Chapter 9 Relentless Search by Cade

A whiskey bottle whirled through Cade's office and shattered with a loud noise that echoed in his ears while tawny eyes blazed with anger. His breathing was in ragged gasps as his mind reeled in with the information just given by his Beta-Jessie was no longer a part of the Bloodfang pack. She had vanished without a trace.

How could you lose her?" Cade growled low but with venom. His Beta, Dorian, stood before him, head bowed in submission, every muscle tense while he prepared for Cade's wrath.

"We tracked her to the edge of Bloodfang's territory, but after that, she vanished," Dorian explained warily, fear lacing his tone. "There was just no sign of her. We've scoured every border town and village in the vicinity, but it is as if she vanished.

Cade's fist came down hard, the desk wood splintering at the force. "You are telling me she slipped through your fingers? That my mate-the woman who dared to run from me-is gone?"

Dorian swallowed hard, choosing his words carefully. "We still have people out looking. We won't stop until we find her.

Cade's jaw flexed as he stared out the wide window overlooking his territory-the dark expanse of his land stretching far, far into the distance. His mind churned over Jessie-of her defiance, her betrayal. She'd had the audacity to leave, to hide from him, thinking she could evade his reach.

But no one evaded Cade. Not even Jessie.

Send more men," Cade ordered, his voice cold and calculated. "I don't care how long it takes or how far you must go. I want her found. And when you do, bring her before me. I will make sure she never runs again."

Dorian nodded quickly to appease his Alpha. "Yes, Alpha. We'll find her.

He watched his Beta go, the door whispering shut behind him. The room was silent then, thick with the weight of Cade's burgeoning obsession. Jessie's betrayal gnawed at him, her rejection a wound that refused to heal. He had marked her as his, and in his world, that meant forever. No one rejected him-no one dared even to think they could escape his control.

He clenched his fists, digging his sharp nails deep into the soft skin of his palms, as he paced around the room. Jessie thought she could hide amongst them, blend in with the pathetic, mundane lives of humans. She had no idea what his reach was like. He would find her, no matter how long that took. And once he found her, she would wish she never thought she was leaving him behind.

Days crawled by, and with each of them, Cade's patience grew thinner and thinner. His men returned empty-handed-no leads, no sightings. Jessie seemed to have covered her tracks well, and that infuriated him all the more. She had always been clever, but this-this was unacceptable.

Sitting behind his desk, Cade scanned the map laid out before him, placing an X through each spot his men had searched. But each location came up empty, with no signs of Jessie anywhere to be found. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

"Where are you, Jessie?" Cade muttered under his breath, running a gamut of possibilities in his mind. She couldn't stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, she would slip up. And when she did, he would be there, waiting to claim what was his.

As the day wore on, a knot of frustration pulled tight in Cade's chest. The longer the hours dragged on and they didn't find her, the antsier he got. The need to have Jessie firmly under his control developed over the hours until it consumed his every thought. He'd marked her as his mate, and no one-not even another Alpha-was going to take her from him.

The knock on the door interrupted his reverie as Dorian stepped inside, his face etched with tension.

"Alpha, we have searched every town, village, and pack territory that is near us," Dorian started. "But. there is no trace of her."

The darkness descended in Cade's eyes. "And the humans? Have you checked amongst them?"

Dorian nodded. "Yes, we have sent in some of our best scouts to mingle with the humans, to see if she's hiding among them. But as of yet, nothing."

Cade's jaw clenched, frustration now boiling over. "Keep looking," he growled. "She's out there somewhere, and I won't stop until she's back in my grasp."

Dorian bowed slightly before turning and leaving the room once more, the weight of failure upon his shoulders.

Cade leaned back in his chair, his mind consumed by dark thoughts. Jessie was gone, thinking she was running free, but he knew better. She was his, and no amount of running would change that. Eventually, she would slip up. And when she did, Cade would make sure she regretted every second she spent away from him.

He would take back what was his, even if it meant tearing the world apart to find her.