Chapter 139
Drake
I barely registered Jason’s words as I scanned the crowded ballroom,
an unfamiliar sensation clawing at my chest like a fucking wild
animal. Where the hell was Elsa?
“Drake, did you hear what I said?” Jason’s voice finally penetrated my
thoughts. “Someone took one of the small boats about twenty
minutes ago. The crew just reported it missing.”
I turned to face him, my jaw clenched so tight it ached, though I kept
my expression carefully neutral despite the growing unease. “And why
the fuck would I care about that?”
Jason shifted uncomfortably. “I just thought… with Ms. Hale not
being around…”
“What do you mean ‘not being around“?” I demanded, my voice
dropping dangerously low as my fingers curled into tight fists at my
sides.
“I haven’t seen her since earlier when she was looking feverish in the
main hall. I thought maybe she was with you.”
1/5
Chapter 139
The possessive wolf inside me stirred uneasily, a low growl building
in my chest that I barely managed to suppress. I hadn’t seen Elsa
since our… encounter in the storage room. I’d assumed she would
compose herself and join me as instructed. But that had been over an
hour ago.
I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, my fingertips nearly
cracking the screen with their pressure, listening to it ring until her
voicemail picked up. “Goddammit,” I snarled, hanging up without
leaving a message. I tried again with the same result, fighting the
urge to hurl the phone across the room.
“When exactly did you last see her?” I asked Jason, already moving
toward the exit with long, aggressive strides that had people
instinctively stepping out of my way.
“Maybe an hour and a half ago? She was sitting in the main hall
looking really sick. I asked if she was okay, but you know how she is-
insisted she was fine even though she could barely stand.”
My jaw clenched as I remembered her flushed face when I’d caught
her earlier. Had she actually been ill rather than just flustered from our encounter? The thought sent an uncomfortable pang through me, my stomach twisting with something that felt uncomfortably like
guilt.
“Check with the staff, see if anyone’s seen her,” I ordered, my voice
275
Chapter 139
I didn’t wait for him to finish, shoving him aside with enough force to
make him stumble against the wall. My heart pounded with an
urgency I wasn’t accustomed to feeling–a primal fear that had
nothing to do with business or pack politics.
“The tide’s coming in strong,” Jason said as he hurried alongside me.
“The crew says people have been swept into deeper water before
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone)