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None of the other furnishings had been gathered near the boxes, since she’d made it clear that she didn’t wish to take any. They didn’t hold any sentimental value to her, and the apartment she shared with Luke didn’t lack furniture so none were needed.
“Nice place,” said Isaiah. “Cozy.”
It really was. Even with the shelves, walls, and fire mantel now bare, the cabin still had a homey feel.
Nostalgia filled her as she glanced around. She had a lot of good memories of this place. Memories of movie nights with Kiesha, make-out sessions with Luke on the sofa, and the various mini gatherings she’d thrown.
She’d lived with her parents up until she turned eighteen, so she hadn’t resided at the cabin long enough for her or her inner female to develop a true attachment to it. Nonetheless, they’d both miss the place. Though not enough to ever regret having to leave it. For them, it had only ever been a temporary home.
“I say we transfer Blair’s things to the van before searching the cabin for marks,” suggested Deke. “It will make it easier for us to spot any—they’ll be hidden well.”
“If they are any here, we’ll find them.” Luke grabbed a box. “Let’s get started.”
Between the four of them, it didn’t take long to transfer her possessions to the vehicle parked outside. A few of her old pack mates observed from a distance, nosy as they were. They gave her either a too-quick smile or weak wave, likely annoyed that she suspected one of the pack was harassing her.
Whatever.
When she and the three male pallas cats were once more gathered in the living area, Blair said, “It’s best if we split up, we can search the place faster that way.” It wouldn’t take long to check out the entire cabin, since it was relatively small and only had one bedroom.
Luke dipped his chin. “Examine every nook and cranny. We need to be thorough.” At that, they headed off in various directions.
Blair did a slow, walk-through of the living area. She checked the walls, floorboards, furnishings, and doorways. The only claw marks she found were those left by Luke.
She raked a hand through her hair, frowning. She’d been sure she’d find at least one mark. It wouldn’t have been sensible for their boy to leave any, no, but he’d done a lot of unsensible things recently.
Deciding to give the room another once-over before moving to another, she moved even slower this time as she began to examine every inch of the living area, wanting to—
“Bedroom,” Luke called out.
Blair stalked through the cabin and into the aforementioned room, quickly followed by Deke and Isaiah. “What have you found?” she asked, eyeing the bed that was now tipped on its side.
His jaw hard, her mate pointed to a wooden slat. “Fucker marked the underneath of your bed.”
Crouching in front of the slat, she felt anger course through her at the sight of the five grooves there. They were so small and subtle they’d likely have gone unnoticed if someone hadn’t actually been searching for them. “Son of a bitch.” Her inner female snarled, equally furious.
“There’s no scent,” Luke told her, a slight growl to his voice. “Whoever did this clawed the wood, but they didn’t use their scent glands to solidify the claim they were making. Probably because they knew there was a chance—however slim—that you’d see the marks.”
She stood, balling up her hands, shoving aside her rage before it could cloud her thoughts. “This was definitely done by one of my kind. I can say that for certain.” She’d seen enough marks made by bush dogs to be sure.
“Let’s keep looking,” said Deke. “There might be more.”
It turned out that there was. The inside of a kitchen cupboard had also been clawed, as had the top of the tall bathroom cabinet. And during yet another examination of the living area, she discovered similar grooves behind the bookcase.
“Essentially, the bastard marked every room,” said Isaiah. “In his mind, she’s meant to be his and she knows it … so why not leave his scent behind?”
Luke folded his arms. “Most likely for the same reason he’s hiding in the shadows and doing things anonymously. Deep down somewhere inside, he knows that what he’s doing is wrong. More, he knows that no one would approve. Still, he will have rationalized his behavior by feeding himself an excuse.”
One hand on her hip, Blair dipped her chin. “I remember the stuff he wrote in the email. He chooses to believe that the reason I didn’t go to him is that I worry my mom would get in the way.”
“Yes,” said Luke. “He could have told himself that he didn’t leave his scent here because she would have come between the two of you if she heard of it.”
Blair couldn’t help but be impressed at just how calm Luke appeared right then. If she hadn’t been able to feel his fury through their bond, she might not have detected just how worked up he was. “Seeing all these marks, I have to wonder how many times he snuck in here. He probably did other messed-up crap too, didn’t he? Like rifle through my underwear or some such shit.”
