Chapter 6: They Need To Find Her
Alastor:
I said nothing. But I didn’t disagree either because he was right.
Rosalie had always been that way.
No matter what we did, no matter how distant we became at times, and no matter how much we asked of her without giving anything in return... she stayed.
She always forgave, always understood. Because she loved us.
Kaiser let out a small breath and some of the tension left his shoulders. "...Yeah," he muttered. "You are right." His lips curved slightly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "She loves us too much to stay mad."
The words settled into the silence between us - simple, certain, and dangerously easy to believe.
And I let myself believe them. Because it was easier than questioning what we had done. Easier than thinking about the look in her eyes when she walked away. And easier than wondering... what would happen if, just this once... she didn’t forgive us.
"She’ll understand," Darien continued, more firmly now. "Once we explain everything."
Explain. Not apologize. Because in our minds, we hadn’t done anything wrong. We had made a choice, a necessary one. And Rosalie would accept it.
"It’s not like this changes anything," Kaiser added, almost as an afterthought. "Everything will be just like in the past."
I took another sip of my drink, my gaze drifting back to Charlotte as she laughed again, looking radiant and untouchable in the center of it all.
"Yes," I said quietly. "Everything will be just like in the past."
But for some reason, the words didn’t feel as certain as they should have.
My phone rang right at that moment. The sharp vibration against my pocket cut through the music and chatter surrounding us, instantly pulling my attention away from the hall. But even before I reached for it, something inside me had already gone tight.
Because I knew it was about Rosalie.
I pulled the phone out quickly and my eyes immediately locked onto the caller ID - Luxe.
Beside me, both Darien and Kaiser stiffened almost instantly, their expressions changing the moment they noticed my face.
For a split second, I just stared at the screen. Then I answered. "What is it?" The words came out colder than intended, but my pulse had already started beating harder beneath my ribs.
And then Luxe spoke. "Alpha... Rosalie fell off the cliff."
Everything inside me stopped. For one horrifying second, I thought I had heard wrong. The music in the hall suddenly sounded distant. Muffled. Meaningless.
"What?" The word barely left my mouth.
But Darien and Kaiser had heard it too. Kaiser physically staggered beside me, his face draining of color so quickly it was almost jarring. The glass in his hand slipped slightly before he caught it at the last second, though wine still splashed onto the floor unnoticed.
Darien reacted first. He snatched the phone from my hand so abruptly I barely had time to process it before he pressed it hard against his ear, his usually calm expression completely shattered.
"What do you mean she fell?" he demanded sharply. His voice had lost all warmth,all composure. And for the first time that night, genuine panic bled through it. "How did you fail something this simple?"
Around us, the party continued completely unaware of the shift happening in our corner of the room. Laughter still echoed. Music still played. Charlotte’s guests still danced beneath golden lights while my entire body turned cold from the inside out.
Luxe didn’t try to defend himself. Didn’t offer excuses.
"I saw her fall myself," he said through the phone, his voice strained beneath the static of rain and wind. "We caught up to her near the northern cliffs, but before we could get close enough, another group appeared."
Darien’s brows furrowed sharply. "Another group?"
"Yes. Unknown wolves." Luxe hesitated briefly before continuing. "They were looking for her too."
A sick feeling settled heavily in my stomach.
"What happened?" Kaiser suddenly barked, unable to stay silent anymore. "How did she fall?"
There was another pause. A small and subtle one, but enough for all of us to notice. It was as if Luxe was debating something. As if there was something he wasn’t saying. Then finally-
"One of the men tried to grab her away from the edge when she slipped."
Slipped. Something about the word felt wrong.
My jaw tightened.
Darien seemed to notice it too because his expression darkened instantly, but before he could press further, I took the phone back from him. "Enough," I said sharply.
Right now, none of that mattered. None of it. Only Rosalie mattered.
"Start a search operation immediately," I ordered, already moving toward the exit of the hall. Darien and Kaiser followed beside me without hesitation. "Pull more warriors if needed. I want every inch of that forest searched."
My voice grew colder with every word.
"You find Rosalie at any cost."
The command left no room for failure.
On the other end, Luxe was silent for half a second too long before he finally spoke again, "...And if we are too late?"
My steps stopped abruptly. Around me, the warmth of the hall suddenly felt suffocating. It was too loud, too bright, and too wrong.
Luxe continued carefully, quieter this time. "What if she’s already-"
"She’s alive." The words came out darker than even I intended. But certain and absolute. There wasn’t a single ounce of doubt existed within me when I said it. Because somehow, I knew.
I didn’t understand how or why, but deep inside me something refused to accept any other possibility.
Rosalie was alive. She had to be. Because I would know otherwise. Wouldn’t I?
The thought unsettled me more than I cared to admit.
"She’s alive," I repeated coldly. "So find her."
And then I ended the call.
For a moment, none of us spoke. The three of us simply stood there while something dark and unbearable settled heavily between us.
Rosalie fell off a cliff.
The words kept replaying in my mind, each repetition hitting harder than the last. Images surfaced without permission - her smile, her voice, the look on her face tonight... broken.
Stars.
I moved first. Fast. And Darien immediately followed beside me, equally tense, equally focused. But just as Kaiser started after us, I stopped abruptly and turned toward him.
"You stay."
His head snapped toward me instantly. "What?"
"At least one of us needs to remain here."
His expression twisted sharply. "Are you serious right now?"
"Yes." My voice left no room for argument. "We just claimed Charlotte in front of both packs. If all three of us suddenly disappear right after, people will start talking."
Kaiser looked like he wanted to argue anyway. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, his green eyes burning with frustration and worry. But he knew I was right.
This night had already changed too much. Any strange behavior now would immediately spark rumors... rumors that would inevitably reach Charlotte. And whether our feelings were complicated or not, she was still our fated mate. And she still carried a position that demanded protection.
Even now.
Especially now.
Kaiser dragged a hand harshly through his hair before finally exhaling sharply. "Fine," he muttered bitterly. Then his gaze locked onto mine with terrifying intensity. "But find her."
It wasn’t a request, but a clear warning. A plea.
"All of you hear me?" His voice lowered dangerously. "I don’t care what it takes. Find Rosalie."
Something tightened painfully in my chest.
Darien gave a single nod while I said nothing. Because there was nothing to say.
We would find her. We had to.
I turned again, already heading toward the doors when movement near the center of the hall caught my attention.
Charlotte.
She stood near one of the pillars now, partially hidden from the crowd with a phone pressed lightly against her ear. Most people probably wouldn’t have paid attention to her expression.
But I did.
And for a split second, I froze.
Because the smile on her face... was wrong. It wasn’t the soft, graceful smile she had worn all evening. It wasn’t warm or elegant.
It was sharp, cold, almost... victorious. The kind of smile someone wore after winning something... or destroying someone.
A strange unease crawled down my spine. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
Charlotte turned slightly, laughing softly into the phone again, beautiful and composed like nothing had happened.
I stared for another second before forcing myself to look away.
You are imagining things.You have bigger problems right now.
Rosalie.
The thought hit me instantly, wiping everything else aside. And without another glance back at the celebration, I walked out into the storm.
