Then, just as quickly, a different image took her place. Rissa. The pull toward her was undeniable, a tether that transcended reason or choice. And it made me furious. I didn't want this, hadn’t asked for it. Fated mates or not, I couldn't just forget Mira, couldn't replace her.
My wolf growled quietly, torn between the echoes of my grief and the insistence of instinct. By the time I reached the pack house, I was no closer to sorting myself out.
I shifted back and grabbed a pair of shorts from the pile we kept outside for post-run meetings. As I tugged them on, I saw that Kendrick, Caleb, Marcus, and Ula were already waiting.
Kendrick smirked. "You're late."
I grunted. "I'm the alpha. I'm on time whenever I get here."
Marcus snickered. "Fair enough."
A minute later, Gavin arrived, looking like he'd been dragged through hell backward. I frowned. "You look rough, man. What's going on?"
Gavin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm dealing with that missing person's case. And it's... Well, it's weird."
Caleb folded his arms. "Weird how?"
Gavin pulled a photo from his pocket and set it on the table. The moment I saw it, my stomach clenched. The woman in the picture looked exactlylike my niece. Same delicate features, same tumble of honey-blonde hair.
Ula whistled. "Damn. That's eerie. She looks just like Krystal."
Kendrick shook his head. "She's human?"
"As far as we know," Gavin said. "No connection to Krystal or the pack that we can find." He flared his nostrils. “I already checked as soon as I got a look at this photo.”
My wolf stirred uneasily, hackles rising. "What happened to this Krystal doppelgänger?"
Gavin exhaled. "She was staying at a cabin with her parents up near Blackwood Falls. Last night, she left to grab dinner from the diner in town. Never made it there."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
I folded my arms, meeting Gavin's gaze. "What do we have to go on?"
Gavin tossed a plastic evidence bag onto the table. Inside was a shirt, the fabric rumpled and stained. "Got this from her parents. Figured Ula could give it a once-over."
Ula picked up the bag, her nostrils flaring as she took a deep inhale. Her expression hardened, a frown tugging at her mouth. "I'll track it."
I got a big whiff myself. "Behind the diner, right? That's where you said the scent disappears."
"Yeah," Gavin confirmed. "Trail goes cold in the parking lot. Like she just vanished into thin air."
I glanced at Kendrick and Caleb. "We're running patrols. If there's anything suspicious out there, anything at all, we find it."
Kendrick saluted sharply. "Got it, boss."
Caleb cracked his knuckles, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Let's hope it's nothing."
But I didn't believe that for a second. My gut told me this was just the calm before the storm.
We moved on to other pack matters, border disputes with the pack to the north, and a recent string of rogue sightings along our eastern boundary. But, even as we discussed patrol schedules and resource allocation, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the missing woman was connected to somethinglarger.
Call it intuition, call it paranoia, but I'd learned to trust my instincts over the years. And right now, every fiber of my being was screaming that danger was on the horizon.
I just hoped like hell we'd be ready for it when it came.
As the meeting wrapped up, Gavin stood to leave. I caught his arm, pulling him aside. "You really think there's no connection between the two?" I searched his face for any hint of uncertainty.
Gavin hesitated, his brow furrowing. "I don't know, man. But it's too damn weird. A woman who looks just like Krystal, vanishing into thin air? What are the odds of that being a coincidence?"
