Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 102: 102

POV Fenrir Dăneşti

"We found nothing, Alpha," Alin, one of the wolves from the search teams I sent ahead, said. "We lost their trail at the forest's edge. They may have gone to the city or crossed the river that cuts through the path, we can't know for sure."

I nodded, my head hanging low.

I rubbed my hand through my hair, wet from the snowflakes falling on us, and sighed.

"Thanks, Alin. That's all for today." I raised my voice so everyone could hear me. "Rest and eat. We'll leave as soon as the sun rises."

It had been three days since Savannah had been taken from me, ripped away from the Dăneşti lands, the place she belonged. And since then, I hadn't stopped for a single second, always trying to pick up her trail.

I knew Hunter was taking her to the Eclipse lands, but I had no idea what he would do with her along the way. And that was what worried me.

Marilyn said he would tear her mark off. The ritual was dangerous, uncommon, and painful. No marked wolf dared to do it because, most of the time, it led to death. My fear was that he would try to complete the ritual before reaching his destination.

I needed to find her. Every second I spent away from her tormented me.

I watched my men starting fires in the middle of the forest, while others were cleaning a deer they had hunted earlier to roast.

They were exhausted, worn out from the relentless hunt for Savannah.

Some teams advanced ahead, trying to sniff something, trying to find any trace of them. Hunter was clever, I had to admit, he had been hiding his steps well and keeping Savannah sedated so I couldn't track her.

I could feel when she woke up at times during that period. The connection was weak, nothing more than a tiny ember crackling in my chest. It would last a few minutes, but sometimes, it lasted only seconds. And then, instinctively, I knew which direction we should go.

They were laughing and talking, warming themselves around the high fires they had made. Even though the cities were close, none of them wanted to go to town to find rest at an inn. They preferred the wilderness they were accustomed to, no matter how primitive it was.

Like them, I also preferred staying in the forest. I didn’t mind visiting the city when necessary, but some habits didn’t change. We were used to the wild, so even though we didn’t have a cozy bed, we were in our natural habitat.

I raised my face and stared at the tall leaves of the treetops swaying in the wind, admiring the gray sky. Winter covered the forest with a blanket of ice and snow. The air was thick with the biting cold, penetrating down to my bones. Every breath turned into a cloud of vapor. I rubbed my hands to warm them and raised them in front of the fire.

Around us, the silence was deep and solemn, bringing a comforting feeling.

Where was my wolf? Was Hunter keeping her in the forest, or had he taken her somewhere in one of the nearby towns?

I would rip that bastard's head off the first chance I got. It didn’t matter what deal he had made with her father; it was broken the moment we mated and she became mine.

Mating bonds were above anything else for us, and he knew that. Forcing her to remove the mark wouldn't lessen the intensity of the atrocities he was committing, a direct betrayal to our species' customs.

I stood up, unable to stay still any longer. I looked at my men, their faces showing the exhaustion they felt.

I had to act, go after Savannah. Stopping was a waste of time, but I couldn't force them to continue. They needed to rest, although I wanted to keep searching for Savannah.

"Want some raw meat, Fenrir?" one of the wolves offered, holding up a piece for me.

I shook my head and walked over to them.

"Nice hunt," I complimented, eyeing the size of the deer.

"The forest is thicker here, so there's a higher concentration of them around. It's a good hunting spot," he explained, glancing around.

I took the piece of meat and shoved it into my mouth, dripping the animal's blood down my chin. The taste was good, but it seemed to be even better when we ate in our shifted forms.

I forced myself to eat, even though I wasn’t hungry. I needed to fuel up, to be ready for the battle ahead.

I thanked them for the food and walked away, heading deeper into the forest. The trees intertwined around us, carrying years of existence and endless secrets. I placed my hand on one of the trunks and leaned against it, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Where are you, little wolf?" I whispered, letting the words escape into the wind, as if somehow the forest could answer my question and ease my desolation.

My beast was uncontrollable, my wild instincts wanting to take over me and go after Savannah, no matter who I had to kill to reach her.

For the first time in a long time, I felt... lost, unsure of what to do.

The situation had completely slipped from my control, and it disturbed me. I thought that, as the alpha and leader of an entire pack, nothing like this would get to me, but I was completely wrong.

I returned to where my men were, unable to stay still for too long.

"Fenrir is too frantic," I heard one of them say.

I stopped, hiding behind one of the trees.

"He needs to rest," another said.

"If he keeps this up, we’ll walk right into a trap," a third commented. "They hit Anton with silver arrows, and they’ll kill us all if they have the chance."

"I agree. He doesn't want to rest, he doesn’t want to stop until he finds the girl," replied the first.

"They’re mated, it’s normal for him to feel this way. If she dies, he dies," said the second.

"I think it's more than that. He’s fallen for the girl," the third concluded. "He didn’t act this way when Catalina died."

I narrowed my eyes, my fangs elongating and my claws transforming into talons as anger swelled inside me.

"Nothing is going to happen to us," Andrei growled. "Fenrir is going through something none of you understand yet. He needs this, leave him be."

I stomped off, my feet sinking into the snow as I distanced myself from them, irritated. I scraped my claws on the tree trunks, tearing splinters of wood.

I bared my teeth and growled.

I was an immature idiot when Catalina died. I was content with the death of the bastard who killed her on my lands and accepted all the elders’ instructions to avoid war with the other alphas.

And yes, they were right, now things were different. I wasn’t that young alpha anymore, a self-centered and lost wolf who didn’t know what to do. I was a male, and my female had been taken, pulled away from me.

I wouldn’t let that happen a second time, I wouldn’t fail again as her mate.

Twice, within my own lands, under my care.

The gold flared in my eyes, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cold air.

I wasn’t young anymore, nor that same leader who watched his territory be attacked and settled for a single death. Things had changed, I had changed. I did nothing for Catalina, I didn’t avenge her death the right way. For years, I lived beside Marilyn, the one responsible for it all.

I had failed my people, my mate, myself.

If I allowed myself...

I shook my head as if I couldn’t even think of the possibility.

If I allowed myself to fail again, to lose Savannah...

No!

None of this would happen. It couldn’t happen.

I had claimed her for myself, promised to protect her. I gave my word and my honor, my heart and my life depended on it.

I may have failed Catalina, and that would be a mistake I’d carry for the rest of my life, but not with Savannah. Never with her.

I would rescue her, no matter what, even if I died trying.

If anything happened to her, if Hunter somehow managed to remove the mark, I would be dead, even if on the inside.