Chosen To Be The Alpha's Surrogate
⊰ 88 ⊱ Beacon of Hope

**I Malachi I**

The full moon hangs high in the night sky, its silvery light painting the beach in ethereal hues. The ocean stretches out before me, an endless expanse of dark water that shimmers and dances under the moonlight. It's beautiful, peaceful even, but I can't shake the feeling that something's off.

Then I hear it. My name, carried on the warm island breeze.

I turn, and my heart stops.

There she is. Penelope. My mate. My everything.

"Penny?" I call out, disbelief and hope warring within me.

Before I know it, I'm running. Sand kicks up behind me as I close the distance between us. When I reach her, I scoop her up in my arms, crushing her to my chest. Her familiar scent-honey and lavender and something uniquely *her*__ envelops me, and I bury my face in her hair.

"I miss you," I murmur, my voice rough with emotion. "God, I miss you so much."

I know I'm dreaming. I have to be. But this feels different from my usual nightmares. This feels real. I've summoned Penelope into my dreams, and she's responded. She's here. With me.

I pull back just enough to capture her lips with mine. I kiss her desperately, hungrily. A kiss filled with all the longing and fear I've been carrying since she was taken. When we finally break apart, both breathless, I rest my forehead against hers. "Please," Penelope whispers, her voice trembling. "Please find me, Mal. I need you."

Tears stream down her face, and the sight breaks my heart. I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs gently wiping away her tears. "Shh, little rabbit," I soothe, even as my own chest tightens with longing. "It's okay. I'm here."

The intensity of what I'm feeling threatens to overwhelm me. My heart is pounding so hard I think it might burst out of my chest. I never want to wake up. I never want to let her go again. But deep down, I know this can't last forever. *I need to know where she is. I need to find her.*

I take a deep breath, trying to center myself. As much as I want to lose myself in this moment, in her, I know I need to use this opportunity. "Penny," I say, my voice low filled with urgency. "I need you to tell me everything you know. Anything that might help me find you."

She shakes her head, frustration clear in her eyes. "I don't know much," she says. "Just that I'm on an island, in some kind of castle. It's beautiful, but I don't know where. I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more."

"It's okay," I reassure her, even as my mind races with this new information.

*An island. It's not much, but it's more than we had before.*

"Are you hurt?" I ask, my hands running over her arms, her face, as if I could feel any injuries through this dream. "Has anyone... has anyone touched you?"

Penelope shakes her head quickly. "No, no, we're okay," she says, placing a hand on her swollen belly. "Rook... he's making sure the baby and I are safe."

At the mention of Rook's name, I feel a surge of anger. "That bastard," I growl, my hands tightening on Penelope's arms. "What's he telling you? What game is he playing?"

She bites her lip, looking uncertain. "It's... it's complicated, Mal. He says he's protecting us from something bigger. There are threats to the Continental King contenders, and someone might try to hurt me to get to you."

I clench my jaw, fighting to keep my rage in check. "Protecting you? By *kidnapping* you? Penny, he's dangerous. You can't believe anything he says."

"I don't trust him," Penelope assures me quickly. "But... there's more to this than we thought, Mal. He knows things, things that seem to check out."

I want to press for more information, to demand every detail about what Rook has told her, but I can see the fear and uncertainty in Penelope's eyes. Now isn't the time to interrogate her. There are bigger things, more important things to worry about right now.

*She's the only thing that matters. Her and our son.*

"Okay," I say, trying to keep my voice calm. "Just... be careful around him. I'm going to find you, Penny. I'm going to bring you home. I swear it."

She clutches at me, her fingers digging into my arms. "Please," she begs, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "Please don't go. Don't leave me."

Her plea cuts through me like a knife. Every instinct in me is screaming to stay, to hold her, to never let go. But I know I can't. "I have to, my love," I say, my voice cracking. "Every minute I spend asleep is a minute longer that I'm not finding you."

Penelope sobs, burying her face in my chest. I hold her tight, memorizing the feel of her in my arms. "I'm so sorry," I whisper into her hair. "I love you. I love you so much."

The dream starts to fade, the edges of my vision going dark. I cling to Penelope desperately, trying to hold onto the dream for just a moment longer. But it's slipping away, and then-

I jolt awake, my heart racing. I'm at my desk, papers scattered in front of me. I blink, and I feel the wetness on my cheeks. Tears. I quickly wipe them away, taking a deep breath to compose myself.

The dream felt so real. I can still smell Penelope's scent. I can still feel the warmth of her in my arms. The loss hits me anew, a physical ache in my chest. But with it comes a renewed determination.

I stand, my chair scraping against the floor. Just as I open the door, my eyes land on Axel standing there, his hand raised to knock. He takes one look at my face and his eyes widen.

"Alpha?" he says, concern evident in his voice. "What's happened?"

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "I summoned Penelope in my dreams," I say, my voice rougher than I'd like. "She's alive, Axel. And she's on an island."

Axel's eyebrows shoot up. "An island? Are you sure?"

I nod, running a hand through my hair. "It's not much, I know. But it's something."

The look on Axel's face shifts, determination replacing surprise. "It's more than we had before," he says. "It narrows down the search significantly. I'll get on it right away, start looking into island territories, offshore properties." "Good," I say, feeling a spark of hope for the first time in days. "I want a list of possible locations as soon as possible."

Axel nods, already turning to leave. But he pauses at the door, looking back at me. "We'll find her, Alpha," he says, his voice firm with conviction. "We'll bring her home."

As he leaves, I turn to look at my office, at the scattered papers and disorganized files. I've been so focused on finding Penelope that I've hardly stepped foot out of here. And now, knowing that somewhere out there, on some unknown island, Penelope is okay and waiting for me, I feel a semblance of relief.

*She's okay. She's not hurt.*

I close my eyes, reaching out through our bond. It continues to be faint, but I hold onto it desperately. It's a lifeline in the darkness.