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“Hey, I have no regrets.” I grinned at my brother cheekily. “It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”
“Right.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “No regurts,” he said, referencing a funny tattoo meme before heading over to talk to Audrey.
As Ridge approached me, I basked in the warmth in his eyes. “You did a good thing, helping these tiger shifters,” he told me, his voice low and filled with pride. “I’m glad you’re using your experiences to make a difference for others.”
I watched him as we stood together in the warm sunlight filtering through the trees. “I have to say, I’m really glad you and Kyle are getting along better now.”
He glanced at me, his eyes filled with amusement. “Yes, well, I think we just got off on the wrong foot. He thought I was somestuck-up monster mayor trying to get you to give in to your monstrous urges.”
“Speaking of which,” I said playfully, leaning against him and looking up into his eyes, “I do love giving in to my urges with you.”
Ridge’s gaze darkened, and a heated look passed between us. “Maybe we should get back to the manor sooner rather than later, then.”
“Maybe we sho—” My words were cut off as Jaxon approached. His eyes widened in recognition, and the wide smile he gave us made him look ten years younger. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “I didn’t notice earlier. You two are officially mated now.” His gaze lingered on the mark that adorned my neck, the symbol of our bond.
Ridge and I exchanged a glance before we both nodded. Jaxon stepped closer and enveloped us both in a tight hug. “Congratulations,” he said with genuine joy.
“Thanks, Jaxon,” I said, suddenly realizing that the awkwardness I’d once had around him had dissipated. This man was my father, and as strange as it still seemed at times, there was a growing sense of familiarity, of belonging between us. I hugged him back, and it was a promise for a future relationship that would be built on love and trust.
“Did everything go well on your mission?” Jaxon asked, pulling back to look at us both, concern evident in his eyes.
“Actually, it—" Ridge began, but the shrill ringing of his phone cut him off. He glanced at the screen before excusing himself to answer. “It’s the care facility,” he said, an edge of worry creeping into his voice.
With our shifter hearing, Jaxon and I could hear the conversation. The panicked voice on the other end of the line informed Ridge that Lucille had gone feral again, but this time it was far more dangerous. She had nearly killed the two nurseswho had tried to sedate her and had escaped from the facility. They were afraid Lucille might attack innocent people in her feral state.
Ridge turned to me as he ended the call, and the devastation on his face broke my heart. “I have to go find her.”
My stomach churned. “I’m coming with you,” I said. I was not going to let him face this alone.
Jaxon was breathing heavily. “I had no idea Lucille was still alive,” he said, his voice thick with concern. “I want to help get her back to safety, too.”
Ridge hesitated, clearly wary about involving Jaxon. I thought back to the first time I’d met Lucille, when she had been blabbering incoherently about Jaxon Hyde. There was definitely more to the story than we knew.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring Jaxon?”Ridge asked me telepathically, his expression guarded.
I considered his question for a moment, but my gut told me that my father could be trusted.“Jaxon would never hurt anyone except in self-defense,”I said, and I fully believed it.“We should bring him along and finally get to the bottom of how Lucille knows him.”
Ridge nodded at Jaxon before we all climbed into the car and sped off. The tension inside the vehicle was palpable, our minds filled with worry for Lucille and the potential harm she might cause while in her feral state.
“Lucille couldn’t have gotten far,” I tried to reassure both myself and the two men beside me. “We’ll find her and figure out what’s going on.”
As we drove, I focused on controlling my breathing, willing my nerves to settle. I glanced over at Ridge, who gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw clenched. The muscles in Jaxon’s arms were tense as well, betraying his own unease. It was clearthat we all cared deeply for Lucille and wanted nothing more than to ensure her safety.
“Once we find her”—I looked at Ridge, then over my shoulder at Jaxon in the backseat—“we need to figure out why she’s so afraid of you, Jaxon. And without causing her any more distress.”
Jaxon nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with resolve. “I want nothing more than to help her,” he said softly.
Ridge parked the car near the care facility, his eyes focused on the surrounding woods. Unease roiled inside me as we stepped out of the vehicle and shifted into our wolf forms. We began tracking Lucille’s scent through the dense trees, my heart pounding with every step.
Torn-up deer carcasses and mutilated animals littered the woods around the care facility, and bile rose in my throat. Lucille’s feral state had driven her to act out violently, and it only reinforced the urgency to find her before someone innocent got caught in the crossfire.
“Over there,”Ridge said in my mind.
We raced to a nearby commotion, where Lucille was locked in combat with a black bear. The poor, terrified creature was trying its best to fight her off.
Ridge lunged at her to get her attention without causing harm. He snapped his teeth just inches from her snout, desperate to break her focus on the bear. Jaxon and I circled around her, corralling her away from the injured animal.
Together, we managed to pin her down, her body heaving beneath us as she slowly began to calm. As her wild eyes settled on Jaxon’s wolf form, something inside her snapped. She shifted back into her human form, her face contorted in anguish as she burst into tears.
