Adrian’s POV

I believed Natalia would regret leaving me and return home soon. Therefore, I didn’t worry much after returning home. I was in a bad mood because Dad scolded me severely after Natalia left the pack house. I was furious with her and simply waited for her hopeless return the next morning. I just wanted to see her face.

That night, I dreamt I was kidnapped. A girl’s voice called out to me, rescuing and healing me with herbs. The girl wasn’t Lynda; it was Natalia!

I jolted awake, sitting upright. It was a nightmare, a recollection of past memories. As a child, my father constantly protected me from enemies. As his only successor and future pack leader, other Alphas wanted me dead. Once, one of my father’s rivals kidnapped me. I hadn't fully processed that experience, hence its appearance in my dream.

Looking out the window, I realized it was late morning. “I’ve never woken up this late before,” I muttered.

My dream was impossible. Lynda, not Natalia, had saved me. But Natalia… that woman had messed with my mind. I would punish her upon her return.

I showered and went to retrieve my suit, but my clothes weren't on the couch.

“NATALIA!”

I yelled, demanding to know why she hadn't laid out my clothes. I was already late. Then I froze. She wasn’t there.

I took a suit from the closet. My gaze fell on a card on the nightstand. ‘She didn’t take…’ The sentence was incomplete.

I went to the living room and summoned the servants.

“Where is Natalia?” I asked, sitting at the table.

Amanda, preparing my breakfast, bowed. “Luna left yesterday and never returned.”

Enraged, I ordered my guards, “Check all security cameras on the roads near the pack house.”

I lost my appetite and didn’t eat.

An hour later, the guards reported, “We found footage of her going toward the forest.”

I watched the footage repeatedly. Before reaching the forest, she appeared disoriented, standing in the middle of the road.

My anger exploded. I flung my laptop to the ground. I panicked, wondering how Natalia, a nobody, had escaped the pack so easily.

Days passed with no sign of Natalia. Her stepparents confirmed she was adopted and they had no contact with her.

Since Natalia left, my headaches worsened. I needed medication to cope. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

One day, my lunch tasted awful. I called Amanda to inquire about a change of cook. She replied, upset, that there hadn't been one. I demanded, “If the chef hasn’t changed, why is the food so bad?”

“Because Natalia, your wife, cooked all your meals before.”

I was shocked. She had been cooking for me? I thought the chef, whom I paid double, was responsible for the delicious food.

Amanda, as if reading my mind, added, “She loved preparing your meals. She said she loved doing things for you, even if she didn't know if you'd come back.”

Ignoring her, I stormed out of the dining room.

Another day, I couldn’t find my tie. The butler said, “Only Luna knows.”

In a fit of rage, I called Natalia. She didn’t answer—a first. I felt… strange. I had an overwhelming need to find her.

I called Patric Solberg, my beta and close friend, who would succeed me as beta.

“I need to know her friends or real parents. She may be with them.”

Patric tried, but called back dejectedly. “No one knows her friends or parents.”

Frustrated, I mentally berated her. What was she thinking?

Every day, my wolf blamed me, believing I’d driven her away.

I was a mystery to myself. I couldn’t sleep, eat, or work properly.

One day, Patric visited, but not with news of Natalia. It was pack business, which I completely disregarded.

He chuckled, looking at me. “Adrian, are you regretting letting Natalia go?”

Stunned, I replied instantly, “No.”

(The final promotional sentence has been removed as it's not part of the text to be cleaned.)