arriors on the Hunt
The next morning, Isla and Draven stood in the war room, their faces drawn with exhaustion and grief. A map of the surrounding forest lay spread across the table, its surface marked with trails and potential hiding places.
“We need to keep searching,” Isla said, her voice brittle but determined. “There has to be something we missed—a scent, a clue, anything.”
Draven nodded, his amber eyes dark with frustration. “Jamie. Alaric.” His voice was commanding as he addressed their sharpest scouts. “You’re going out tonight. Cover every inch of the forest. I don’t care how long it takes—don’t stop until you find something.”
Jamie, her gray eyes steady and serious, gave a sharp nod. “We won’t let you down, Alpha.”
Alaric’s golden gaze lingered on Isla for a moment, his expression unreadable. “We’ll bring them back,” he said, his voice low but resolute. “I swear it.”
Isla felt a flicker of hope at their words, but it was faint and fragile, like a candle struggling against a gust of wind. As Jamie and Alaric vanished into the night, Isla stood frozen in the war room, her hands gripping the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Draven approached her, his large hands resting on her shoulders. “They’ll find something,” he said, his voice steady.
“And if they don’t?” Isla whispered, her voice breaking. “What if we’re already too late?”
Draven pulled her into his arms, his embrace solid and warm. “Then we’ll keep searching,” he said fiercely. “We’ll tear the world apart if we have to. But we’ll bring them home, Isla. I promise you that.”
Later that night, Isla sat by the window of their quarters, her silver eyes fixed on the forest beyond. The memories of Seraphine and her children blurred together in her mind—two lives she had failed to protect. Her heart ached with every second that passed, her fears growing louder with each tick of the clock.
In the distance, a wolf howled—a lonely, mournful sound that echoed through the trees. It was a sound of loss, and Isla’s chest tightened as it resonated deep within her soul.
