Chapter 224 The Vanishing Scent
Baron’s POV
The kitchen was filled with the savory aroma of a slow–simmered broth, the steam rising in lazy turls toward the exhaust far
I stood by the marble island, my sleeves rolled up, methodically dicing fresh herbs.
My wolf was humming with joy, happy about the meal for our mate.
For a few brief moments, I was just a man preparing a meal for the woman who held my soul in her hands and the children w were my heart’s blood.
Then
he kitchen crashed.
y?”
ows stumbled in, his scent spiked with a sharp musk of pure dread.
Luna was bullied by Loretta at the café.”
it my mouth with a low–frequency growl.
y brain could even process the logic, my hand
avy knife I had been holding whistled thro
e was pacing now.
The subordinate blanched, his face tur
“Alpha Baron, here’s what happen
He told me about the coffee
My face darkened, Raz
1 let out a low, bi
predatory instinct.
itself deep into the far wooden pantry door with a violent
ey as he stared at the vibrating handle.
a rushed clip, relaying the details of the encounter at the Cafe
ut the Matriarch of the Nightfang trying to physically strike my mate
“That old
oes she? She actually dared to throw scalding liquid at my wife”
Raze about to lose his control.
Make sure she gets her fill of coffee and remember tion.”
his forehead nearly hit the floor before scurrying off
whatever she did to my wife do the
ands trembling slightly with the sheer effort of suppressing the urge to go hnd Loretta myself and tear
the stove when a sound from the upper floor shattered through the villa
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Chapter 224 The Vanishing Suent
H was the heavy, muffled thud of a body fitting the floor, followed by the chilling silence of where there should have been the laughter of pups.
“Sean! Susie!”
I didn’t use the stairs.
I vaulted over the banister, my wolf Raze taking over mylimbs, every muscle coiled for & hunt
I threw open the nursery door with a force that nearly tore it from its hinges.
The room was empty.
The colorful toys, the soft blankets, the lingering scent of milk and vanilla… it was all there, but the children were gone.
n
Yvonne lay unconscious on the hardwood floor, a dark bruise blooming on her temple.
The sliding glass door had been forced open, the heavy lock shattered.
Clear, footprints led out onto the balcony and down toward the gardens, but the intruders had been professional; they had worn covers over their boots, leaving no treads, no DNA, no scent but the faint, chemical smell of a sedative.
My face turned ashen, my vision tunneling into a red haze of murderous intent.
My wolf let out a howl.
“Whoever dared lay a hand on my children… they’re courting a death so slow even the stars will grow old watching it.”
snatched up my phone, my thumb nearly cracking the screen as dialed the perimeter lead.
When the line opened, I didn’t wait for a greeting.
barked into the receiver.
‘Sean and Susie were taken from their room. You were on watch outside… how did you miss a breach of the inner sanctum ?
the
Alpha,” the guard stammered, the terror in his voice palpable even through the speaker “The inner security detail you remember, sir… they were assigned by the Stone pack. You told us put to interfere with them or cross the threshold uniess summoned, since this villa belongs to the Stones and we are guests here. We only kept watch around the perimeter wall”
“Ha!”
I let out a furious, humorless laugh that sounded more like a bark
“You were on the perimeter and still didn’t notice an intruder scaling the waths with two shifters in tow And you stand here making excuses to your Alpha? Find the children if so much as a hair is out of place on the heads you won’t need to worry about the Stone pack. You’ll follow my children into the grave, but I promise you won’t go as peacefully
I hung up, the phone groaning in my grip
I tore off my apron and rushed out into the hallway, when the front door opened
Natalie stepped in
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Chapter 224 The Vanishing Scent
What happened? Baron, why are you. where are the kids?”
Seeing me so frantic unsettle
She rarely saw me like this.
instantly.
As I turned toward her, the sight of her made my fury spike even higher.
Despite her attempts to clean up, her silver hair was still matted in places with dried coffee, and her suit was stained.
The disrespect she had suffered was a physical ache in my chest.
“I have to step out,” I said, my voice tight as I tried to mask the tremor in my hands. “You stay here. Rest… Chris will stay with you
My tone was too sharp, too defensive.
It only deepened Natalie’s unease.
She stepped closer, her emerald eyes searching mine. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Baron, tell me. Where are my children?”
had meant to keep it from her.
But I knew Natalie.
f I didn’t tell her, she would imagine a thousand horrors far worse than the reality.
‘The children have been taken,” I said, the words feeling like shards of glass in my throat. “Someone bypassed the Stones inner guard and took them through the nursery balcony.”
The moment she heard it, Natalie’s heart lurched.
felt her panic slam through the mate bond hard enough to twist my own heart.
Her scent flared with a desperate terror that almost brought me to my knees.
‘Chris!” she shouted, her voice regaining the command. “Send every man we have. Search the grounds, the roads, the back NOW”
She turned to run out the door with me but I caught her by the shoulders, stopping her.
‘Natalie, wait. Clean yourself up and change first,” I urged, my voice softening just enough to each her Thead out and use my private connections in the North and the South. This was aimed at me, not you. No one outside our inner circle knows about you connection to the kids. If you go out looking like this, you’re just marking yourself as a target
I signaled Chris with a sharp look, silently commanding him to escort her back to her room
Natalie looked like she wanted to argue but as she looked into my eyes and saw the composure I was forcing myself to maintai she finally nodded.
She knew that a clear head was the only thing that would bring the children back alive
“Be careful, Baron,” she whispered, her palms slick with sweat as she gripped my forearms “Please Bring them home
“I will,” I promised.
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Chapter 224 The Vanishing Scent
+watched her go up the stairs, afrd the second she was out of sight, my face fell back.
I didn’t believe for a second that this was just one of my old enemies.
The timing was too perfect.
The hospital incident, Loretta’s summons, the amusement park… It was all–planned.
Natalie’s POV
+20 Free Coins
I stood under the shower, the hot water washing away the smell of Loretta’s coffee and the grime of a day that had turned into a nightmare.
My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold the soap.
Sean.
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