Chapter 35

Forest's POV

My wolf didn't believe me when I said we couldn't just go and get our mate back. He didn't understand we couldn't find her, we had tried.

Weeks had passed, it was almost two months since Aria had gone missing. How could anyone stay strong through all that?

Alpha Maxim hadn't left, he said he would help us find Aria. He seemed so sure we would find her, and she would be the Aria who got kidnapped.

I wasn't so sure.

I knew the pain I felt, the pain that used to fill my veins at all times of the day, my pain that was just a muted version of her pain.

I can't believe anyone, not even the strongest of souls, could go through so much pain, so much suffering, and get out the other side sane.

But then one day the pain had stopped, and that, for some reason, was worse. The pain had stopped, that could mean any of three things.

One, they had seen the error of their ways and had decided to let her go, not likely.

Two, she was dead, not likely, mate bond or not my wolf would know if she'd died and I would find out pretty soon after.

Or three, she had given up, like last time they had beaten the fight out of her, she was lost to me, not acceptable.

"Don't give up on her, not yet." Skye said, reading my thought, or my facial expressions, "If you give up on her, what chance does she have? You have to keep believing, in Aria, in her strengths, and in your love." I nodded distractedly, truth be told, I wasn't sure if our love was strong enough to counteract the pain.

"Come on," Said Ash, standing up dramatically, "I need to get out of the house. Why don't we go into town?" My wolf surged forward, growling at him.

"My mate has been kidnapped, passed off to another man, and you want me to go into town." I growled at him, his head automatically bowing, submitting from the power I was throwing round the room.

"Forest enough," My dad said sternly, "Throwing your powers around will not get her back. Ash is right, you need to leave the house, I will keep looking for Aria and call if we get any leads but you need to go for a bit, either into town or into the woods, think for a bit and cool off."

I nodded, I didn't know what else to do. I ran upstairs to grab my coat before grabbing the car keys off the counter. I jumped into the car and started to back out of the driveway, slamming on my breaks as Ash suddenly appeared in front of me.

Before I could react he hopped into the passenger side, "I'm not letting you go alone, who knows what mischief you could get yourself into." I just nodded before speeding off. I was going way above the speed limit but I couldn't bring myself to care.

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I was driving nowhere. We had gone round the same roundabout for a few minutes now, which was definitely illegal, but I had nowhere to go, not without Aria.

I sighed, who knew I would become so dependant on my mate. If someone had told me this time last year I would be miserable because I wanted a women, I would have laughed, and yet here I am.

I sighed again before Ash broke the silence, "Come on man, it'll all work out. Fate wouldn't put you together just to rip you apart again." I just grunted in response, from what I had seen, fate didn't seem to be on my side.

I pulled into a car park, parking the car before opening my door and dragging myself out, "Come on then, we might as well do something useful with our time," I sighed, walking towards the Tesco in front of me, "I grabbed the shopping list on the way out," I explained as I say Ash looking at me as if I was mad.

I shrugged before grabbing a shopping trolly and heading down the aisles, grabbing the things on the list as I passed.

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After only five minutes Ash was already dragging his feet, whining like a three year old, "Why are we doing this any way? What's the point?" I turned to glare at him.

"We are doing this because Winter needs to waste time. She has no idea where she's taking this story so we are shopping while she thinks." He looked at me as if I were mad.

"So if she doesn't get inspiration soon, we could be stuck shopping all chapter!!" Ash screamed, causing some confused shoppers turn and look at us as if we should be in a mental asylum.

"Hey, it's fine," I countered, "I'm sure she's find inspiration soon," Ash opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a man at the end of the aisle, smirking.

"Fancy seeing you here, just as well I did I suppose. I have a letter for you, or more, an invitation." Elias said, taunting us, waiving the invitation in front of us before tossing it down at my feet and strolling off.

"You know," said Ash, staring at Elias' residing figure, "I really wish Winter hadn't found any inspiration...." I nodded in agreement before grabbing the envelope off the floor. We silently walked out to the car and I drove back home, hoping with all my might what I thought would be in the envelope wouldn't.

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I got back home in record time, throwing my car into park and sprinting up the stairs to my dad's office. I threw my envelope onto his desk and he just stared at me.

"What's this?" He asked, looking at it wearily, my mum and Skye crowded round, trying to figure out what was in the envelope.

"Elias came, he gave me this envelope, said it was an 'invitation'." My dad growled at the mention of Elias, then at my words carefully opened the envelope, holding it away from him as if it was going to attack him.

Instead a two small pieces of paper fell out. An invitation.

I reached forward, grabbing the paper off the table and started to read. "You are cordially invited to a hunt in honor of my daughter and her new mate." I couldn't read anymore and threw it on the table.

My mum grabbed it and picked up where I left off, "This is like no other hunt you have ever been on, nor will it end the way any other hunt has. I know you may not approve of her mating, and since you were an important part of her life for the last few months, I will give you one chance. The hunt is a search for our location. If you find us, you can have my daughter as a prize. We will hand her over and leave her alone. As I'm feeling nice I'll give you a clue."

Skye grabbed the other sheet of paper,

"You can find us in the city, in the middle of the woods,

The defining silence of the man made trees fill the air with clashing melodies.

If you look for us, you won't find us, to see past you need to see in the darkness and close your eyes to the light.

The home to many, and yet to none.

The home of the greatest sins and the greatest redemption,

Find her before the silent bells will ring out or face defeat."

What on earth does that mean, it makes no sense? "Well that was helpful," Ash said sarcastically.

"I will give you three week to find us. I would advise you not to be late." My mum read before placing the paper back on the table.

"Well," My dad said, pulling out his chair, "We have some work to do."