Page 213 of My Unexpected Mate

Blake stopped talking and took a deep breath. There was a huge lump in my throat, and I felt like I won’t ever be able to swallow again.

“If she didn’t, she told me to tell you she loves you,” Blake said quietly. “She told me to tell you not to be angry with her. She said that the best thing she could do with her life was to protect the people she loved. She said that she never felt more loved and wanted than right here with all of us. She said to thank you for giving her the love she always wanted.”

I couldn’t hold it anymore. Tears fell from my eyes, and a whimper escaped my lips. She was saying goodbye in case she never saw us again. Nate was whining and howling inside. I could feel how broken he was, and it only added to my pain.

Cassie sobbed loudly and wrapped her arms around herself.

“I told her not to do this,” Blake continued, and I could tell he was crying as well. “I begged her to stay here. She hugged me and told me it wasn’t my fault. She told me not to blame myself. She said it was her decision. I watched her as she walked over to him. The other guy that was with Victor grabbed her and placed a cloth over her mouth. She fainted, and Victor threw her over his shoulder. They left, and I stayed outside staring at the forest until I heard Nick scream her name.”

I can’t describe what I was feeling. The most important piece of my body and soul was gone. Ripped away from me. How the hell was I supposed to live now? How the hell was I supposed to stop myself from killing the man sitting in front of me? It was his fault. He should have stopped her. He should have told me.

“I am going to get her back,” Gabriel said, his voice low and cold. “If she dies, I will kill you, Blake. I don’t fucking care how convincing she was. She is so small, and there is no fucking way you couldn’t have grabbed her and dragged her back inside the house. If she dies, her blood will be on your hands. And I will make sure your blood will be on mine.”

Gabriel stood up and ran to the backdoor. He opened it so forcefully that he broke the hinges. I followed behind him, and I could hear Jacob running after me.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN – Find Her

Gabriel’s POV

I couldn’t breathe.

Images of her being tortured and killed kept replaying in my mind.

He was going to use her and kill her.

I can’t let that happen. I have to find her.

“NICK!” I yelled. “Trace her scent!”

I could hear him walking behind me. Anger was rolling off of him in waves.

He ran past me into the forest, picking up her scent and following it. Jacob was next to me, and I could see how tense he was.

I think this was the hardest on him. Blake was his friend. And as much as I hate to admit it, Jacob was in love with Aria. Blake’s betrayal hit him the hardest.

We have been running for a while now, and I could see the road ahead of us. My heart tugged painfully. If they left in a car, there was no fucking way we would be able to track them down.

Nick stopped by the end of the road and sniffed the air.

A loud growl pierced the silence.

“I lost it,” he muttered. “I can’t smell her anymore.”

“They left in a car,” Jacob said, rubbing a hand over his face.

“FUCK!” Nick growled and started punching the tree with his fist.

I fell down on my knees and gripped my hair in my fists.

She was gone.

How the hell were we going to find her? We had no fucking idea where Victor was hiding. We couldn’t find Patricia. We had absolutely no leverage against him.

I could see Nick screaming in anger, but I couldn’t hear him. The only thing I could hear was my heart beating in my chest.

Jacob was staring down the road. His hands were clenched into fists. His jaw kept twitching.

I had to move. I had to get up. I had to go to her.

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