Avenging Luna-Chapter 47: FEAR

Drake’s POV:

I was deep in discussion with Lucas about pack matters when it hit me like a lightning strike—a sudden, intense wave of fear that gripped me so hard, I stopped mid-sentence. It was overpowering, suffocating even, and it wasn’t mine.

’Mate,’ Gile, my wolf, whispered urgently. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The moment the word left him, I knew. The fear wasn’t coming from me—it was from Leila. My precious mate. I bolted out of the office, my heart racing faster with every step. For Leila to feel this scared, something had to be terribly wrong. Ever since I’d known her, she had always been strong, fearless, even when the world seemed hell-bent on breaking her. But this... this was different. This fear was like nothing I had ever felt from her before.

I asked everyone I could find—those she usually spent time with—but no one knew where she was. Anxiety gnawed at my insides, and I started to panic. The mate bond was pulsing with her distress, growing stronger and more suffocating with each passing moment.

Another thought hit me like a slap. My uncle. Raphael. He was missing too. That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Was Raphael with her? Could he be the reason for her fear? My mind rebelled at the idea, but I couldn’t shake the suspicion. Raphael had been the one who raised me after my parents died. He’d taught me everything I knew about being an alpha. He wasn’t capable of causing this kind of fear—was he?

The uncertainty clawed at my mind, making me regret how we had parted earlier. I should’ve stayed with her. I should’ve listened more closely to the unease in her voice, the tension in her body. The fear that was now pouring through our mate bond was so intense, it made my wolf, Gile, nearly feral. He wanted to protect her, to tear apart whatever was threatening our mate. And so did I.

I searched every inch of the pack grounds. My heart pounded with each step, the tension in my chest growing heavier. No sign of Leila. No sign of Raphael. Where the hell were they? I linked Lucas, asking him to help me search, but even he found nothing. I was growing desperate.

My mind raced with possibilities as I ran to the orphanage. Leila often sought solace there, finding comfort in the children and their simple joy. But the staff told me she hadn’t been there today, though I checked anyway, hoping against hope that they were wrong. Nothing. She wasn’t there. Desperation was sinking its claws deeper into me now, and I couldn’t shake the sick feeling in my gut that something terrible had happened.

Then it hit me—the library. Leila loved books. She could spend hours getting lost in thick tomes, diving into worlds far away from the pain and trauma of her past. It was one of her few escapes. Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner?

I sprinted toward the library, my heart pounding in my chest. Just as I neared, Lucas linked me again, saying he had found Raphael. Apparently, my uncle had gone for a run, which is why we couldn’t find him earlier. A run? That explained his absence, but something still didn’t sit right with me. Was I misjudging him? Could he really be responsible for the terror radiating from my mate? No, it didn’t make sense, but then... what the hell was making her this scared?

I burst into the library, Gile growling lowly in my chest. I couldn’t see her, but I could feel her presence through the bond, faint but there. My wolf sensed her too.

"Leila?" I called out, my voice echoing in the quiet space, but there was no answer.

The library was empty—at least it seemed that way. I followed her scent, sweet and distinct, until I found her in one of the back aisles. She was standing there, frozen, her eyes wide with fear, her body rigid as if she were trapped in some kind of invisible prison.

I stopped in my tracks for a moment, my heart breaking at the sight. The woman I loved—my wild, courageous mate—was paralyzed with fear. Seeing her like that, so vulnerable, tore at my soul. I swore to myself that I would never let anything or anyone make her feel this way again.

Quickly, I crossed the distance between us and wrapped her in my arms. Her body was cold, stiff, but the moment my arms enveloped her, she broke. The dam inside her shattered, and she collapsed against me, her body shaking with sobs. She cried hysterically, the sound gut-wrenching and raw. I held her tightly, my chest burning with a mix of rage and helplessness. I didn’t know what had scared her so badly, but I was going to find out.

My eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of danger, anything that could explain why my mate was in this state. But there was nothing. No one. The only thing out of place was a faint scent lingering in the air—something unfamiliar, yet oddly unsettling. It wasn’t strong enough to identify, but it was there, lingering like a bad memory.

"I-I’m sorry," Leila choked out between sobs.

My brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she apologizing? I was the one who should be sorry. Sorry for not being there to protect her from whatever had scared her so badly.

I pulled back slightly, cupping her face in my hands, wiping her tears away with my thumbs. "Leila, what happened? Who did this to you?"

Her eyes darted away from mine, and my heart sank. She wasn’t going to tell me.

"I can’t," she whispered, her voice so small and broken it tore at my insides.

My frustration boiled over. How was I supposed to help her when she wouldn’t tell me what was going on? How was I supposed to protect her from something I couldn’t see, couldn’t understand?

"Leila, please..." I coaxed, my voice soft but desperate. "I can’t help you if you won’t tell me what’s going on."

She shook her head, biting her lip as more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I don’t know how to tell you."

The words made my chest tighten. I wanted to help her. I needed to help her. But she kept shutting me out, and it was killing me inside. I’d give anything—everything—to ease her fears, but she was holding back, bottling it all up.

"Whatever it is, Leila, whatever happened... you don’t have to face it alone. I’m here. I’ll always be here," I said, hoping she could hear the sincerity in my voice, hoping she would finally let me in.

She looked up at me, her eyes full of pain and something else—guilt. "I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible through the tears. "I’m so sorry."

"For what?" I asked gently, filled with concern. "For everything," she said, shaking her head as more tears fell. "For... for not being able to tell you everything. I want to, I do. But—"

"But what?" I urged, needing to understand. "Leila, whatever it is, you can tell me."

She shook her head again, the tears flowing freely now. "I can’t. I wish I could, but... you wouldn’t understand."

My heart broke at her words, but I softened my expression, my thumb still tracing the line of her cheek. "Try me," I said softly, my voice full of warmth and patience. "Whatever it is, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere."

"I love you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "But I can’t... I can’t tell you everything. Not yet."

Those three words—I love you—they were words I’d been waiting to hear from her for so long. I always knew she loved me, even if she hadn’t said it out loud. It was in the way her eyes lit up when she saw me, the way she touched me with such tenderness. But hearing her say it now, in the midst of all this chaos and fear, it was bittersweet. She loved me, but she was still keeping me at arm’s length, still hiding parts of herself from me.

My heart swelled and ached at the same time. I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes. "I love you too, Leila," I whispered, my voice gentle yet filled with a quiet intensity. "But please... don’t shut me out."

She didn’t say anything else. She just looked at me with those tear-filled eyes, her silence speaking volumes.

Even though she wasn’t telling me anything, I swore to myself that I’d get to the bottom of it. There was no way I could just stand by and let this go. The sight of Leila, my strong, fearless mate, reduced to tears and terror was something I never wanted to see again.

The fear in her eyes, the way her body trembled—it burned itself into my mind, searing a hole in my heart. Whatever had caused it, I would find out. No matter how long it took, no matter what I had to do, I *would* uncover the truth.

I pulled her closer, my jaw clenching as determination surged through me. She was my mate. My responsibility. I couldn’t fail her again.

I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you, I thought to myself as I looked down at her fragile form. Not now, not ever.

Even if she wasn’t ready to tell me, I would protect her. I’d keep her safe from whatever was haunting her. If I had to tear apart every corner of this world to find out what was behind this, I would. I needed to.

"I’ll protect you, Leila," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I promise, I’ll keep you safe from anything."

And in that moment, I made a vow to myself—I’d never let her feel this fear again.