Majori's POV:
My chest tightened. His warmth wrapped around me, smothering the bone-deep cold. I said nothing and simply buried my face against his shoulder, feeling his body tremble, not from the wind, not from fear but because… I was allowing myself to savor this moment.
For the first time in five years, he was holding me, truly holding me.
Right now, we were no longer a broken couple, no longer the girl who betrayed him and the man whose heart I crushed. It was as if everything had been rewound to the very beginning.
But I knew this moment would slip away quickly.
I closed my eyes, letting the snow fall onto my shoulders, letting the warmth of his arms melt the tremors running through me.
In that white, endless night, I knew that no matter how cruel this world became, Vincent would always find me...
Even if all that remained was the scent of blood in the winter wind.
"Let's get you into the car. It's freezing out here."
He sounded like he might cry but he turned his face away. With the snow falling so heavily, I couldn't even tell whether something had glimmered on his cheek or if it was just melted frost.
The snow fell so thick it swallowed the entire forest beneath a cold white shroud. The wind hissed through the black pines, stinging my skin. I hadn't even managed to stand on my own before Vincent silently bent down and lifted me effortlessly,as if my weight meant nothing.
"Wait... I… I can walk on my own." I grabbed at his shoulder, startled, trying to stop the distance between us from shrinking further.
Vincent ignored me completely. His steps remained steady, crunching into the thick snow with heavy, resolute pressure. His face was dark beneath the moonlight, snowflakes clinging to his hair before sliding off and melting into the fabric of his cloak.
I knew arguing was pointless so I stayed quiet. And somehow… I lowered my head, letting my cheek rest against his chest. His heartbeat thudded strong and steady and that quiet warmth made me forget, just for a moment, the cold slicing into my skin.
He placed me inside the car, leaning in to buckle the seatbelt. The moment the door clicked shut, I raised my hand to my neck without thinking...
And froze.
Empty.
The necklace, the necklace with my ring was gone.
Then I remembered it: during the struggle earlier, that scruffy-haired man's hand had scraped across my neck. Maybe he'd ripped it off without me noticing. Or it had fallen during the fight. Either way, I had to find it. I couldn't lose both the pendant and the ring.
Every part of me went cold, colder than the wind outside.
I touched the spot again, harder this time, my fingers digging into my skin. Then I leaned down, searching frantically around the seat, under my legs, in the folds of my coat.
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
"No… no, this can't..."
I shot upright, my hands shaking as I grabbed the door latch.
"I dropped my necklace. I have to go back and find it."
The door almost popped open but a strong hand grabbed mine and held it firmly in place.
"Majori. No."
"Vincent, just a moment!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "I must've dropped it around here or maybe it's still on one of those bodies. If I don't look for it now, the snow will bury everything by morning and I'll never find it..."
Vincent yanked the door shut and braced it with his whole body. Snow blew into the car with the wind, striking his face but his eyes stayed locked on me sharp and cold like a blade.
"Are you really planning to run out there like this?"
"I can't lose it!" My throat burned. "It's… it's very important to me."
"So tell me," Vincent said, tilting his head slightly, voice low and commanding,
"Where exactly do you think you dropped it?"
I bit my lip, my words dying in my throat.
He held my gaze, unblinking.
"This forest is massive. You ran half a mile while those three werewolves were chasing you. Do you honestly think you know the exact spot it fell?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Vincent continued, each word pushing my scattered reason back into place:
"It's dark. The snowfall is heavy. In a few minutes, every trace will be buried. If you step out of this car now…"
He paused, voice dropping even deeper.
"…you'll freeze to death long before you ever find something that small."
"You… you…" My voice shook, tears spilling hot down my cheeks so painfully opposite the cold outside. "I have to try. I have to..."
"We have no manpower, no light and the night is already too deep."
His voice was unhurried but strong enough to suffocate every ounce of resistance in me.
"Do you want to get yourself killed? Do you want me to watch you collapse in the snow like a fool over a single trinket?"
"That's not..."
"Majori."
He said my name, low and rough.
"No."
Just one word yet it slammed straight into my chest, knocking the breath from me.
I stared at him, my breath uneven, my fingers digging into my palms until my nails left crescent marks.
A part of me wanted to fling the door open and sprint into the snow. But the other part… knew he was right.
My strength gave out. I sank back onto the seat, jaw clenched so tightly it trembled.
"O-Okay…" I whispered. "Okay."
But my voice sounded like something inside me had just snapped in half.
Vincent gently shut the door, then signaled Rin. The engine roared to life and the wheels churned through the snow with a deep, heavy rumble, carrying all the emptiness inside me into the night.
Outside the window, the snowstorm spun wildly.
Vincent leaned back in his seat, eyes fixed ahead.
"Have you found Dane?" he asked, voice low and cold.
Rin replied without turning around:
"Not yet, sir. We searched every place she frequents. The bar, the raw cuisine restaurant, the spa, the hotel. No sign of her. The servants only said they saw her leave early but none knew where she went. She took only her closest maid with her."
Vincent didn't speak.
His reflection in the glass looked like a darker shadow, deep as the night forest, cold as the falling snow but behind it… I sensed something even heavier gathering.
"Check the cameras. Review every security feed in the entire territory."
In the rearview mirror, Rin's eyes glinted.
"Dr. Ryder is on it, sir."
"Good."
Their conversation slipped past my ears but I pretended not to hear.
My gaze drifted out the window. The snowflakes danced sideways like lost butterflies tragically beautiful.
Then Vincent turned toward me. He reached out, pulling my coat tighter around my shoulders, an instinctive gesture but also a tug back into reality.
"Aren't you curious who kidnapped you?"
I looked at him.
In truth, I already had a solid guess.
If Brian wanted to abduct me, I would've been dragged straight back to the Snow Moon pack.
But staying inside Silverfang territory… only one person here hated me enough to pull something like this.
Dane.
A petty kidnapping, dumping me in the middle of the forest…
The werewolves attacking me afterward was likely just bad luck.
With her access, her maid, and her driver, she could've easily told me to slip past Vincent's guards and climb out through some ridiculous dog hole.
It could only have been Dane.
Whether out of jealousy, spite, or the desire to throw me out of Vincent's home.
she had motive enough.
But I didn't want to speak of this.
I didn't want to make it messy.
Not when Vincent already had to deal with betrayal just days ago.
I knew he was hurting, disappointed, shaken, constantly on guard.
If I dragged him into this conflict now… it would put him in an impossible position.
After all, I was only a guest.
And Dane held a status here.
I didn't want to force him to choose sides.
So I met his gaze and answered quietly:
"Finding Dane is more important."