn’t seem to care when his mother gave Evangeline up to me.
“What?” I snarl, letting go of Dad and pushing aside one of the men as I look at the screen that Aeron is pointing at.
“Earlier today, when Evangeline was meant to be escorted to the forest, she went into the bathroom. The two guards waited down the hall for her, just out of range of the cameras. However, a woman in a hoodie came out first. We think perhaps it's Evangeline, and she has changed clothing. As you can see, a short while later, Evangeline comes out, but when I observe closer, I feel that she is slightly taller, and her physique is also different.”
I stare at the screen. “There’s no way anyone can’t tell that’s not Evangeline; she doesn’t even walk the same way, nor does she look like Evangeline from the back. She’s the woman in the woods," I scoff, looking at him, “I’ve known her for far less time, and I can tell you that in one glance.”
“Someone planned this-” Franco tries, but I cut him off.
“I don’t care. That’s your fucking job to figure out. I need to find her," I growl. “The girl in the hoodie. Is she seen anywhere in any of the surveillance footage after this moment?” I rewind the video, watching her walk down the hall.
That’s Evangeline. I can tell from the sway of her hips.
“Perhaps she escaped,” Franco muses. “We all know what happened at the ball when she was given to you. She wanted to leave-”
A vicious growl leaves my lips, tearing through the room as white-hot rage blisters through me like an inferno, and I grab his collar, slamming him into the table. “Don’t antagonise me because I will kill you,” I hiss, ready to rip him to shreds. I throw him to the floor and look at the cameras.
“Check every camera from the time of this video. We must find her somewhere,” I command. “I’m going to try to see if I can catch her scent.”
I’m about to leave when I look back at the screen. She had gone right from the north hallway; I’ll start there. I’m feeling worse, and I take a few deep breaths, trying to get rid of the odd feeling that is wrapping around me.
Leaving the room, I jog down the hall. The best place to catch her scent would be from where she was last spotted.
What happened? And who is behind this? Those are questions I will find the answer to, but for now, finding her is my priority.
What if she’s hurt? If something happens to her… My stomach twists, and I push the thought away, reaching the north hallway soon enough.
I sniff the air. A lot of people have been here since. I close my eyes, trying to capture her scent. It’s a few moments before I smell it, the faintest hint of her scent. My eyes flash, and I slowly follow it. At times, I can barely catch it, but I follow it. Soon, the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the castle fade away, and I’m heading deeper into the old part of the castle.
Is she here? I frown as I speed up, scanning the rooms that are all locked and bolted. I head lower, but I can smell it now, her scent as well as two others that I don’t recognise, but it suddenly just seems to stop.
“Evangeline!” I shout, my heart racing as I try to calm it. I already feel weak, and it’s crippling me.
I don’t feel great. Maybe it’s all the running…“Evangeline!”
Silence.
The smell of water and rust fills my nose, and I break into a run down the corridor, only stopping when my foot splashes on water, and I look down at the ground. Water is seeping out from the old pool room, and I glance at it sharply. It’s bolted, and I take a few steps back. The lock’s rusted, and I’m sure I can break it with ease. I run at the door, slamming my shoulder into it. It trembles, and I back up and run at it again. This time, it flies off its hinges, hitting the floor with a clang. I scan the room, my eyes going to the pool. The water’s dirty and dark.
She’s here. I know she is… I step to the edge, my heart sinking as I look down.
Is she okay?
My heart’s thundering as I stare into the water. Taking a deep breath, I dive in. I scan the murky water, my eyes widening when I see her lying at the bottom. She’s tied to a rock, and her body is lying there limp.
I swim over to her, slowing down when I realise there’s a faint glow around her lifeless body. Her eyes are open, but they’re milk white, glowing faintly as they stare lifelessly, but I can tell she isn’t conscious.
What is that?I quickly cut the rope that binds her to the rock, snaking my arm around her waist and swim to the surface. I push myself out with one hand, lift her out and place her on the floor. Water is still overflowing out of the pool.
“Come on…” I mutter, feeling her pulse. It’s there, albeit faint.
I begin pumping her chest, trying to get rid of the water in her lungs.
“Fuck!” I growl. The faint light around her begins to fade away, and I’m too fucking stressed to care what exactly it is, “Evangeline, come on!”
Suddenly, her eyes fly open, and she chokes, bringing up water. She rolls onto her side, coughing and spluttering. I help her up onto her knees as she coughs and chokes on the water she’s swallowed. I grip her waist as she continues coughing, and I rub her back. Her entire body is shaking, and she whimpers before she vomits, emptying all the contents of her stomach. I hold her hair back, relief flooding me when she wipes her mouth with the back of her sleeve.
She’s okay. Fuck, she’s okay.“Ouch.” She coughs, retching before she almost tumbles face forward into her vomit. I catch hold of her, pulling her against my chest. “I’m sorry… I…”
“It’s not your fault. This wasn’t part of the tournament," I growl as I hug her tightly, holding her trembling body against my chest.
“Why would…” she trails off weakly, and it’s then I realise something.
My heart thuds as I slowly look down at the woman in my arms. That heavy weight that had been consuming me… the discomfort… that was her pain. The moment she had brought it all up and come to, the pain inside of me had vanished, too.
I was feeling her pain.
That could only mean one thing, and it shakes me.
Evangeline may not know it, but she’s my mate. She has to be. Only a fated mate can feel the pain of the other…
She looks up at me weakly, her chest still heaving, and it’s like I’m seeing her for the first time.
She’s destined for me.