Kian's POV

A sudden pain jerked me straight up in the middle of the night. I frantically searched the room for the bringer of it but saw no one. Where did it come from? Why does my arm feel like someone's digging around in it?

It's Holly, I told you last night and the night before. It's Holly and she's in trouble!

You're overreacting. Holly will probably be back soon.

No, she won't. What's wrong with you?!

Nothing's wrong with me except the fact that my wolf seems to think he has control over my body.

You be glad I don't. If I were to take control, Hannah would never talk to you again and we'd be with mate. I'd go look for her.

Good thing you're stuck inside then, isn't it?

You'll have to change eventually, Kian. When you do, I'm taking us straight to Holly.

I scoffed at him. He's been like this ever since we found Holly's phone. Hannah's also been strange too, she never leaves my side anymore. She even comes along on patrol.

Why is everyone acting so weird?

A strange feeling started to ebb its way into my mind again, a feeling of... longing? I don't know, I just know that it always leads to me thinking about the same thing.

I thought back to when everyone started acting strange; the day Holly left. They all think she got kidnapped or something but why would anyone do that? She's a patrol wolf, nothing more. Why wouldn't they take me or Kian- the Alpha's sons- or Nova- the oracle.

Nova is always the thought that follows, they would probably have come to get her. She's one of the oracles and holds extreme power in such a small body. She almost looks like her little sister sometimes.

Actually, come to think of it, she looks a lot like her sister sometimes. Granted her hair is less straight than Nova's.

You can change hair with a curler.

She also has different eyes.

But you can't see someone's eye color in the dark.

Holly's smaller than her sister.

Not if you've never seen them together before.

So, what are you saying? Holly was taken because she looks like her big sister?

That's what I've been trying to suggest for days but you're too block headed to see it.

I growled at him, but I couldn't deny the logic in it. Holly may be small but she's noble. It's one of the things I admire about her. That and those big, blue eyes. I love those eyes.

Hm?

I have to go talk to dad and Mike.

I jumped out of bed and ran to my door before realizing that I went for a run before bed and was currently not dressed. Not one bit. Turning away from the door I grabbed a pair of shorts, pulled them on then I ran down the halls to my father's office, mind linking Mike on the way.

Dad must have heard me running down the hallway because he was opening the door as I arrived at it. I received a confused look as I came in and sat down at the chair opposite my desk to await my brother.

He came in 5 minutes later, sleepy, confused and grumpy.

I looked at the clock on the wall and I couldn't blame him. 1 a.m. isn't really anyone's best time, especially when they were sleeping prior to it.

"What's this about?"

"I don't think Holly was taken for nothing."

"I thought you didn't think she was taken at all."

"Yeah, well, my wolf convinced me otherwise."

"Why do you think Holly was taken, Kian," my father interrupted.

"Holly and Nova look a lot alike," Mike gave me a look," I think she was taken because her captures mistook her for one of the Oracles."

"So you believe that someone came here in search of an Oracle and took her little sister instead because they are somewhat similar?"

"Yes."

"How tired are you?"

"Michael, do not dismiss your brother like that."

"Holly is shorter than Nova with freckles and blue eyes. Why would anyone think she was her?"

"It was dark, maybe they couldn't see freckles or eyes. If you never saw Holly or Nova before then you wouldn't be able to know which was taller."

"He's serious. You believe it's my girlfriends fault her little sister was taken."

"No, I think Holly's love for her sister got in the way when they came looking for her. There was no way she would let them take Nova so she pretended to be her."

"Where did this come from? Yesterday you wanted nothing to do with the search, you thought Holly would be back on her own in no time. Why the sudden interest?"

"I- I have no idea."

"Why would you wake us up in the middle of the night with this hair-brained idea if you don't even know," he spat at me. A low growl came from my thought.

"We just have to get her back," I snapped at him, surprising myself. Why do I care?

"Maybe if you want her back so much you should ju-"

"Michael," Mike shut up and turned to our father like a dog out of obedience training. Why didn't we send him there? "You can go back to bed, I need to have a word with your brother."

"Yes, sir."

Damn, Dad can be scary sometimes.

Mike stood up and pushed his chair in a bit before leaving under the Alpha's orders. Once the door was shut behind him my father stood up and walked around the desk to lean on the front of it before me. His hands clasped in front of him and he stared down at me, waiting for me to tell him what's going on.

I can't tell if he's being my dad or my Alpha when he does this.

Neither can I.

The door opened again and my mother came into the office, hair messed and robe on. She stopped in the doorway and stared at my dad, I could tell that they were communicating telepathically because of the dazed look in their eyes as the stared at each other. After a moment she came to sit in the chair next to me that Mike was sitting in a minute ago.

"Are you ready to tell us," she asked, leaning across to touch my arm all motherly.

What are they talking about?

My wolf didn't reply, only rolled his eyes. I turned my attention to dad and he just rubbed his forehead in response to my confusion.

"Tell you what?"

"Oh, dear," Mom replied," I thought you said he was ready to tell us?"

Dad winced at her question. Screw him being scary, she scares the shit out of him.

"I never said it, if we're getting technical. I mind linked you and said I thought it was time to talk to him about it."

"Jackson, you know very well I wanted him to come to us first," she growled at him.

"He's worried about her. We can't just ignore it anymore."

"What are you two going on about?!"

Both fell silent, their gazes returned to each other and I could tell they were mind linking again.

"Knock it off and tell me what you're talking about?"

"Son," Dad started after a special kind of glare only a mate can give," We know that you've mated."

"What," I jerked forward in my chair. How could they have known? We were careful.

My wolf rolled his eyes again.

I'm getting really tired of that gesture, you little-

"I'm your Alpha, Kian, not to mention your father. I felt it the moment you found out Holly was your mate."

"Well, how did you know it was Holly?"

"Besides the scent, odd behavior and oddly long necked shirts, I'm her Alpha, too. I felt it when she mated."

"You've known all this time? Why didn't you say anything?"

"We wanted you to come to us," my Mom said. I stared at the floor for a long moment.

They had waited weeks for me to come to them with my new found mate. To claim her in front of them and the pack so we could all be happy. To kiss her in front of them and tell everyone how much I loved her. To hold her when she was sad. To present her to the new coming Alpha as my own and only mine.To hear her laugh and know I caused it because I'd wanted to just to hear it. To do all the things a good mate should.

I made Holly wait, too.

How could I do that to her? I thought of the look on her face when I marked her, then the one on her face when I walked past her heavily doused in cologne and wearing a tall necked shirt, then the one when I was thinking too hard, the look when I mind linked her for the first time, when I won the race, I saw her last...

All these thoughts were racing through my head so fast I didn't think I could catch them. I've never had any trouble catching anything before. I didn't even notice my mother rubbing my back soothingly until she started talking again.

"I take this as you being ready to end things with Hannah? You want your mate?"

"Yes," I whispered but something felt oddly familiar about this. Like I've done this before.

"We'll talk about better tactics to find her in the morning," my father said, nodding at the door," For now go get some rest, son. You'll need it."