The wolf king Fated Mate

Zeke's POV.

The moment I woke up, I knew something was wrong. The bed beside me was cold.

My arm instinctively reached out, searching for the warm, soft body that had been pressed against mine all night. But all I felt was empty sheets. She was gone.

I sat up abruptly, my eyes darting around the room, scanning for any sign of her. The morning sunrays filtering through the curtains revealed the chaos she had left behind... discarded clothes, the lingering scent of her arousal mixed with mine, the faint indentation of her delicate frame on the mattress. But she was nowhere in sight.

A low growl rumbled in my chest as my wolf stirred restlessly. She left us.

Clenching my jaw, I ran a hand through my hair, my mind replaying the events of last night. She had been drunk, yes, but not out of her mind. And she had responded to me... every single touch, every kiss, every thrust. She had wanted me just as much as I had wanted her.

So why the hell did she leave?

A sudden thought hit me like a punch to the gut. I turned to the nightstand where I had left my wallet the night before. My eyes locked onto the space it should have been.

Empty.

"What the hell?..” I snarled, shoving the blanket off and storming out of bed.

She had taken my money.

I threw open the closet, yanked on a pair of black sweatpants, and stormed toward the door. My footsteps were heavy, my muscles coiled with frustration. I had been searching for my mate for years. Years. And the moment I found her, she vanished like a damn thief in the night... after stealing from me.

Did she have any idea who I was?

I stepped into the hallway, my voice thundering through the mansion. “Everyone, get in here. Now!”

The commotion that followed was immediate. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as the housekeepers, security guards, rushed toward me, their expressions laced with fear and confusion.

Beta Caleb was the first to arrive. His eyes swept over my disheveled appearance before he gave a short nod.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice sharp and alert.

“My mate,” I growled, my fists clenched at my sides. “She’s gone.”

A murmur spread through the gathered staff.

Caleb’s eyes darkened with immediate understanding. “She left willingly?”

“She ran, Caleb. And she took my damn wallet.”

His brows shot up. “She stole from you?”

I could hear the barely restrained amusement in his voice, but he was smart enough not to let it show.

“Yes,” I blurted out. “And I want her found. Now.”

Caleb nodded swiftly, already pulling out his phone to issue orders to our tracking team. “She couldn’t have gone far. If she left on foot...

“She didn’t,” a small voice interrupted.

I turned sharply, my eyes locking onto a young maid who stood trembling near the back of the crowd. Her hands were clasped together, her brown eyes wide with fear as she hesitated under my glare.

“What did you say?” My voice was low, dangerous.

She swallowed hard, then quickly lowered her head in submission. “I...I saw her, Your Majesty. She ran out of the house just before dawn.”

My wolf bristled at her words. “You saw her? Why the hell didn’t you stop her?”

The maid flinched. “I... she was moving so fast. I didn’t think…” She trailed off, clearly terrified of my anger.

I took a step forward, towering over her. “Which way did she go?”

The girl gulped and pointed toward the main road. “T-That way. But she was wearing different clothes. She must have changed before leaving.”

Smart. Very smart.

I exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Did she get into a car? A cab?”

The maid nodded hesitantly. “Yes. A black taxi. I couldn’t see the license plate, but it had a red bumper sticker.”

Caleb was already making calls, his voice crisp as he relayed the information. “Check the city’s traffic cams. Find every black taxi with a red bumper sticker that passed this area within the last two hours.”

I clenched my jaw, my blood boiling.

She thought she could just run away? After what we shared?

I had waited six years for my mate, and the moment I found her, she stole from me and disappeared?

Did she really think I wouldn’t hunt her down?

She was mine.

I took a slow breath, reigning in my rage. Losing control wouldn’t help me find her. And I would find her.

Caleb turned back to me after ending the call. “We’ll have footage in a few minutes. If she’s still in the city, we’ll find her.”

“She won’t be,” I muttered. “She’s running from more than just me.”

Caleb tilted his head. “You think she’s been on the run before?”

I thought back to last night, to the pain I had seen in her black eyes, the way she drank like she was trying to drown something inside of her.

“She has secrets,” I admitted, my voice lower now. “And I intend to find out every single one of them.”

Caleb smirked slightly. “She’ll be one hell of a Luna.”

I met his gaze, my own filled with steel determination.

“She’ll be my Luna,” I corrected. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”

I turned back toward the house, my mind already working through every possible way to track her down.

Zara might have run from me. But she had made one fatal mistake.

She had left a part of her scent in my bed.

And a wolf never loses the scent of his mate.

I let a slow, knowing smirk spread across my lips.

“Run, little mate,” I murmured. “Let’s see how far you get.”