<h4>Chapter 159: The Search</h4>


    Nathan’s POV


    "What do you mean you can’t trace the call?" I snapped, my voice a low growl as I paced the length of my office. The phone was clutched so tightly in my hand I thought it might shatter. My Beta stood on the other side of the desk, pale, nervous, his eyes darting anywhere but mine.


    He cleared his throat, swallowing hard. "Alpha... it was cut off too quickly. The line went dead before our trackers could pin it. Whoever was on the other end—they destroyed it. We’ve got nothing."


    "Nothing?" I snarled, my wolf pressing hard against my skin, ready to rip through. "I heard her! She was there. I heard her voice. Don’t tell me there’s nothing when my Hailee is alive!"


    The room shook with the force of my fury. Papers scattered, themp on my desk tipped over. My Beta flinched, lowering his head, his hands clenched at his sides. "I’m sorry, Alpha. I’ll push the team harder. But they have already blocked the signal... there’s no signal left to follow."


    A bitterugh tore from my throat. "Ten years," I hissed, dragging a hand down my face. "Ten fucking years I’ve been searching, and now that I finally hear her—she’s gone again?!"


    Images of the call burned in my head. That boy’s voice. Oscar. His name. His tone was steady but too young. My wolf bristled at the thought. Hailee. A boy. My Hailee... with a son?


    I mmed both hands down on the desk, the wood groaning under the force. My Beta jumped again. "She has a child," I said, my voice low, as realization dawned on me. That boy sounded like a kid not less than ten. My blood ran cold, then boiled hot all at once. My hands curled into fists, shaking. She left ten years ago. My chest heaved, every breath jagged. "She lied," I whispered, my voice breaking. "She told me she was married..." My jaw clenched so tight it hurt. "And all this time—she’s been alive. With my child. My blood."


    "Alpha—" my Beta began, but the look I shot him made him snap his mouth shut instantly.


    I turned my eyes to the window, staring out into the dark woods, the moonlight nting silver across the floor. My whole body shook with rage, with hope, with pain. Could that kid really be mine?


    Behind me, my Beta cleared his throat carefully, as if stepping onto thin ice. "Alpha... forgive me, but... there is something we must consider."


    I turned slowly, my re cutting into him. "Speak."


    He shifted on his feet, his voice lower now. "The boy—Oscar. He may not be yours. Hailee... she was married ten years ago, too."


    The words hit me like a de to the chest. For a moment, my breath stilled, my pulse pounding in my ears. He was right... that boy may not be mine... maybe I was just exaggerating things.


    He continued. "Alpha, I only mean—if she was married, the child could belong to another man. Not you. If you act rashly and im him without proof, the packs will—"


    "I don’t fucking care what the pack thinks." I said atst, my voice calm now, calm but lethal. "Find her. Use every tracker, every contact, every shadow if you must. Tear apart every pack, every town, every border. I don’t care if it takes blood." My eyes narrowed, burning with fire. "Bring Hailee back to me. And if anyone stands in the way—kill them."


    My Beta bowed deeply, his voice tight. "Yes, Alpha."


    When the door closed behind him, silence filled the room again. I pressed the phone to my forehead, my chest heaving as the ghost of her voice reyed in my ears.


    I sank into the chair behind my desk, dragging both hands over my face. My body trembled, not from weakness, but from the storm tearing me apart inside. Rage. Relief. Longing. Fear. Ten years of agony, ten years of searching, and now—one phone call had ripped everything open again.


    Her voice. I could still hear it, sharp, panicked. The way she had shouted the boy’s name.


    I rose abruptly, pacing the floor, my steps heavy, uneven. I mmed my fist against the wall, the sound echoing through the chamber. Pain shot through my knuckles, but I weed it. It grounded me, kept me from shatteringpletely.


    I turned toward the window, staring out at the night sky, the silver moon ring down at me. "Where are you, Hailee?" My voice was low, rough. "Why did you leave me? Why lie? Why let me drown for ten years while you..." My chest heaved, fury and heartbreak colliding. "Are you living a happy life? While I drown here in pain."


    I wanted to hate her. I wanted to curse her name, tear her from my heart once and for all. I couldn’t. The pull was still there. The bond. The madness that had never let me go.


    I pressed my forehead to the cold ss, my breath fogging it as I whispered, "I will find you. And when I do... you will pay for all you put me through."


    Suddenly the door opened again. My Beta’s voice was cautious, steadying itself as though he knew I was one snap away from tearing his throat out.


    "Alpha... I have a suggestion."


    I turned from the window slowly, my re cutting through the dim light. "Speak. And this time, it had better be worth my patience."


    He bowed his head slightly, then straightened, his tone measured. "The boy. Oscar. That was his name, yes?"


    The sound of it sent a jolt through me. My hands clenched at my sides, the memory of that little voice echoing in my skull. "Yes," I ground out.


    "Then perhaps," he said carefully, "we do not chase shadows. Perhaps we chase him."


    My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"


    My Beta took a cautious step forward. "We know his name. We know his voice belongs to a child no older than ten. That is all we need. We can search for every boy named Oscar within that age range. Every child has a trail, no matter how hidden. School records. Registrations. Guardians signing papers. If this Oscar exists—and he does—then somewhere, his name is written down. We can infiltrate the school registries. Cross-match boys named Oscar, age ten and under, across every district."


    My jaw tightened, but my chest stirred with something fierce. "You’re suggesting web through schools?"


    "Yes," he said firmly now, finding strength in his own n. "We’ll track every Oscar on paper, then investigate the families. One of them will lead us straight to her. To Hailee."


    The thought sent heat coursing through me. I could almost see it—her name scribbled as guardian, her handwriting, her presence hidden in in sight. My fists clenched, nails biting into my palms.


    "Do it," I ordered without a second thought. "Hack every registry. Buy off whoever you must. I don’t care if it takes millions of dors. I want those records in front of me."


    "Yes, Alpha," he said, bowing quickly.


    I stepped closer, my gaze locking on him with sharp finality. "And listen carefully. Not a word of this goes to anyone. Not to the council. Not to Callum or Dane. This search is mine."


    He nodded once. "Understood."