129

129

Ian’s POV.

I was losing my mind.

Days had passed since Sophia had been taken, and every moment she was gone felt like a thousand knives twisting inside me. The search parties I had sent out were turning up with nothing. We had scoured every inch of the vampire realm and beyond, using every resource, every contact I had, but still, nothing.

I couldn’t even focus. My thoughts were a constant barrage of worst-case scenarios. The thought of her being hurt, tortured, or worse—dead—was a poison spreading through my veins. I’d promised to protect her, and now she was out there, somewhere, suffering because of me. I was her king, her protector, and I’d failed her. It was a failure I couldn’t accept.

“Anything new?” I asked Jacob, my voice tight with desperation as he walked into the room. I could tell from his face that the answer was no.

Jacob shook his head, his expression grim. “We’re still searching, but—”

“I don’t want to hear excuses,” I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. The frustration, the helplessness, it was all bubbling up inside me, threatening to explode. “She’s out there, Jacob. We have to find her!”

Jacob didn’t flinch, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. He was trying just as hard as I was, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough.

Before Jacob could respond, the doors to the chamber opened, and Aldric strutted in with his usual arrogant smirk. The sight of him made my blood boil. He was one of the few on the Council who seemed to relish my failures, and now, he looked like he was enjoying every moment of my torment.

“Well, well,” Aldric began, his tone dripping with condescension. “Still no sign of your precious little mortal? Or should I say, former mortal? It’s a shame, really. I warned you that she would be nothing but trouble.”

I clenched my fists, trying to control the surge of rage that rose in my chest. “Now is not the time, Aldric,” I said through gritted teeth. “If you’re not here to help, then get out.”

He chuckled, ignoring my warning. “Help? Oh, I don’t think there’s much anyone can do now, is there? She’s probably dead by now, or worse. And it’s all because you couldn’t control her. You brought this on yourself, Ian. You brought it on all of us.”

His words hit like a hammer, and something inside me snapped. I lunged at him before I even realized what I was doing, my fist connecting with his jaw with a sickening crack. Aldric staggered back, shock flashing across his face, but I didn’t stop. I slammed him against the wall, my hands gripping his throat as I lifted him off the ground.

“You don’t know anything!” I snarled, my voice trembling with fury. “You have no idea what she means to me. You will not talk about her like that.”

Aldric’s hands clawed at mine, trying to break free, but I was stronger, fueled by the anger and desperation that had been building inside me for days. His eyes widened in panic as my grip tightened, and for a brief moment, I considered ending him right there. It would have been so easy. Just one more squeeze, and he would be gone.

But I wasn’t that far gone. Not yet.

I threw him to the ground instead, my chest heaving as I stepped back. Aldric gasped for air, rubbing his neck as he struggled to sit up. I could see the fear in his eyes now, mixed with anger, but I didn’t care.

“You’re weak, Aldric,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “You’ve always been weak. You talk a lot, but when it comes down to it, you’re nothing but a coward. If I hear you say one more word about Sophia, I will end you. Do you understand?”

He nodded, but I could see the hatred simmering beneath his fear. Aldric wasn’t the type to forget a slight, and I knew this wasn’t over. But right now, I didn’t care. All I cared about was finding her.

I turned away from him, ignoring the gasps and whispers from the others in the room. My mind was already elsewhere, racing through every possibility, every lead we hadn’t yet followed. I was running out of time. We all were.

Jacob stepped forward cautiously. “Ian…”

I waved him off, pacing the room like a caged animal. “We need to find them. Whoever took her, they’re moving her around, staying one step ahead of us. We need to get smarter. We need to think.”

“Ian, you need to calm down,” Jacob said carefully. “We’ll find her, but you can’t lose control like that. It’s not helping.”

“Calm down?” I rounded on him, the frustration spilling out. “She’s out there, Jacob! She’s out there, and every second we waste is another second she’s suffering! I can’t—” I stopped, my breath catching in my throat. “I can’t lose her.”

Jacob’s face softened, letting his own pain show. “I know. We won’t lose her. We’ll find her. But you can’t let them see you like this. The Council will use it against you.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Let them. I don’t care anymore. Let them try. The only thing that matters is getting her back.”

Jacob didn’t say anything for a moment, just watching me with that quiet, unshakable loyalty he always had. I could see the weight of everything on his shoulders too, the burden he was carrying for Jenny, for Sophia, for all of us. We were all hurting. But we couldn’t fall apart now.

“We’ll find her,” Jacob repeated, his voice firm. “We’ll make whoever did this pay.”

I nodded, though my mind was still spinning, still clawing at every possible solution, every lead we hadn’t yet followed. I had to hold on to that. I had to believe that we’d find her, that we weren’t too late.

But the rage still simmered beneath the surface, a dark and dangerous thing for me. For them. And I knew that when we did find them—the ones who had taken her—I wouldn’t show mercy.

Whoever had taken Sophia was going to suffer.