The others follow without hesitation, and with that in mind, I focus on the path ahead. On the burning need to reach her before something happens.
On the way, I catch the scent of them before I see them. The Wraith Peak wolves run along the eastern border, slipping in and out of the trees while they move swiftly, but not urgently. They dart away, putting distance between themselves and the perimeter.
There are dozens of them, but I don’t chase them. Not when I don’t catch Lila’s scent with them. Instead, I growl at them, watching as they put as much room between them and us as possible.
It’s more like they’re waiting than in pursuit of anyone.
We run into some of my wolves as they circle the grounds, most shifted and snarling in warning for the others. They’re tense and uncertain, ready to fight but not yet engaged. They haven’t received any command from me yet.
Pushing on, I try the bond again, pushing harder to try and reach for anything. Any flicker of emotion will do, but I get nothing. Just a void, and a distant, almost muffled ache.
We close in, avoiding town and navigating through the woods behind my place. Here, the scents only intensify, enraging me further.
All the while, I catch the voices of my pack members through our pack link, all confused and alarmed about what’s going on. But they all talk at once, causing a garbled mess through the connection. For the time being, I block it out and press on.
The moment I reach the porch, my heart drops.
The door’s wide open, and the place reeks of other wolves, all unfamiliar.
Worst of all, strong fear signatures linger in the space, both from Lila and Astrid. It feels more like a physical strike, making my vision tunnel.
Normally, I’d scan room to room just to make sure, but even from within the doorway, I already know.
They’re gone.
Taken.
That word echoes in my mind, and before I know it, it’s slipping through the mental link, echoing in such a gut-wrenching way.
What is it?
What happened?
Lila. Astrid. My mate and my daughter, both gone.
Wraith Peak,I send out to the others, snarling as I back away from the house and glance around the trees for any sign of others.They took my family.
The others draw closer, looking to me for answers and guidance. At once, a mutual feeling of dread and anger surges through the pack-wide connection as my words settle in.
Their Luna has been taken, and regardless of how some of them might feel about her, that’s one of the greatest offences that can be made against a pack.
One punishable by death.
What’s the plan?Hunter asks, his form looming nearby along with the rest of the guys.
Lila’s scent is weak here, but I can sense it. I can follow it.I send down the connection as my blood burns far hotter than it ever has.We track the bastards back to Wraith Peak and find her. I don’t care what it takes; we’re getting her back. If either of them is harmed—
Rustling in the nearby bushes makes me pause, and at once, everyone looks toward the trees.
From every direction, they appear, stalking forward in their wolf forms. They bare their teeth, growling low as they surround us.
Even the sight of them sends me into a blinding rage, and it takes everything in me not to lash out immediately.
There are dozens of Wraith Peak wolves, all closing in like they have a reason to be here. Like they have any kind of advantage.
But with my mate and child gone, they don’t realise just how dead they already are.
I speak again through the link, in a cold, direct tone.If any wolf stands between you and recovering Lila and Astrid, kill it. Without hesitation.
