Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 266

Chapter 266: Chapter 266
Seraphina’s POV

The camp came into view just as dawn started breaking.

What was left of it anyway.

Torn tents. Scattered equipment. Blood staining the ground black in the half-light.

And bodies. God, so many bodies.

I parked at the perimeter. My hands wouldn’t let go of the steering wheel. Couldn’t let go.

This was real. All of it was real.

Warriors moved between the wreckage. Tending wounds. Carrying stretchers. Their faces hollow. Exhausted. Traumatized.

I forced myself out of the car. My legs shook but held.

A warrior spotted me first. Young. Maybe twenty. His eyes went wide.

“Luna?” He looked behind me. Like he expected an entourage. Security. Something. “What are you…how did you…”

“Where’s Lucas?” The question came out sharp.

“Medical tent.” He pointed. “But Luna…you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe. The rogues could…”

I was already walking. Past him. Past the shocked stares. Past warriors who stopped what they were doing to watch me.

Let them stare. I didn’t care.

The medical tent was chaos.

Wounded everywhere. Not enough medics. Not enough supplies. Blood and groaning and the smell of death.

I spotted Lucas immediately. Standing over a makeshift table. Barking orders. His clothes torn. His face covered in dirt and blood.

“Get me more gauze!” He shouted at someone. “And find out if we have any antibiotics left!”

“Lucas.”

He spun around. His eyes found mine. Went huge.

“Sera?” He crossed the tent in three strides. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Looking for my husband.” I kept my voice level. Barely. “Where is he?”

Lucas’s face did something complicated. Pain. Guilt. Fear.

“I don’t know.”

The words hit like a physical blow.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” My voice rose. Several heads turned. “You said he was fighting Voss. You said—”

“They went into the forest.” Lucas grabbed my arm. Pulled me aside. Away from listening ears. “Hours ago. To fight. One-on-one. Alpha challenge.”

“And?”

“And they never came back.” His jaw clenched. “We’ve sent scouts. Search parties. Nothing. It’s like they vanished.”

My chest felt tight. Too tight. “His aura. You said his aura was gone.”

“It is.” Lucas’s voice dropped. “I can’t feel him, Sera. None of us can. It’s like it’s like he’s not there anymore.”

“He’s not dead.” The words came out fierce. Desperate. “He can’t be dead. I would know. I would feel it.”

Would I though? We’d been separated for months. Our bond frayed. Damaged. Would I even know if he…

No. I couldn’t think like that.

“We don’t know anything for certain.” Lucas’s hand squeezed my arm. Gentle. “But Sera, you need to leave. Go back home. To the kids. Let us handle…”

“No.” I pulled away. “I’m not leaving without him.”

“Sera…”

“I’m not leaving!” My voice cracked. Tears threatening. “I came all this way. I know—I know the truth now. About everything. About the setup. About Gabriel and Emma. All of it.”

I pulled the USB drive from my pocket. Held it up. “I watched the videos. I know he didn’t betray me. I know he was drugged. I know everything.”

Lucas stared at the drive. At me. “Sera…”

“I was wrong.” The admission hurt coming out. “I was so wrong. And I need to tell him that. I need to”

My voice broke completely. The tears came. Hot. Fast. Unstoppable.

“I need to tell him I’m sorry.”

Lucas pulled me close. Let me cry into his shoulder. His arms solid. Safe. But wrong.

They were the wrong arms. The wrong person.

I needed Damien. Needed to see him. Touch him. Make sure he was alive.

“Okay.” Lucas’s voice was rough. “Okay. But you’re not going alone. I’ll assemble”

“No.” I pulled back. Wiped my face. “No teams. No warriors.”

“That’s insane.”

“Think about it.” I forced myself to sound rational. “If Voss is still out there, if this is a trap, a large group will just make noise. Draw attention.”

“One person though?” I met his eyes. “One person can move quietly. Can search without alerting anyone.”

“One person can also get killed.” His voice got hard. “Sera, I’m not letting you—”

“I don’t have a wolf.” The words came out flat. “Ayla’s gone. I have no scent. No pack bond. To any rogue out there, I’m just human.”

He hesitated. I saw the calculation in his eyes.

“If I find something wrong,” I continued. “Anything suspicious. I won’t engage. I’ll come right back. I promise.”

“Sera, this is stupid. You know it’s stupid.”

“Probably.” I forced a smile. “But I’m doing it anyway.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“You’re needed here.” I gestured at the chaos around us. “Look at this place. These warriors need leadership. Medical supplies. Organization. You can’t just leave.”

“And you can?”

“I’m not Beta.” The truth hurt. “I’m not commander. I’m just—I’m just a wife looking for her husband.”

Lucas ran a hand through his hair. Frustrated. Torn.

“If you’re not back in two hours,” he said finally. “I’m sending everyone. Every warrior who can still walk. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“And Sera?” His voice softened. “Be careful. Please. The kids need you.”

The kids. Adrian. Lily. Back home. Safe. Probably worried.

I’d promised them their father would come home. I’d promised.

“I’ll be careful.” I turned toward the exit. “Where did they go? Which direction?”

“Northeast.” Lucas pointed. “About half a mile in. There’s a clearing. That’s where the challenge was supposed to happen.”

“But?”

“But we found blood leading away from the clearing. Into deeper forest. They moved the fight.”

Blood. Damien’s blood.

“I’m going.” I started walking before Lucas could stop me. Before I could change my mind.

The camp watched me leave. Silent. Grim. Like they were watching a dead woman walking.

Maybe they were right.

—

The forest was darker than I expected.

Trees blocking the rising sun. Shadows everywhere. Every sound amplified.

My footsteps. My breathing. My heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I’d grabbed a knife from the supply tent. Small. Sharp. Probably useless against a wolf. But it made me feel slightly less helpless.

The blood trail Lucas mentioned was obvious. Dark stains on leaves. Splattered on tree trunks. Drops on the ground.

Too much blood. Way too much blood.

I followed it deeper. One foot in front of the other. Trying not to think about what I’d find.

The clearing appeared suddenly. Open space among the trees.

And evidence of a fight. Torn earth. Broken branches. More blood.

So much blood it looked black against the dirt.

I knelt. Touched it with shaking fingers. Still slightly warm.

Recent. This happened recently.

The trail continued. Leading away. Toward thicker forest.

I followed. My knife gripped tight. My eyes scanning for movement.

Nothing. Just silence. Just shadows.

Then I felt it.

A pull. Subtle at first. Like a thread tugging at my chest.

I stopped. Pressed my hand to my sternum. The sensation grew stronger.

Not painful. Not exactly. Just… there. Insistent. Demanding attention.

What the hell?

I’d never felt anything like this before. This awareness. This certainty that something waited ahead.

Not something. Someone.

“Damien?” The name came out barely a whisper.

The pull intensified. Like an answer.

I started walking faster. Following the sensation more than the blood trail now. Letting it guide me.

Left here. Right there. Straight ahead. The pull growing stronger with each step.

My rational brain screamed warnings. This could be a trap. Could be rogues. Could be anything.

But something deeper insisted. Something primal. Something that recognized this feeling.

The mate bond. Damaged. Frayed. But still there. Still connecting us.

Still pulling me toward him.

The trees thinned ahead. Another clearing visible through the branches.

The pull was almost painful now. Urgent. Desperate.

He was close. I knew it with absolute certainty.

I crept forward. Careful. Quiet. Knife ready.

Voices reached me first. Low. Male. Arguing about something.

Then I saw them.