“I’m coming in!” I yell, rattling the handle.
Still, there is no response.
Fuck it.
I step back and leap towards the door, kicking my leg out so I smash directly into the center of it. The door splinters and breaks, but it wasn’t as easy for me as I’d hoped it would be.
My powers aren’t fully back yet.
“Trina!” I yell, looking around the bathroom. There aren’t many places to hide, and I immediately see the open window. “Fuck!”
I go to the sink and turn off the water, then look out the window. The darkness is deep and still, but her scent is hanging strongly on the wind.
Maybe she doesn’t know how easily I can track her, because this was a pretty stupid plan.
The window would be a tight squeeze for me, so I shut it and go through the house to the back door. The second I walk out into the backyard, her scent drifts to me on the wind, and as I jog through the woods, it gets stronger and stronger.
When I get closer, I pick up some mixed scents, and immediately, my hackles rise. There’s a female nearby, which doesn’t bother me, but there’s also an immensely strong male wolf. I’m surprised by the rush of aggression and jealousy that floods through me, as well as a hint of absolutely pure, earth-shattering fear.
I want to deny that Trina’s my mate, but there is no mistaking this. I’ve been in her presence no longer than an hour, and the very idea that she could be taken from me is scaring me shitless.
I want to shift, but my wolf won’t come. I can feel it snarling in my soul, desperate to be free, but the sacred link between me and the supernatural world has been broken, all because of the disease. Shifting in front of Trina was one of the hardest physical challenges I’ve ever faced, and I could only maintain my wolf form for a few minutes.
I run across a small rise and into a clear path between the trees, finally seeing Trina ahead of me. I’m so worked up, I don’t actually notice the other figures at first.
Get away from my mate!
I put on some speed and a final sprint, and just before I leap into attack, the woman turns to look at me, and I recognize Sadie.
“Owen,” she says, her voice hard. “What have you done?”
“Why aren’t you at the manor?” I snap. “You said you were staying there.”
Sadie tilts her head as she looks at me, and her incredibly dark eyes flicker with hints of gold. I feel a swell of power around her, and it reminds me that I have barely any.
“I came back home to see Cassie and Rhys,” she says, reaching for the hand of the man beside her. I finally notice it’s Rhys and that he’s the source of the threatening scent.
I should have recognized him immediately—he’s like a brother to me! What the fuck is going on?
I look over at Trina, who is trembling a little as she inches closer to Sadie. Sadie lets go of Rhys’s hand and takes Trina’s instead.
“Let her go,” I growl, taking a slow step forward.
“Back the fuck off,” Rhys says, stepping into my way. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
What the fuckiswrong with me?
“Answer my question,” Sadie snaps. “What the fuck did you do?”
“I went to her house…” I reply, searching my mind for words that might make sense. “And I—ah—”
“What did you fucking do?” Sadie snaps, and the air crackles with magic.
My lips are moving before I’m aware of it, and I can’t help but obey her command.
No wonder we’ve feared witches for so long.
“I saw her outside her house, I tackled her and kidnapped her,” the words come out of me in a rush, and they shock me,because it sounds a lot worse out loud than what it looked like in my head.
