Fighting Blind [Published]

Chapter 25: Ryker Dare

Two days has passed. Two grueling days without the contact of our mate and I would rather feel my heart being torn out than endure anymore of this pain. Axel was angry. Not only at me but at himself for not figuring it out sooner. I didn't give him any words of comfort. How could I when I knew it was all a lie?

"Alpha, I'm sorry but we couldn't find any leads." I didn't do anything but instead slammed my fist through the wall. Clark only looked at me with worry.

"Alpha Dare, please try to stay calm. If we don't have any clear heads we aren't going to have a good time finding her." I turned on my heel and glared at Alpha Hale.

"Don't you think I don't know that? I can't feel her anymore and have no clue to where that bastard took her." Sucking in a deep breath, I exhaled slowly.

"Who are we looking for exactly?" Clark asked.

"A man named Leon Grayson." I growled his name and I wanted to use every torture technique that I knew, slowly and painfully. As Hale tensed it caught my attention. "Does the name sound familiar to you?" He stared at me but shook his head.

"I haven't heard that name in years."

"You know him?" I stalked over to his desk and placed both palms on the surface, my presence a demanding one.

"Yeah I knew him. Craziest son-of-a-bitch I've ever known but back then he was harmless. Until now it seems. Why do you think it was him that took Kei?"

"He took her and held her captive for three years until she was rescued," I ground out, feeling the familiar anger as I remembered what Kei told me. I watched as his face blanched. "And it seems he wants her back."

"Yes but for what?" he questioned.

"The reason doesn't matter. What matters is that we find him and get Kei back as soon as possible." I've just realized something, and I had to hide my surprise as Axel spoke.

What is it?

Kei is still in heat. My temper flared as did my ever growing worry. I straightened and turned on my heel towards the door. As I yanked it open, I heard the creak of the doorknob groan under my hand as I held it tightly.

"Alpha Hale, contact the other surrounding packs and set up a phone conference in about an hour. Clark come with me." I didn't give him time to answer and walked briskly down the dim hall. I heard the door shut and hurried strides catch up to me.

"Clark, round up all of the men. Get them ready for another search but I will be taking three men. I'm heading back to the pack house,"

"What is it that you will be doing?" I stopped and stared him straight in the eyes.

"I'm getting a damn army."

**********

I stood along with three of my men at the edge of the tree line.

"Let's go," were the words that spurred myself and them into action. Shifting with a roar, my massive paws pounded the earth as I shot off into the woods.

I made sure to slow down enough for them to keep up but I was still ahead about twenty yards. Just as I felt that we had left the territory, another scent made me skid to a halt and I let out a piercing growl. I heard my men stop a few feet behind me and copy my actions. Before us stood a tall man dressed in a black tailored suit. He smiled as he caught sight of us, his canines gleaming in the sunlight. It was an odd sight seeing a man dressed in a suit standing in the woods, but underneath his air of nonchalance held danger.

"Hello King," I narrowed my eyes. Shifting, I stood facing him.

"What are you doing here." He simply kept smiling. I growled lowly as he reached into his pocket and began pulling something out.

"Don't worry Alpha, it's only a phone." He pulled out a plain black flip phone. I eyed him carefully as he opened it and began punching in numbers.

"Hello?" He listened to the person on the other end. Smirking, he extended it out to me. "It's for you, Alpha." He didn't wait for me to answer but instead tossed the phone to me. I caught it and slowly put it next to my ear, watching the man the whole time.

"Who is this?" I heard a sharp intake of breath on the line. "Answer me." I commanded.

"Bossy as ever I see." I froze as the voice registered.

"Kei?" It was silent for one nerve wracking moment.

"Yo. How's it going on your end King? I'm glad to hear you're still alive." I heard her chuckle but it sounded force even through the phone. I didn't share her humor however and her chuckles died down. "You know, my jokes would be funnier if you laughed at them."

"Sorry if I don't find this situation funny," I remarked dryly. She huffed.

"The situation doesn't have to be funny for the joke not to be. I'm trying to lighten the mood here," she muttered. I smiled slightly before getting serious again.

"I see that the chat is going well?" The man brushed invisible dirt off of his pressed pants.
"Where's Kei?" I demanded, Axel becoming agitated. Kei herself was surprisingly silent on the other end, her breathing barely audible.

"Why don't you ask her yourself. Go on Kei, I know you can hear me."

"That ever-loving psychotic piece of crap knows that I don't know," she hissed over the line. "You can't expect a blind person to just know where they are." The man sighed.

"Can you put the phone on speaker King?" I didn't answer but followed her request. "I swear if you hurt one hair on King's head, I will personally rip your limbs off one by one until you're just a useless, bloody stump Leon."

Blood roared in my ears and my eyes zeroed onto the man before me. This was the Leon Grayson and every fiber of my being wanted to shift and rip him into shreds. Unperturbed by my growing murderous intent and Kei's threats, he chuckled.

"Oh my love, you should be more worried about yourself. Everybody, begin."

Get him, I commanded through mind link and the three men roared in answer. As they ran past me to the grinning Leon, I made a move to shift but stopped as a scream ricochet through the phone.

"Get your filthy hands off of me!" There was a clattering sound as if she had dropped the phone and vigorous shuffling followed after. "King! Don't underestimate Leon and try not to-" she grunted and my grip nearly shattered the phone. "- worry about me. He's not going to do anything to me but-" more grunting and a cry of pain. "- he'll kill you to get to me. And one last thing, I'm sorry-" This time, a sharp scream full of agony belonged to Kei herself.

"Kei!" A muffled thump was heard close to the receiver. The silence was slowly killing me, and I forgot everything around me. I heard my men shout through the mind link, saying that Leon had vanished but I couldn't make myself care at the moment.

"I'm sorry...." Her voice was barely audible and it broke my heart to hear her like this.

"Kei, you have nothing to apologize for." I felt my emotions stretching thin.

"I just... wanted to tell... you that." There was another sharp cry before the line went dead. I stared at the screen blankly before uncontrollable fury took over everything. Crushing the phone into smithereens, small plastic shards digging into my skin which caused blood to drip between my fingers.

"Alpha, we lost him." Jarrod said, a look of resignation on his face. I turned my gaze on him and he took a step back, his eyes widening.

"We are continuing our way back to the pack house. Go." He bowed his head quickly and left without another word. I could smell their fear but I didn't care. No one had seen anything yet and Leon Grayson better get ready. I'm about to show him just what happens when you piss off the Alpha King. I threw the trashed phone on the ground and shifted. Sprinting through the woods, I sent a promise to Kei.

I'm coming, Lune. Whatever it takes, I'm going to bring you home. Just as I had thought this, an excruciating pain burst through my chest and my neck where my mark was located. Howling, I staggered to a stop.

Kei! Axel's pain filled howl echoed through my skull and I instantly knew what was going on.

Someone was erasing our mark.