“Attempt to locate him,” Luna Elizabeth interjected, her gaze fixed on Mason, revealing her concern.
Mason nodded in agreement, fully aware that anyone could establish a mind-link with the Alpha in command, as they were all now interconnected with him following their allegiance. The reason they were standing before Mason requesting him to act, rather than undertaking the task themselves, remains enigmatic. He could only conclude that something was amiss.
Mason contacted Caelan, as he had done countless times throughout their lives. Subsequently, I frowned; it failed to connect. I attempted again, but to no avail. He closed his eyes to concentrate exclusively and attempt to establish the connection; he sensed its presence but was unable to connect, unable to reach him.
He opened his eyes and observed both of Caelan’s parents, who were still gazing at him. He now understood the reason for their scrutiny; Caelan had occasionally disregarded his mother or father but had never rejected a mind-link from Mason. They shared a bond akin to that of brothers, and Caelan trusted no one in this pack more than Mason.
Neither of his parents could establish a connection with Caelan, and they were present to enlist Mason’s assistance, yet he too was unsuccessful. It was uncharacteristic of Caelan to disconnect, so to speak.
“When did this commence?”Mason enquired, as he had been preoccupied with his own matters and had not observed the absence of his Alpha. The man had exhibited anger, and Mason speculated that he might be out of range.
Hudson may have departed from the group to alleviate their frustration regarding her exposure to others.
“Approximately five minutes ago,” Alpha Ronan sighed. “I sensed him abruptly disappear from my awareness; the connection and mental link to him have not been severed, but are significantly weakened.”
Mason frowned and extended his hand towards the tether, attempting to locate Caelan; if he was within pack territory, Mason should be able to identify the man. It resided in his mind, yet as Alpha Ronan indicated, it had waned. He exerted all his effort to discern its location, but found nothing, sighed, and shook his head.
“Likely outside pack territory,” he informed them, and upon observing their sceptical expressions, he elaborated, “Caelan encountered Daisy this morning; she directly challenged him on an issue, and he was quite irate about it.” He instructed her to leave his office, and she exited with apparent indifference. Subsequently, she was found unclothed in the training area. Luna Elizabeth observed, frowning and shaking her head slightly, remarking that it further aggravated him.
“Those two must organise themselves.” she murmured.
Mason admonishes Luna, “Do not blame Daisy.” “Caelan is the individual with the problems.”
“Do not address me in that manner, Beta,” she retorts sharply.
Mason smiled, asserting his authority, “I am in charge in Caelan’s absence.” He reminded her pointedly, “And you, more than anyone, are aware that it is entirely Caelan’s fault.”
“Enough,” Alpha Ronan bellowed at the pair.
Mason disregarded him, his gaze still fixed on Luna. “It is unjust to attribute Caelan’s possessiveness to Daisy,” he retorted, then inhaled deeply to regain his composure. “I would assert that he departed from pack territory to compose himself.” He will return. Allow approximately one hour; if he has not returned by then, I will initiate a comprehensive search.
She was staring intently at him, yet his grievance with her was far more profound than Caelan’s departure to regain composure. She was acutely aware that Daisy was not responsible for Caelan’s demeanour, and with Mason’s acknowledgement of Daisy as his sister, he was prepared to confront her, given that she had separated Daisy from him and his guardianship, a decision he had opposed even at that time.
“I will oversee the situation, instruct all border patrols to report in, and revert to you,” he declared, then seated himself in the Alpha’s chair to assert his authority over Luna Elizabeth at that moment.
She placed both hands on the desk and leaned forward, glaring directly at him. “Only until my son returns; then you will vacate that chair.” His implication was not lost on her. The unfortunate woman appeared oblivious to Caelan’s contingency plan for this pack. He contemplated whether Alpha Ronan did, for that matter.
“Nat, please, compose yourself.” Ronan placed his hands on his Mate and steered her away from the desk and out of the room, glancing back at Mason. “Locate him, Joe.”
“Certainly, Alpha Ronan,” he affirmed with a nod.
He exhibited significantly greater composure than Caelan, seemingly inheriting his temper from his mother.
Utilise Mind-Link to navigate around the pack’s border patrols to ascertain whether any of them have observed their Alpha departing the territory in either human or wolf form. No one had observed him; however, this did not imply he was absent. He could have evaded detection by exploiting a gap or simply instructed one of them to remain silent, as they would not dare incur his ire.
“Where are you, Caelan?”He murmured to himself.
Informed Alex and Cole of the situation; neither could assist him, which was exceedingly frustrating.
When Mason went to inspect Caelan’s car in the garage, he called the man’s mobile phone and heard it ring, realising it was on the desk. Mason had not observed it, concealed beneath a pile of documents; wherever Caelan was, he preferred not to be reached.
An hour later, there was no alteration; he reported to Ronan and Elizabeth. An hour thereafter, he convened his Unit, the former Alpha, and his entire Unit in his office, along with the Luna. Even Oliver and his Unit were present, all gathered around the pack’s map, delineating areas that had been searched by each of them. We are currently organising additional search parties for the individual. Caelan was missing for two hours, which was uncharacteristic; something was undoubtedly amiss.
One third of his warriors had been deployed into rogue territory in units of 12 men each to conduct a 10-kilometre search from the borders, while the remainder were retained for defence against potential attacks.
Luna Elizabeth was becoming increasingly distressed, deeply concerned that something was amiss with Caelan, fearing he was injured and unable to summon assistance. Mason could not reproach her; she was his mother, and he her sole son. With each passing minute, the anxiety for their Alpha became palpable among them all.
By 2 PM, they had all transformed into wolf form, searching extensively throughout the pack’s territory, including all gorges and caves in the vicinity. Even Mason felt a sense of foreboding; where could the man have vanished, and how could he have disappeared without anyone noticing?
Caelan was not so negligent as to withhold information about his destination. Typically, that individual was Mason; this behaviour was entirely uncharacteristic of Caelan. Mason was perpetually attempting to establish a connection with him, vigilant for any deviations in his bond with his Alpha. Upon finally establishing a connection, it was as customary, entirely typical, a robust link, firm and reliable.
“Caelan!” Where are you?He shouted at his Alpha; the entire pack was now aware of his absence. It was impossible to conceal it from them, given that they were all actively searching for him.
He recognised that Caelan had initiated a multi-lined mind-link. “I’m fine,” he stated with apparent calmness. “In the pack house.” This seemed somewhat perplexing to Mason, as the man might not be aware that everyone was searching for him. “What’s all the fuss?”
