<h4>Chapter 210: Let the hunt begin...</h4>


    <strong>Charis</strong>


    My heart stopped. "What?"


    "He went to the human world to find his sister. I helped him cross the border this morning. But my dad just found out, and—" Rhett ran his hand through his hair. "There are people called the Collectors. They kidnap young wolves who cross into human territory alone. They take them to underground fighting rings."


    The ground tilted slightly. I grabbed Kael’s arm to steady myself.


    "No," I whispered. "No, no, no. ter wouldn’t—he’s smart. He’s careful. Oh goddess...what if something happened to him?"


    Kael, who had been silent beside me, squeezed my hands gently. "Panicking won’t help, Charis. Let’s hear the rest."


    "They’ve taken twelve wolves already," Rhett continued, his voice shaking. "From different packs. All of them disappeared within hours of crossing. And ter’s been gone for almost eight hours now."


    Rhett took in a shaky breath. "We had to go to the human world for an emergency rescue, but when we went there, there was no sign of him and Riley. The only thing we have now is the live feed of the CCTV camera confirming that he did meet up with his sister, but there was a glitch and everything disappeared."


    My breathing wasing too fast. Panic wed at my throat. Images flooded my mind—ter hurt, ter in a cage, ter fighting for his life.


    "We have to find him," I said. "We have to—"


    "Breathe," Kael said quietly, his hand covering mine. "Charis, breathe."


    I tried to take a breath, but it came out shaky and broken. "What if they have him already? What if he’s hurt? What if—"


    "We don’t know anything yet," Kael said calmly, in a way that helped ground me. "But standing here panicking won’t help him. We need to go inside and find out what’s being done to find him."


    He was right. I nodded, trying to pull myself together. My hands were shaking, but I forced them still.


    "Come on," Rhett said. "Both of them are inside coordinating the search."


    We hurried into the pack house. My mind was racing, cycling through worst-case scenarios faster than I could stop them. ter was one of my mates. The bond between us wasn’t fully established yet, but I could feel an echo of it—a connection that was supposed to grow stronger after the full moon ceremony. My wolf was already worrying.


    If something happened to him before then...


    No. I couldn’t think like that.


    We followed Rhett down the hallway. The house was filled with tension, guards moved briskly, servants whispered in corners, and somewhere I heard the sounds of warriors training and the faint scent of burning sage from the prayermps hung in the air.


    When we entered the main sitting room, the sight made me pause.


    The entire space had been transformed into somemand centre. The elegant furniture had been pushed aside to make room for arge table in the centre. A map was spread across it, marked with various symbols and notes.


    Alpha Terry stood at the head of the table, nked by five other men in dark tactical uniforms. They were all studying the map intently, pointing at different locations and talking in low, urgent voices.


    As we entered, Alpha Raymond, ter’s father, who had been making a call outside, walked past us toward the table.


    Kael’s hand shot out and caught his arm. "What’s happening?"


    Alpha Raymond looked at Kael, then at me and Rhett. "We’re trying to contact all ourworks in the human world—people who owe us favours, informants, and anyone who might have seen something strange. We’re also checking every surveince channel, and so far, no sighting.


    "And if they haven’t seen anything?" Kael asked.


    "If we don’t get a call within twenty-four hours, we’ll have to involve human authorities." Raymond’s jaw clenched.


    "Isn’t it risky?" I asked in a small voice. "Exposing our world to humans? Is there no other choice?"


    "We already have a good rapport with their government and representatives scattered throughout the world. asionally, we share resources too, so it’s not like the humans are oblivious to our world."


    "A lot can happen in twenty-four hours," Kael said, his voice hard. "If the Collectors have him, waiting that long could be fatal."


    Raymond studied Kael more carefully. "You know about the Collectors?"


    Kael nodded. "I know their mode of operation."


    Everyone at the table stopped talking and turned to look at us. Alpha Terry’s eyes narrowed.


    "Exin," Raymond said.


    Kael stepped closer to the table, leaning over the map with a serious expression. "The Collectors work in cells; small groups of three to five people. They scout young wolves who cross into human territory alone. They’re looking for specific targets: wolves between sixteen and twenty-five, from established packs, with training or notable bloodlines. Their trade is in werewolf blood and gic material, which they sell to the highest bidders in both human and rogue markets."


    The room fell silent as he continued.


    He pointed at the map. "They operate near border towns; ces where the human world and pack territories ovep. They have spotters positioned at key locations: train stations, bus stops, popr gathering ces. They target isted travellers or lone wolves, then use scent-blocking gas to disorient the victim before capturing them."


    "Is that why ter’s scent grew cold?" Alpha Terry as, a contemtive look on his brow.


    "Exactly," Kael nodded. "After that, they erase any trace of movement by deploying maic interference and shutting down trackers ormunication devices. Once the subject is sedated, they move them through civilian routes to avoid suspicion."


    "How long do they wait before taking someone?" one of the men at the table asked.


    "Depends on the situation," Kael said. "If the target is isted, they move fast, within an hour or two. If there are too many witnesses, they wait for the target to move to a quieter location. But they never wait more than six hours. After that, the risk of the target leaving the area bes too high."


    My stomach twisted. ter had been gone for eight hours.


    "And where are these holding locations?" Alpha Terry asked.


    "That’s the thing," Kael said. "The Collectors aren’t that smart. They don’t hide inplicated areas. They use abandoned buildings, warehouses, old factories, and closed-down schools. ces that are empty but still have basic infrastructure. Electricity, water, multiple exits."


    "Why not somewhere more hidden?" Raymond asked.


    "Because they need space for the fighting rings," Kael exined. "And they need to be able to moverge groups of people in and out without drawing attention. Abandoned industrial areas are perfect, lots of space, few neighbours, easy to exin away noise as construction or maintenance work."


    Alpha Terry crossed his arms. "How do you know all this?"


    Kael’s expression didn’t change as he met his gaze. "I have my means."


    The two stared at each other for a long moment. I could feel the tension in the room ratcheting up.


    "The most important thing you should focus on right now," Kael said, turning back to Alpha Raymond, "is getting their location. Every minute we waste talking is another minute they have to move ter somewhere harder to find."


    "We’re doing everything we can—" one of the other men started.


    "Are you?" Kael interrupted. "Do you have CCTV footage from the festival?"


    "Are we going to let a boy lead the operation now?" Alpha Terry scoffed. "You’re Alpha Winter’s son, aren’t you? Since when did Silvermere produce people with tactical knowledge? Or did you read this off the inte?"


    "Dad, c’mon. This is Kael," Rhett sighed. "I told you he’s the best fighter in Ravenshore."


    "We don’t need the best fighters to rescue ter. That is inconsequential," Alpha Terry smirked. "Anyways, thank you, Kael, it was such a pleasant distraction, now take your friends out of the room and allow the adults to tackle this."


    "Alpha Terry," Kael called out in a calm tone; his face was void of expression. "I know you all know that I am not Alpha Henry’s biological son."


    At that, Alpha Terry only arched a brow.


    "Secondly, I am a Bloodborn Wolf. I am faster and more vicious than any of you in this room. Besides, I have led seven operations to rescue people from the collectors and in all seven operations, I went alone and came out unscathed."


    Then Kael turned to Alpha Raymond. "ter is more than a best friend to me. We share bonds deeper than friendship, and in case you didn’t know, I, he and Rhett are mated to the same woman. If you would allow me, I promise I’ll rescue your son and bring him to you before 10 am tomorrow."


    "You’re a Bloodborn wolf?" Alpha Terry seemed to have recovered from the shock of Kael’s announcement earlier and moved around the table to stand next to Kael. "Bloodborn wolves haven’t been in existence since..."


    "Thest one died?" Kael supplied, turning to give him a hard stare. "Alpha Terry, you, more than anyone in this room, have seen the prowess of a Bloodborn. I hope you can share your testimony with the others. I’ll go and prepare myself for the rescue mission."


    Alpha Terry’s face had gone pale. This was the first time I was seeing that kind of reaction from him. Kael had struck a chord with his ambiguous statement.


    "Come along, babe!" Kael murmured, reaching for my hand.