She gripped the shopping cart, her knuckles turning white. "Dad, let’s go."
Nathan hesitated, his jaw clenching. I forced a smile, stepping back. "See you around."
I turned and walked away, my pulse pounding in my ears. Nathan didn't stop me, didn't call out, but I could feel him watching me retreat.
And deep down, in a place I couldn't quite acknowledge, I knew this thing between us was far from over. It was a live wire, a current that hummed beneath my skin, refusing to be ignored.
No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise.
Chapter 10
Nathan
The inky darknessof the night pressed in around me as I stood at the edge of the woods, Gavin and the pack enforcers flanking my sides. After finding the cabin last night, we’d decided to search again tonight, but all I could think about was running into Rissa at the grocery store.
Ula was already at work, her wolf form slinking low to the ground as she sniffed the air. "The scent is still here," she muttered, muffled by the underbrush. "But it's weird."
Weird was never good. "Weird how?"
Ula glanced up at me, her snout twitching. "Like it's layered. She was here, but so wassomething, or someone, else."
Beside me, Gavin shifted his weight from foot to foot, radiating tension. "A rogue?"
I shook my head slowly. "No. A rogue would be messy, desperate." I inhaled deeply, trying to parse out the strange, overlapping scents. "This feels intentional."
Dread pooled in my gut as the implications sank in. If this wasn't some lone wolf gone feral, then we were dealing with something far more sinister. An unknown threat, lurking in the shadows of Stock Creek.
I squared my shoulders, determination steeling my resolve. "Spread out," I ordered, my wolf stirring restlessly. "Look for any signs of disturbance, anything out of place." I met each of their gazes in turn. "And be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with here."
As the enforcers melted into the trees, their forms rippling and shifting, I turned to Gavin. My beta, my right hand. The unspoken question hung between us, heavy with implication.
What fresh hell had come to Stock Creek?
I picked my way through the underbrush, leaves crunching beneath my boots as I followed the fading scent trail. Beside me, Gavin moved silently, scanning the shadows.
Caleb, one of the younger enforcers, crossed his arms over his chest. "Is someone trying to mask their scent?"
Ula let out a low growl, her muzzle wrinkling. She shifted into her skin and said, "Not just mask. Corrupt. There's something wrong in this mix."
I crouched down, inhaling deeply. Beneath the missing woman's scent was something off. Like wet earth, rotting leaves, and the faintest trace of death. A shiver rolled through me, my wolf snarling uneasily. Decay.
I exchanged a look with Gavin, who clenched his jaw. "You think we're dealing with a wolf?"
I nodded slowly, the pieces clicking into place. "Yeah. But not just any wolf."
Ula circled a gnarled tree, her nose pressed to the roots. "The scent is strong here."
She shifted back, and we followed the trail for another mile, weaving between the trees, but it cutoff abruptly near the highway as if the kidnapper had simply disappeared into thin air.
Frustration burned in my veins, my wolf pacing agitatedly. We were missing something, some crucial piece of the puzzle. And with each passing moment, the chances of finding the woman alive grew slimmer.
I raked a hand through my hair, trying to think. To plan our next move. But the truth was, I had no idea what we were up against. No idea how to protect my pack from an enemy I couldn't see.
Gavin placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. "We'll figure this out."
I met his gaze, drawing strength from his unwavering faith. He was right. We'd faced worse threats than this and come out standing. We would again.
I straightened, squaring my shoulders. "Let's head back. We need to regroup and come up with a plan." I turned to face the others. "And we need to do it fast. Before anyone else goes missing."
