Chapter 24 - Nile

The alphas and lunas of the three packs celebrated with Violet's parents until the sun had set and the stars began to shine. When we had our fill of food, drinks, dancing, and conversation, we all headed back home to rest for the night.

Lodgings had been arranged for Mr. and Mrs. Jones, as well as for Lex and Grace with the Dark Moon Pack. After making plans to eat lunch together the following day, we bid them goodbye and headed back to our house.

Violet was ecstatic to have the chance to spend more time with her family, and I couldn't blame her. They were just as kind and enjoyable to be around as Violet was. I was blessed to have them as a part of my family.

"Did you have a good time tonight, honey?" I asked her as we walked home.

"The best time," she replied. "Although, next time you have a surprise for me, try not to give me a heart attack first."

I smiled at her teasing, promising to follow her directive for next time.

We were nearly home when one of my wolves ran up to us on the street, looking frantic.

"Alpha, Diana is missing," he said. "Walt said he stopped by after work, and her house was a mess. He couldn't find her anywhere."

My heart sank. I bore little love for Diana, but she was still Penny's grandmother. For her sake, I felt protective of the woman.

"I'll check it out right away," I assured the wolf.

Violet accompanied me to Diana's house to search for clues about what could have happened. At first glance, it looked like someone may have taken her. The front door was wide open, and clothes, books, and other belongings were strewn about the room.

"Looks like she put up a fight," Violet said, leafing through the mess. "We should alert the warriors and set up a search party."

"I don't know if that's going to be necessary," I said, holding up a wrinkled piece of paper with Diana's handwriting on it. "Her luggage is gone, and I found this. I don't know if she meant for us to read it, but I'm pretty sure she left of her own accord."

Violet took the paper from me and read it out loud.

"‘This supposed ‘luna' is going to be the death of us. I can't wait to get away from her, and her bastard pup,'" she read. "Charming," she remarked.

We continued searching through the house, noting that Diana's safe was wide open. She had taken all her important documents, valuables, and mementos of her family with her.

"When she found out about the pregnancy, she must have decided to leave," I concluded. "I wish she would have contacted me first."

"We can't just let her leave and live all on her own. Diana is tough, but she isn't as strong as she used to be. She needs the pack's protection," Violet said. "Not to mention that Penny will miss her grandma."

Violet was right. It was a dangerous world for anyone who found themselves alone, but that was doubly true for werewolves who left their pack. The world of rogues wasn't a kind one. No one understood that better than me.

"Penny doesn't deserve to lose another family member," I said, agreeing with Violet. "Diana might be upset with us right now, but if we can get her back, then we can help her realize that we want her to be a part of our lives—a part of the pack."

"So, what should we do?" Violet asked.

I mulled it over, realizing that a search party was going to be necessary after all.

"I'm going to go out and find her," I finally said with a sigh. "I'll call a few guys and head out on foot toward the east. If I remember right, that's where her family used to be from. She'll probably head that way."

"If you're going, I'm going, too," Violet said.

"Vi—" I began, but she interrupted my protest.

"I wasn't asking permission," she said. "You call your warriors, and I'll call Jasper and Lex. The more people we have out searching for her, the sooner we can bring her home. And the sooner she's home, the sooner we can talk some sense into her."

I hugged Violet tightly, feeling thankful I had found a mate who was always on my side and willing to help. Diana had been nothing but rude to her since she had come to Pinedale, but Violet's selflessness knew no bounds. Her loyalty to me and Penny extended to Diana as well, even if Diana actively disliked her. It seemed like I fell more in love with my mate with each passing day.

"I love you, Vi," I whispered.

"I love you, too," she said. "Now, let's get a move on. We don't know when she left and how far of a head start she has on us."

We decided to make our phone calls as we headed out of town. The faster we got started, the better. After a quick stop at home to make sure Penny's babysitter could stay longer, Violet drove us out of town and parked in the forest clearing. Jasper and Lex met us there, along with a few of their warriors and another dozen Pinedale wolves.

"Here's the plan," I said, calling everyone's attention to me. "This is the most likely direction Diana would have taken. We're going to fan out so that we're each about twenty yards away from each other. We want to cover as much ground as possible without missing any signs. If you see footprints, dropped items, or anything at all, I want you to give a howl. I'll come to you to check it and see if we need to change direction."

Everyone nodded in understanding, and we spread out through the forest. I took the middle position with Violet on my right side, while Lex took the far right of the line and Jasper, the left side.

Once everyone was in position, I shifted, allowing Wick and his enhanced senses to take over. The others followed my lead, and we all took off to the east, tracking away from town. At first, we walked, sniffing at the ground to catch the scent of any other wolves who may have passed through the area. I kept hoping we would find her just around the next tree or hill, but there was no sign of her.

After two hours, we stopped. It was after midnight now, and we were relying on our wolves' night vision and sense of smell to find our quarry.

"We're going to shift slightly to the south to see if we can catch her scent," I told the other alphas. "If we don't, let's pick up the pace and make a wide circle to the west and then the north. We'll come back up to Pinedale from the south side of town, and then do another loop to the west."

"We'll relay the plan to the others," Jasper said.

He and Lex left Violet and me alone for a moment, and I pulled her into my arms. I had been checking up on her throughout the night as surreptitiously as possible, but I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to feel her next to me and hear how she was doing.

"Are you feeling good, Vi?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, leaning into my embrace. "I just wish we had found her by now."

She sounded tired, but I had to trust that she knew her own abilities. I had learned my lesson about trying to control what she did. My paranoia about her injuring herself was still present but tempered by the fact that I knew I could trust her.

"Let's get back out there and bring her home," I said, rubbing her arms encouragingly.

We continued our search, making our way south and then west before heading back north to Pinedale. By the time Pinedale was back in sight, we hadn't seen any signs of Diana, and my worry for Violet was growing by the minute. It was nearing dawn, and although Violet assured me that she felt fine, I could see the exhaustion on her face.

"Violet," I said in a low voice when the search party took a break just outside of town. "I know you want to be strong and help me right now, but I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"More of what?" she asked.

"Watching you exhaust yourself," I said, cupping her face with my hand as I rubbed a thumb across her cheek. "Can you please do me a favor and get some sleep?"

"It has been a long night," she acquiesced. "I'll go home and rest so you can focus on finding Diana. It will be better for Penny if one of us is there when she wakes up."