Levi's POV

Still nothing. Every minute of uncertainty was like another knife plunging into my stomach.

I just couldn't understand how whoever had taken her had masked her scent. Even I couldn't detect it further than the bonfire, and not only did I have heightened senses but she's my mate.

"They're here!" Estelle called up the stairs. Pushing myself away from the map I was studying, I left the study and headed downstairs. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror on the way down. God I looked terrible. I didn't care though.

At the bottom of the stairs was a young couple, the girl holding a toddler.

"Thank you so much for coming," I said, my voice sounding flat and exhausted. "I don't know what else to do."

The guy, Lucas, shook my hand and nodded sympathetically. The girl, Charlotte, smiled sadly at me.

"We were so sorry to hear about the situation," she said, shifting the kid.

"I couldn't even imagine..." Lucas trailed, looking at Charlotte so intensely that I wanted to look away.

"Georgia," Estelle called. "Would you take Ella and show her the slide in the garden?"

Georgia jumped up off the sofa she'd been sitting on, eager to do something to help.

Charlotte handed Ella to Georgia, and looked at me. "I don't mean to sound over protective, but do you have people guarding the house? I just would hate for anything to happen to her..."

I nodded. "My beta is out there, and a team of my best fighters." She smiled, nodding. I couldn't blame her.

We sat down at the kitchen bench, Estelle making drinks.

"So you think you can help?" I couldn't help but be blunt. I didn't have any time or desire for small talk.

The two exchanged a glance. "Maybe. It took a long time, and concentrated effort on both our parts, but we were able to establish a mind link."

I practically did a double take. "Is that even possible? With a human?"

Charlotte nodded. "Weirdest thing I've ever experienced. It's quite patchy, and we have to really focus, but it's definitely there."

"How?" I demanded. Estelle bit her lip, looking cautious.

"It's almost as if you tap into the frequency that is the connection between you... It's kind of hard to explain, especially since the pack mind link is second nature. This takes work." Lucas explained, frowning.

I nodded. "Go on."

"You'll know when you're there, it's something so different to the rest of the pack, because it's based on that mate connection and because she's human, so you can only hear what she wants you to hear."

"It's only going to work if she's open to it, too. Which I guess complicates things..." Charlotte added.

"Okay. I'll try."

"Just focus on that magnetic feeling when you're together, and go from there. You have to propell what you want to say, let it out with force, or she won't hear anything."

I closed my eyes, trying to visualise the connection I had with Danielle. The problem was, it wasn't a connection like a single strand of rope; to me it felt like an intricate web of fine silk, twisting and spanning in every direction, to everything that tied her to the world. How was I meant to tap into that?

"When you find the connection, push down it," Lucas encouraged.

I groaned. "But there's so many."

"It's not easy. You'll know when you find the right path."

Closing my eyes again, I tried to clear my mind. To go beyond my mind. The mind link I had with the pack was something beyond the mind, so I assumed this was too. But to try and force something that you've never had to actually try to do... Harder than it sounded.

I kept trying for an hour, not getting anywhere. Every time I thought I felt something, it was a dead end.

"This isn't working," I exhaled in frustration, anger at myself rising.

"Don't give up, it takes time."

Charlotte looked at me, her big eyes full of pity. "It doesn't work if she doesn't work."

I shook my head. This was a futile waste of valuable time. "What does she have to do?"

"She has to have an understanding of the connection between you, of who you are, of what she is."

"I only just told her about us... I didn't want to overwhelm her, she knows nothing." I could hear the desperation in my voice. That was not the voice of an alpha. I was pathetic.

"Don't stop trying. Wherever she is, whatever she's doing, she'll be thinking about you at some point. Wait for that."

Lucas' phone rang, and he stepped out of the room to answer it.

"For what it's worth," Charlotte smiled at me, "I think you've handled everything with Danielle so well. I mean, not kidnapping her for starters was a great move."

I chuckled dryly, shaking my head. "Thank you. And thank you for coming all the way here. I didn't expect you here so soon."

"Of course, we're only sorry we can't do more. We have patrols out along all our borders. I don't understand how someone could do this."

Lucas came back into the room, looking frustrated. "I'm sorry, we have to go. With the full moon tomorrow, we can't be away for too long."

They grabbed their daughter and left, promising to come back in a few days.

Alone with just Estelle, I slumped back into my chair, head in hands.

"Levi?"

I shook my head again. "I can't even feel her, it's like something has been severed. Before, she felt like an extension of myself but now... It's like she's gone."

"No, you can't think like that," Estelle said firmly, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "She's alive. You'd know if she wasn't. Whoever has her, they're obviously blocking it somehow. You can't give up, we'll find her."

"I'm so terrified of losing her," I whispered, my voice breaking.

We'd lost our parents, which was excruciating, and to lose my mate as well...

A tear ran down Estelle's cheek. "Me too."

She hugged me, and we stayed like that for a long time. In the past few years I'd watched Estelle grow up so much, and I was so proud of the woman she had become. She was my rock through everything, and I was grateful for her always.

But there was nothing anyone could do to make me feel better about this. I would only feel okay when Danielle was back in my arms, and I'd killed whoever took her.

My mind went dark as I thought of how I would get revenge for this. I had tried to stay out of that dark place, but it was creeping closer and closer.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and a sweaty Thomas emerged, panting.

"We think we found something."