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I nod, my jaw clenching. He’s right, of course. But I can’t shake the feeling that rushing in blind could do more harm than good. Especially for her. My thoughts churn at the fact that I’m keeping this from him. I’ve always had the sense that there’s more to this male than meets the eye, and my instincts are telling me to keep my mind clear.
“As soon I have more, I’ll let you know,” I assure him. “What’s going on back at Steel Lakes?” I change the subject.
“Not a lot. It feels a bit like we’re in a holding pattern right now. Pretty tense. Jagger wants answers, Barrett.” His lips pull tight.
I mull over Edirn’s words. “He’s been on edge, huh? Can’t say I’m surprised.” Our Alpha’s always been wound tighter than a spring.
Edirn grunts in agreement. “It’s not just him, though. Sierra and Savannah are getting antsy, too. They’re putting pressure on him.” He scuffs the toe of his boot in the dirt. Dust puffs up. “They’re convinced their people are being held here somewhere.” His mouth thins into a taut line. “Can’t say I blame them. We all have family we’d move heaven and earth to get back.”
The unspoken words hang heavy in the air between us – family is everything to shifters. I know Edirn lost his own when his pack rejected him. And Jagger…well, the guy’s driven by the loss of his mother. We all have our ghosts.
“I’ll do what I can,” I say, shifting my weight. I feel a pang of guilt. Should I be spending time tracking the she-wolf when there might be wolves there who need my help more? Gotta pull my head out of my ass.
“Keep us posted,” Edirn says as he straightens. “I’ll sniff around the other side of town a little more. Dig deeper, see what else I can uncover.”
I watch as Edirn turns and heads off, his tall frame disappearing into the trees. I can’t help the pang of guilt that twists in my gut. I should be focused on the sanctuary, on finding those missing wolves, not chasing after some mysterious she-wolf.
She’s involved somehow. She’s important.
I head straight for the woods, angling away from the town and taking a more direct route toward Whispering Pines. The crackle of leaves and twigs under my boots is the only sound as I move with purpose through the trees.
My mind keeps drifting back to that golden wolf, those intense eyes that seemed to burn right through me. There’s something about her that’s got under my skin in a way I can’t explain.
As much as I try to push it aside, her image keeps surfacing – the way she turned and fled, her powerful body moving with a gracefulness that belied her size. She was afraid; I could sense it radiating off her in waves. But of what? Or who? Not just me, I’m sure of it; she wouldn’t have come back looking for me if that was the case. My gut tells me if I can get to the bottom of her story, it’ll lead me straight to the wolves being held.
A twig snaps underfoot, and I pause, lifting my head. The scents of the forest fill my lungs as I scan the area, searching for any signs of movement or threats. When nothing jumps out, I resume my steady pace.
Guilt gnaws at me for letting myself get so distracted. Jagger and the rest of the team are counting on me to get answers. Sierra and Savannah are just about climbing the walls, waiting for any scrap of news about their missing family. And here I am, obsessing over some random shifter.
But she doesn’t feel random. I can’t explain the pull I felt in that clearing. Like she was trying to tell me something without words.
More than that. Like my fate hung in the balance somehow.
My jaw tightens with renewed determination. I’m not one to get bogged down in doubts or melancholy crap. If my instincts are telling me this she-wolf holds the key, then I need to trust that. Pushing forward and staying focused is what I do best.
The tree line breaks ahead, and I slow, surveying the grounds of Whispering Pines through the cover of branches and underbrush. A few buildings dot the landscape, surrounded by high fences and enclosure areas. No obvious signs of activity that I can see from here.
I crouch down, letting my senses expand outward as I study the layout. One way or another, I’m going to get to the bottom of what’s happening here. And maybe, just maybe, that’ll lead me straight to her.
???
Cedara
I sit in the small clearing beside the tree where he had been sitting. The earth still carries his scent, warm and musky. I draw the air over my tongue as if I can taste him somehow. Fresh grass, the forest; he smells like freedom…and that’s something that has been kept from me too long.
Get a grip, Cedara!
I’m not thinking clearly. I’m trying to make sense of what happened last night, but my mind feels foggy, like there’s a haze clouding my thoughts. I can’t shake the memory of that man’s intense gaze or the way something deep inside me stirred when he said he was one of my kind.
One of my kind…
What did that even mean? I’d been looking at a man, not a wolf. But then again, I know there was a time when that would connect with me more, but now… Now, I don’t know anymore.
I close my eyes, trailing my snout over the rough bark of the tree trunk. Flashes of the previous night play through my mind – the way the moonlight filtered through the trees, the scents of the forest, the stranger’s rugged features. But it’s all jumbled, pieces missing like a puzzle with lost fragments.
A low growl ripples low in my throat as frustration builds. There are times when everything just…goes black. One moment, I’m fully aware, the next, it’s like someone flipped a switch, plunging me into darkness. When I come back to myself, my body is humming with a raw energy, muscles taut and senses heightened. An overwhelming urge to run consumes me, to let my limbs stretch and flex until the world blurs around me.
At first, these lapses terrified me. I’d cling to the shreds of my human side, desperate to hold on to that part of myself. But lately…lately, it’s becoming easier to let go. To embrace the wildness that courses through my veins. My human memories are fading, slipping through my fingers like water. I can barely recall what it feels like to be anything other than this raw, powerful creature.
