Chapter 65

Soren

I am stuck with the white noise of my thoughts, my mind unable to focus on anything other than Celia and the devastating look of betrayal on her face. Her tear stained cheeks and the way she was unable to look me in the eye before she left.

Celia will be back in no time. She has no idea where she is and she does not have much on her. She left the seaside villa in her pajamas and I doubt that she has much money, if any, on her person.

I have made my way back inside the home and have placed myself onto the couch. I stare out of the window, overlooking the sea.

The waves crash onto the shore, high tide coming to an end as the waves peel back into the depths of the sea, the shoreline growing as the sea retracts into itself.

It is a sight to behold. Mother Nature works in mysterious ways and yet I can’t help but feel as if she is mocking me for not chasing after Celia. The scent of storm wind has not left my nostrils either, leaving me feeling helpless.

I wait on the couch for what seems to feel like hours. An eternity inside the depths of my mind as I try to remedy the angst that begins to nip and tear at my sanity. I cannot believe that Celia has discovered the atrocious things that I have said about her. She does not deserve that, especially to find out in that way too.

The envelope may have been marked with her name, but I know that this was a direct attack on me from Bianca. She knows that the best way to drive two people apart is to use one’s words against the other and she did just exactly that.

My soldiers are patrolling the house and nearby areas to try and see where Celia has fled off to. She could not have gotten far on foot. If anything, she is most likely in town at one of the local restaurants or stores to keep herself busy, to distract her mind from the betrayal she has just faced.

I wish I could tell her that I did not mean a single thing I sent. As soon as Bianca came back into my life, things have been so complicated. Celia was an unexpected variable that I did not account for and yet she has filled in the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is my life.

She was the one who made things better. She is the one who helped me relieve myself of my headaches but even now, as she stays as far away from me as she possibly can, the dull ache returns into my head. It is a pain that I have not felt for awhile now, one that I am more than willing to tolerate if it means that Celia will come back to me soon.

My phone rings beside me. I pick it up and answer without looking at the name. I remain silent, letting the other person speak.

“Sir, we could not find her along the property or beach. We will begin to search for her in town,” one of the soldiers says. I grunt in response and end the call, my phone dropping into the space beside me.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, allowing my consciousness to come into contact with my wolf. He says nothing to me but walks alongside me as storm wind overtakes my senses.

We try to find Celia and her wolf in the darkness. I reach out for her, trying to use our fated mate connection as a way for me to try and find where she is, but I come up with nothing. Even after a few minutes of searching, my wolf gives up and goes back into hiding, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I sigh and stand. I move through the home and allow my feet to take me wherever my subconscious wants. I end up in Celia’s room and push through the door, looking around as if I will find any clues to where she could have possibly gone.

Her room is neat and tidy except for the bed that we slept in. I stare at the pillow barrier she set up, remorse crashing throughout my mind.

I never should have left her leave on her own. I should have had one of the soldiers go with her to ensure her safety. If something bad happens to her…I fear that I will never be able to forgive myself for it.

Celia’s belongings sit inside the closet, her bags laying on the floor with her clothes hung up on the tiny amount of hangers. I glance at her bags and decide to leave the room before i trap myself inside, never to leave.

I walk straight towards the door and look at the old car outside. My father gifted it to me when he was still alive and it was the very first car I ever drove. I swipe the dusty keys from the side table and go outside, getting inside of the car.

If my soldiers have not found her yet, then I will.

The engine sputters but eventually comes to life. The car lurches backwards as I reverse, not having been driven in long time, and I expertly make my way out of the driveway, moving into the heart of the small seaside town.

I scan the streets and see nothing. None of the townsfolk or tourists even look like or resemble Celia. Even when a random woman shares the same hair color as her, they always have a different hairstyle or their face does not match her beauty.

I begin to lose hope. My entire being is remorseful by the words I have sent to Bianca in the past. I cannot even believe that I would do such a thing.

I should have remained silent. I should have protected Celia in those moments instead of belittling her into something that she is not. This is all my fault. I deserve to be the one atoning for my sins, not her.

I am determined to find Celia and get her back. I will make up for what I have said and will promise to her that she is none of those things.

I look to the side and at the empty passenger seat of the car.

I can imagine Celia sitting beside me. She has a big smile on her face and has all of the windows rolled down, the warm sea breeze cooling our skin as the sun beats down from us. She’d be playing her music over the radio, of course, and I’d pretend not to like it as we drive down the coast.

That is what would happen in my perfect world. Reality is much different. It is a different beast to face.

Life is much darker. I am forced to reckon with the fact that I have driven away the one person who means something to me. The one person who I am so desperate to protect in this life from everything that wants to keep us apart from each other.

I let out a sigh and turn the car around, the sun beginning to set as the day comes to an end.

#Chapter