The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King Chapter 21

JACE

Few days later

An entire day of budget reports and territory squabbles. My head pounded as I finally escaped the Council meeting. If I had to listen to one more Elder drone on about proper pack fund allocation, I might've shifted right there in the conference room.

At least now I could do something I actually gave a damn about—checking on Aria's progress.

The morning training sessions had been going well according to Gabriel's reports, but I wanted to see for myself how she was adapting.

I made my way to the main training grounds, expecting to find her working through combat drills or maybe practicing with Gabriel. Instead, I found only a handful of pack members finishing up their own sessions.

"Hey," I called to one of the senior warriors who was packing up his gear. "Have you seen Aria today?"

He wiped sweat from his brow and nodded. "Yeah, she was here for morning training with Gabriel. Finished up around eleven, I think. Haven't seen her since."

I checked my watch. 5:15 PM. That was over six hours ago.

"Did she mention where she was going after training?"

The warrior shrugged. "Not to me. But she seemed excited about something. Kept checking her phone and smiling."

A strange unease settled in my stomach. I pulled out my phone and called her number. Straight to voicemail. My chest tightened as Phantom began pacing restlessly in my mind.

*She's in trouble*, he growled. *I can feel it.*

"Calm down," I muttered, but even as I said it, dread was creeping up my spine. Maybe she was just busy, or her phone had died. But something felt wrong.

I tried the mindlink, reaching out to Gabriel first. *Have you seen Aria since morning training?*

*Not since we finished around eleven. She said she was meeting you for a private training session at the waterfall this afternoon. Why? What's wrong?*

My blood turned to ice. *I never arranged any training session.*

A pause. Then Gabriel's voice came through sharp with alarm. *What do you mean you never—Jace, she left the packhouse around 1 PM. Said you'd texted her about working on her defensive techniques.*

*I've been in Council meetings all afternoon. I never sent any text.*

*Fuck. Someone lured her out there.* Gabriel's mental voice was pure panic now.

The phone in my hand began to crack under the pressure of my grip. I tried Lucas next, hoping maybe she'd mentioned something to her brother.

*Your sister—when did you last see her?*

*Around 1 PM. She was practically bouncing off the walls about some private training session with you. Said she was leaving early to scout the location and maybe pick wildflowers.* His mental voice grew sharp with fear. *Jace, what the hell is going on?*

My hands clenched into fists. Someone had used my name to get her alone. They'd studied her routine, knew about our training sessions, knew she'd trust a message from me. The rogues. It had to be them. But how did they get my number? How did they know so much about our pack's internal workings?

"Caleb!" I roared, my Alpha voice echoing through the packhouse and rattling the windows.

Within seconds, my best tracker appeared at my office door, slightly out of breath. "Alpha?"

"Aria's missing. Someone lured her out using my name. I need you to find her scent trail. Now."

Caleb's expression turned deadly serious. He was one of the few wolves whose tracking abilities rivaled my own, and he'd helped train Aria during her first week here. He knew her scent well. "Where was she supposed to meet you?"

"The eastern waterfall. But I never sent that message."

"Shit." Caleb was already moving toward the door. "How long has she been gone?"

"Over four hours." Anything could happen in four hours. My wolf clawed at my consciousness, demanding action.

We raced through the forest, Caleb's nose to the ground as he followed her trail. My heart hammered against my ribs as worst-case scenarios flooded my mind. The rogues who'd been testing our borders. Warren's pack seeking revenge. Or worse—someone who knew exactly what she was and wanted to use her power.

*Find her. Kill them all. Tear them apart.* Phantom clawed at my consciousness, demanding to be let loose.

"I know," I snarled back. "We will."

"Got it," Caleb said, his voice grim as we reached the waterfall. "Her scent leads right to the water's edge, then... it changes."

"Changes how?"

"Fear. Panic. And something else—chemicals. She was drugged." He lifted his head, nostrils flaring. "There are other scents too. Humans. At least four of them, maybe more."

I crouched down, pressing my palm to the earth where her scent was strongest. The faint impression of her fear hit me with physical force, so intense I nearly doubled over. She'd been terrified. Betrayed. She'd come here thinking she was meeting me, and instead...

"There was a struggle," Caleb said quietly, pointing to disturbed earth and broken branches. "She fought them. Hard."

Pride and rage warred in my chest. Of course she'd fought. Gabriel had trained her well. But it hadn't been enough against multiple attackers and drugs.

"Can you track where they took her?"

Caleb nodded grimly, already moving toward the tree line. "They had a vehicle. Heavy tires, probably a van. But I can follow the trail." He paused, his face darkening. "Alpha, they're not in our territory anymore. The trail leads south, toward human lands."

"How far south?"

"Hard to say. But they've got at least a four-hour head start."

I felt something snap inside me. The careful control I maintained as Alpha cracked, letting Phantom's rage bleed through. Trees around us began to shake as my power leaked out. "Then we better move fast."

We shifted, our wolves eating up the miles as we followed the fading scent trail. Every minute that passed felt endless. My mind raced with images of what they might be doing to her. If they hurt her—if they so much as touched her—I would make them beg for death.

The trail led us through dense forest, across two highways, and into increasingly desolate terrain. Old logging roads gave way to abandoned industrial areas. The kind of places humans forgot about, perfect for hiding someone.

After two hours of running, Caleb slowed, his massive gray wolf form tense with alertness. We shifted back to human form behind a cluster of dead trees.

"There," he panted, pointing ahead. "Abandoned chemical plant. About half a mile ahead. The scent trail leads straight to it."

I could smell it now—the acrid stench of old chemicals and rust mixed with human sweat and fear. And underneath it all, Aria's scent, tainted with terror and something that made my blood boil. Something medicinal. They'd definitely drugged her.

But there was something else. Something that made my wolf howl in anguish.

Pain. I could smell her pain.

"How many?" I asked, though I was already planning to kill every single one of them.

Caleb closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "At least five inside the main building. Maybe more in the outer structures. And Jace..." His expression darkened. "I smell something else. Something wrong."