Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

THERON

I scan the royal ballroom’s dining table, watching the faces of thirty-six women while absently rearranging the food on my plate. Not one shows even a hint of Seren’s features.

It feels like a punishment from the Moon Goddess, as if she’s stripping away every reminder of Seren from me. But she can’t take away my memories.

She could’ve been here right now.

A phantom pain stabs my chest with the thought.

It’s all my fault.

Three weeks have passed since Seren disappeared, and there are still no leads. A week ago, I reluctantly took the mantle of alpha of the Blackwood pack—a moment I envisioned her celebrating with me. And tomorrow...

Vanessa’s fingers tap my thigh with practiced subtlety. I turn to her, forcing a smile. Then I glance at the clock and nod along to whatever she’s saying, trying to appear engaged, but my gaze drifts to the window .

Another tap pulls me back.

“Honey, for our girls’ trip to Paris this summer, Effie has generously proposed a weekend cruise for all the ladies in the south of France, provided we wrap up our shopping a day early,” Vanessa announces, her palm now rubbing my arm. “Isn’t that charming?”

I have no interest in the alpha king’s daughter or her useless suggestion, but I have to fake it now that we’re business partners. “A cruise, huh? That sounds like a brilliant cover for a boys’ weekend. I guess we guys should also align our schedules.” I add a wink, and the guffaws signal I’m safe from further queries for now, but it only takes a minute for someone else to try to pull me into a conversation.

“Alpha Theron, where are you taking your mate after your mating and marking ceremony tomorrow?” a gamma from the king’s pack inquires, unaware of the fresh sting it inflicts on my chest. The words “mating and marking” feel like a knives twisting in me, making it hard to breathe. I pause for a moment before sliding an arm around Vanessa’s shoulder, the gesture feeling foreign.

“We’re planning a trip for early next year.” I notice Vanessa’s smile falter and offer an added explanation. “With my parents, the pack’s former alpha and luna, traveling extensively, Vanessa and I thought it best to delay our plans.” I manage a smile that conceals the hurt this inflicts on my wolf…and maybe me too.

It’s too late to back out now, especially since Vanessa has managed a coup and gathered all the West Coast alphas here tonight. The alpha king’s daughter is hosting our pre-mating dinner. Dropping her now to hunt for Seren would be suicide for the pack .

Throats clear, and murmurs of agreement follow. A guest laughs. “It doesn’t make much sense to plan a holiday right after the marking. The first few months are chaotic—you’ll be locked inside your room all day.”

More guffaws, winks, cheers.

I wait for Titan’s usual roar of dissent, his frustration at the mating ceremony, his resistance to accepting Vanessa. But there’s nothing. No cuss words, no screams, no pacing inside. Just a profound, unsettling silence.

I try to mind-link him, but there’s no response. I sense his distress, though.

By the time we’re done with the pre-mating ceremonies and are back in our pack, it’s late. I call my private investigator the moment I’m alone in my room.

“It’s been three weeks since I put you on the case,” I growl into the phone, pacing my room. “Tell me what you’ve got, and it better be something concrete. I’m sick of these dead ends.”

“Alpha Blackwood, I do have something which may or may not mean much to you.”

“Cut to the chase,” I snap. Every second is precious. The pack resources haven’t been used to look for her since Seren’s letter mysteriously appeared on my father’s desk. I can only use external sources, and none of those have helped.

“While Ms. Smith traveled alone, someone powerful is covering her tracks. We haven’t been able to trace her location since her name’s not on any flight records, and the airport footage for that night is gone.”

My jaw clenches and my knuckles turn white around the stress ball in my palm .

“So what? There are a hundred other ways to find someone. After three weeks, all I have from you is that you don’t know anything. Get me a name, a lead, or something concrete. Otherwise, stop wasting my time.”

As I angrily end the call, I walk over to the window.

What do I do now, Seren? Had you been here, you could’ve stopped me from going through with this. But now, everything is already set in motion.

The only way it can be stopped is if my fated mate turns up before I mark my chosen.

I’m not sure if she even knows about this ceremony tomorrow. Since Ella quit her job and moved away from here, I don’t think Seren’s in touch with anyone in Mammoth Lakes.

Fuck!

I’m ready to smash something when two dainty arms wrap around to me from behind. A wet kiss lands on my neck. Her heavy vanilla scent is jarring, and it feels like a kick to my senses.

“Vanessa, I think we’ve both had a long day,” I murmur, gently untangling her arms. The forced smile I offer feels brittle on my chapped lips. “I’m going to spend the night with my wolf. Let him out by the lake.”

The moment she steps back, I leave without looking back, racing to the forest.

The mountain air hits me with an unexpected chill, and the forest is eerily silent. I reach the base of the creek and take my wolf stance, calling out to Titan, but nothing happens.

The air turns suffocating as I call his name repeatedly, meeting only silence. My heartbeat pounds in my ears, and a cold sweat breaks out on the back of my neck.

“Titan, please,” I plead. “Show yourself.”

A flicker of movement inside sends a jolt through me. A weak, tired response comes: “I’m drained.”

Dread coils in my gut as I walk home. Titan’s voice lacks its usual power, replaced by a weary lethargy. He refuses to hunt, to speak, to shift—it feels so wrong.

Instead of using the main door, I climb through the window at the back of my room. A sharp pain shoots through my toes, and I wince, seeing the gash from the broken windowpane.

Limping to my bedroom and leaving a trail of blood behind me, I realize my body isn’t healing as quickly as usual. My mind keeps throwing images of Seren at me until I collapse onto a chaise longue and fall into an uneasy sleep.

I wake up uneasy and unrested, my mind foggy and my body on autopilot. A nagging ache resides in my bones, a constant reminder that something is missing. A persistent buzz in my head, like an overactive bee, refuses to stop. This is a direct consequence of Seren’s rejection, I’m sure of it. Titan will never forgive me. Without my wolf, I can’t lead this pack.

Maybe if there was a way to talk to Seren, I could make her understand. Maybe she could forgive me.

I walk to her room. The anticipation of the ceremony looms like a dark cloud, and I’m running out of time. In an hour, I have to be at the pack grounds, exchanging vows.

I haphazardly flip through her things, but find nothing new. Her phone still isn’t working. Suddenly, I remember Ella. I dial her number .

“Theron? I didn’t expect your call,” she answers before the third ring. “Congratulations on the upcoming ceremony. I wish you and?—”

“Ella, I know you know where Seren is. I need her number, her address, anything.”

There’s a pause. “Theron, why are you asking me this now? I thought you’d moved on from Seren.” Her voice is steady, but carries a sharp edge.

“I don’t have time for this,” I snap. “I’m asking you as your alpha. I need to find Seren before the ceremony.”

“As my alpha?” She laughs bitterly. “You may hold the title for your pack, but I quit two weeks ago. You were never my alpha, and you’re not my boss anymore.”

Her words hit me like a slap. “Ella, please. Just tell me where Seren is.”

“I met with Seren before she left town, but she didn’t share her destination with me. She’s made her choice, Theron. You’re free to mark Vanessa as your luna now. Seren has accepted it. Maybe it’s time you did too.”

“Ella, I?—”

“Goodbye, Theron.”

The call ends with a click. I’m left staring at the phone.

The buzzing in my head gets louder.

With only an hour left before the ceremony, I force myself to dress. Every movement feels like torture. I don’t like my reflection in the mirror.

A knock on the door is followed by a cheerful, “You ready, alpha?” I manage a nod in response to Luke’s toothy smile. In an hour he will be my beta, my best friend, and my brother-in-law.

“Let’s go,” I whisper.

The drive to the packhouse takes less than ten minutes. We walk out together and I feel blinded by the decorations all over the pack grounds. My parents and the pack have gone overboard. Instead of fairy lights, crystal chandeliers hang from wires twenty feet above the ground. Ornate lanterns are strung along the periphery. Flowers are everywhere, but there’s not a petal of lilac to be seen. For once, I’m happy about that. I don’t need another reminder of her.

Every member of our pack and guests from the adjoining packs are gathered here, eyeing me expectantly.

The buzz in my head has intensified, a relentless drone that drowns out my thoughts.

The sky has already started turning dark. As the moon makes its quiet appearance, the crowd roars.

Within minutes, Vanessa walks in, wearing a dress woven with fresh flowers. She must look spectacular, since a sudden hush falls over the crowd. Murmurs of awe fill the air as she glides through the crowd, looking every bit like a goddess.

I’m not able to focus on anything except the garland around her neck, dark against her white dress. Fresh, vibrant lilacs. Taunting me. Cursing me.

Vanessa’s beauty is undeniable, but she feels distant and artificial. Her smile is charming, but it lacks the genuine warmth and sparkle that Seren’s always had. Vanessa’s cheeks don’t have the same endearing dimples.

I wonder where she is right now .

As the elders call us to the center of the grounds for the ceremony, I follow them in complete autopilot mode.

The buzz is almost deafening.

“Theron, Vanessa, please step forward,” Elder Marek’s voice commands. I nod, trying to shake off the growing sense of dread.

The crowd quiets, their eyes fixed on us as the vows begin. Vanessa’s hand feels cold, and her voice wavers as she recites her vows. “I vow to love and cherish you, Theron, as my mate and partner in all things. I vow to lead this pack with courage, honor, and kindness.”

I force myself to repeat the words, but they feel hollow.

Another elder draws blood from both our palms, mingling them together.

We both step closer to each other. Vanessa smiles as I place my palm at the back of her head, holding her in place. My body temperature drops sharply, and a chilling numbness spreads through me. I take a deep breath and pick the spot for my mark. I suck in a deep breath and pierce her neck with my canines.

Suddenly the buzz in my head stops. While the crowd erupts in cheers, my ears ring. As I pull away, a strong gust of air escapes me, as if the very essence of my being is slipping away.

A strange howl echoes somewhere close before a deep sense of loss washes over me.

I barely register when Vanessa marks me. As I stare blankly into the distance, a single tear rolls down my cheek and I know the truth. Finally, my wolf has left me.

I’m the same as Seren now: a human among werewolves.