His hands raked through his hair, pulling at the strands in frustration as the dawning realization struck him: he was just like his father. Hot-headed and reckless when it came to his emotions. He closed his eyes, trying to steady himself.
“Call her back,” he demanded, his voice low but firm, as he resisted the urge to kick the nearest piece of furniture.
Havoc growled inside him, a storm of anger and disappointment swirling in his wolf’s voice. “Look what you’ve done now,” Havoc snarled.
“I know,” Luke muttered back. “I’ll fix it.”
“You’d better,” Havoc snapped, his frustration palpable.
Luke turned his attention back to Benzy, who was already dialing her number. It was only then that Luke noticed the name displayed on Benzy’s phone: Bella.
The realization hit like a punch to the gut. That bastard had her number all this time. All this time, they could have just called her directly and avoided this entire mess. Luke’s jaw clenched. Oh, Benzy was going to get punched in the face after this was over.
The thought burned even hotter in his mind as he asked himself the question that had plagued him all day: Why did she wait until the very last minute of the deadline?
Patience had never been his strong suit, especially not now, as Alpha.
As Benzy held the phone to his ear, waiting for an answer, Luke’s eyes flicked to his father. Tomas was still standing by the door, watching the situation unfold with what could only be described as amused curiosity. The raised eyebrow and barely hidden smirk on Tomas’s face only made Luke’s blood boil further.
Luke snapped at him, his voice sharp. “What?”
Tomas shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was suppressing a laugh. “Nothing,” he said mildly, though his tone suggested otherwise. “Just wondering how this is all going to turn out.”
Luke’s glare intensified, but before he could retort, Benzy’s voice cut through the tension.
“She didn’t pick up.”
“Son, you seem awfully upset about one little she-wolf,” Tomas said, his tone edged with curiosity. “The same one you ordered away years ago. What’s going on exactly? Why are you so insistent on bringing her back now? All of a sudden.”
Luke bristled at the question. That is my business, he thought. He was the Alpha now, fully within his rights to act as he saw fit. But he also knew Tomas well enough to know that his father wouldn’t let this go. As the former Alpha, Tomas still held sway and had every right to ask—and expect an answer. Officially, Tomas still stepped in when Luke was away, whether for business, Alpha Council meetings, or assisting allied packs.
Luke ignored the question for now and turned his attention to Benzy. “She didn’t pick up?”
Benzy was already trying the number again, his expression turning grim as he frowned at his phone. “The line can’t be connected now,” he said, his voice tinged with confusion.
Luke’s frustration reignited, his anger now aimed squarely at himself. “Just bloody great,” he snapped.
He knew why she hadn’t picked up. She’d heard him yell, felt the fury in his voice, and had likely reacted on instinct. She’s going to run, Havoc muttered, his tone dripping with annoyance.
I know, Luke admitted grimly, the weight of his mistake settling heavily on him.
“Benzy,” he barked, “make arrangements. Who do you know out there?”
Benzy crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. “A couple of wolves. Retrieval isn’t exactly their specialty, but if the money’s right, they’ll do it.”
“Then do it,” Luke ordered. “Quickly. She’s not going to stick around.”
Tomas sighed heavily, pulling Luke’s attention. The older man’s calm demeanor was at odds with the tension in the room.
“I’d go yourself, son,” Tomas said. “It would be better that way.”
Luke shook his head. “She’ll be long gone before I—or anyone else—can get there. Even with the private plane, it’ll take too long.”
“Hmm,” Tomas murmured thoughtfully, his calmness bordering on infuriating.
Luke dismissed his father’s reaction, chalking it up to his new, more laid-back attitude. Retirement had changed Tomas. He was far more reflective these days, less prone to the fiery reactions Luke had grown up with. When Luke had asked him about it a year ago, Tomas had shrugged and said, “You have to deal with all the stress now, son. I get to spend time with my Mate. A lot of time.”
And then he’d grinned like a schoolboy. “If you know what I mean.”
Luke had gotten the message loud and clear. The entire pack had, actually. His parents, now free from the weight of leadership, seemed to have rediscovered their mating bond with a vengeance. It had become a running joke—albeit an uncomfortable one—among the pack. Tomas and his Mate were constantly “occupied,” whether in their room, out in the woods, or anywhere else they deemed appropriate. Full moons only seemed to heighten their… enthusiasm.
Luke watched as Tomas strolled toward the door, muttering to himself, “I wonder where my pretty is right now.”
Luke suppressed a groan, silently praying his mother was in their room and not somewhere in the pack house where he’d be forced to stumble across them again. He shook his head, exasperated. Retirement, it seemed, had turned his parents into hormone-driven teenagers.
But his focus snapped back to the matter at hand. Bella was likely running now, and he had to act fast if he had any hope of catching her before she vanished completely.
