Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Drake

I barely registered Jason’s words as I scanned the crowded ballroom,

an unfamiliar sensation clawing at my chest like a fucking wild

animal. Where the hell was Elsa?

“Drake, did you hear what I said?” Jason’s voice finally penetrated my

thoughts. “Someone took one of the small boats about twenty

minutes ago. The crew just reported it missing.”

I turned to face him, my jaw clenched so tight it ached, though I kept

my expression carefully neutral despite the growing unease. “And why

the fuck would I care about that?”

Jason shifted uncomfortably. “I just thought… with Ms. Hale not

being around…”

“What do you mean ‘not being around“?” I demanded, my voice

dropping dangerously low as my fingers curled into tight fists at my

sides.

“I haven’t seen her since earlier when she was looking feverish in the

main hall. I thought maybe she was with you.”

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Chapter 139

The possessive wolf inside me stirred uneasily, a low growl building

in my chest that I barely managed to suppress. I hadn’t seen Elsa

since our… encounter in the storage room. I’d assumed she would

compose herself and join me as instructed. But that had been over an

hour ago.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, my fingertips nearly

cracking the screen with their pressure, listening to it ring until her

voicemail picked up. “Goddammit,” I snarled, hanging up without

leaving a message. I tried again with the same result, fighting the

urge to hurl the phone across the room.

“When exactly did you last see her?” I asked Jason, already moving

toward the exit with long, aggressive strides that had people

instinctively stepping out of my way.

“Maybe an hour and a half ago? She was sitting in the main hall

looking really sick. I asked if she was okay, but you know how she is-

insisted she was fine even though she could barely stand.”

My jaw clenched as I remembered her flushed face when I’d caught

her earlier. Had she actually been ill rather than just flustered from our encounter? The thought sent an uncomfortable pang through me, my stomach twisting with something that felt uncomfortably like

guilt.

“Check with the staff, see if anyone’s seen her,” I ordered, my voice

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I didn’t wait for him to finish, shoving him aside with enough force to

make him stumble against the wall. My heart pounded with an

urgency I wasn’t accustomed to feeling–a primal fear that had

nothing to do with business or pack politics.

“The tide’s coming in strong,” Jason said as he hurried alongside me.

“The crew says people have been swept into deeper water before

during high tide.”

My mind flashed to Elsa–small, defiant Elsa who had looked so pale

earlier. Elsa, who despite her sharp tongue and fierce demeanor, was

still an Omega. My Omega. My eyes flashed golden with barely

contained rage at the thought of her in danger.

I forced those thoughts aside as I burst through the door to the main

deck, nearly ripping it from its frame. The rational part of my brain

insisted she was fine–probably just avoiding me after our earlier

encounter.

Jason followed close behind as I pushed through the crowd gathered

at the ship’s railing. I could smell the collective anxiety–a sharp,

acrid scent that set my wolf on edge, making my nostrils flare and my

upper lip curl,

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