Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 53: All or nothing

Chapter 53: All or nothing

LUCIAN’S P.O.V.

It had been nearly five months since Teresa disappeared, and any semblance of patience I once had had disappeared long ago, replaced by a raw, consuming need to find her. Her absence was a wound that refused to heal, an ache I couldn’t ignore. Every trace of her scent, every whisper of our mate bond, was slipping away like sand through my fingers, taunting me with its elusiveness. I’d made plans—several, in fact—and I swore I’d search every inch of this world, tear apart every corner of every territory, to bring her back. Failure wasn’t an option. I needed her like I needed my next breath.

My first plan had been simple, or so I thought: follow our bond. I clung to the remnants of it, drawing it out like a thread of hope, letting Ares, guide me across towns, through territories, even into dangerous areas where I had no allies. But no matter how close we came, the trail would inevitably fade, vanishing like mist under the morning sun. Each time we lost it, the frustration burned hotter in my chest.

"It’s like she’s playing hide and seek, and we’re the idiots still counting to ten," Ares scoffed in my head, his voice dripping with exasperation. His anger matched my own, and I could feel his simmering impatience pressing against my mind.

"Can you be quiet, just this once?" I muttered aloud, though in truth, I didn’t want him to leave me in silence. The last time he’d gone quiet, I’d felt more alone than ever. I just needed a moment’s peace to think. We stood on a hillside overlooking a small, sleepy town, the moon casting an eerie, silvery glow on the landscape. The beauty of the night, with its quiet serenity, should have soothed me. But every nerve in my body was coiled, my senses stretched to their limits, straining for any hint of her presence.

"I’ll be quiet when we find her," Ares huffed, his irritation prickling in the back of my mind. I sighed, unwilling to argue with him, knowing that his frustration was a mirror of my own.

The search had taken us far—farther than I’d imagined. We’d crossed borders, pushed past the limits of my territory, and I was starting to wonder if she was in another realm altogether. How else could her trail keep vanishing? But giving up wasn’t an option. I’d chase her to the ends of the earth, to every corner of every world, if that’s what it took.

When our bond failed us, I turned to Plan B: pulling every string I could. I’d leveraged every connection, called in every favor, and put every resource at my disposal to work. I even reached out to private investigators in the human world, taking care to be discreet. It was humiliating, sitting through patronizing calls with humans who didn’t understand. One detective had the audacity to tell me, "Sir, people move on; you should too."

That comment nearly drove Ares into a frenzy. He growled for a solid five minutes, seething with anger that mirrored my own. To "move on" was unthinkable, as foreign an idea as abandoning my own heartbeat. Teresa was out there somewhere, and every fiber of my being screamed at me to keep looking.

When the human world failed me, and the last shred of my pride as an Alpha wore thin, I knew it was time to turn to my pack. With a heavy heart, I reached out through the mind link, summoning everyone to an emergency gathering. The pack, sensing the urgency in my call, assembled quickly. They watched me, curiosity and a hint of caution in their eyes. Rylan stood near the front, raising an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of intrigue and concern. Juliette, standing beside him, looked utterly bewildered.

Taking a steadying breath, I faced them all, gathering the courage to speak. "I need your help finding someone," I began, my voice rougher than I intended. "Teresa."

The name hung in the air, heavy and loaded with meaning.

The hall fell into a sudden, deafening silence, as though every breath had been collectively stilled. Just the mention of her name was enough to stir something electric in the air, a ripple of whispers cutting through the quiet like the hum of tension before a storm. I could hear fragments of conversation, soft murmurs and startled gasps, as my pack struggled to process what I’d just asked of them.

I forced myself to press on, ignoring the scrutiny of their gazes. "She’s my true mate," I said, my voice unyielding. "And she’s out there... somewhere." The words felt heavier than I expected, each syllable carrying the weight of my desperation, my unwavering conviction.

A few pack members inhaled sharply, their disbelief clear. To them, the idea that I, the notoriously private and brooding Alpha, had a mate — and one who had somehow slipped through my fingers — was nothing short of shocking. I could feel their disbelief, their confusion, and beneath it all, an undercurrent of curiosity and sympathy.

"She left because of me. I made a terrible mistake," I admitted, my voice rougher, tinged with regret. Saying it aloud felt like ripping open a wound that hadn’t even begun to heal. "That’s on me. But I need to bring her back. She’s our Luna." The last word rang out, solid and undeniable, a declaration as much as a plea.

Ares, my ever-opinionated wolf, couldn’t resist the opportunity to chime in. "Mistake indeed," he muttered dryly in the back of my mind. His words stung, a reminder of the consequences of my actions, but I pushed his voice aside, unwilling to let my focus waver.

Around me, the crowd shifted, their expressions transforming from shock to determination. I saw nods of agreement, heard murmurs of support building gradually, until the whole room seemed united by a shared purpose. My pack wanted to help.

Rylan, the smirking provocateur, met my gaze with a grin. "So, the lone wolf finally admits he’s not so lone."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t stop a faint smile from breaking through. "Oh, shut up," I retorted, the tension lifting for a brief moment. In that fleeting smile, I felt the solidarity of my pack behind me, their commitment as strong as my own.

Plan C led us to the pack’s tech-savvy members, a group of young wolves who practically lived and breathed human technology. I’d never been so thankful for the relentless curiosity of Gen Z, their fingers flying over keyboards as they tapped into every possible avenue to trace Teresa’s digital trail. Credit card transactions, social media posts, phone records—they tracked everything with unwavering focus. But every time they found a lead, it dissolved, slipping away like mist.

"This is almost impressive," I muttered one night, watching them work, a hint of reluctant admiration slipping into my voice.

One of the young techs shrugged, glancing up briefly. "She’s like a ghost, Alpha. No traces."

I exhaled, frustration clawing at me. "Then I’m hiring ghost hunters next," I snapped, though it was more to cover up the helplessness I was starting to feel.

Days turned into weeks, each one bleeding into the next, a relentless blur of dead-end leads and cold trails. Refusing to let hope slip away, I stationed pack members in neighboring towns, embedding them as locals, their eyes and ears ever watchful. If Teresa was out there, moving through these towns, someone would eventually spot her. I had to believe that.

As my patience thinned, I turned to a last resort: Adam, he was the best tracker of the Moon peak pack. My pack’s pride and joy. I handed him Teresa’s hairband that I had been clinging onto for months now and I watched him inhale the faint scent that clung to it with a practiced intensity. He looked up at me, a confident grin breaking across his face, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"With this?" he said, a fierce glint in his gaze. "She won’t be hidden anymore."

Hearing the certainty in his voice rekindled something in me, a spark of hope that hadn’t completely died. If anyone could find her, it was Adam.

*******

Then came the dream.

After weeks of relentless searching, last night, I finally fell into a restless, uneasy sleep — and Teresa came to me. Her image filled my mind, vivid and surreal, as though she were right there beside me. She was somewhere unfamiliar, a place that felt distant yet achingly clear, and she was smiling, her face glowing with a radiance I hadn’t seen in so long. The warmth of her smile reached deep into my chest, a spark of hope mingling with a strange pang of hurt. But she wasn’t alone.

Beside her stood a man, unfamiliar yet irritatingly at ease by her side, his presence exuding an aura that seemed to captivate her. He was the source of her smile, the reason for the light in her eyes, and that realization hit me like a punch to the gut. My emotions warred within me — jealousy burned hot and bitter, twisting into anger, yet beneath it was a raw, undeniable yearning for her. My fists clenched as I reached out, desperate to pull her away, to bring her back to me.

But then, like a shattered mirror, the image changed.

In an instant, the warmth and brightness vanished, replaced by a scene of terror. Teresa was screaming, her face contorted with fear, her voice piercing as flames leapt around her, consuming everything in sight. She was trapped in a burning house, the fire raging like a beast, its flickering tendrils licking the walls, devouring them. I tried to move, to run to her, but I was frozen, paralyzed by some unseen force, helpless as I watched her reach out, calling a single name that sliced through the chaos — Adrian.

I jolted awake, my heart pounding furiously, drenched in a cold sweat. Ares, was already alert, a fierce energy pulsing through him as he paced within my mind, every bit as shaken and enraged as I was.

"She’s in trouble. We need to find her now!" he growled, his voice laced with a raw urgency that matched my own. The desperation was palpable, the ferocity in his tone like a rallying cry.

Without wasting a second, I sent a mind-link to the entire pack, my words reverberating with command and urgency.

"Everyone, listen up. Teresa is in danger. We need to double down on the search. I want every lead, every clue followed up on. Do not rest until we find her."

The night around me was silent, but in my mind, I could sense the pack snapping to attention, their loyalty and determination coursing back through the link. The quiet of the night was filled with a sense of urgency that rippled through each of them, fueling their resolve as they mobilized. Meanwhile, Ares prowled restlessly within me, an unyielding force that refused to settle.

I took a deep breath, challenging him in the silence of my thoughts, my own doubts slipping through. "You think this is all for nothing, don’t you?"

For a moment, Ares paused, his fierce demeanor softening, revealing a rare hint of vulnerability. "I’m just hoping it’s not too late."

His words hit me hard, like a knife to the gut. It was a fear I shared but hadn’t dared to voice. Time felt like an enemy, slipping away as fast as she had, and neither of us knew if we’d make it in time. But one thing was certain: I would stop at nothing to bring her back. Teresa was more than just my mate; she was a part of me, a piece of my soul that had left me hollow and aching in her absence. I had tried to deny it, to convince myself I could endure without her, but that was a lie I couldn’t live with anymore.

As the first light of dawn peeked over the hills, casting a faint glow across the land, I stood alone, my resolve hardening like forged steel, unbreakable and fierce.

"Hold on, Teresa," I whispered, my voice barely audible but filled with an iron-clad promise. "I’m coming."

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