“Human?”
“One, definitely. The other… I’m not sure.” I thrust my hand through my hair. “It makes no sense, but I swear it was shifter.”
“Direction?”
“Blade went east, followed the human. At this point, we thought they were both human. I followed the second scentnorth, through the thickest part of the woods. Another reason I think it was shifter.”
“Okay, head home, eat, sleep. I’ll update Damien.”
“I’ll update him since I’m heading into camp to check on Angel.”
“Don’t bother. She’s not there.”
My wolf, who’s fucking tired of trailing a scent that disappeared in the middle of nowhere, sits up straight on high alert. “Damien kicked her out?” My growl’s unmistakable, but it doesn’t faze Frank.
“You know Damien wouldn’t do that. You need to get your head on straight, and soon.”
“Can’t. Too wired.” And stressed worrying about Angel. The only reason I was able to stay away as long as I did and focus on my mission was because I’d left Angel surrounded by pack.Safe. “And now you’re playing games with me. What’s happened, Frank? The boy okay?”
“He’s retelling the story over and over as if it was a grand adventure.”
“Sadie Lynn?”
“Damien chewed her out, but he’s finally realizing taking care of those rugrats is too big a job for one shifter. He ordered Tanner back to work, limited hours, until he’s fully healed or they find someone to help Sadie Lynn now that Angel left.”
“Where is she, Frank? What aren’t you telling me?” My hands clench but I force them open. Frank’s toying with me, but he doesn’t look stressed.
“She got into a fight with one of her cabinmates and moved out. I didn’t see it, just heard someone called her the H word.”
“Human? Why the fuck would someone call her that?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. As long as she’s not tied to the WSSO, I couldn’t care less if she’s shifter, human, or a three-ton elephant accidentally trampling everything in its path. But I will say this, Garrett. She needs to find a way to fit in or she’ll alwaysbe on the outside. Like you. And one of you is one too many.” He slams a pack of clothes from the cache against my chest. “Talk to her.”
Message received. “Where is she?”
“Your cabin.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
GARRETT
Angel’s scent, that tantalizing mix of fresh air and lilac, tickles my nose and stirs other parts of me as I reach the door to my cabin. With my hand on the latch, I hesitate, unsure what I’ll say, what I’ll do.
My wolf remains blessedly quiet as I stare at the door. He’s giving me time to think, but as I know, having time to think often creates more problems than it solves.
“Garrett, is that you?” Angel calls out from inside my cabin. The door swings open. She’s standing there, looking a lot better than when I last saw her. Her skin has a radiant, healthy glow, no longer as blue as the water that nearly drowned her. Soft golden hair hangs loosely about her shoulders, just how I like it, but the temptation to sink my hands into those soft locks proves too much for me.
I shove my hands behind me and adopt a neutral, military stance. “I thought I caught your scent. I guess breaking into a shifter’s home while he’s away is becoming habit for you.”
“It was unlocked. And last time you were here.” She bites herlower lip, then takes a deep breath. “I didn’t think you’d mind, since I had nowhere else to go.”
“What’s wrong, Angel?” I won’t play games with her when she’s hurting or in trouble.
“No hello?”
“Hello. What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, I’m just a bit edgy. I was worried about you and no one told me where you went. Damien, Frank, and several others took off after that alert sounded at the border, but they all returned. You didn’t.”
