It was the one place in the territory we hadn’t searched. Fear bubbled up like bile in my throat. Of all the places for them to be, this was the worst option. I desperately hoped there was no sign of them there, and I could return to the house, and maybe they would even be waiting there--
The sharp, coppery tang of blood flooded my nose. I gasped and stumbled, tripping on my own feet and falling to the ground. My heart raced as the scents went straight to my brain.
I recognized them.
There were two distinct scents. One duller, older--Ramsay.
And a new, fresh one--Noro.
A whimper escaped me. By the time I scrambled to my paws, the others following behind had nearly caught up with me, and I didn't care anymore. I knew they would smell the blood, too. There was no going back from this now.
Eric didn’t bother scolding me when he caught up. His fur stood on end as he took in deep breaths.
“Shit,” he muttered.
Colton didn’t speak, wide-eyed. His ears pressed back against his skull.
“I don’t like this. We shouldn’t be here alone,” Crystal said quietly. “Sir, I think we should head back and fetch some more guards.”
Not wanting to appear agitated, Eric forced his hackles to lay flat, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. All of us were shaken by the discovery.
“No,” Eric said. “I need to see this for myself.”
We padded forward as a group, huddled together. Eric and Colton flanked me tightly, and Crystal brought up the rear. No one made a sound as we approached the crest of the ridge ahead.
The scent of blood intensified. Below the ridge, the earth sloped down, and none of us were expecting what we saw there.
I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat. Everyone around me went stiff with horror.
Noro lay collapsed on his knees, blood streaming from multiple wounds on his exposed skin. He panted heavily. In his arms lay Ramsay, battered and bleeding, and barely conscious.
When Ramsay saw me, his lagoon-green eyes widened. He struggled to raise a hand.
“Mathe,” he croaked. “Don’t--”
He coughed. Noro saw us, shook his head and said, “Matheson, no, don’t come near us! It’s--”
Blood roared in my ears as I flew down the slope. I ignored them, not caring what sort of reason they had to keep me away. I wouldn’t. Not now. Not when I finally had them both back in my grasp.
“Ramsay! Noro!” I cried. “Are you all right? Come on, we have to get you home!”
Noro shut his eyes, still shaking his head. Ramsay looked defeated.
“You have to go, quickly,” Ramsay said, his voice cracking. “Before they get here.”
“What?” I snapped. “I’m not going anywhere!”
The sound of jingling chains made me look down. I noticed for the first time that Ramsay’s hands were bound, and so were Noro’s legs. They had anchored him to a stake in the ground.
“Matheson!” Ramsay snapped, not only using my full name but also raising his voice at me for the first time that I’d known him. “Get the hell out of here!”
“Will you just shut up?” I growled back. “I’m going to get you out of these chains, and--”
The sudden commotion behind me meant nothing compared to the importance of freeing them from their bonds. I shifted quickly, my hands flying to the chains and the stake, but I was sweating and fumbling, and it wasn’t happening fast enough--
Ramsay headbutted me hard enough to make me stumble back. I yelped, startled and confused, then angry, but he snarled furiously at me before I could ask him what the hell he was doing.
“Matheson! It’s a trap!”
