Taylor let out a long breath, sliding his seat belt into place. “Hit me.”
“That kid from the care home, William? He’s missing.”
Taylor tipped his head back, covering his face with a hand. “Fuck’s sake. Did Kat even find him a foster placement?”
Amil nodded, starting the car. “Yeah, a place in High Enfield. His foster mum went to wake him up this morning but he’d shoved a pillow under his duvet and gone.”
Groaning, Taylor unzipped his vest and threw it into the back of the car. It was suddenly too tight, making him feel like his lungs were being strangled. “I know where he’ll be. Just… I’ll drop you back at the station and take the car up to the woods.”
“The woods?” Amil said, pulling out of the car park. “How do you?—”
“He’s the reason I was late meeting you that first time. He runs there when he feels like he has nowhere else to go.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Taylor shook his head. “No. Just me. He’ll run again if he feels surrounded.”
“Taylor, you aren’t exactly in the best headspace for this. I’ll drop you back. Wendy and I will?—”
“Please,” Taylor said, emptying the pockets of his combat trousers and throwing the multitude of chocolate wrappers and sweet packets on top of his stab vest. “I know I’m dumb as shit, but please just trust me on this.”
Sighing, Amil scrubbed at the back of his head. “I didn’t mean that. You aren’tthatdumb.”
Taylor held up a hand. “Please, Amil?”
Amil shook his head. “Take your radio.Rememberto update us when you find him, otherwise I’ll be dragging you back to the nick by your ears.”
Taylor cocked the omega a weary two-finger salute. “You got it, boss.”
Taylor padded through the vast, quiet woods, weaving between the trees and sniffing the ground. He’d picked up William’s scent as soon as he cut off from the main path, the smell of cigarettes and adrenaline coating the undergrowth.
Kids were nothing if not predictable, and before long Taylor found himself back in the clearing where he’d first found William all those weeks ago.
“Stay,”Taylor said, trying not to throw too much force behind his alpha voice. A twig snapped behind him, the ferns rustling in an arc around the treeline. “Stay, pup,”he said again, and that time William paused.
A few seconds later he emerged from behind a log in Taylor’s periphery, panting and swishing his tail. Skittering to the left, he kicked up dirt as though trying to provoke Taylor into getting angry. He didn’t, of course, but it was probably what the poor kid was used to. William circled him for a long time, stopping and starting, getting closer before pulling away.
Taylor just sat on his haunches, ears turning at all the different cracks and creaks of the trees. The summer pollen was fucking intense, and the cabbagey stench was already thick in his nostrils.
Eventually, William blew out hard from his muzzle before turning and stalking towards the thickest part of the woods. Taylor followed, reaching him within ten or so of his longer strides.
They padded side by side, William sneezing as they passed a web of pollen that clung to a cluster of purple bell heather. Taylor had no idea where William was leading him, but after a while they came across a brook with a makeshift tyre swing looped around the high branch of an oak tree. It was quiet—serene, actually—but something in the air fucking stank.
William bumped his hindquarters against Taylor’s leg, shoulders hunched in sombre resignation. Taylor followed himdown to the brook, the unnatural stench getting stronger the closer they got to the water. Taylor stared at himself in the reflection, the milky, greasy sheen making it look like someone had dumped a gallon of cream into it. The rancid stench of chemicals was almost unbearable, and Taylor pulled William away by his scruff.
William squirmed, his gangly wolf legs flailing around. When Taylor plopped him onto the ground again, William tilted his head upstream and said, ”Follow.”
Taylor made a rumbling sound in his chest, licking William hard between the eyes. His fur was matted with dirt, but he still had the softness of a pup.
“Home.”
William growled, his wolf lips peeling back over his tiny, pointed teeth. “Follow.”
Taylor planted himself in the brush between William and the brook. He straightened, making himself at least three heads taller than William. “Home.”
“No home!”William said, shaking his whole body, frustration pouring through his scent. He thudded his front paws over the ground, kicking shingle stones over Taylor’s feet.
Taylor only sighed and licked him again, the sour taste of dirty fur sticking to his tongue. “Come.”
