Alina’s pov

The morning sun pierced through the curtains, forcing me to squint as I blinked myself awake. Warm golden rays flooded the bedroom, painting the walls in a bright, cheerful glow. A smile tugged at my lips as I sat up, stretching. But as my eyes adjusted to the light, my smile faltered slightly. The nightstand was empty. No steaming mug, no rich aroma of roasted coffee beans, and no Lucian sitting at the edge of the mattress waiting for me to wake up.

Maybe he’s just exhausted today, I reasoned, brushing the fleeting disappointment aside. The silver lining was how incredible I felt.

Swiveling my legs out of bed, I walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto my face. Patting my skin dry with a towel, I leaned into the mirror. The stubborn, dark shadows that usually hung under my eyes had completely vanished. I had actually slept—truly, deeply rested.

Feeling a burst of energy, I slipped out of the room and hurried down the hall to the nursery. The soft, rhythmic sound of a rocking chair greeted me before I even crossed the threshold. The nanny was already there, cradling my little Leo.

"Good morning, Alina," she said softly, offering a warm smile.

"Morning," I beamed, my heart melting at the sight of them. "How has my little man been this morning?"

"An absolute angel. He’s been a very good boy."

I reached out, gently transferring Leo into my arms. His tiny weight was comforting against my chest. I pressed a lingering kiss into his chubby, warm cheek. "Who’s a good boy? You are," I cooed, making ridiculous baby noises until a bright, breathless giggle erupted from him.

My chest tightened with affection, but the lingering question from earlier crawled back into my mind. I looked up at the nanny. "Have you seen Lucian at all today?"

She paused, looking a bit puzzled. "No, I haven’t. Actually, I was surprised. Normally he’s already passed by to make your morning coffee by now, but he never showed."

"Oh. That’s okay," I said, though a small knot formed in my throat. I carefully handed Leo back to her. "I’ll just go check his room."

Leaving the nursery, I walked down the corridor toward Lucian’s bedroom. I rapped my knuckles against the dark wood. "Lucian?"

Silence.

I turned the knob and pushed the door open, my smile evaporating completely. The bed was made, the air still and cold. No jacket thrown over the chair, no sign of life. "Lucian?" I called out, my voice sounding small in the empty space. I strode over to the bathroom, pushing the door wide, but it was just as deserted.

Anxiety began to prickle at the back of my neck. I left his bedroom and hurried toward his study. Pushing the door open, I called his name again, but the quiet of the house seemed to swallow it whole. I walked over to his desk.

His laptop was sitting open, the screen glowing in the dimly lit room. Out of habit, I reached out to close the lid, but my hand froze halfway.

The open browser tab was displaying real estate listings. Not local ones, either. My eyes scanned the screen, taking in images of villas and estates located completely out of the country. Why on earth was he looking for a house overseas? A heavy confusion settled in my chest, but I shook my head, forcing myself to look away. Don’t overthink it, I told myself. There’s a logical explanation.

As I turned to leave the desk, something else caught my eye—a small, unassuming bag tucked slightly out of sight. Curious, I picked it up. It felt heavy for its size. I unzipped it, and my brow furrowed as I stared inside. It was filled with a fine white powder. Lots of it.

I frowned, lifting the bag closer to my face. I opened it a bit wider, tilting my head to bring it to my nose to see if I could catch a scent—

"What are you doing in here?"

The sharp voice shattered the silence, causing me to jump. The bag slipped from my fingers, landing back on the desk with a soft thud.

I whirled around to find my brother, Sammy, standing in the doorway. His shoulders were tense, his eyes darting from me to the bag and back again. His voice carried a sharp, panicked edge that he was clearly trying to mask.

"I... I came to find Lucian," I stammered, my heart hammering against my ribs from the scare. "I can’t find him anywhere."

Sammy’s posture visibly relaxed, a wave of relief washing over his face. He let out a breath and forced a casual shrug. "Oh, Lucian? Don’t worry about him. I saw him heading out with Ragnar earlier. He’s obviously going to be fine." He stepped into the room, offering a bright, distracting smile. "Come on, I made breakfast for you. Let’s go eat."

The tight knot in my chest loosened slightly at his words. "Thanks, Sammy," I said, letting him lead me out of the study.

But down in the dining room, the food on my plate looked entirely unappealing. I picked at it with my fork, a strange, hollow sensation settling deep in my stomach. Something was wrong. The air felt too heavy, the house too quiet, the details of the morning not lining up. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was, but a dark cloud of dread was hovering right over me. I chewed on my bottom lip, desperately trying to swallow down the rising panic, telling myself I was just being paranoid.

"Hey," Sammy said softly, breaking into my thoughts. He was watching me closely across the table, his eyes filled with concern. "Don’t worry so much, Alina. Everything is going to be fine."

I tried to smile back, but it felt hollow. I just hoped he was right.

Hours bled into one another, and the sun began its slow descent, but the house remained agonizingly quiet. Still no sign of Lucian. No sign of Ragnar.

For the fifth time in the last ten minutes, I pressed Lucian’s name on my screen and brought the phone to my ear. "We’re sorry, the number you are trying to reach—"

I slammed the phone down onto the bed, cutting off the automated voice. It wouldn’t go through. I began to pace the length of the bedroom, my bare feet digging into the carpet as my chest tightened. My heart felt like a block of lead.

Suddenly, a memory flashed in my mind, cold and sharp, striking me with the force of a physical blow. Emily. I remembered exactly what she had told me earlier.

Aiden had placed a bounty on Lucian.

A cold sweat broke out across my skin, and a wave of pure terror washed over me. A bounty. Fucking Aiden. I tried desperately to push the darkest, most horrific scenarios out of my mind, but the unanswered calls and the empty house were feeding my worst fears. The waiting was driving me completely insane. Clawing at my sanity.

Unable to sit still for another second, I practically threw myself out of the room and hurried down the corridor toward Sammy’s bedroom. I needed help. I needed someone to tell me I was being crazy.

But as I reached his door and raised my hand to knock, I froze. Soft, unmistakable moans echoed from the other side of the wood. Fuck. A heat crawled up my neck. He clearly had company in there. As desperate as I was, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt that.

Swallowing my frustration, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving them to their privacy. But the retreat did nothing to quiet the chaos inside me. My heart was still hammering, and beneath my skin, my wolf was starting to spiral, pacing and scratching against my consciousness in a frantic panic. None of this made any sense. Where was I supposed to even start looking for him? To make matters worse, I didn’t even have Ragnar’s fucking phone number. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Then, a sound cut through the heavy silence of the house. Voices.

My heart skipped a violent beat. I whipped my head toward the sound and rushed outside as fast as my legs could carry me.

Emerging into the courtyard, my eyes landed on a familiar figure. Ragnar.

A massive, breathless wave of relief crashed over me, lifting the crushing weight from my chest for a split second. But as my eyes frantically scanned the space behind him, the relief vanished. The courtyard was empty.

"Ragnar!" I choked out, rushing toward him, my eyes wide. "Where is Lucian?"

Ragnar stopped, turning to look at me. His brow furrowed, his features twisting into a genuinely confused expression. "What do you mean? I don’t know where Lucian is."

The air left my lungs. "What do you mean you don’t know?!" I cried, my voice rising. "My brother told me he saw the two of you together earlier!"

"Yes, we were," Ragnar replied, his voice calm but cautious. "But I left him after we finished. Lucian was heading straight back home. That was hours ago."

As his words registered, it felt as though the ground beneath my feet had completely dissolved. My stomach violently sank, a cold, hollow vacuum opening up in my chest.

"Where the fuck is Lucian?" I whispered, my voice completely breaking as the first tear finally spilled over.