Chapter 2
Dominic
“What do you mean she’s gone?” I demanded of Josh, my best friend and beta, glaring at him. “How can an Omega vanish without
anyone knowing where she went?”
“She wasn’t at her house. I knocked several times, and when she didn’t answer, I broke down the door, but she wasn’t there
M
“Find her,” I ordered, cutting him off. Joshnodded and rushed out to follow my command, knowing I wasn’t in the mood for delays. The
last thing I needed was that Omega running off right now.
Lucy, my girlfriend, frowned when she noticed my concem. She had no idea Eloise was my mate or that I’d rejected her for Lucy
over
a month ago. Of course she didn’t know. She wouldn’t be here, and Eloise wouldn’t be alive, if Lucy knew. She would have killed her
long ago.
“She left. Why does that upset you?” she asked, crossing her arms as she approached me. Her blonde hair caught the light as her brown eyes met my green ones. Shaking my head, I walked past her without responding. “It’s not like she matters; she’s just an
Omoga.”
I tried to pick up Eloise’s scent, but found nothing, Being the pack’s orphan and an Omega. I knew her disappearance would infuriate
my father, Somehow he cared about her. He’d kept her here when he could have c
cast her out years ago. Maybe if he had, I wouldn’t be in
this mess now.
“I’m talking to you, Dominic,” Lucy said, grabbing my arm to stop me. I growled in waming, forcing her to release me. She stepped
back, confused, trying to understand what had just happened. “Why are you avoiding me? Why won’t you answer me? She shouldn’t
matter to you. As an alpha, you shouldn’t even care about omegas.”
“I don’t care about her. But if my father discovers she’s gone, I’ll face more trouble than I want to handle. You know how much he values
her, and we both know he’ll lose control when he finds out…”
“She left on her own. You can’t be blamed for that, Dominic,” she said, stopping me. “Besides, you’re the alpha now. He’s not in charge
anymore,you are. Your word is law, not his. You need to remember that.”
I took a deep breath, forcing myself not to respond. I knew she hadn’t left simply because she wanted to. Watching me with Lucy had
hurt her more than she’d shown, and though she’d said nothing, I sensed she’d eventually break. I just hadn’t expected her to run.
Lucy neither understood nor cared about anything that didn’t involve her. I didn’t expect her to grasp why I’d search for any pack
member who chose to flee.
“Lucy, can you give me space to think? Please, just leave me alone…”
“I’m your girlfriend, and I don’t think I should have to watch you worry over another woman,” Lucy snapped. “And I don’t think leaving
you alone when you clearly need support is the right thing to do.”
I sighed and turned to face her. Cupping her face, I made her look at me, leaning in to kiss her lips. The kiss felt wrong, just like all the
others we’d shared since that night.
“Beautiful, you know the last thing I want is for you to be upset. But I need to find her before my father loses his mind.” I traced her
jawline gently.
Lucy sighed but nodded, finally letting me step away without argument.
I tried to catch Eloise’s scent again. Rejected or not, the mate bond between us remained unbroken, especially since I hadn’t marked
my chosen mate.
“Where are you, Eloise? I muttered, pacing the pack grounds. I knew she wasn’t here needed to determine which route she’d
taken to avoid detection. She was clever enough to use altemate paths,typical of her. “And where would you possibly go?”
“What do you mean she’s missing?” Dad asked angrily, rising from his chair as we entered the dining room. Noticing her absence at dinner, he knew something was wrong. Of all the pack members, naturally he’d only notice the orphan he’d taken in ten years ago,an
orphan who should have died with her parents that night.
“It’s not Alpha Dominic’s fault. She left the pack without being noticed…” Lucy began, only to be silenced by Dad slamming the table
Alpha Thome, my father, had raised Eloise as his daughter
ter and always hoped we’d be mates. He didn’t know his wish had been
granted,it was a secret I planned to take to my grave.
“No one asked you to speak, Lucy. Just because you’re at my table doesn’t mean you’re important to me…”
I growled low, waming him not to insult her. I was still the pack’s alpha. He was my father, but his resignation didn’t give him the right to speak to my woman that way. He chuckled in response.
“She was your close friend. How can you be so calm about this?” he asked, shaking his head as he glared at me.
“I’ve been searching for her all morning. But if she chose to leave, I’m not responsible for tracking her down. Any other Alpha would have banished her and made her a rogue,” I snapped, ignoring the tightness in my chest.
“Floise wouldn’t have left without reason, Dominic. We all know that,” Mom interjected. “Whatever her reason, we’ll discover it when she returns. Until then, don’t stop looking for her. She won’t survive long out there. And when she comes back, she’s not to be
banished.”
I nodded, knowing resistance would only worsen things. My parents had taken Eloise in after her parents died saving Mom and me. They perished in a fire, unable to escape after handing baby Eloise to my mother. She was only a few months old then.
“And I want her reason for leaving from her,when she returns. Do you understand, Dominic?”
“Yes, Father,” I said, glancing at Lucy, who looked ready to comment. I shot her a warning look, silencing her, and sat beside Mom.
Eloise’s seat remained empty, and Lucy moved to take it. Dad slammed the table in
ming, making her step back.
“Lucy, this is your final warning,” Dad said coldly. “You’re an outsider, not from this pack. If I catch you overstepping with pack members, I’ll handle you personally. You’re not this pack’s Luna, and you never will be. Do you understand?”
