“What happened after?” I asked.
“They left in the morning. Said they were heading deeper into the forest. Old trails, away from the main roads,” Mason said.
“And then?”
Mason’s hands clenched. “A few hours later, I heard a gunshot.”
The word landed heavy.
“I ran toward it,” he said quickly, like he needed me to know that. “I didn’t think, I just ran.”
My wolf growled low in my chest, furious.
“When I got there, the campsite was empty. Blood on the ground. There were no bodies. No tracks I could follow,” he said.
I breathed out slowly, keeping my expression steady even as my mind raced.
“Can you show me where it was?” I asked.
Mason hesitated, glancing at the forest. Then he nodded. “Yeah.”
We stepped back into the trees together.
I kept my pace measured, aware of how close he walked, how his shoulder almost brushed mine. His scent wrapped around me in a way that made my wolf press forward, pleased. Protective.
I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t like that I didn’t understand it.
The campsite came into view just as voices drifted toward us. Gino and the others were already there.
Mason froze.
“Easy,” I murmured. “They’re with me.”
I raised a hand. “Gino.”
Gino turned, eyes narrowing briefly at Mason before he relaxed. “Found blood. Drag marks. No bodies.”
I nodded. “This is Mason. He’s the one who called it in.”
Mason shifted again, clearly uncomfortable with four wolves now sharing the space. I angled myself slightly between him and the others without thinking.
Gino noticed, but said nothing.
“We’re here to help,” I said firmly. “All of us.”
Mason’s gaze flicked between our faces. “Why?”
The question wasn’t hostile. It was bewildered.
“Why go through all this,” he pressed, “for four packless shifters you don’t even know? This isn’t even technically your territory.”
I met his eyes and let him see the truth of it.
“Because someone took them,” I said. “And because we don’t turn our backs on shifters who might need help.”
Something in Mason cracked. His scent spiked. There was shock and something like grief. I thought of his cabin, which was previously isolated but known now.
A cold certainty settled in my gut. I didn’t like the thought of him living alone here, not when there was potential danger around.
