But this time,as soon as he entered the Den,he was struck by a terrifying anomaly.The Den was too quiet.The air was sterile,lacking the comforting scent of her familiar presence.He looked around and found that all of Elara’s scent markers were gone.Her small items,her personal textiles…all vanished.
Ryder’s heart sank with primal dread.He immediately pulled out his comm-link to call Elara.
“The number you have dialed is temporarily outside the service range…”
His Alpha core clenched.He sent a desperate voice message:“Mate,stop this juvenile territorial game.Are you playing the game of abandoning the Den again?”
A bright red alert icon appeared next to the message.Ryder suddenly realized he had been blocked.His face went completely dark.This was the first time Elara had severed their connection so completely.
He scratched his head irritably and was about to rush upstairs when he saw the Pack Servant approaching with a heavy box.
She said carefully,“Alpha,this package arrived earlier from the former Mate.”
Ryder hadn’t registered the servant’s subtle shift in address.He took the box and eagerly tore it open.On the top lay a single,folded scroll.