Chapter 3 Three

Dave

It's been thirty minutes now since Tabitha excused herself to use the bathroom, and she still hadn't come back.

The night sky had already dimmed its light show. The last of the shooting stars had faded, and the once-buzzing crowd was thinning out fast. Families were packing up their blankets and snacks, carrying sleepy children to their cars. Laughter and excitement were slowly being replaced by yawns and soft goodbyes.

But my heart was no longer in any of it.

"Where is Mommy?" Liam asked, his voice small and sleepy.

Ethan looked up at me too, concern starting to show on both their faces.

"I'll go check on her," I said, trying to keep my voice calm for their sake. I lifted them gently into the back seat, secured their belts, and locked the car before jogging toward the restroom area.

But the second I turned the corner, my breath hitched.

Something wasn't right.

A thick, unfamiliar stench wafted in the air,sharp, musky, and feral. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me.

Rogues.

I moved cautiously, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes. That's when I saw it.

A silver dart on the ground.

I froze.

My jaw clenched, my fists curled. My wolf growled within me, furious and ready to rip through the flesh of anyone who dared lay a hand on my mate.

The realization hit like a boulder.

Tabitha's been taken.

I stormed to the back of the restroom, searching for more clues. The scent trail was weak, masked,intentionally covered but I caught a faint trace of her... and something else.

Chemical. Wolfsbane. Masking agents.

The bastards were prepared.

I pulled out my phone and punched in a number.

"Alpha Rhydor," I said the moment the line picked up. "Tabitha's been abducted. Rogues. I found silver at the scene."

There was a pause, then the Alpha's voice dropped into a hard, commanding tone. "We're activating the pack. Sending backup to your location. Get your sons to safety. Do you have any scent trail?"

"Barely. They masked it," I bit out. "But I'm going to find her. No matter what."

"We'll find her together," he promised. "Hang on."

I hung up and rushed back to the car. Ethan and Liam looked up at me with wide, confused eyes.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Ethan asked.

I forced a tight smile. "We're going home first, boys. Mommy will join us soon, okay?"

I kissed their foreheads, slid into the driver's seat, and took off.

I got home not quiet long and rushed the boys into the house, my heart thundering in my chest. The second we stepped inside, I led them straight to the hidden room beneath the floorboards,something I'd built myself, just in case of emergencies like this.

"Ethan, Liam," I said, crouching down to their level, forcing my voice to stay calm. "I need you both to hide in here, alright? No matter what you hear, no matter how long it takes, don't come out. Not until I come for you. Understand?"

Their little faces were pale, eyes wide and scared. But they nodded.

"Where's Mommy?" Liam whispered.

"I'm going to get her," I said, pressing a kiss to both their foreheads. "Be brave for me."

I sealed the compartment, hiding them away safely, then moved quickly through the house. My mind was a storm, but I couldn't afford to fall apart. I grabbed weapons,blades, darts laced with wolfsbane, and a communicator. Just as I loaded up, I heard a knock at the door.

Pack warriors.

The Alpha had acted fast.

One of the men stepped forward, his scent familiar. "Dave. Alpha Rhydor sent us. We're ready."

"Let's move."

We raced back to the field where Tabitha had been taken. The place was quieter now, haunting in its emptiness. The scent of rogues still clung to the air like a sickness, but every trail we followed seemed to loop into dead ends.

Every step without progress made my blood boil hotter.

"They planned this," one warrior muttered. "Covered their tracks."

"No shit," I growled, slamming a fist into a nearby tree. "But I swear to the Moon Goddess, when I find the bastard who took her, I'll rip his spine out with my bare hands."

Suddenly I heard her voice.

Soft. Weak. But real.

"Love... I'm here. He has me. The warehouse... near the old docks..."

I froze, my breath catching.

"Tabitha?" I shouted, desperate. "Where are you?!"

"Warehouse... near the old docks..." Her voice cracked, fading. "Hurry..."

Then came silence.

The connection was gone.

But it was enough.

I turned to the warriors. "She reached out. Warehouse near the old docks. That's where they took her."

Without hesitation, they snapped into formation.

"We'll follow your lead," one said.

I didn't even nod.

I shifted.

My bones cracked, fur burst through my skin, and within seconds, I was no longer a man but bloodfang tracer.

A furious, determined tracer with the mission to get his mate and apprehend the bastard behind all this.

We charged into the night, paws pounding the ground, hearts locked on one goal. It was late already,the humans are already asleep to even notice some wolves are in their mist.

Absolutely! Here's the continuation of Dave's POV, picking up from the warehouse scene with intense action and emotion:

It took forever for us to get to the warehouse. Running in our wolf forms made it quicker, slicing through the forest shadows, paws silent as death. The city lights faded, and ahead loomed the warehouse,abandoned, rusted, reeking of rot, metal, and fear.

We surrounded it silently, shifting back behind the cover of crates and brush. I didn't wait.

I didn't need a plan.

This was personal.

I shifted mid-motion, my body roaring through the change, and slammed the door open so hard it tore off its rusted hinges.

And there she was.

Tabitha.

Bloodied. Gagged. Bound to a pillar with chains lined in silver.

And standing before her was a rogue,filthy, scarred, his claws raised, his face twisted with sick satisfaction as he prepared to bring his hand down across her face.

He never got the chance.

I let out a snarl that shook the warehouse walls.

His hand froze midair. He turned.