Rejected and Claimed by her Alpha Triplets

Chapter 317 - that effect

317

~Thorne’s POV

I slammed the door behind me, the wood rattling against the frame. My hands were tight around the portrait, the edges cutting slightly into my palms. My blood was hot. My chest heaved.

Luke was waiting by the fire, arms crossed, eyes sharp. "Alpha... how did it go?" he asked carefully, but I could see the concern in his face.

I didn’t answer immediately. I held the portrait up. The faint light hit her face in the painting, and I could feel my stomach twist. "It seems... she’s missing," I said slowly, my voice low and harsh.

Luke’s eyes widened. "Missing? What do you mean... missing? You mean... Lisa?"

I slammed the portrait onto the table. "Yes. Lisa. They... they were looking for her."

Luke stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Alpha... are you sure? I mean... did they say why she’s gone? Or... who might have taken her?"

I shook my head, pacing the floor. "No one knows. That’s the problem. But... she’s not there."

Luke rubbed his chin; his brows furrowed. "So... what do we do? We can’t just wait around, Your Majesty. She could be in danger."

I stopped pacing and looked at him, my eyes burning. "We do everything. Everything we have. All our resources. Start with the portrait. Share it all over the pack. Every guard, every patrol, every tracker. I want them to look for her now. Not tomorrow, not later... now."

Luke nodded quickly, scribbling notes. "Understood. I’ll get the guards on it immediately. Send alerts to the hunters and the scouts... and the neighboring packs too?"

"Yes. Everyone. No one leaves the borders unchecked. If she’s outside the pack... I want to know where. Every single trail... follow it," I said, voice rising. My fists clenched. "And Luke... I want constant updates. Every hour. No excuses."

Luke swallowed hard. "Yes, Alpha. I’ll make sure of it."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage that burned through me. "Luke... do you know how it feels... not to know if she’s alive or hurt? Or worse?" I asked, voice breaking slightly.

Luke stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know, Alpha. I know it’s hard. But we’ll find her. I promise. We’ll do everything to bring her back."

I shook my head, turning away. "I can’t... I can’t sit still. Not when she’s out there somewhere... alone... scared... maybe..." My voice cracked. I didn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t want to imagine it.

Luke didn’t push. He just nodded. "We’ll move fast. I’ll mobilize the search parties tonight. By first light, we’ll have teams everywhere. I’ll make sure no one misses a beat."

I paced again, the portrait clutched to my chest. "I should have been there. I should have found her sooner. I failed her, Luke. And if anything happens... anything..." My voice trailed off, heavy with anger and guilt.

Luke’s voice was firm. "You didn’t fail her. We didn’t know. And now... now we act. That’s all we can do. And we’ll do it right. You’ll see. She’ll be back."

I sank into the chair, running my hands over the portrait, my head heavy with thoughts. "We can’t afford mistakes. Not with her. Not ever. Make sure the best trackers go first. I want eyes everywhere, Luke... everywhere."

Luke nodded again. "Yes, Alpha. I’ll organize it. We’ll have patrols doubling every checkpoint. No one goes unsearched. I’ll use all our resources... everyone we have."

I let out a bitter laugh. "All our resources... it feels like we’re going to war, Luke. And in a way... we are. Only it’s her life on the line."

Luke placed a steady hand on mine. "Then we fight. Not with weapons... with brains, speed, and coordination. We’ll bring her back, Alpha. I swear it."

I looked at him, my jaw tight. "She’s everything to me... Luke. I can’t lose her again."

I stared at the portrait again, my chest tight. "Bring her back... Luke. Bring her back to me."

I watched Luke go. The door closed behind him with a soft thud.

I stared at the ceiling for a while and decided to see Elara. She was already on her bed, about to sleep, when I walked in.

I stood there for a moment, just watching her. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, and her eyes softened when she saw my face. She always knew when something was wrong with me, even before I opened my mouth.

"Thorne," she said quietly, standing up from the bed. "What happened?"

I didn’t answer right away. I just rubbed my hand across my face and exhaled. My chest felt tight. The whole ride back from Damon’s palace, I couldn’t stop thinking about her .

When I finally looked at Elara, I said in a low voice, "I finally got that invitation to see Damon and his brothers."

Her brows furrowed. "And?"

"And the first thing I hear when I get there..." I paused, jaw tightening. "Lisa’s missing."

Elara blinked, confused. "Missing?"

"Yes." I ran my hand through my hair and began pacing the room. "After all these years, after everything I did to find her... I finally learn something about her, and now she’s gone. No one knows where she is, no one knows what happened to her."

Elara took a step closer. "Thorne, calm down..."

"Calm down?" I snapped, then sighed when I saw the hurt in her eyes. "I’m sorry. I just... I can’t stay calm. I thought I was finally getting close. Maybe I could see her, talk to her, apologize to her on our father’s behalf for abandoning her. And now it’s like the world’s playing games with me again.

"Then she’ll be fine," Elara said, her voice steady.

"You’ll see her again. You always find a way."

I wanted to believe her. I really did.

She smiled faintly and pressed her lips to mine. It was a slow, tender kiss, the kind that made me forget the noise in my head for a moment. I kissed her back, holding her close, feeling her warmth seep into me.

Her fingers tangled in my hair, and I could feel the warmth of her skin against mine. I wasn’t thinking about the portrait anymore, or Lisa, or Damon and his brothers, or the endless duties that came with being an Alpha. All I could think about was her.

The woman in front of me, who never stopped encouraging me.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing heavily. Elara rested her head on my chest, her fingers tracing the edge of my shirt absentmindedly.

"Feeling better?" she murmured.

I let out a deep breath and nodded. "A little. You always have that effect."

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Thank you," I whispered.