He lifted his hands and signed calmly, [I will find him, Elira. Don’t worry. We will rescue him.]

Relief washed over me, but then he turned to his warriors and yelled, “Find Mira first! I don’t care what it takes!”

My eyes widened. Mira first. Not Ezra. Not the sick three-year-old boy who might be terrified and freezing somewhere out there.

I felt something inside me break. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

He used sign language to deceive me into thinking he was looking for our son. I couldn’t even imagine the horror if I still hadn’t regained my hearing at that moment. I would have believed that monster!

I stormed out. But halfway down the hall, I stopped. Ezra’s nanny, Leni, was standing there, shaking.

I rushed to her. “Leni! What happened? You were with him! How did he get taken?”

She hesitated and started using sign language out of habit.

I grabbed her wrists gently. “No. Speak. I can hear for a week now. Talk to me.”

Her eyes widened. “L-Luna… you regained…?”

“That doesn’t matter!” I snapped, breath shaking. “Tell me what happened to my son.”

Leni swallowed hard, tears falling. “I—I was with him at the hospital. He was asleep. Feverish. I didn’t leave his side. But then… Mira came.”

My stomach twisted.

Leni continued, voice trembling. “Mira told me to buy something to eat. She said she would watch him… only for a few minutes.”

“And you believed her?” I whispered, voice breaking.

Leni sobbed. “She’s close to the Alpha. I couldn’t say no… I thought it was fine. I thought… I thought she would help.”

I closed my eyes tightly.

“When I returned,” Leni cried, “Ezra was gone. And Mira was nowhere to be seen.”

My chest burned. “It was a setup.”

Leni nodded, shaking. “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…”

I placed a hand over my heart, trying to breathe through the panic. “No… no… I have to find him. I have to.”

I turned around, grabbed my phone, and called Jace with shaking hands.

“Jace…” I whispered when he answered. “Send your elite wolf warriors. All of them. Ezra is missing.”

“We’re coming,” he said. “We won’t stop until we find him.”

I ended the call and stepped outside, staring at the storm clouds gathering over the Winterfell Pack.

And this time, I wasn’t waiting for Adrian.

I would search every mountain, every forest, every river until I found my child. Even if I had to tear this entire territory apart with my bare hands.