Receiving no answer, I made my way down the stairs, through the living room and kitchen, and out the front door, scanning the yard and the distant forest line.
It was late March, and spring was settling into Moonhaven. Flowers were pushing up through thawed earth, the last of the snow was melting, and the trees were finally budding again. Even the wildlife seemed more awake. Spring was beautiful here. Fall was still my favorite, with its blaze of color and crisp air, but spring had its own kind of beauty.
It was also a season that stirred unrest in shifters, especially the ones without mates. As their alpha, I had to remain particularly aware of those who struggled during this time of year and do my best to look after them. Not that they couldn’t look after themselves, but some might need a little extra care.
Alanna’s cries pierced the air again, startling a bird from a nearby tree.
I had seen mothers gently bounce their babies while juggling plates and conversations during Clan dinners, and though I had no idea if I was doing it correctly, I attempted the same motion.
I jiggled her carefully, still holding her at arm’s length, but she was having none of it. Her tiny face flushed red as her cries sharpened.
Desperation creeping in, I cast one final glance around me for rescue before drawing her slowly against my chest. Sliding one arm beneath her small body, I curved my other hand securely along her back, holding her close despite my fear that I was doing it wrong.
She stopped crying instantly.
A small hiccup escaped her, and then her breathing began to steady.
Within seconds, she melted against me, tiny fingers curling into the fabric of my robe as she settled against me and drifted to sleep.
I frowned, glancing down at her more carefully. She had been tired. Goosebumps prickled along her tiny arms. Alarmed, I brushed my thumb lightly against her skin, and it felt cool to the touch. Alanna wasn’t a shifter, so she didn’t have the internal heat most of us did. Piper had mentioned she was fairly certain Alanna hadn’t inherited her father’s magic either, and she most definitely had not inherited her mother’s shifter genes. As an alpha, I would have known.
Concern tightening in my chest, I carried her back into the Lodge in search of a blanket. Once I found one, I wrapped it carefully around her, tucking it securely against my chest and around her small body, her legs and arms cocooned while leaving her face free.
I looked down at her in quiet consternation when I realized I wasn’t entirely sure what to do next.
Did I put her down?
I gave a decisive nod to myself. I would find Piper, and Alanna could finish her nap in their room. I headed back up the stairs toward the east side of the Lodge, where Piper and Alanna had set up their in-Lodge apartment.
With the Lodge now silent around me, my thoughts drifted to the situation my mate and Alanna were in.
My First, Matteo, was the one I had sent to track Barrett. He had left the same night Piper and Alanna arrived. His check-ins were few and far between, and so far his hunt had borne no fruit, but I trusted him. Matteo was brilliant. Very little escaped his notice.
I wanted to deal with Barrett myself, but my place was here. Protecting Alanna. Protecting Piper. Since their arrival, I had increased security around the Lodge and across the acres of land we controlled. Our manpower was stretched thin, but I had no doubt my Clan would defend our land, and my mate and her niece, with their last breath.
When I reached Piper’s bedroom, I knocked softly, not wanting to wake Alanna, who had not so much as stirred during the climb upstairs. She shifted slightly at the sound but stayed asleep, and I exhaled in relief.
I knocked again when there was no answer.
“Piper?” I called through the door. “Are you in there?”
Silence.
A flicker of unease slid through me, and I turned the knob, stepping into her rooms.
“Piper?”
The space was empty.
And there was a note on the kitchen table.
Dread pooling low in my gut, I crossed the room and picked it up.
Riggs—
I receivedword from some of my shifter military contacts that Barrett has been seen in a town close to Moonhaven.
I’m sorry, Riggs. I have to lead him away from Alanna.
