AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I reached out to where she’d fallen asleep, even though I knew it was pointless. There was no way in hell she would’ve slept through Declan’s invasion. She was gone. Her side of the bed was fucking cold, which meant she’d been gone a while. How the fuck had I missed that? Stealthy little thing.
Flipping on the light, I grabbed my old clothes and dug out my phone with hopes she’d at least text me something. Nothing.
“Fuck.” I sighed. No note, no text, not a word. I wasn’t an idiot—hopeful but not an idiot. And the hopeful part of me wasted just enough of Declan’s time to text my wife.
I know why you left & please know you didn’t have to. If you’re okay with it, let me know you got home safe.
I tossed my phone on the bed and hurried through getting dressed, doing my best to focus on whatever was up Declan’s ass. I had no belief that Genevieve would text me back. If her emotions were enough to send her running, I’d give her space long enough to think about it before I chased after her.
PRINCESS: Safe.
Thank you. When you’re ready to talk, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere this time, Genevieve.
At least she was safe. That was all that mattered, right? So why the fuck didn’t it feel that way.
I took longer to get my shit together than Declan would’ve liked—the glaring expression on his face gave that away. My wolf nudged against my skin, and a frustrated growl vibrated in my chest as I stormed across the parking lot toward his truck.
“What the fuck is going on?” I demanded when I got close.
“Stop fighting me, and get in the truck,” Declan retorted.
“Not until you—”
“Get in the fucking truck, Killian, or I’ll drag you myself.” A dark growl rumbled in his throat. Fucking hell. He was really put out by something—made me wonder what the fuck I did. Ah fuck, was he pissed about my whole thing with Genevieve? Was this another angry Declan talking to?
I listened, getting in without fighting him.
“You going to tell me what the fuck I did at…” I glanced at the dashboard as he drove into the forest. Fuck. It wasn’t even five in the morning. “Jesus fuck, Dec—”
“George found a dead wolf,” he interrupted. Those fucking words cut through any mounting frustration I had with him, my blood doused in ice. “And it’s not a gray wolf. It’s one of ours.”
“Fuck,” I whispered. I ran a hand through my hair as I blew out a breath. “Do we know who?”
“No. Just that the wolf has pale blond fur,” he said. Fuck. That had to only add to his mood. Even though I knew from his behavior it wasn’t Raven, the thought that it could’ve been had to of fucked with him.
“She’s okay, right?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah, she was gone when I got the call,” Declan replied. “It took a hot minute, but she had Cade drop her off at her studio to paint.”
“At least she’s safe.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t sound convinced. I could only imagine the momentary panic he’d had imagining the what-ifs. I would’ve lost my fucking shit if I’d thought that it could’ve been Genevieve.
“Do we know what happened?”
“No,” he said. “George only said it was bad and to get our asses over there. I have Maverick and Cole meeting us there. Isla is with them. Lucas and Finn are grabbing Nolan. Sam is… gone right now.”
Gone right now. He meant Sam was lost in the fucking woods as a wolf. Shit. I had so many fucking questions about that alone but knew it wasn’t the right time.
We sat in silence as Declan drove us into town, down Main, and right back out of town. Half a mile out, George’s beat-up fucking station wagon sat on the side of the road with several other cars. My chest tightened. Fuck, I hadn’t seen George in over three years—not since the day he let me go due to Phillip Goodwin’s continuous hell-raising.
Declan pulled up behind him, and I climbed out. Cole, Maverick, and Isla stood off to the side with Nolan, Finn, and Lucas. No one said a fucking word—not even small talk. They were stoic and tense.
George stood a little taller when he saw me. The man had fucking aged and not in a good way. His hair had gone gray, he was thinning, and he looked fucking worn.
“Killian,” he greeted with a tight nod.
“George.” I offered him a hand because it wasn’t George’s fucking fault my father-in-law was a dick. “You’re looking old.”
