My Fated Alpha's Cruel Game (Elena and Marcus) novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Trail Goes Cold

Marcus’s POV

The moment Jett delivered the news that Elena had stolen his vehicle and fled our territory, dread twisted through my gut like a blade. Every instinct screamed that I had to locate her immediately.

The world beyond our borders held countless threats for someone like her. As a white wolf, Elena carried a target on her back that she barely understood. If the wrong people discovered her identity, her life would be forfeit within minutes.

I barked orders to assemble my warriors while one rushed to retrieve my SUV. Within minutes, we had three vehicles loaded and ready to move. I was reviewing tactical positions with my men when Viviana’s shrill voice cut through the night air from the packhouse entrance, her entourage trailing behind her like loyal lapdogs.

Hugo spread a detailed map across the hood of my vehicle, tracing the main highway that snaked away from our territory. The arterial road branched into dozens of smaller routes, each leading to different towns, different states, different possibilities for Elena to disappear completely. My jaw clenched as I divided my forces, assigning specific search corridors to each team.

"What exactly do you think you’re doing? Where are you rushing off to?" Viviana’s voice reached a pitch that could shatter glass as she stormed toward our convoy.

"Official pack matters. Return to your celebration," I commanded without sparing her a glance, sliding into the passenger seat while my most trusted warrior took the wheel.

We roared down the driveway and merged onto the highway, leaving Viviana’s protests echoing in our wake. Elena had gained at least two hours on us, which meant we needed to push these engines to their limits if we hoped to close that gap.

My eyes scanned every shadow and curve along the deserted roadway, searching for any glimpse of Jett’s distinctive vehicle. The asphalt stretched endlessly ahead, eerily vacant of traffic. Doubt began gnawing at my confidence that Elena had chosen this particular route.

Then I spotted them. Shadow streaks scarring the pavement like wounds.

"Stop the vehicle. Now." The words left my mouth like gunshots.

My driver slammed the brakes, and I was out the door before we fully stopped, my boots hitting asphalt as I followed the skid marks toward the shoulder. What I discovered made my blood turn to ice water.

Jett’s car sat crumpled against an ancient oak, its metal frame twisted around the thick trunk like a broken toy. The driver’s door hung open at an unnatural angle.

"Damn it," I breathed, sprinting toward the wreckage.

The driver’s seat was empty, but Elena’s scent lingered in the air, mingled with something that made my wolf howl in anguish. Blood. Fresh and unmistakably hers.

Crimson stains painted the interior surfaces and door frame in abstract patterns that told a story of violence and pain. I circled to the front of the mangled vehicle, where a bloody handprint marked the oak’s bark like a desperate plea for help.

Following instinct more than logic, I plunged into the treeline with my warriors flanking me. The metallic scent of Elena’s blood created a trail through the underbrush that my wolf could follow even in complete darkness.

My phone’s ringtone shattered the forest silence.

"Details. Now." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

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