Chapter 115

Valen slowly stirred awake, his body was heavy with exhaustion. His arm instinctively reached out, searching for the warmth beside him. But all he felt was the coolness of the sheets. His brows furrowed, memories of last night came crashing on him, and his eyes snapped open.

He turned but found only Derek, sprawled on his stomach, his bare back exposed, his breathing deep and steady. But aside from him, Ella was gone. Panic surged in his chest as he abruptly stood up.

The incense, having burnt out, he was back to his senses. He puts on his clothes quickly as his mind races. How could he have acted out of proportion last night? Where’s Ella? Did they hurt her?.

It was as if something had taken over his very being last night.

Her scent wasn’t fresh, like she didn’t even sleep here last night. What’s that supposed to mean?

With powerful strides, he walked towards the door and yanked it open, only to see the guards at the door. A look of relief washed over him. If they had been guarding the door all night, then they would know where Ella was.

The guards straightened at the sight of him.

“Where’s Ella?” He asked.

The guards were stunned at the question. Wasn’t she supposed to be inside with him?

Valen looked at their baffled expression and realized something was wrong. Fear and anger surged within him.

“Where. Is. Ella?” He asked again, this time more demanding.

The guards were visibly shaking as they could sense his anger. They instantly knew they were in trouble.

“Answer me!” Valen shouted.

The guards exchanged uneasy glances. “My lord… isn’t she inside?”

Valen’s stomach twisted. “What?” His voice dropped dangerously low.

“She…we…we don’t know my…My Lord, we..we only returned to our post before dawn this morning” One of the guards stuttered, not daring to meet Valen’s gaze.

His answer stirred up anger from Valen. His jaw clenched. “You what?”

“Who ordered you to leave your duty post?”

Rage flared through him, his fists clenching at his sides. They had abandoned their duty. Left Ella unprotected.

The guards couldn’t speak, they dare not tell him they left because they weren’t comfortable with the sounds they were hearing and decided to give them privacy.

Their silence only infuriated Valen more but before he could speak, Derek’s voice rang out from behind him. The commotion outside had woken him up.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

Valen turned to see Derek standing in the doorway, his dark eyes still clouded with sleep and his expression was unreadable. He hadn’t even bothered to dress, only wrapping a loose sheet around his waist.

Valen exhaled sharply. “Ella is gone” he muttered

Derek blinked, his drowsiness vanishing instantly. “What? Gone? How’s that possible?”

“She’s not here,” Valen repeated, his voice tight with frustration. “These fools left their post, and now no one knows where she is.”

Derek’s gaze moved to the guards.

“Have you searched the manor? What about Drake?”

Valen stiffened. He hadn’t. His first instinct had been panic. He had assumed the worst before even confirming.

“No,” he admitted.

Derek exhaled. “Then send people to look. We could just be panicking for nothing.”

Valen slowly calmed down but the panic was still there. He turned to the guards and ordered them to search everywhere for Ella.

“Search every inch of the manor and its surroundings. Now.”

They bowed and quickly scurried to their feet.

Valen’s shoulders remained tense. A part of him hoped Ella was simply wandering around somewhere. But an uneasy feeling settled on his chest.

Derek’s mind raced as he stood there too. Could Ella possibly be gone? Leo couldn’t sense her. Something definitely happened last night though he couldn’t place his hands on it but he was completely out of control. Did Drake capture her while they were still sleeping? A lot of questions ran through his mind as they awaited the guards search outcome.

Valen wasn’t still. He was pacing, the look on his face was like he was blaming himself.

Derek’s expression darkened as he ran a hand through his hair. “Last night…” He hesitated. “Something felt off.”

Valen glanced at him. “Are you just realizing that?”

Derek didn’t answer him, instead he turned and began searching the room, his brows furrowed in concentration. He turned suddenly, moving toward the bedside table, sniffing the air. Valen watched as Derek’s sharp eyes landed on something- small, barely noticeable.

An incense stick.

It had already burned out, its ashes scattered across the wooden surface.

Derek picked it up, his expression hardening. “This. This was what I smelt last night.”

Valen frowned, stepping closer. He inhaled sharply, trying to detect anything unusual-but the scent was faint now, nearly nonexistent.

Derek’s grip tightened around the incense stick. “This… this was why we lost control last night.”

Realization dawned on Valen, his pulse quickening. Their behavior-the intensity of their desire-it had been unnatural. He had never acted so possessively, so recklessly before.

“We were drugged,” Derek muttered.

Valen’s hands curled into fists. They had let their guard down.

Before they could say another word, hurried footsteps echoed down the hall. A guard rushed toward them, breathless. His expression was grim.

“My lord,” he said urgently. “She’s not in the manor. Neither is Drake.”

The world seemed to freeze for a moment.

Valen’s blood ran cold.

The guard continued, his voice rushed. “One of the patrol guards at the border saw them leaving before dawn.”

Valen’s eyes snapped toward him. “And he didn’t stop them?”

The guard hesitated. “Ella said you gave her permission to see her brother off.”

A growl ripped through Valen’s chest, raw and furious. His permission?

He turned sharply, slamming his fist against the nearest wall. The force cracked the wood.

Derek’s expression was just as dark. His fists were clenched, his jaw tight with barely restrained rage.

He exhaled sharply. “We should’ve known. Ella wasn’t herself, and Drake-he was never to be trusted.”

Valen turned to one of the warriors nearby. “Get Dorian. Tell him to check Drake’s pack. I want to know if that bastard is hiding there.”

The warrior nodded and rushed off.

The waiting was unbearable. Minutes felt like hours. Every second that passed without news only fueled Valen’s frustration.

Then, Dorian returned, his face tensed. “My lord,” he reported, “News from one of our spies in Black Shadow Pack said, Drake hasn’t returned to his pack in a long time. There’s no trace of him there.”

Valen’s vision blurred with rage. This had been planned. Drake had never intended to return to his pack with Ella.

Well that’s probably because he wasn’t her brother.

Something else is at play here.

Ella was gone.

And they had no idea where she was.