Pieces slammed together in my head with sickening clarity. The sabotaged obstacles, the sickness that hit dogs whose handlers shared space, shared resources.
Jaime. He must’ve noticed something off. He probably realized what was happening… and Jaime had been caught.
“Damn it, Jaime,” I muttered under my breath, throat tight.
My hands shook and I stepped back, careful not to disturb anything further. I needed proof. Heck, I needed Cooper’s advice on how to proceed forward. I needed…
Blood. I followed the scent, my wolf surging forward again, this time focused and sharp. It led out the back flap of the tent. The parking lot beyond was empty at this hour, mist curling low to the ground.
The trail stretched a short distance, then faded abruptly near the edge of the lot. A vehicle had been here. The scent ended cleanly, like it had been scooped up and driven away.
I stood there, chest heaving, fury and fear tangling tight inside me.Alive. Please let him be alive.
I pulled out my phone with hands that barely felt like my own and hit Cooper’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Chris,” Cooper said. “What’s going on?”
“I’m at the relief area,” I said, voice low and tight. “It’s the water. It’s been tampered with. There’s poison. And blood.”
A sharp inhale on the other end.
“Jaime,” Cooper said.
“His scent’s here. He must’ve interrupted the real perp.”
“Are you safe?” Cooper asked.
“Yes,” I said. “But the trail ends in the parking lot.”
“Stay where you are,” Cooper ordered. “I’m mobilizing people now.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll secure the area.”
“Good work. And Chris,” Cooper added, voice firm. “Find him.”
The call ended. I stood there for a moment longer, the morning air cold against my skin, my wolf pacing hard inside me, desperate and furious.
Pampi pressed against my leg, her small body warm and solid, an anchor in a moment that threatened to rip me apart.Brave girl.Braver than I felt right then.
I rested a hand on her head, fingers threading through soft fur, grounding myself in the simple, living proof that not everything had gone wrong yet.
I straightened slowly, squaring my shoulders even as my heart thundered hard enough to bruise my ribs from the inside. The parking lot stretched out before me, empty and indifferent.
My eyes swept the space again and again, cataloging tire tracks, discarded cups, anything that didn’t belong. My mind raced ahead of my body, running scenarios I didn’t want to finish.
Fear gnawed at me, sharp and relentless, but beneath it was something fiercer. Jaime wasn’t just my partner on this mission. He wasn’t just the man who challenged me, trusted me, kissed me like he meant it.
He was mine in a way that felt inevitable, like my wolf had known long before I’d dared to admit it.My mate.
“I’ll get you back,” I whispered into the cool morning air, the words rough with promise. “I swear it.”
My chest tightened, emotion threatening to spill over, and I forced myself to breathe through it. Please, I added silently, softer now.
Please come back safe. Let me fix this. Let me say the things I didn’t say.
Pampi huffed softly, as if in agreement. I brushed my thumb along her ear, then lifted my head again, senses sharpening, purpose locking into place. Whoever took him had made a mistake.
They’d underestimated how far I was willing to go.
