Chapter 119 I’m Coming
CADE
I didn’t waste any time answering him right away.
“Arden is missing. I revealed. “I think she might be in the South.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
Of course, I knew that Rowan had some kind of feelings for Arden in the past. I wasn’t too intimidated because I knew his feelings were shallow. Rowan truly never settled down. Arden must have shown him the kindness he was craving, so he caved in a little bit.
Just then, Rowan scoffed. “Why should I? She’s your mate, isn’t she? Maybe she ran away from you out of
fear.”
I clicked my tongue and shook my head. “Winters is involved.”
That shut him up.
“I think this might be what we need to overturn him.” I added. “However, I’m afraid time is also our enemy. So, I need your help.”
For a while, nothing but silence passed between us. I knew Rowan–better than I wanted to admit. He wasn’t a man who acted on impulse, no matter how hot–headed he appeared.
He was always strategizing and weighing outcomes, like his next move was a chessboard, and he had ten steps planned ahead.
I could almost hear the gears turning in his head, the conflict and resistance. He didn’t want to get involved at least not for me. So I pulled the last card I had.
“I think Tessa’s with her.”
A low growl vibrated across the phone.
Bingo.
I leaned ba
against the seat, watching the woods blur by as we drove deeper into the outskirts of the North, heading toward the South. The light on Bethany’s glowing necklace was starting to deepen a faint green pulsing steadily. We were getting closer.
“You’re lying,” Rowan muttered, but his voice didn’t have the bite it should’ve had. It was empty.
“I wish I were,” I said. “I heard from Owen that she might be investigating Winters on her own. She’s been missing since the afternoon. If Arden found out–if she thought Tessa was in danger–you know damn well she wouldn’t sit still.”
Silence followed again before he spoke with hostility.
“How does that concern me?” he snapped.
Chapter 119 I’m Coming
“Just help me, man,” I said, dropping the edge from my voice. I’ll return the favor when the time comes
Another pause followed, making me impatient.
“Fuck,” he finally muttered under his breath. “I’ll be there.”
I smirked and ended the call before he could change his mind.
Beside me, Bethany was breathing heavier. Still, she was alert, clutching the necklace in her palm.
“Rowan Wremmoor?” she asked, glancing at me once.
I nodded, pulling the steering wheel slightly as we turned into a narrower, darker road. “Yeah.”
“I guess it’s true then,” she murmured. “The True Alphas have some separation.”
I huffed out a humorless laugh. “Can you blame us? It’s how we were conditioned. Raised to fight, not to unite.
“Weakness,” she said in an accusing tone. “Divide and conquer works even in your own ranks.”
“We’re not enemies,” I said, “but we’re not friends either.”
Bethany didn’t respond. Instead, she focused on the green–glowing stone with a haunted expression, her fingers trembling around it. It was clear she cared very deeply for Arden.
“And what’s his deal with this Tessa girl you’re talking about?” Bethany asked, eyes still glued to the stone. I strike up a conversation to hide her nervousness, could tell she was trying to
I guess I needed it too.
I let out a small chuckle. “Let’s just say… he’ll probably have his own storyline later on.”
Bethany frowned in confusion, and I shook my head, smiling to myself.
“But for now,” I whispered, tightening my grip on the wheel, “this is mine.”
The green light intensified slightly, casting a glow inside the car.
We were close.
Too close for it to be anything else.
I could feel it in my chest–the tight pull, the rising pressure in my lungs. Not just because she was my mate. Not just because of some bond.
Because she was Arden.
And I would burn the whole damn world if it meant bringing her home.
The road ahead narrowed into cracked, forgotten concrete. Shadows filtered through the canopy above, falling over the windshield. But my focus wasn’t on the road
It was on the glow.
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Chapter 119 I’m Coming
The necklace in Bethany’s frail grip was now unmistakably green–no longer faint or pulsing Blazin It had been lit from within.
We were closer than we’d ever been.
I gripped the wheel tighter, my knuckles whitening. My heart was beating too fast, hammering behind my ribs like it wanted out.
“Almost there,” I muttered under my breath, though I wasn’t sure if it was to Bethany or myself.
The terrain was familiar now–deceptively familiar. I had been here before, and that was when it clicked. This was Southern Territory, but due to its large size, it felt more like an unclaimed land. It felt like private property.
Just then, I heard the faint sound of a lake from a distance, and even in the dark, I finally recognized it This place was where Arden and I were lost and found Mr. Winters‘ cabin.
So, there could only be one place where she could be. Winters must think he was smart, but there were always cracks amidst each plan.
He didn’t know that we had already found his hideout.
“Wait for me, baby,” I whispered. “I’m coming
I knew she was scared.
And I was going to make damn sure this ended tonight.
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