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Chapter 2
Niko
“Have you seen Amelia?” I asked Jax when I came upon him on the sidewalk outside the business building.
“No, she took the day off today. I don’t know where she’s at. Have you checked her house?” Jax tilted his head in thought.
“Yeah, and the gym. I texted Kat, but she hasn’t heard from her today either. Her session was with the new girl, Sage, via zoom. Sage has been filling in while Kat is in the States with Leo.” I scanned the area, hoping to see her walking up or out with friends, but there was no sign of her.
“Did you check the playground? She and Molly have a unique bond, and I know she likes spending time with her,” Jax offered. “Or maybe check DJ and Kymber’s house. She’s watching it for them while they are gone.”
“Thanks. I checked Diego’s, too, but didn’t think about the playground.” I patted his shoulder as I stepped past him.
“You’re welcome. You might try through the pack bonds; I know she has been trying to acclimate to them. If she’s not there, doesn’t reply, and you still need help looking, let me know. I have one more appointment today and can close the clinic early if needed,” Jax said as I walked away.
“I’ll let you know if I need you.”
I walked past the business building, then the club, and went through the gate separating the pride’s homes from the business side of the compound. Leo, our Alpha, had created an oasis for his pride. A sanctuary I had always felt was safe and protected. Now, as I walked on, a sensation of fear and unease penetrated my usual confidence. A voice in the back of my head whispered, “You can’t protect her. You can’t protect any of them.”
I tried to shake off the doubt as I strolled through the park in the center of the compound, scanning the playground for any signs of Molly and Amelia. Molly was one of the youngest in the group of women who had been taken and held hostage in a dingy shipping container. Ricardo, the son of one of the most notorious cartel bosses in the United States, had planned to sell them to the highest bidder. He had both shifter and human women he intended to traffic out of the country, and if it hadn’t been for DJ’s connection from a former life, we wouldn’t have recognized the threat he was.
Molly had survived, but her mother hadn’t, so the pride adopted her as a whole; however, she was the oldest of the pride children at eight years old. The rest were barely old enough to crawl, with Leo’s daughter just beginning to walk a month or so ago. They were with their parents headed to visit The Black Mountain Pack in the United States. She was never far from Amelia. Leo had recognized the bond they had and made Amelia Molly’s guardian. There were others we had integrated into the pride from the same rescued group, but some had chosen to return home. Molly had clung to Amelia, and there she stayed.
It had been a year since the rescue. Leo, Kat, Diego, Kymber, and their kids were on the first relaxing trip since the cubs were born. Why did I expect things to go smoothly while they were gone? Things never stayed quiet for us. Our species had been and always would be hunted for one reason or another.
“Molly, Amelia, are you guys out here?” I knew my calling was futile as the rock in the pit of my stomach hardened with the knowledge they were missing. I took off and ran the perimeter of the compound inside and out. I stopped every guard to ask if they had seen either one of them. I came back empty-handed.
“What are you going to do?” Miguel asked. He joined me halfway through my search and had even called the off-duty guards to see if they had seen Molly or Amelia before the shift changes.
“We need to expand the search outside the walls, but first, I need to make a phone call.” I dreaded this with every fiber of my being. Calling the boss, one of my best friends, to admit I had failed in my duty to protect everyone within these walls left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“You know he’ll understand. Of all the pride members, DJ and Kymber will understand. They are the closest to Amelia and Molly. They won’t blame you for them taking off without guards or protection.”
“I know, but just the thought of letting our Beta and his mate down hurts.” I rubbed my chest.
“Give DJ a call, and let’s get this search party put together.” Miguel gripped my shoulder and squeezed in support.
“Okay, you gather our best trackers in the conference room, and I’ll make the call. I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”
I closed my office door and made my way to the desk, sinking into the chair with a defeated slope to my shoulders. One last thought had me perking up. I hadn’t tried to reach her through the pride bonds. I respected everyone and used this special connection only when necessary. I calmed my mind and focused on the web of connections inside, plucking and reaching until I thought I had found the right one. Her thread was weaker than the rest.
“Amelia, baby, where are you?” I sent my words with more anger than intended, but it was too late to pull them back. I tried again after getting no response and hitting a mental block as solid as a brick wall, shutting myself and the rest of the pride off. “Stubborn, aren’t you? No matter, I’ll find you anyway.”
I couldn’t procrastinate any longer. I pulled out the satellite phone and dialed DJ. He was surprisingly calm about the situation. I answered his questions and assured him things were under control.
“Yes, sir.” If things ended up worse than expected, I would be giving a call to Alaska. She was the most wicked female I had ever met. Not only could she take down half my security team in minutes, but her dragon side was also just as impressive. She had an air of something more than shifter around her, something I didn’t recognize, but I respected, and if she wanted to share that with us in the future, she would.
I tried reaching out to Amelia periodically but still hit that mental wall. My panther paced inside me. My heart constricted as I thought of all the possibilities that could befall them. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let that happen. Not when I knew there was something between us. I just had to convince Amelia to trust me and her instincts.
“Have you tried connecting with her through the bonds?” Miguel asked as he met me between my office and the conference room.
“She shut me out.”
“Yeah, I hit the mental wall, too. Everyone is gathered and waiting.”
I followed him into the soundproof room. Jonah, our current head of security, sat at the head of the table. He was also the former head of security for the South American Pride, located about two hours southeast. Jonah had joined Leo two years ago to help get our pride up and running and never left. I turned to him for direction. I might have been good at what I did, but he had been around the block a few times, and I trusted his instincts. “What’s the plan, Jonah?”
“Time is of the essence. There have been reports of poachers and shifter hunters in the jungle that surrounds us. They will be the biggest threat to Molly and Amelia, as well as to us when we venture out. So, we’ll go in teams of three. Miguel will work on maps for us with sectioned-off search areas of the jungle. It’s a lot of acreage to cover, but I believe we’ll find them and bring them home safe.”
