I jolted awake in the darkness, my heart pounding as I reached across the bed. Empty. Cold.
Seraphina was gone.
Every protective instinct in my body surged to life. I threw back the covers and leapt from our bed, my eyes adjusting quickly to the dim light. The bassinet was still there, Rhys sleeping peacefully inside, but no sign of my mate.
"Seraphina?" I called, keeping my voice low enough not to wake our son.
No answer.
The clock on the nightstand read 3:17 AM. My mind raced through possibilities—each worse than the last. Had she collapsed somewhere in the house? Was she in pain? Or had someone somehow breached our security?
I stalked silently through our bedroom suite, checking the bathroom and sitting area. Nothing. The hallway was empty too.
"Sera?" I called again, louder this time, catching her scent trail leading toward the stairs.
The stairs. The goddamn stairs she was explicitly forbidden to use.
