Chapter 197: Going insane
Third Person’s POV
Kaden stayed on his knees, his hands trembling against the frozen concrete floor. His mind refused to accept the words. Taken.
Slowly, the paralyzing shock melted away, replaced by an explosive, violent fury that burned hotter than the ruined packhouse above.
Kaden snapped his head toward Kane. His gold eyes flared with pure, dark rage as he surged to his feet. In a second, he crossed the room, slamming Kane backward into the stone wall of the bunker. Kane groaned in agony, clutching his bleeding ribs, but Kaden didn’t care.
"Who took her?!" Kaden roared, his voice booming off the underground walls until the stone seemed to shake. "Who were those shifters?! Name them!"
"The tiger shifters..." Kane choked out, tears cutting through the black soot on his face. "Rogue tigers."
"Get your trackers!" Kaden snarled, shoving Kane so hard the Alpha nearly lost his footing. "Get your trackers, get Sills’ trackers, get every bloodhound in this pack on the perimeter now! If she is not back in my arms within the hour, Kane, I swear to the Goddess I will tear this entire territory apart with my bare hands!"
Within minutes, the surviving trackers from both packs gathered at the northern tree line where the enemy had made their escape. Kaden stood among them, completely unbothered by the fact that he was naked, his bare muscles trembling with pure, unadulterated tension. His skin radiated a suffocating Alpha heat that kept even the strongest warriors at a distance.
"Find them!" Logan ordered the trackers frantically. "Follow the scent!"
The trackers dropped to their knees, sniffing the wet earth, the blood-stained leaves, and the broken branches. Minutes dragged by into agonizing silence. The wolves moved deeper into the woods, circle after circle, sniffing desperately—until they all stopped at the edge of a wide, rushing river.
"Well?!" Kaden barked, stepping toward them, his chest heaving. "Where does the trail go?!"
The head tracker swallowed hard, his face pale with dread. "Sire... the trail... it stops here. They crossed the deep water on heavy iron boats. The current washed away all scents. We... we can’t track them across the river."
A terrifying sound tore from Kaden’s throat—a mix of anger and a demonic roar.
He didn’t wait for another word. He shifted instantly, his bones cracking violently as his massive black wolf burst forth. The giant beast plunged directly into the woods, sprinting frantically along the muddy banks of the river.
He ran like a madman, his giant paws tearing up the soil, his snout low to the ground, searching, praying, begging for a single whiff of her sweet, soft scent. He followed every drop of blood he could find, but every lead dried up. There was nothing. Just the cold, rushing water and the smell of wet earth.
Rebecca... my Rebecca... his wolf cried out in pure, agonizing despair, the mental bond thrashing inside his mind like a dying beast.
He threw his head back and let out a blood-curdling howl. It was a sound filled with so much pain, heartbreak, and raw fury that it shook the very leaves on the trees. Across the entire region, every werewolf felt the shudder in their soul. It was the howl of an Alpha King declaring total, unhinged war on the entire realm.
Logan and Kane caught up to him at the riverbank, both panting, their faces pale as they watched the King lose his mind.
"Calm down, Alpha!" Logan shouted, his voice desperate as he held up a pair of pants toward the giant black wolf. "Please, Kaden! Our royal trackers are on their way! If Kane’s and Sills’ men can’t trace them, our elite units will! Please... put on these pants! Please, Alpha!"
Kaden ignored him completely. He snapped his massive jaws at Logan, his golden eyes wild, completely unhinged. He snapped his head back toward the sky and howled again, a continuous, agonizing sound that echoed for miles.
He was losing it. The bond was pulling at his chest so hard it felt like his soul was being ripped out through his ribcage.
Rebecca... my Rebecca... Kaden growled in his human mind, pacing back and forth along the bank, his claws tearing deep trenches into the mud. He couldn’t breathe. The air felt like poison without her. The panic was too much, the pain too severe.
Kane stepped back, his eyes wide with horror as he looked at Logan. "He’s going insane, Logan... his wolf is taking over. The agony is killing him!"
"Alpha, listen to me!" Logan tried again, stepping closer. "We will find her!"
Suddenly, Kaden stopped pacing. His massive wolf body froze. His legs began to tremble violently.
The mental and emotional torture, the physical toll of his chest pain, the frantic running, and the soul-crushing grief finally broke him. Kaden’s golden eyes rolled back into his head. His giant wolf form buckled, collapsing heavily onto the wet, muddy ground before instantly shifting back into his pale, unconscious human form.
He was completely out, broken by mental exhaustion.
"Alpha!" Logan yelled, rushing forward.
He quickly draped a cloak over Kaden’s body. Two strong warriors ran over, carefully lifting the King’s unconscious body off the ground and carrying him quickly back toward the ruined estate.
They brought him into one of the lower stone guest rooms that had survived the fire and explosions, gently laying him down on the mattress. Logan covered Kaden with a heavy blanket, his heart heavy as he looked down at his King’s pale, motionless face.
Logan turned around, his eyes turning hard as steel as he faced Kane, who stood in the doorway clutching his bleeding side.
"Who were those people, Kane?" Logan demanded, his voice low and sharp. "And what did they come here for?"
Kane leaned heavily against the wooden doorframe, exhaling a shuddering breath as tears of shame filled his eyes.
"My Beta sold me out," Kane said softly, his voice trembling. "He turned on us for gold and power. The enemy didn’t just attack to destroy... they raided the lower vaults. My main safe was completely broken into. Everything inside—millions in gold, cash, raw diamonds... gone. Everything was cleared out."
Logan’s jaw clenched tight. He looked back at Kaden, who was breathing shallowly on the bed, trapped in a deep, agonizing coma of grief.
"We need to find the rest of those shifters," Logan said grimly, his voice cold. "And we need to catch your traitorous Beta before Kaden wakes up. Because when Kaden opens his eyes... there won’t be a single soul left alive if we don’t have answers."