The forest seemed to close in on Liam as he ventured deeper, his heart heavy with the weight of Nicole’s absence. Every step seemed to echo the ache within him, the gnawing emptiness that consumed his soul without Nicole by his side.
James and Garrett exchanged concerned glances as they followed him. He was tethered too close to the edge, and it made them wonder if they were going to have to wrestle with him in the forest.
The three of them trudged through the dense forest, their senses on high alert. They separated and scouted on their own for a while, checking bushes, bark, track prints, and sniffing the air.
“Anything?” Liam asked as soon as they found their way back to each other. His voice was laced with frustration as he scanned the surroundings, hoping for any sign, any clue that would lead him to Nicole.
James sighed, his face etched with weariness. “No, Alpha. We’ve scoured every inch of Lilian’s territory and questioned her pack members, but there’s no trace of anything that can lead to Nicole.”
Garrett’s jaw clenched as he stepped forward, his voice filled with anger. “We can’t let Asha get away with this, Alpha. She’s partly the reason Nicole is missing. She needs to pay for her betrayal.”
Liam’s eyes burned with a mixture of pain and determination. “I don’t care about that right now. I only care about finding Nicole. She’s out there somewhere, and every second we waste brings her closer to danger.”
As they continued their search, the silence was heavy, each step echoing the urgency that pulsed through Liam’s veins. Thoughts of Asha, the one who had once been Nicole’s closest friend but had turned on her, intruded upon his mind.