Carver and I made our rounds, separately. We knocked on doors. Asked store owners and anyone we saw. Even people walking by on their way to work. The coffee shop patrons gave me weird looks when I asked about her.
Everyone did, really. Only a small few shared some of my concern.
Diesel called and told me he’d lost the trail. He was doubling back to start over.
Hope dwindled. The more I knocked on doors and showed her picture, the more my chest tightened and my wolf howled.
Goddess, please don’t do this to us. And if you do, at least keep our mate protected.
I moved on to a small,out of place in the citypink cottage. An older woman sat on the porch, rocking in a white chair. “Need something, young man?”
“I’m looking for my mate.”
She cackled. “You lost her? Bad luck.”
“Can I come up and show you her picture? Maybe you’ve seen her?”
“Sure. Come on.”
I opened the gate and walked up and showed her the picture on my phone. She reached for a pair of reading glasses, and it felt like an eternity for her to put them on and get a good look. Her eyes ticked up to meet mine. “You know, I’ve been an insomniac for twenty years. And for you, today, it is finally serving a purpose. I saw this young lady. Tore through here a few hours ago. Headed east. Cut through my yard if you like.”
I didn’t even thank her. I made a note in my head to go back and bring her flowers or something.
That was, if she was right.
When I reached the back of the yard, I saw Diesel across the street.
“This way,” I said, and we met up and called Carver who was there in an instant.
We all ran at top speed, Diesel leading the way until we came to the wilderness park at the very edge of the city. We’d shifted there a few times, and as soon as we reached the main trailhead, I knew. It was a perfect place for any shifter to hide. My only question was why she would leave? Had we done something to spook her so badly that she’d rather face her demons in the form of a forced marriage than stay with us?
We followed the trial for a while, Diesel still picking up her scent, before her scream and the smell of fear, our mate’s fear, filled my senses.
“Josie!”
Chapter Nineteen
Josie
I was in full-flight mode. I’d left my new pack to save them from these assholes, but here they were. There were several of them—I wasn’t sure how many, but I couldn’t stop to check. Much faster in wolf form, it would cost me a few seconds to shift, seconds I didn’t have if I was going to keep ahead of them. Luckily, they weren’t smart enough to shift because if they had, they’d have overtaken me in no time. As it was, they were enough out of shape in their two-legged forms that I was able to get a head start. Shouts came from behind me as I pounded through the countryside, so panicked, I didn’t know what I was doing. Everything that had been so beautiful when I was wandering aimlessly became a blur. Blues and greens of water and trees all smeared together in my vision as my heart rate leapt up and my breath rasped in my chest.
How did they find me so fast? It wasn’t possible, but maybe they had a way, especially the alpha, to find escaped pack members. I swerved left, shooting for a gully and pounding down into it. I didn’t know the terrain, but neither did they. Circling a spear of granite or something like it, I ducked down and hoped they’d run on past. But they didn’t. In fact, one of them spotted me and shouted to the others while he closed in.
A beta I’d always feared from childhood, the kind who was mean to kids and animals, leered at me, his hand shooting out to grasp my wrist.
“Let me go, you asshole,” I snarled. “You don’t want to find out what will happen if you don’t.”
“Yeah? What exactly will that be?” He laughed. “Are you going to call for those males who think you’re theirs? Go ahead. Although I don’t think they’re anywhere near here. They let youleave. And why? Because they have no more interest in you than the mate you were supposed to get. Because of your selfishness, we lost the deal for the fungus and you cannot imagine how mad that made the alpha. He’s going to make you sorry you were ever born.”
“I’m sorry you were ever born.” I spat in his face and tugged at my arm. “You don’t own people. You don’t even own clean socks.”
He swiped the spit away, eyes red with rage. “The alpha said we can’t hurt you until he gets here. I guess he wants the pleasure. But I’ll get my turn. With the mating deal fallen through, you’re just so much more female flesh. I imagine everyone will get their turn.”
“You’re disgusting.” I jerked harder, but he still held on. “Your mate will probably be thrilled to learn you are out taking your pleasure from unwilling females. As I recall—and for no reason I can imagine—she’s the jealous type. If you do anything like you’re talking about, I’ll tell her, and she’ll have your pathetic ass out of the house and living in the single dorms.”
She was jealous, and I didn’t understand why she would ever let him touch her, but the fear in his eyes confirmed I’d struck a nerve. Then he stiffened. “Besides, what makes you think you’re going back to the pack to tattle on anyone. When we’re done with you, the alpha has another pack willing to take you on. They need a fertile female to increase their numbers. And, you lucky little bitch, they aren’t picky.”
“Nice. I’ll just run away from them.”
