My Rare

ULRIC KNIGHT

The sun drapes golden light across the treetops as I move back toward the car, the weight of the picnic basket swinging lightly in my grip. My boots crunch against the earth, slow, steady, unhurried.

There's a strange quiet in me. Not the kind that makes your bones restless, but the kind that smooths out all the jagged pieces inside. A calm that I rarely feel. A calm that only comes with her.

Her scent still lingers on my skin, tangled in my shirt, and it pulls a quiet breath from my chest. A scar of mine etched into her skin moments ago. That changes everything. That means everything.

Arius hums low inside me, not growling for once, but content."She is ours now."

There's pride in his voice, something raw that coils in my chest.

I open the trunk, setting the basket down and flipping the lid. Inside, everything is packed exactly how I wanted it: her favorite things she told me about over our dinner, the doughnuts with the lemon fillings, white wine, my mate thinks it's superior to red wine, and of course some chocolate covered strawberries. I packed it all.

Suddenly a wave of unease slices through me. Cold and sudden like a hand tightening around my throat.

My body goes completely still.

"Something's wrong," Arius growls. "Her scent....it's shifting."

Then I hear it.

"ULRIC!!!" Her voice comes out sharp and desperate filled with fear. 

I drop the basket. The donuts hit the gravel, forgotten.

That calm? Gone. Ripped out of me like a breath stolen mid-laugh. I don't think. I move.

My bones snap and reform mid-stride as I shift, my body breaking and bending into the shape it knows best. Muscle stretches, thickens. My hands are no longer hands, they are paws pounding into the earth. My spine lengthens. My jaw cracks open into a growl as my wolf takes over.

Black fur bursts along my skin, thick as armor. My eyes sharpen. My senses ignite.

Arius roars to the surface, fast and violent.

Mate in danger. MATE IN DANGER.

Trees blur past as I run, the ground a smear of green and brown beneath my paws. My heart slams against my ribs, but it's nothing compared to the howl tearing from my throat.

I reach the river in seconds.

But she's not there.

The dock is empty.

No Aelia. No scent. No movement. Nothing.

Not a single trace.

The sunlight gleams over the water like it hasn't noticed that my entire world just vanished. I skid to a stop, claws digging into the wood, and stare.

There's no splash. No sign of a struggle.

It's like she was never here.

"NO!" I snarl, shifting back mid-sprint, hitting the ground on two legs, naked and shaking. My fists slam into the dock as I stare at the river.

She's gone.

Gone.

"AELIA!!"

I fall silent, chest heaving, listening, hoping...but there's nothing, just the wind. My hands curl into fists.

I mindlink Hayden. "She's gone. Aelia's gone." I don't give him time to respond.

"Spread out. Lock the borders. No one leaves, no one comes in until I say so. Find your Luna."

"What happened?" he responds immediately, his voice tight. "I don't know. She was here, I left for a minute and I heard her scream, I felt her fear I tried to get to her but I...I couldn't get to her fast and now....it's like she vanished into air..."

The link goes silent for half a beat before he answers,"On it. We'll find her, Alpha."

I shift again, pain and fury flooding every inch of my skin, and tear through the trees.

I sniff the air, searching for her trail. I pick up the faintest whisper of her scent on the dock, but it stops cold near the edge like it was erased. Or pulled away.

Arius is nearly unhinged, his voice a constant, raging growl inside me.

"They touched our mate. Took her. I will kill them. I WILL RIP THEM APART."

My jaws snap. My breath hisses between teeth too sharp.

"I will find you, Luna," I vow into the wind, claws digging into the earth. "I will tear apart the world until you're back in my arms."

"And whoever took you..."I snarl, eyes blazing. "I will make them beg for death." My wolf growls deep, bloodthirsty.

"I will tear the flesh from their bones. I will make them beg for death and I won't stop until I've buried their soul beneath the ashes of what's left."

 ❦︎ To Be Continued ❦︎