“Oh, there is a row of lockers over here.” Isaac escorted me to the enclosure, where I saw the small lockers and a few benches. “We can put everything in one of these and get it backonce we are done running. I have used these wallet bands before to hold the key.”
“Why don’t they do combination locks instead?” I figured that would be a lot simpler than the special bands to carry keys in.
“I guess that would work if people carried their own locks, but having keys just makes more sense when dealing with borrowed ones.”
“That’s true. I didn’t think about that aspect.” I undressed and placed my clothes, phone, and wallet in a locker. “I’m sorry I gave you a hard time before. A run is sounding more like what I needed with each minute I get closer to being able to shift.”
“No worries.” Isaac threw his belongings into the locker and shut it. “If we get parted, just meet me here in about an hour. Sound good?”
“Okay. See you later.” I shifted and dashed off into the tree line.
My fox let out an excited yap as we heard Isaac playfully shout after me.
“Brat.”
I ran as fast as I could, loving the way the wind blew through my fur. It felt like it had been forever since I last let my beast out. I needed this.
It was probably my fault for losing myself in the joy of the run that led me to miss the signs of danger. The tranquilizer bullet hit my side before I even smelled the human. Pain exploded from the spot, and my vision became hazy. There seemed to be an energy to the drug that made it work almost instantly—an almost-sweet smell of the magic. I was immobile, muted, and unable to shift back to my human form. All I could do was let my body drop to the ground and slip into unconsciousness. The last thing I heard was a man on a walkie-talkie telling someone he had found another one.
Should have stuck close to Isaac. Stupid brat.
Chapter Four
Jamie
“Hey, you’re back.” Foxy waved me over to the area where we kept the newcomers to the rescue. “We have a couple of new residents. Wanna check them over with me?”
“Of course. I need to make sure all my new friends are healthy and happy here.” I approached the fence and got hit in the face with the most amazing scent I had ever experienced. Apples and cinnamon with a hint of caramel. I stood still, a foot from the enclosure, and closed my eyes.
Mate.
I opened my eyes and looked around, searching for the source of the magnetic smell. “Did you hire someone new? Do we have someone visiting us today?”
“No.” Foxy shook his head and quirked a brow at my question. “Why?”
“I—” I looked down at the foxes and realized the answer was staring back up at me. While the other foxes were huddled in the corner together, one small fox was standing by the gate, gazing at me and tilting its head to the left. “Uhm, Foxy. Where did you get these foxes?”
“They showed up at the front gate this morning. The cameras were down due to the storm, so we don’t know if someone dropped them off or if they just wandered over here by themselves for safety. Why?”
“Because these aren’t your average foxes.” I took a deeper whiff of the air and confirmed my suspicions. “You have five omega fox shifters here. Including my mate.”
“What?” Foxy had been looking at the foxes in the corner but whipped his head around to stare at me. “These are shifters? How did they get here? Why aren’t they shifting?”
“Those are all very good questions that I’d love the answer to as well.” I entered the enclosure and approached my mate. Kneeling, I placed my hand out, palm up, in offering to be sniffed. My mate leaned his face into my touch, and I felt the connection between us strengthen.
“I’ll call Dr. Malcom to come and help figure out what’s keeping them in shifted form.” Foxy pulled out his cell and dialed, walking out of the enclosure and into the welcome center.
“Hey.” I refocused on my mate after making sure the other shifters were relatively okay. There seemed to be no obvious physical injuries, and the air scented not of pain or anger but confusion and anxiety. “We’ll figure this out.”
I can’t believe the first time I meet my mate, I’m stuck as my fox and the victim of attempted trafficking.I heard my mate’s voice in my head and smiled.
Thank the goddess we could communicate through our mate bond. Not all mates could share this type of connection at first contact, usually needing to mark each other first, but a few lucky pairings were blessed with it immediately after meeting one another. We were one of those lucky few. “Is that what happened?” I ran a hand down my mate’s furry side, checking for a tracker or injuries to his body. “How did you get away from them?”
We woke up in a truck, parked on the side of the road. The lock wasn’t secure properly, I guess. We were able to push the doors open and escape. Matthew checked out the front of the truck while the rest of us ran to the tree line. The driver and his passenger were both asleep. We didn’t worry about why they decided to park on the side of the road and take a nap; we just thanked the goddess and ran into the forest. Eventually, we found this place and saw that the sign was for a fox rescue. We figured this would be the best place to get help.
My mate gestured his head toward the other shifters, still huddled together and watching me warily.None of us can shift back yet, but the other effects from the tranquilizers the men used seem to have worn off. We all were captured at the rest stop near Franklinsville. We don’t remember much besides getting hit with the tranquilizer dart and losing consciousness. I’m Charlie, by the way.
“I’m Jamie. We’ll get to know each other later, mate. Right now, let’s get this all worked out. Were you all at the rest stop at the same time? Were you together before that?” I was piecing together the story.
