The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King Chapter 77

JACE

Shit. The crowd around me was going wild over some wolf's victory in the Sacred Moonlight Gathering, but my mind was elsewhere. Something felt off. Gabriel should've checked in by now. I scanned the crowd, searching for my Chief Warrior's familiar face.

I reached out through our pack bond, ready to establish contact. "Gabr—"

His voice cut through my thoughts before I could finish. "Alpha, we have trouble."

My heart rate spiked instantly. Gabriel never called with 'trouble' unless things were seriously wrong.

"What happened?" I demanded, already moving toward the edge of the spectator area.

"I think Caleb's in trouble. I just lost contact with him—like he passed out or something."

"I'm coming now." No hesitation. When one of my pack members was in danger, nothing else mattered.

I pushed through the crowd to where Aria stood with Lucas and Eliana. Her face lit up when she saw me, then immediately darkened as she registered my expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked, one hand instinctively moving to her slightly swollen belly.

"You three need to stay together," I said, my tone making it clear this wasn't up for discussion. "We've lost contact with Caleb. I need to go."

Lucas nodded, shifting closer to his sister. Eliana moved to Aria's other side.

Aria's eyes flashed with worry. She reached for my hand, squeezing it tight. Through our mate bond, her voice touched my mind. Be careful.

I squeezed back. Don't worry. I'll be back soon.

I hated leaving her, especially with her pregnancy. But I trusted Lucas and Eliana with her life.

I found Gabriel at the edge of the competition grounds, deep in conversation with Alex Mitchell, Caleb's uncle. Their faces were etched with concern.

"No response," Alex was saying. "But I can still feel he's alive."

"That's a good thing," I said, coming up behind them.

Both men startled, then bowed their heads. "Alpha, I apologize," Gabriel said.

"Don't worry about that," I cut him off. "This is more important than bowing. What do we know?"

Gabriel straightened, slipping into report mode. "He contacted me through mind link about unfamiliar scents mixed with the one he was tracking. I told him to be careful and report back regularly. He did that a few times. Then he said he'd found his target, but something was wrong. When I asked what, he said he'd explain when he got back. Then the connection cut out."

"How long ago?"

"Several hours, Alpha. I wanted to give him time to reconnect."

I ran a hand through my hair, assessing options. "Alright, gather the warriors. We'll leave Lucas and Aria here. We'll track along his route. Might find him on the way, though I suspect his target knows a quicker way back."

As I finished speaking, Alpha Marcus Ravenwood approached. His presence commanded respect from everyone around us.

"Congratulations on your warrior coming in first," I said, acknowledging his pack's victory.

Marcus shook his head grimly. "Thank you, but that's not why I'm here. The target your warrior was tracking belongs to my pack. She mind-linked me. She got into trouble trying to rescue a human girl but was captured. Your warrior found her and two other missing female wolves, plus a dead one. He saved them, but something happened when he saw the rogues kill the human girl. My pack member thinks the girl might have been his mate."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Gabriel paled beside me.

"I suspect he passed out," Gabriel said quietly. "Seeing the girl killed so brutally... I know what it was like when my mate was killed."

My throat tightened. "Where are they now?"

"Almost here," Marcus replied. "I sent warriors to meet them via a shorter route. They're bringing your warrior to our Healing Center. We can wait there. I need to find out which packs the other girls belong to."

I nodded, signaling to Gabriel to gather our people. This had just gotten much worse than I'd feared.

The Healing Center was quiet and efficient. Aria sat beside me, her hand in mine. Gabriel paced the waiting area while Alex stood by the window, his face stoic but eyes betraying his worry.

A healer approached us, her expression professionally neutral. "Hello, I was told this young man belongs to your pack?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "This is his uncle."

She nodded to Alex. "The young man isn't physically injured. He's conscious now, but keeps muttering about losing someone. I only see this condition when wolves lose their mates."

"We were told he witnessed a human girl being killed," I explained. "We believe she might have been his mate."

The healer's expression softened with understanding. "I'll allow two people in at a time. We don't want to overwhelm him."

I turned to Gabriel and Alex. "Gabriel, you and Alex go first. He needs his uncle now. And of all of us, you understand his situation best."

Gabriel nodded solemnly. He'd lost his mate years ago—he knew this pain intimately.

As they followed the healer, I wrapped my arm around Aria's shoulders, pulling her close. Phantom, my wolf, stirred restlessly within me. The thought of losing my mate—of losing Aria—was unimaginable.

ARIA

Sitting in the Ravenwood Pack's Healing Center, I couldn't stop thinking about poor Caleb. Finding your mate only to lose her immediately? That's the kind of pain I couldn't even imagine. Sage whimpered inside me, sharing my distress.

I leaned against Jace, drawing strength from his solid presence. His arm tightened around me, his thumb tracing small circles on my shoulder.

"He'll get through this," Jace murmured, though I could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

Before I could respond, several powerful presences entered the waiting area. Alpha Marcus led them, his eyes immediately finding us.

"Please sit down, Luna," he said with surprising gentleness. "No need to stand, especially in your condition."

I nodded gratefully and sat back down. Pregnancy was already sapping my energy—one of the downsides of carrying a werewolf baby with my human body.

"Alpha Jace," Marcus continued, "this is Alpha Randall. The other two surviving girls are from his pack, Bloodfang Clan."

Alpha Randall stepped forward, his face grave. "Alpha Jace, I want to thank your warrior for saving my pack members. Though the third didn't make it. These girls have been missing for months."

"Alpha Randall, I'm sorry for the loss of your pack member," Jace replied formally. "But I'm glad at least the remaining two can return home now."

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. These weren't just missing wolves—they'd been victims of something dark. I shuddered, wondering what exactly Caleb had walked into out there.

Gabriel returned a short while later, his face grim. "Alex wants to stay with Caleb," he informed us. "The boy is... fragile right now."

Jace nodded. "That's for the best. He needs family."

"We'll check on him again before the Gathering resumes tomorrow," I suggested softly. "Maybe he'll be stronger then."

Nobody mentioned that we'd lost today's competition. It didn't matter anymore. One of our pack members was hurting in a way that trophies and contests couldn't touch.

We prepared to leave the Healing Center, heading back to the pack quarters. Jace kept his arm around me as we walked, his touch protective and gentle.

"You need rest," he said quietly. "We still have tonight's dinner."

I nodded, suddenly exhausted. Between the pregnancy and the emotional weight of the day, I felt drained. But I knew we'd get through this—all of us, together. That's what pack meant.