My Alpha's Wolfless Daughter
My Alpha’s Wolfless Daughter – Chapter 60

Ayla

My head was pounding as I came to. I wasn’t sure where I was now, but I was no longer being held by Dante. That was a relief. I’m not sure why I was ever that weak.

I heard muffled voices but they went quiet as I whimpered, trying to open my eyes. The light caused my head to pound harder, and the feeling was making me nauseous. Did I hit my head? I was trying to remember as I sat up, squinting as I looked around.

“Baby, how are you feeling?” Dante was now beside me. I had been lying on a couch and there were seats around me. I think I was on a plane. I jumped when Dante placed his hand on my bare thigh.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s just me.” He whispered.

“My head hurts,” I whimpered. Dante moved to sit behind me and pulled me down against him.

“Ezekiel, get some painkillers,” Dante called out, and I whimpered again.

“I’m sorry, love.” He whispered, kissing my temple.

My skin crawled at his touch but I was too weak to fight. I was torn between being left alone with my demons and being afraid to be alone with them. But I didn’t want Dante. I would never want him like I crave Nate.

“My queen,” a man’s voice said. I squinted, as I looked up to find a man standing over me. He had a bottle of water in his hands.

He handed me a couple of pills and a bottle of water. I drank down the pills and the entire bottle of water and I still wasn’t satisfied. But I decided against asking for another bottle.

Dante took the bottle from me and handed it back to the other man. He then lowered me back so my head was now in his lap. I always had to be nice to men I disliked while working with Mr. Ferguson, so I was just going to have to put on my best face if I wanted to get out of this alive.

“Feeling better?” Dante asked, playing with my hair. I nodded against his thigh.

My body started to shiver uncontrollably, even after Dante placed a blanket over me. I was trying to think of nothing so I wouldn’t break down. This wasn’t the time or place for me to let my emotions get the better of me.

“We are almost home try to get some sleep,” Dante said. He had one hand in my hair and the other one was drawing circles on my h*p.

“Ayla, get some sleep. We are safe for now.” Kaia said before I drifted off to sleep.

King Kaden

I was in my office with my brother, trying desperately to come up with a plan. I had heard from Alpha Atlas and it wasn’t good news. They were heading back and, hopefully, Zoe would be able to track Ayla using Bluey, her dog.

I was about to lose my s**t. I should never have left but I knew I needed my army. We all did. Ayla is to rule over all of us and we need to be able to fight and protect her.

I was furious with Xander, but then I also knew how stubborn Ayla can be. She would have found a way to get back home on her own and then we really would have lost her.

Looking over maps, I slammed my fists against my desk before I started to pace my office. Nothing was adding up. I didn’t know where to start. I was desperate to get to her. Her father informed me what Jordan had done to her and that Xander had killed him. The thought of her going through something like that broke my heart.

“Kaden, calm down. You can’t help her if you don’t have a clear head.” My brother scoffed. I punched my fist through the wall as I let out a scream.

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Kai! She needed me and I wasn’t there for her again! You may not understand, but I still love her!” I yelled at him, my heart pounding against my chest. I pulled my now bleeding knuckles from the wall.

He just stared at me. There was nothing he could say to make this situation any better. My phone rang on my desk and I sighed before I went to answer it. I was praying for good news but I had a feeling things were about to get worse.

Looking at the screen, the caller’s ID was an unknown number. My heart rate spiked thinking it was Ayla who was calling me. Maybe she was able to get away.

“Hello?” I rushed out, answering the call.

“Is this King Kaden?” A man asked.

“And who is this?” My heart sank.

“My name is Ezekiel. I’m calling on behalf of my boss. Details of a meeting being held between all the mermaid kingdoms and the King and Queen of the seas are set to happen two days from now. Do you confirm your presence?” He asked me.

“You have Ayla? Who the hell is this boss?” I yelled.

“I can’t confirm any of the details. I will send over the details of the meeting. If you are not present, your kingdom will be forfeited.” He told me before he hung up.

“Kaden, what’s wrong?” Kai asked me, worried. I looked at him, still shocked.

“Get the army and meet me at Nate’s pack. I’ll meet you there.” I demanded before I ran out of my office.

I made it to the shores of his pack in record time. I just grabbed a bag with some clothes before throwing in my phone. I could buy anything if I needed it. The most important part was to alert the others. I knew they were going to try to track her but I hadn’t heard anything yet.

I was met on the beach by a few wolves. I held up my hands to let them know I wasn’t a threat.

“Get Alpha Nate. I have news about Ayla.”

Alpha Nate

As soon as one of my patrolmen was in my head informing me that King Kaden had arrived with information about Ayla, I ran out the door. I didn’t realize Xander had followed me until I arrived at their location. I was losing my mind over all of this. Zoe wasn’t able to track Ayla and Xander had told us she threw the necklace into the ocean before they left.

“King Kaden, do you know where Ayla is?” I rushed out. Xander came up beside me. He shook his head and my heart sank.

“We should talk in your office.” He said, looking at my warriors. Everyone here was loyal to me. While waiting on the others, I was speaking to everyone. I couldn’t just put my pack on hold as I looked for Ayla. And to be fair, I don’t even know where to look now. I was completely useless, so I made myself busy to keep myself sane.

I motioned him to follow before I made my way back to the pack house where my new office was located. It’s hard to believe I’m an alpha now, but I’d give it all up just to have Ayla back. I’d give up my own life if it meant she was safe.

“We will get her back. We have, too. I can’t live without her.” Duke whined.

“Me too, buddy,” I knew exactly how he was feeling. Life wasn’t worth living without her. I didn’t want another mate. I just wanted her. And I was kicking myself for not fully claiming her. If I had, none of this would have happened.

As soon as we were in my office, I didn’t wait for the door to close. I was too anxious to hear what he knew.

“Start explaining?” I demanded as I paced my office.

“I was contacted by a blocked number. I thought it was Ayla but it was a man named Ezekiel. He was calling on behalf of the King and Queen of the seas.” He started. I cursed and started to pull on my hair as I paced faster.

“And what did he want?” Xander asked.

“There will be a meeting in two days to discuss the future of the kingdoms. He wouldn’t tell me if Ayla was there or not, but I’m assuming she is the Queen of the Seas.” He sighed.

“Now, who the f**k is this king?” I growled, unable to hold in my fury.

“I don’t know but someone has to know who runs the hunters. He’s not a ghost.” Xander said.

“Did he say anything about the location?” Xander asked King Kaden while I paced angrily around my office.

“He said he would send all the information to this number. I don’t know when.” He pulled out his phone and shook his head.

“Nothing yet.”

“So, what do you think is going on?” Xander questioned.

“I think he is going to use Ayla. The people love her because she is the black pearl. None of the kingdoms are going to allow her to get hurt. And this Ezekiel did say, if I didn’t attend this meeting, I would forfeit my kingdom.” He explained.

“Did he threaten Ayla?” I asked him. I didn’t care about the kingdoms. I just wanted Ayla back.

“He only said, King and Queen. Never her name. He wouldn’t answer me when I asked about her.” He said. I slumped in the chair behind my desk, pinching the bridge of my nose. I felt completely defeated.

“Alpha, there’s Prince Chase, Prince Silas, and Queen Andrea here on the beach.” The same patrolman mind linked me.

“Send them up to the pack house,” I told him before closing the link.

“The other kingdoms are here,” I announced to King Kaden and Xander.

“They must have received the same call. Prince Chase and Prince Silas’ parents will be going to the meeting. But they must have come to help.” Xander told us.

“I have my brother bringing the army. And I have all my associates out looking for information on who this boss could be. Someone somewhere has to know something.” King Kaden said.

All the other kingdoms had reported getting the same phone call from this mystery man, Ezekiel. And all of them were sending warriors this way. I did convince them that half of their army should remain at home. This could all be a trap. This way, we can move in on Ayla’s location and still have the kingdoms protected.

Even though we still didn’t know where they were holding her. I wish I could feel her emotions. To at least know if she is hurt. This not knowing was killing me inside.

I had rooms made up for the princes and Xander took Queen Andrea back to Ayla’s house. King Kaden was also staying at the pack house. His brother should be here tomorrow afternoon with their men. Mitch, Max, and David were all getting my warriors ready. I’m glad I have them here. They’ve stepped up to help in any way they could. I couldn’t focus on anything but Ayla.

Alpha Atlas went with his brother back to his pack while we waited for news from any of our sources. Xander also had men in the bay to hopefully catch a mermaid that had been working with Alpha Gavin. They may be our only lead.

Xander was explaining that mermaids without a pod won’t have a mind link, so hopefully, we can surprise them with that. I don’t think they would be dumb enough to allow phones wherever this meeting is being held. I want to add all of them to my pack to see if they will also get the link with me. I needed to be there to save her. This was all my fault. If I hadn’t hesitated to claim her that first full moon, they wouldn’t have been able to break our bond.

I was about to break down when I heard a knock on my office door. I’ve been sleeping here since a room and bed are just too lonely without Ayla. I’ve also been drinking more than I ever have. It’s the only thing that dulls the pain in my chest.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and sniffled before telling the person to enter. I wasn’t surprised when Mitch opened the door, stepping into my office. He took one of the chairs in front of my desk.

“Nate, I would ask how you are holding up but I can see it’s not well.” He sighed. I shot back the remaining whiskey in my glass.

“This is all too much. We have no idea where she is or if she is still alive. What if she killed herself? What if she doesn’t think I’m coming to save her and she does the unthinkable?” I exclaimed, before resting my head in my hands, my elbows on my desk.

“I’m not going to tell you I know how you feel because I don’t. But we are all here helping you. And I know the worst part is the waiting. Two days is a long time to wait to hear if she is dead or alive. But your pack needs you right now. I always knew you were more than just a beta, Nate. Even before you shifted into Duke. And right now, Ayla needs the level-headed Nate, not the over-aggressive Alpha Nate. We will find her alive but you need to get your head in the game,” he said, before standing up and leaving my office.

I’ve been trained for this my entire life. What to do if your Luna goes missing? But I never thought about how it would be if my mate went missing. Or in this case, kidnapped. There was no preparation for the emotions I was feeling.

“Look up vampires. Maybe there is something there,” Duke suggested.

“And what if I don’t find anything, then I have just wasted my time.” I snapped.

“It’s better than sitting around drinking. You are doing nothing but wallowing and our mate needs us now more than ever. We need to do something. At least learning about vampires will help us kill the bastard that took our mate.” He growled.

“Fine!” I yelled, smashing my palms down on my desk. I stood up from my chair and rushed over to the bookshelves in my office. When I didn’t find anything, I left to find the library. I needed to find something that would help us. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. But where would I even start to look? I have no idea who we are dealing with and if he is running the hunters, then I know he has power and money.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I searched the internet. Now many rich men with dark hair with an assistant named Ezekiel could there be? I still went to the library as I looked through pages of searches. I sat down on one of the couches, engulfed in my phone. There has to be a record of this fucker somewhere.

And then I found it. Clicking on the article, his face popped up. ‘Dante Valentino and his partner Ezekiel Sinclair buys new office building downtown’, the headline read.

“Bingo, Motherfucker!”