“The storm is getting worse, but our sense of direction should suffice. I say we shift to wolf and go to find Renee,” Calian said.
“It’s a bloody long way to the lodge,” Kansas commented.
“I’m in,” Matto said. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. It sounds as if the locals won’t call for a search party until at least morning, and even then, they’ll wait for the storm to pass.”
Dakota nodded. “I agree with Matto. The idea of hanging here while Renee is in danger… No, I’m all for a private search.”
“You think we can do this, Calian?” Kansas asked.
“If we stick together as a pack. We’d better stop by to see Sax and his brothers. Tell them what we’re doing.”
“The polar bear shifters aren’t fans of wolves,” Kansas said. “Apart from the Hallstens, they’ve kept their distance.”
“That’s why we’re letting Sax in on our plan,” Calian said.
Matto frowned. “Renee will see us in our wolf forms.”
“We’ll explain if we need to. I’d rather ensure Renee’s safety than worry about her exposure to our wolves,” Calian said. “We’ll sort that out later.”
They left their clothes at the Hallstens’. Kendall Essex, the Hallstens’ mate, helped them fashion a bag to carry a satellite phone and a tracker beacon. Hopefully, the two plastic bags plus the waterproof pack strapped to Calian’s belly would keep out the moisture.
Big drops of snow fell from the sky as they trotted out of town. Wind swirled the flakes, sending them dancing across the sky. Once they reached the lodge, Sax told them they’d have access to food, and a First-Aid kit, but until then, it was just them and the elements.
Four to five hours of an icy hell.
Matto prayed they had enough time to get to Renee.
He prayed she wasn’t already dead.
11 – It Starts To Make Sense
A groan echoed, setting painful spikes jabbing at Renee’s temples. She attempted to move, her arm protesting the action. She blinked and even that hurt. Something dripped down her face, and she struggled to make sense of her situation. Her brow wrinkled.
Frigid air tugged at her jacket.
Her head turned a fraction. The door of her chopper. It was gone.
She’d crashed.
She remembered…
The woman in the red coat—she’d fired a gun at Renee.
Her chopper had crashed.
Renee searched her surroundings, forcing herself to examine the shadows.
Darkness surrounded her, the cry of the wind sending a shiver down her limbs. Above her, something rustled. A tree? Or something else?
Labored breathing filled the air. It didn’t belong to her. She swallowed, cold fingers of sweat prickling her torso. Renee fought with her seat harness, the burning of her biceps rendering her left arm next to useless.
Gritting her teeth, she struggled with her right arm. Lifting it hurt just as much, her ineffectual jabbing at the release mechanism not doing a thing.
A gamey scent filled her shallow breaths, and with a heavy stomach, she turned her head. Her eyes widened on recognizing the new arrival.
A polar bear.
Her heart tried to burrow through her rib cage as she held her breath, not daring to budge.
