Dex bolted upright in bed, panting.
Two things registered at once.
First, Serena wasn't in his arms. Even in sleep, he held her. His body did it without thought, without effort, the way his lungs drew breath. She fit against him like she'd been designed for the space between his chest and his chin, and the absence of her there felt like a missing organ. Wrong on a level that bypassed his brain and went straight to his marrow.
Second, her terror was flooding through the matebond like a dam had broken.
It hit him in waves. Raw, animal fear, the kind that didn't come from a nightmare. This was awake fear. Active. Present tense.
Dex reached for her in the bed. The sheets were cold.
Not cool. Cold. She'd been gone for a while.
Aegon surged forward, slamming against Dex's ribs, trying to force a shift. Dex shoved him down.
His wolf didn't process fear the way he did. Aegon didn't analyze. Aegon acted. And right now, Aegon wanted to tear through walls to find her.
