Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 197: _ The Search

Chapter 197: _ The Search

Luis Miguel puffed out a breath like he’d been holding it since we passed the gates. "Everywhere, man. I’ve been to every corner of the pack; behind the training grounds, near the storage sheds, the stream behind the west border, even those creepy ass kennels where the old rogue hounds used to be locked up. I even... went to their parents again this afternoon. They are all weeping and frantically searching still."

He looked at me with eyes that flashed with unsurety in them. I stopped walking. The packhouse loomed in front of us, sunlight glinting off the high windows and reflecting over the lawn. It was a perfect day, deceptively peaceful.

"You what?"

"I asked their parents again. I thought maybe they might have found out something I didn’t."

"And?"

"They didn’t." He shook his head, arms crossing defensively. "Same thing. No word from them. Said they didn’t come home last night. Thought maybe they stayed at my place. They didn’t. I’ve checked. Twice. Now, they are all blaming me. I’m the suspect, Beta."

I took a slow breath, my jaw tightening. This wasn’t just a prank or some teen wolf rebellion anymore. This was starting to smell like real trouble—and not the kind you could cover up with a bandage and a lie.

"You’re saying they didn’t come home at all?"

"Nope." He popped the ’p.’ "And I know they wouldn’t just ghost like that. Not without telling me. We’re dumb, but we’re not that dumb."

My stomach gave an unpleasant twist. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I could feel the crease between my brows digging in.

"Is there any chance," I asked carefully, "that your little crew could be pulling something? I don’t know... trying to be clever? Maybe they snuck out for some mischief?"

Luis Miguel actually looked offended. His head snapped toward me like I’d just accused him of eating kittens for breakfast. "No."

"You sure?"

"Yes!" he snapped, a little too loud. He lowered his voice immediately, glancing around. "I mean... except for once. Once. And that was forever ago. We left the pack to explore that abandoned orchard near the highway. Got caught, got our asses handed to us, and we swore we’d never do it again."

I stared at him. They had actually left the pack house territory. They weren’t even scared of being banished and subjected to living as rogues.

"...Okay, we probably swore. There might’ve been a pinky involved. I don’t remember the specifics. But that was, like, six years ago."

"Six years?" I rubbed my face with my palm. "You’re lucky your limbs are still attached. You’re not allowed outside the pack without clearance. You know that."

"It was stupid, yeah! But we were thirteen! We still had braces and puberty rage! Cut us some slack."

I sighed, hard. My temple throbbed, and my fingers twitched around my phone. There had been a murder four days ago. Now, three boys were missing.

Three.

Hell, there was trouble in this pack. And María José, she’s living all alone in that house, unguarded and unprotected.

I needed to move her. Very soon. I couldn’t even stand the thought of her being alone and subjected to the crazy things happening in this pack.

I turned to Luis Miguel. "So what—you think they’ve done it again? Decided to sneak out?"

"No," he said firmly. "Unless they wanted to go rogue or something, and that’s... look, I know them. Okay? They might be idiots, but they’re not suicidal. They wouldn’t do that again. Not without me."

That last part slipped out quietly, like it wasn’t meant for me to hear. I turned to look at him fully now. He was biting the inside of his cheek, his eyes focused somewhere far away.

There it was; the crack. The fear he didn’t want me to see. For all his bravado, Luis Miguel was scared. And I didn’t blame him.

I pressed a few buttons on my phone and raised it to my ear. It rang twice before a familiar voice picked up.

"Beta Axel?"

"Hey, Teo," I said. "I need you to meet me by the second gate. Bring six of your men. Fully armed. Now."

There was a pause. "Is something wrong?"

"I’m not sure yet," I said tightly. "But I’d rather be cautious than burying pups. Move."

"Yes, Beta."

I ended the call and slipped the phone into my back pocket. Luis Miguel was watching me, arms crossed now, that edgy restlessness back in his bones.

"What’s the second gate?"

"The one near the old boar trail," I said. "East side of the border. It’s where we’ll start."

Perhaps, I’d leave Álvaro and Don Diego to sort that murder case while I broke this.

Luis Miguel nodded but didn’t move. His eyes flicked to mine, hesitant. "You think we’ll find them?"

I didn’t answer right away. I looked up at the packhouse, its towers stretching into the sky like frozen sentinels. The wind stirred the trees, rustling through the leaves with a sigh. The scent of pine and fresh earth filled my nose, grounding me.

"I don’t know," I said finally. "But we’re going to try."

.

.

We made our way down the eastern slope, the earth crunching beneath our boots. Birds chirped above us like they hadn’t a care in the world. I tried not to resent them for it.

Luis Miguel trudged beside me, managing to trip over every root and bump on the path like nature had a personal vendetta. I didn’t comment though it was hard not to.

"Didn’t you say you’ve been everywhere?"

"I have!" he huffed, swatting at a branch that tried to slap him in the face. "But I didn’t come out this way. It’s mosquito central."

"Oh, so you thought your friends would avoid it too because of the bugs?"

"Look, I’m twenty, not Bear Grylls," he muttered, brushing a twig off his shoulder. "I’m allergic to inconvenience."

I chuckled.

"Also, one of them’s afraid of frogs. He thinks they’re cursed witches in disguise."

"You’re joking."

"I wish I was."

Teo and the guards were already waiting when we arrived at the second gate. They stood like statues; uniforms sharp, eyes alert, weapons across their backs like casual warnings. I nodded at Teo who offered a brief, and respectful salute.

"Beta."

"Any activity on the border?"

"None," he said. "We’ve been patrolling in intervals, but it’s been quiet."

I motioned toward Luis Miguel. "Three pups are missing. His friends. They didn’t come home last night. We suspect they may have left the pack."

Their brows creased.

"They’re around his age," I added. "No clearance. No escorts. And no word."

Teo frowned. "You want us to search the perimeter?"

"Split up," I ordered. "Three in the east woods. Two toward the ravine. I want reports every fifteen minutes."

"And me?" Luis Miguel asked.

"You’re with me."

"Dibs on not going into frog territory."

I ignored that. "Stay close. Don’t try to be a hero. And if anything happens, anything... you run straight to Teo’s men."

Luis Miguel didn’t argue. Which worried me more than if he had.

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