“We got matched on mate.com a month ago. As soon as I opened the app, I recognized his face from the corkboard in the break room.”
Shane’s jaw tightened.
“He texted me right away, but I didn’t respond. He kept messaging me, but I ignored it. Then he came to the diner one morning during a breakfast rush and told me I was his mate, in front of everyone. I told him he was banned, and he had to leave.”
“Stella,” Lily said. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Stella looked up at Shane. “I didn’t tell you about the match because you’d banned his whole pack. I didn’t want to be the daughter who came to you with a mate you’d already told the whole town wasn’t welcome in your restaurant.”
Shane set his fork down. “Stella, I wish you’d trusted me with this. I would have understood.”
Her eyes burned. She didn’t blink. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
Lily reached over and put her hand on Stella’s forearm. “But why are the two of you beat up?”
“That’s the rest of the story.” Stella took her mother’s hand. “You know how Nell went missing three weeks ago?” Lily’s handtightened on hers. “The police did what they could. But they ran out of leads. Andre told me there wasn’t anything more they could do, but I’d promised Nell’s mother I’d find her. That’s when I went to Steel Protection.”
Shane nodded slowly.
“Steel Protection identified seven other missing young non-predator shifter women. Nell was the eighth in the pattern. They realized it was a trafficking operation. The traffickers scouted girls through social media. They drugged them, held them in a warehouse, and sold them to wealthy buyers during underground fighting events.”
Serena shook her head. Theo hadn’t moved.
“Steel Protection identified the venue where the fights happened.” She took a breath. “Blaze went undercover as a fighter. The plan was to get him inside, identify the holding location and the sale event, and raid them with law enforcement coordinated through Detective Reynolds.” She looked at Lily. “I went undercover as his girlfriend.”
“What do you mean you went undercover?” her father demanded.
“I wore a disguise, and I sat at the bar during the fights. I got all the intel I could and made contact with Nell.”
“You were in a building full of human traffickers,” her father said, his voice on the edge of reason. “When you told me you would be in Eureka.”
“Yes, Dad. I lied. I’m sorry.”
Shane’s jaw twitched. He didn’t speak.
“Is that where all those bruises came from?” Lily asked, her voice shocked.
“They grabbed me off the street the morning after I made contact with Nell.” Lily gasped. “They took me to a holding building outside of Portland. They put me in a room with the other women. They drugged me with a suppressant they used to keep the women from shifting. The dose wasn’t calibrated for a grizzly. My bear started cracking through it while they were trying to process me, and Nell took advantage of the chaos to escape in her wren form. She flew to our hotel and found Blaze. She told him where the building was.”
She looked at Blaze beside her. He was looking down at his plate. “Steel Protection raided the building that night with Officer Holt and Detective Reynolds. They breached the building, we took out the guards and got all the women out.”
“Oh my god, Stella,” Lily said.
“We drove home yesterday.”
Theo set his fork down. “Wow, sis.” Stella looked up at her brother. “You’re a badass.”
“Total badass,” Serena said, nodding.
“Thank god you’re all right,” Lily said, gripping her hand. “Where’s Nell now?”
“With her mother in Eureka.”
Stella looked at her father. “You’re not mad at me, Dad?”
Shane looked at her.
“Of course I’m not mad at you, Stella. How could I be? You’re a hero.” Her throat closed. “You both are.”
