Rise of the Banished She-Wolf Chapter 73

Devon

I stormed across the island, every step I took radiating my Alpha fury. Jason had located Anne, and my patience had run out. The security feed showing her accessing restricted terminals had confirmed all my suspicions. As I approached the isolated cabin where Jason was holding her, my wolf senses heightened—I could detect the scent of lies and fear before I even opened the door.

When I entered, Anne was sitting at a small table, her posture deliberately meek. She looked up with wide, innocent eyes that didn't fool me for a second.

"Mr. Hall, there must be some misunderstanding—"

"Save it," I cut her off, keeping my voice dangerously low. "You sold out Aurora."

Anne's expression shifted subtly, calculating her next move. "What could I do? I'm just a woman trying to survive in this world."

The pathetic excuse ignited my rage. I slammed my fist on the table, causing it to crack down the middle. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the small cabin.

"You exposed the Moonlight Organization's coordinates! Did you even *think* about the consequences?"

"They paid well," Anne replied, dropping her innocent act. "Not everyone has the luxury of principles."

The door opened behind me, and I caught Anderson's scent before I saw him. The older scientist's face was ashen as he looked at Anne with profound disappointment etched across his features.

"You were my student," Anderson said quietly. "I trusted you with everything. You don't deserve that title anymore."

Anne rolled her eyes. "Spare me the dramatics, old man."

"The lab equipment malfunction," Anderson continued, his voice hardening. "The explosion was your doing too, wasn't it?"

Anne's silence was confirmation enough. My wolf stirred within me, demanding retribution, but I reined it in.

Anderson turned to me, his shoulders slumped. "Devon, I... I'm so sorry. I vouched for her."

Before I could respond, the door burst open again. Edward Luna and Aiden rushed in, both looking alarmed. The scent of their anxiety hit me immediately, making my hackles rise.

"Anderson, we need to talk," Edward said urgently, then glanced at me. "Aurora is missing."

My blood ran cold. The world seemed to stop for a moment as those words sank in. I whipped around to face Anne. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" Anne's fear returned, genuine this time. I could smell it. "I was just paid to leak the coordinates and sabotage the lab. I don't know anything about her disappearing."

I felt my eyes flash gold, my Alpha nature surging forward. It took every ounce of control not to shift right there. "Anderson, Aurora's missing. I need to find her."

Anderson nodded, guilt written across his face. "If I'd spotted the problem with Anne sooner, Aurora wouldn't have..."

Edward placed a hand on Anderson's shoulder. "We have her tracker. The team is preparing now." He turned to Anderson. "Get your team ready to leave on the backup vessel. We need to evacuate before more hunters arrive."

As Edward turned to leave, I followed him out of the cabin. "I'm coming with you."

Edward didn't break stride. "This is Moonlight business. You're staying here."

"Like hell I am," I growled, my patience completely evaporated. "Evelyn needs me."

Edward stopped abruptly, turning to face me. "You don't have the authority—"

"I do if I'm her mate," I challenged, standing my ground.

Aiden, who had been silent until now, stepped closer to me, inhaling deeply. His eyes widened in recognition. "You're Devon? I can smell the Alpha on you now."

I removed my glasses, standing tall and unmasked. There was no point in hiding anymore. "Yes. And I'm coming to find Evelyn."

Edward's expression darkened. "You've been lying about your identity this entire time?"

"Just as you have," I countered, my voice steady. "Now we can waste time arguing, or we can find her."

Edward's jaw tightened as he studied me, his eyes filled with distrust. But the urgency of Evelyn's disappearance ultimately overrode everything else. He took a deep breath, as if making a difficult compromise.

"Fine," Edward relented after a tense moment. "But you follow my lead."

We entered a hidden facility beneath the island's main complex—the Moonlight Organization's mobile command center. Monitors lined the walls, displaying data streams and satellite imagery. A team of operators worked frantically at their stations. The technology rivaled anything I had at Hall Enterprises.

"Status report," Edward demanded.

"We're picking up Aurora's special watch signal, but it's intermittent," a technician reported. "The signal keeps fading in and out—could be interference from sea air currents."

I stepped forward, studying the display. "Do we have a general location?"

"Somewhere off the coast, moving northwest," the technician replied. "It's a large area to search."

Edward turned to me, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you so interested in Evelyn? Is it because of her white wolf bloodline?"

I met his gaze steadily. The question burned, implying my motives were impure. "And who exactly are you? You've been by her side this whole time."

"I saved her when she was cast out from her pack," Edward replied coolly. "I taught her everything she knows about hacking. I was there when she was at her lowest. In Evelyn's heart, I matter more than you ever will."

His words stung, but I wouldn't let him see it. "I wasn't part of her past, but I'll be her future. I'll protect her with my life."

We reached a small island where Evelyn's signal had last been detected. A small cabin stood abandoned near the shore. I scanned the area, my senses alert for any trace of her. My wolf pushed forward, desperate to catch her scent.

Aiden discovered blood on the beach, and I immediately caught the scent of silver in the air. My stomach twisted with dread. "There's silver here. She's injured."

My heart raced as I found a charred knife half-buried in the sand. The handle bore a distinctive crest—a stylized A with a crown. I recognized it instantly, and rage surged through me.

"Ashford's emblem," I growled, showing it to Edward.

Edward paled. "Ashford family crest. Charles? It can't be."

We returned to the boat, my mind racing through possibilities. "Vampires have limited movement during daylight. They must have left by boat."

Jason, who had joined us, accessed maritime records. "A vessel called 'Blood Moon' departed from a nearby cove last night. Registered to a Canadian owner."

"That's Charles Ashford's yacht," I confirmed, the pieces falling into place. "But there's no filed route."

"The hull has special treatment to block sunlight," Jason added. "We can't track it conventionally."

Edward pulled out a small device. "The watch's normal signal is too weak. We'll need to activate deep GPS mode, but that drains power quickly and increases the risk of being detected. We only have one opportunity."

"What is that?" I asked, eyeing the device.

"A GPS tracker in the watch I gave Evelyn for her coming-of-age gift," Edward explained. "It can pinpoint her location."

I felt a pang of jealousy at the intimate gift but pushed it aside. There would be time for that later. "Jason, get me everything on that boat's possible routes. We need to move fast."

Time was running out. Somewhere out there, Evelyn was in the hands of one of the most dangerous predators in the world—and I wouldn't rest until I found her.