Chapter 19

Elliot’s POV

Just as I asked the maid if she had seen Silver, I felt her presence nearby. My eyes shot in the direction of the bathrooms, and I saw Silver staring at me with wide eyes. Then, she turned to leave only to run into Shirly who was exiting the bathroom behind her.

Silver froze momentarily as she looked up at Shirly and then she turned in the opposite direction and ran from the room.

I furrowed my brows together.

What was Shirly doing in the bathroom with Silver? Had she said something.

Ignoring Shirly’s piercing stares, I chased after Silver, running through the packhouse and trying to get a glimpse of her but there was no trace of her to be found.

She was fast.

“Silver!” I called out, hoping she would respond, but I was met with only silence.

I followed her lingering scent and made my way out the front of the packhouse; I stepped onto the front porch, staring off into the dark abyss, and called her name once more, but once again, I was met with only silence.

“Is everything okay, Alpha?” I heard Leo behind me.

I turned to look at him.

“I have you seen where Silver went?” I asked him.

He furrowed his brows together.

“She left? In the middle of the event?” Leo asked, staring off into the distance. “I didn’t see.”

I let out a low growl that emerged from deep in my throat.

“I need you to find out where she has gone,” I ordered my Beta.

Leo nodded.

“Yes, sir,” he said, and he left to do just that.

As the Alpha, I couldn’t just leave the event. Irritation and restlessness rose deep within me as I walked back inside. I thought about Silver’s recent behavior leading up to this gathering. She was reluctant to even come tonight. She tried everything in her power to get out of this event, but I wouldn’t let her.

I should have known she would have tried to leave early.

Atlas stirred uncomfortably inside of me, not liking the fact that Silver was out of our sight. I didn’t like his apprehension over the ordeal, reminding him that Silver was just our contract wife and nothing more.

“Then why can’t you keep your hands off her?” Atlas asked in return.

I ignored him only to run into Shirly who seemed to be looking for me.

“Oh, there you are, Elliot. Did I just miss Silver? Had she left?” Shirly asked, looking over my shoulder at the front door.

“She wasn’t feeling well,” I told her, not wanting to discuss my wife with another woman, even if she was a long-time friend and ally to my pack.

“Ah that’s too bad,” Shirly said, pouting. But her pout was soon replaced with a smile as she draped an arm through mine and walked with me back to the party on the back patio. “We hardly had any time to catch up. I wanted to tell you that during my travels I discovered there had been minor wars between a few packs all hoping for your support.”

Just as we stepped outside, my eyes found Gavin who was speaking with a couple of his friends. Their words drowned out anything Shirly was saying.

“Just saw your girlfriend running out of the packhouse like she was on fire,” one of his friends laughed. “What did you do this time, Gavin?”

Gavin opened his mouth to respond and then his eyes flashed to me, and they widened.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Gavin quickly said. “She’s my aunt.”

“Elliot?” Shirly said, shaking my arm gently to bring my attention back to her. I realized she had been talking and I hadn’t heard a word she said.

“Sorry, Shirly. Can you excuse me for a minute?” I asked.

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I quickly walked over to Gavin who was still in the middle of his conversation. I grabbed his arm and yanked him away from his friends. His friends scattered out of fear. He followed me and I could practically feel his anxieties.

“I swear, I wasn’t telling them she was my girlfriend, Uncle!” He tried to explain.

“Never mind that,” I said, waving off his concerns. “Has Silver ever exhibited any strange behaviors? Specifically on the night of the full moon?”

Gavin’s brows raised at the question.

“Not that I can think of. But then again, I never saw her on full moons,” he said, shrugging. “Silver was always strange though. I assumed it was because she was wolfless.”

“She’s still your aunt and you’ll treat her with respect,” I said through my teeth. “I’m only asking because she seemed apprehensive about tonight and now, she left.”

“Perhaps it has to do with Miss Shirly,” Gavin said, shrugging in response. “She didn’t seem too pleased that you were talking to her.”

That thought crossed my mind as well and I’m still unsure of what was said while they were in the bathroom together. I didn’t bother entertaining the conversation any further as I turned and walked away.

I grabbed my phone in my pocket and tried to call Silver’s cellphone. However, it went unanswered. I tried a few more times before it started to go straight to voicemail.

Had she turned off her phone?

Worry bubbled inside of me.

I felt a hand on the back of my shoulder, and I turned around only to see Shirly staring up at me with a worried expression on her face.

“I hope it’s not my fault that she left,” Shirly said, pouting. “I was only telling her the truth in the bathroom. I never meant to upset her, Elliot. You must believe me.”

My brows furrowed together as I stared down at Shirly. I knew she said something to Silver while they were in the bathroom. I couldn’t hide the irritation on my face as I took a step away from her.

“What exactly did you say to her, Shirly?” I asked, trying to keep my tone under control and not draw unwanted attention.

“I was only telling her that a strong Alpha needs a strong Luna to help him run his pack. She’s not a strong Luna, Elliot. We both know it and your entire pack knows it. She has no wolf. She can’t possibly know anything about being a Luna.”

“She’s the daughter of an Alpha,” I said, my jaw tensing. “She knows plenty about running a pack.”

“She can’t protect the pack though,” Shirly told me. “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. She might have a pretty face, but she’s still weak.”

“Alpha,” Leo said, interrupting our conversation. “I just got word from Gamma Erik that Silver returned to the mansion and locked herself in her studio.”

I let out a breath of relief knowing that Silver had gone back to our home, and she was safe. It was a little past midnight so the banquet would be ending soon. Most of the pack was either letting out their wolves and going for a run or howling at the moon and soaking in the strong essence of the full moon night.

On full moons, our wolves were the strongest, and most tended to let their wolves roam in their natural state. I would have joined them if I wasn’t so wound up about Silver.

As the packhouse began to quiet down, I returned inside, getting ready to leave so I could find Silver and make sure she was okay.

But I was stopped at the doorway by Shirly who grabbed my arm, halting me in my tracks.

“Please think about this, Elliot,” she pleaded. “She’s not good enough for you and you know it. She could never be a good Luna to your pack. You deserve someone stronger and not someone who is wolfless. Why can’t you see that?”

“All I see right now is that my wife isn’t here, and I need to make sure she’s okay,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her. “You had no right or reason to speak with her in the bathroom.”

Shirly pouted and folded her arms across her chest.

“I was only looking out for you,” she explained. “I don’t understand your relationship. She tried to tell me that you’ve marked one another, but I know that’s a lie. You always told me that you would only ever mark your fated mate and she can’t be your fated mate because she has no wolf.”

“That isn’t any of your concern,” I said, turning away from her as I walked outside and stepped onto the front porch.

Shirly followed closely behind me.

“Why did you even marry her, Elliot?” Shirly asked, desperation hindering her voice. “It’s not like you love her or anything.”

I froze in my tracks before I slowly turned to look at her.

“You don’t know that I don’t love her,” I shot back without much thought. “Regardless, Shirly, it isn’t your business. If you’ll excuse me, I need to be going now.”

Without another word, I turned and left Shirly to stare after me with her mouth hanging open in shock.