I quickened my pace, golden eyes fixed on the path ahead, determined to reach Rooster before whatever threat the forest had warned me about could find him first. I would protect what was mine—not because fate had declared it so, but because I had chosen it for myself.
Chapter Eight
~ Rooster ~
I dragged myself through the compound gates as the first fingers of dawn stretched across the sky. My head throbbed with each heartbeat, the baseball bat injury a constant reminder of last night's fight.
Even worse was the hollow ache in my chest—I'd spent the entire night searching for Liam, and I had nothing to show for it. My mate was still out there somewhere, alone and afraid, running from words I wished I could take back.
My boots scraped against the gravel as I stumbled across the yard, exhaustion weighing on me like a physical burden. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept. Was it before the attack on the clubhouse? That seemed like a lifetime ago now.
The compound was beginning to stir. Lights had clicked on in the clubhouse windows, silhouettes moving behind the curtains. Someone—probably Ink—had already started the coffee maker.
On any other day, the familiar morning rhythms would have comforted me. Today, they just emphasized what was missing, of who was missing.
The back door swung open, and Butch stepped onto the porch, his expression darkening when he spotted me. He opened his mouth as if to call out, but then his eyes shifted to something over my shoulder, and his face hardened into something more concerning.
I turned just in time to see Bear storming across the yard toward me. His massive frame moved with the focused intensity of an approaching storm, each step deliberately placed, fists clenched at his sides.
Behind him trailed Bug, his thin form almost comically small next to his mate. Bug's face showed none of Bear's anger—just a quiet concern as his eyes met mine.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Bear growled, closing the distance between us. "Do you have any idea what you put us through? What you put Bug through?"
I winced, not from his words but from the truth behind them. In my desperate search for Liam, I hadn't considered the consequences of Bug following me—what might have happened if Kaine's men had spotted him, what Bear must have felt when he realized his mate was missing.
"I'm sorry," I said, the words feeling inadequate even as they left my mouth. "I didn't know Bug was following me."
"That's not good enough." Bear stepped closer, his face inches from mine. "You went into Dough Boys territory alone, concussed, in the middle of the fucking night. What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't," I admitted. "I was just looking for Liam."
"Your stray?" Bear's voice dripped with frustration. "The one who ran off? You risked everything—risked Bug—for someone who chose to leave?"
The words stung like salt in an open wound. I felt my bear rising within me, bristling at the dismissal of my mate, but I was too exhausted to summon proper anger. Instead, I just sagged, my shoulders dropping as the fight drained out of me.
"He's my mate, Bear," I said quietly. "He didn't know what that meant. I explained it badly, scared him off. What would you do if Bug ran?"
The question hit its mark. Bear's expression shifted, the fury giving way to something more complex. He took a step back, running a hand over his short-cropped hair.
"Fuck," he muttered, then glanced back at Bug, who hovered a few paces behind. Something passed between them—one of those silent communications that mated pairs developed.
Bug nodded slightly, and Bear turned back to me with a sigh.
"You look like shit," he said, his voice gruff but the edge gone from it. "When's the last time you slept?"
I shook my head, unable to remember. "Doesn't matter. I need to keep looking."
"What you need is rest," Bear countered. "You're dead on your feet. And that head injury isn't getting any better with you running around all night."
As if on cue, a fresh wave of pain throbbed through my temple. I winced, swaying slightly.
Bear's large hand shot out, steadying me with a grip on my shoulder. The anger in his eyes had transformed completely into concern. "Listen to me. I'll help you search for him. We'll all help. But you need to clean up, eat something, maybe get a few hours of sleep first."
Bug stepped forward, tugging at Bear's leather vest. "See bad man," he said urgently. "In alley. Knife man."
Bear's expression sharpened. "What's he talking about?"
I exhaled slowly. "I ran into Victor Kaine in Dough Boys territory. He was... interrogating someone. Thought the guy had stolen his drugs, was convinced our club was involved somehow."
