POV: Elias Beaumont
"She's gone!" Marcus shouted as he burst into the war room. "Amara's missing from her quarters!"
The words hit Elias like a physical blow. He slammed his hand on the table, cracking the wood. The maps he'd been studying with his pack leaders spread across the floor.
"What do you mean, gone?" Elias growled. "I left her room less than twenty minutes ago!"
Marcus shook his head. "The room's empty. Window still closed. No scent trail."
Elias pushed past his Beta and raced through the halls, his heart pounding in his chest. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when both Dorian and The Mother were closing in from different sides.
When he reached Amara's room, he knew instantly something was wrong. Her scent remained, but there was something else—the sharp tang of magic. Elias dropped to his knees and yanked back the rug.
Strange symbols were carved into the floorboards, still glowing dimly with blue light.
"A transportation spell," said a voice behind him.
