Blood Legacy Chapter 97: •Part three•

That door burst open with so much force it threatened to fall off its hinges, slamming against the wall as he stormed inside with a livid and distraught look written all over his face.

She was gone. Her beautiful scent lingered there, but she was gone.

He started to desperately look around the spacious room, finding her clothes still lying on the lounge chair hidden behind the screen.

Her scent was pretty fresh, which meant that she couldn't have gone far. Not on her own anyway.

"S-she just vanished. I was on my way with Gabby because I wanted to show her how beautiful she looked but when we arrived here she was already gone," his mother's grieved and trembling voice made him swiftly turn around, looking into those tear-filled eyes.

"Why?" His own voice sounded so rough and cold, managing to startle the queen. Her eyes grew wide, blinking with evident confusion.

"What did you give her to wear?" His hand balled into a tight fist around Carina's clothes, raising it and giving them a little shake right in front of her eyes.

He was growing mad with rage and despair. The Queen could see that. With every passing moment that they failed to find her. The Encantum Princess.

"It was a wedding gown, your Highness. I made it especially for her," Soraya rushed to intervene as soon as she noticed her Queen hesitating, offering the future Alpha King a reverent bow.

His nostrils flared, throwing her a cold and disdainful look before he stormed out of the room.

They scared her. They frightened her by making her wear that dress. He knew how sensitive she was around that subject. He could feel her emotions whenever they talked about it. The wedding. The coronation. She was still trying to get used to it all. And with that one stupid action they may have just made this situation even more difficult. For him and for her too.

"Your Highness,"

He could hear those rushed footsteps trailing right after him, struggling to catch up with his long strides.

"What," he abruptly stopped and turned around, forcing the maid to grind into a halt. He could see that terrified look in her eyes but he couldn't care less. Not right now. Not when the love of his life, his very reason to live had just disappeared from right under his nose.

"W-we searched the entire castle. S-she's not here,"

She's not here. She is not here.

He wanted to wrap his hands around the poor maid's neck and wring the life out of her at the sound of those grating words. But he knew that this wasn't her fault.

So he turned around and stormed outside, pushing past those large and heavy wooden doors with the force of a lightning.

She was gone. She just...disappeared.

His shoes slapped against the stone pavement until it gave way to freshly-trimmed grass, discarding them with the utmost carelessness.

His clothes followed, shredding them to bits before he let his wolf emerge with a mighty growl, echoing that growing angst and despondency within their entwined souls.

She couldn't be. He refused to believe so. She had to be here, somewhere. Probably hidden in a small and dark corner, and bawling her eyes out with that damned dress still on her.

*Don't worry, little mate. I will find you. I will find you and soothe your pain, kiss away your fears...*

He broke off into a slow jog close around the castle grounds, his wolf carefully sniffing every nook and every cranny.

It didn't take long for his family and friends to join him, all in their wolf forms as they started to search and sniff, looking for their lost princess. The future Queen.

Their search slowly expanded, more and more with every passing hour as the princess was nowhere to be found. It seemed like the ground itself had opened up and swallowed her whole. There was no trace of her scent anywhere outside, or any other unfamiliar scents for that matter. No tracks in the dirt and no leaf upturned.

But they didn't give up that easily. They ventured deeper and deeper into their pack lands, making themselves sure that no place was left unchecked.

Sadly, they couldn't find anything. Not even a single strand of her hair.

The future Alpha let out a mourning howl and the others followed, echoing his suffering. The princess was gone. Their future Luna. The future of their very kingdom.

But their future Alpha couldn't let himself believe that. He refused to. She had to be there, somewhere. He even reached out through the bond a few times, in hopes that she would be close enough to respond, but his calls were left unanswered. That other end remained completely silent.

He let out an angered growl and raced straight back to the castle grounds, knowing that he had another method left to try.

So he pushed his already strained muscles and ran as fast as he could. Time was of the essence.

Lysander was already outside by the time he had pushed past the tree-line and he swiftly shifted back into his human form, taking fast and determined strides straight towards him.

Andrea was right there next to him and he could see those glittery streaks over her cheeks and the redness of her eyes, hopelessly looking at him as he approached.

But he didn't waste any precious moments trying to comfort her since there was no time for that, and snatched that t-shirt that belonged to Carina from her shaking hands and shoved it into her father's chest instead, forcing him to grasp at it.

"Search for her." Lysander knew what he meant. Use his magic to try to get a feel of hers. But it was useless.

"I've already tried,"

"Then try again!" Nathan roared and took a firm hold of his shirt, pouring out all his anger and frustration. He had to find her. She had to be somewhere out there.

Lysander ripped himself free from the future Alpha's grip, throwing him a hateful look before he gripped his daughter's t-shirt and focused, again coming up with nothing. There was no trace of her signature, faint and still developing as it was. It was as if something or someone was blocking it or...

*No.* He refused to believe that. She couldn't be. She had to be alive. She needed to be alive, for all of their sakes.

The future Alpha looked into his eyes, seeing that despondency before he could even voice out his failure.

And with a swift turn he collapsed onto his knees and let out an earth-shattering roar, voicing out his agony.

She was gone. His soulmate was gone.