The Wolf’s Insight

6

The waking world didn’t greet me with the gentle morning sun; it crashed into me like a freezing bucket of icy water—a classic, brutal tactic employed by none other than Chase. I gasped, my lungs seizing as the cold liquid soaked into my clothes, pulling me violently from the dark, drug-induced abyss I had been trapped in.

"Wake up, you lazy bastard," Chase’s voice boomed, devoid of sympathy. "We have a train to catch in an hour. I’m sacrificing a perfectly good day with Brianna to drag you across the province to find your mate. Move."

His command was absolute, leaving no room for argument or the lingering haze of the sedative. I groaned, my body feeling heavy and uncoordinated, and dragged myself up by clutching the armrest of the sofa. My head pounded, a rhythmic, pulsing throb that mirrored the instability of my heart.

"What do I look like?" I muttered, running a shaky hand over my face. The skin felt rough, sensitive, and somehow foreign.

Chase paced the length of the apartment, the sound of his movements like a frantic percussion. "You look like a disaster. Messy hair, half your face looks like it’s been through a meat grinder—which is a classic look for you—and your eyes are still bloodshot from crying."

"Crying?" I repeated, the word tasting strange and distant. 

"Yeah, you didn't notice? You were sobbing in your sleep, Aiden. Probably your wolf finding a way to vent while your mind was out of commission." He sighed, the sound echoing off the walls. "Just wash your face. We need to find her, or I swear, you’re going to lose what’s left of your mind."

I obeyed, navigating the apartment by the familiar patterns of the floorboards and the scent of the furniture. The bathroom was a sanctuary of cold tiles and the sharp, clinical smell of soap. I splashed water on my face, gasping as the chill hit my skin, hoping it would wash away the lingering lethargy of the tranquilizer. I raked my fingers through my hair, trying to force it into some semblance of order, though I knew it was a futile effort. 

Five minutes later, I stood by the front door, waiting for Chase. He was still fumbling with his gear, his energy frantic and impatient. 

"Who’s the one who needs to move now?" I called out, my voice raspy. 

"I’m coming, I’m coming! The train to McBride departs in fifteen minutes. We start there," Chase replied, finally opening the door and ushering me into the hallway. 

"We barely have time to get to the station and buy tickets," I countered, listening to the click of the lock as he secured the apartment.

Chase laughed, a dismissive, airy sound. "It’s the twenty-first century, Aiden! Everything is online. We’re already booked."

"I will always prefer paper," I grumbled, keeping pace with him as we headed toward the bus stop. My life had become a series of modern inconveniences I couldn’t see, yet had to navigate every single day.

Ten minutes later, we were at the station. Standing on the platform, I felt a sudden, profound sense of gratitude. Chase was an Alpha—a powerful, commanding figure who could easily have dismissed my plight. He had every right to be with Brianna, yet here he was, standing in the cold, ready to hunt for a woman he hadn’t even met. I wouldn't be the man—or the wolf—I was today without his loyalty. "Thanks for being here, Chase," I said, my voice dropping the defensive edge.

He clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder. "That’s what brothers do. You’d do the same for me."

The screech of metal on metal announced the train’s arrival, a discordant shriek that vibrated in my teeth. "Is that it?" I asked, turning my head toward the sound.

"That's our ride. Let's move. The sooner we find her, the sooner I get back to my mate," Chase joked, nudging me toward the platform.

Four hours and thirty-three minutes later, the world had changed. The air in McBride smelled different—colder, sharper, filled with the scent of pine and wild, untamed earth. It was a small town, a place where secrets could be buried beneath layers of snow and indifference. I had heard rumors of the area; it was a haven for lone wolves, a place where one could transform under the full moon and disappear into the vast wilderness.

"Alright, Beta," Chase said, his voice dripping with irony. "What’s the plan from here?"

"We walk," I replied, my voice hard and determined. "We walk until I catch her scent. I will search under every rock and behind every door if I have to."

"Wonderful plan. Truly visionary," he mocked, though I could hear the underlying tension in his tone. He was on edge today, more susceptible to frustration than usual. "And try to drop that tone. I’m the Alpha here, remember?"

"Relax, boss," I murmured, trying to keep the peace. 

"You’ll need a statue built for her if she manages to tolerate you as a mate," he quipped, earning him a glare from me that was arguably more unsettling for being sightless. 

"If you have enough energy to talk, you have enough energy to walk," I shot back, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the edge of the station, following the faint, lingering pull of my instinct.

Before we cleared the building, Chase yanked me back, forcing me to stop. "Hold on, beautiful. Put your sunglasses on. I’d rather you didn't traumatize your mate on the first day."

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks—a rare moment of vulnerability. I pulled the dark glasses from my pocket and slid them into place. The thought nagged at me like a thorn in my side: what if she saw me? What if, once she realized I was blind, she felt repulsed, or burdened? 

"Hey," Chase said, his voice suddenly soft, his hands gripping my shoulders. He knew me too well. "Don't you dare think she’d leave you for that. The Moon Goddess chooses mates for a reason, Aiden. They face the world together. She won't care about your eyes."

"How do you always know what I'm thinking?" I asked, feeling exposed. 

"Because I've known you your entire life," he said simply. "You’re an open book. Your mate is your strength, but she’s also your only true weakness."

We spent the rest of the day in a blur of motion. Every street, every café, every residential alleyway—I combed through them with a desperation that bordered on madness. My senses were stretched to their breaking point, hunting for that specific, haunting blend of chestnuts and bay leaves. But the air was empty. There was nothing. 

On the train ride back, we were both hollowed out, our spirits dampened by the silence of the hunt. Chase was on the phone with Brianna, his voice vibrant and alive, a sharp contrast to the cold, dark void in my own life. Eventually, he crashed into a deep sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts. 

I couldn't sleep. Every time I drifted off, I saw her again—the bruises, the terror, the way she had looked out at the snow. My wolf was pacing, an endless, circular path of frustration. I kept my nose to the air, acting as a living radar, hoping for a miracle that refused to manifest.

"Aiden, stop," Chase groaned, stirring from his sleep. "You’ve been sniffing the air like a hound for fifteen minutes. We’re on a moving train; she’s not going to fall out of the sky."

"I'm sorry," I muttered, trying to unclench my jaw. 

"I get it, I really do. But you need to rest. Do it for her. And don't make me use my Alpha Voice, because I will." 

I leaned back, trying to force my muscles to slacken. "Fine. But I hope we don't miss our stop."

"We won't," he muttered, shifting to get comfortable. "An hour to go. Sleep."

I closed my eyes, trying to visualize the moment I would finally find her, the moment I would hold her and shield her from the world that had tried to break her. That was the only thought that allowed the darkness of sleep to finally take me.