MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 220: The Search

Chapter 220: The Search

Ryder was not found.

He wasn’t under the rubble. He wasn’t in the woods. Ryder was nowhere to be found.

Reana sat on the stone table, eyes hollow with glaring dark circles. Her cheek gaunt from sleepless nights, lips cracked from speaking his name into the silence far too many times.

Her usually radiant aura had dimmed, swallowed by the weight of not knowing what had happened to Ryder or where he was.

Grief would’ve been easier for Reana. Grief had an end. But this? This was a maddening limbo that was driving her closer to insanity.

Sometimes she thought she heard his voice in her head, or in the wind, begging her to find him. But the silence that followed always screamed louder.

It’s the seventh day.

Seven days, and Ryder was nowhere to be found. The Alphas have scheduled the meeting for tomorrow. They all had packs and duties to attend to and couldn’t wait for Alpha Snow anymore. Plus, they couldn’t solve the monster mystery.

In other words, after today, they’d all need to return to their packs. Whether the verdict was on Beta Theon’s side—her side—it didn’t matter anymore. It stopped to matter from the day Ryder went missing.

Reana’s fingers clutched the edge of the stone table, knuckles pale. She hadn’t changed out of her soot-stained cloak. Not even the scent of Ryder that lingered on it, or in the room could comfort her anymore—it was fading, just like everything else.

Marcus stood nearby, arms folded and jaw locked, watching her like a hawk. He hadn’t left her side since the mountain fell. Not even once. He was grieving, too, but his pain was silent—sharp, buried under layers of duty.

A knock on the door pulled his attention and he opened the door for Alpha Julius and Beta Theon who entered quietly.

Beta Theon’s expression was grim. He should be happy that the man who threatened him was gone, but the beta wasn’t. He’d already burned the bridge with Killian and Malric, so back-pedaling was no longer an option.

"There’s still no trace?" she asked before he could speak. Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

He shook his head. "We searched the entire woods. Every tunnel, every collapsed path. There’s... nothing."

Reana exhaled shakily. Her fingers finally let go of the stone table, only to rise and press to her chest. She’d hoped, assumed, wished that he teleported before the collapse, and if he did, he shouldn’t have teleported far—he was most probably injured.

But after searching for a week, even putting Alpha Julius and his pack members to good use, they still couldn’t find him.

"I think you should let go, Luna Rea—" before Alpha Julius could finish, Reana shot him a glare so sharp that the words to follow froze in his throat. Her tired eyes now blazed with a cold fire that silenced the entire room.

"Finish that sentence, Julius," she said, her voice low and laced with a dangerous edge. "And I swear, your jaw will touch the floor."

Marcus glanced at her with a flicker of unease. Luna Reana never raised her voice—but when she spoke like that, people listened.

Julius swallowed hard, lowering his gaze. "My apologies, Luna." He knew she meant what she said. But first, he was stronger that her and there was no way she could make his jaw drop, and secondly, she needed to be told the truth.

"I understand you’re grieving," he began, "I do. But you can’t avoid the council, and certainly can’t attend it with you losing your bearing."

Beta Theon nodded, but Reana didn’t spare them a glance. There was no reaction to indicate she was listening. But the Alpha continued anyway.

"He came here with you for this council meeting. I know he wanted you to win this vote. Beta Theon’s future depends on you. A lot of lives are waiting to be saved. You can’t turn your back on them now."

Still no response.

Julius sighed softly. Truth be told, he hoped the servant died. He didn’t like him for obvious reasons, but he couldn’t let Reana remain a ghost of herself. "His body was not found anyway. He could still be alive."

Reana’s head snapped towards him. "Then, find him."

"What if he doesn’t want to be found? He could be severely injured and in a terrible state that he doesn’t want you to see him in such a state." He saw her eyes narrow, hardening like ice in a frozen storm.

"He would never hide from me," she said quietly, dangerously. "Not Ryder. I know he wouldn’t."

There was a terrifying finality in her words that made even Julius stiffen beside her. It wasn’t the volume of her voice—it was the unwavering certainty, the fury simmering beneath it.

Beta Theon stepped forward, more carefully than Julius had. "Luna," he said, tone gentler. "We’re not asking you to move on. We’re asking you to hold on—to yourself. You’re his Luna, his mate..." he paused. "But you’re also the voice that holds this vote together. If Ryder believed in you this much, don’t make his faith a waste."

Beta Theon had grown used to these people. They’ve been together, scouring the entire place. Although they were cold and none of them spoke a single word, he liked them—the strength. The coordination. The maddening precision on how they did things. He liked it.

And wished to be like them. And to achieve that, Luna Reana needed to be on her best form for the meeting tomorrow, otherwise, they’d lose all votes.

For the first time, her expression cracked—not into sorrow, but into a quiet, shivering anguish. Her eyes shimmered, but no tears fell. Her hands trembled slightly as she lowered them from her chest.

"Seven days," she whispered, as though saying it to herself. "Seven days and not even a scent trail."

"Maybe he’s somewhere beyond scent trails," Julius said quietly, his voice gruff with exhaustion but sincere. "We don’t know what happened under that mountain. The magic... the monsters... we don’t even know what that last tremor was. But if he’s alive, he’s fighting to come back to you. And if he’s not..."